by Reed Hoffmann | Jul 2, 2026 | Advanced, Camera Gear, Education, Intermediate, Lenses, Technology
When I got into 35mm film photography in the 1970s, a 35mm lens was the standard wide-angle and 28mm was considered very wide. But I found, and fell in love with, a Vivitar 21mm f/3.8 lens. Why? Super-wide lenses let you create photos other people can’t, and my love...
by Reed Hoffmann | Jun 14, 2026 | Camera Gear, Landscape, Lenses, Travel, Wildlife
Last year I wrote about my ideal personal kit for doing photography while on vacation. Since then I’ve made some changes, based on the kind of photography I plan to do. That sent me in two different directions: wider and longer. As you can see above, that first kit...
by Reed Hoffmann | Jun 1, 2025 | Camera Gear, Lenses, Travel
Over decades as a professional photographer, I’ve developed all kinds of neck, shoulder and back pain from carrying pro gear. And while I’ve found ways to cut back on how much I carry, taking that kind of kit with me on vacation doesn’t sound like vacation. On...
by Reed Hoffmann | Dec 5, 2024 | Beginner, Camera Gear, Intermediate, Lenses, Travel, Wildlife
(Updated for action photography, Dec. 27,2024) In the 1990s I was doing a fair bit of backpacking in the Adirondack mountains of Upstate New York, and spent a year trying to find a compact camera that would give me the quality I wanted. I never did, and ended up...
by Reed Hoffmann | Jun 20, 2024 | Action, Advanced, Camera Gear, Intermediate, Lenses, Sports, Technology, Weather
What’s harder than 18 holes of golf in hot, humid weather? How about chasing 156 golfers around a course for 12 hours? That’s what I did last Thursday and Friday in Wichita, KS, covering a Korn Ferry PGA tournament for Getty images. Saturday and Sunday the field was...
by Reed Hoffmann | May 13, 2024 | Action, Beginner, Camera Gear, Intermediate, Lenses, People, Travel
When Nikon announced a new 28-400mm, f/4-8 lens in March, I didn’t get very excited. After all, lenses that attempt to cover an extreme range of focal lengths (“all-in-one”) tend to suffer from distortion at their widest and longest and lose sharpness at...
