Lets devote today’s optics area to very light photo lens Rokinon 85M 85mm f/1.4. It is produced in variants for following cameras’ mounts : Micro Four Thirds ( Panasonic and Olympus cameras ), Canon, Fujufilm X-Mount, Nikon F, Nikon AE, Pentax, Samsung NX, Sony A-Mount and Sony E-Mount. Its 80 mm focus is fixed, aperture can be set in f/1.4 – f/22 range; focusing ( it is internal and does not alters lens length ) and aperture settings are manual. Minimal focusing distance is 1 m; field of view is 28.3 degrees; there is ability to attach to it 72 mm optical filters; it can work with full frame 35 mm optical sensors. Photo lens has built-in 9 lens elements in 7 groups, one of them is aspherical for chromatic and geometric aberrations correction; all optical surfaces are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. Objective lens sizes are : 78 ( diameter ) x 99.5 ( length ) mm; mass is : 565 g. Package contains : Rokinon 85M 85mm f/1.4 photo lens itself, frontal and rear caps and user’s guide. Its is very good light photo lens, which is produced in variants for majority of mounts of modern cameras and which has adequate price. For novice photographers and for video recording difficulties can be caused only by lack of auto focusing, electronic diaphragm settings and image stabilization ( which can be performed be camera itself, if it supports such function ). So, this photo lens is the most suited for experienced photographers.
Lets review MIDI keyboards Nektar Impact LX 49 and 61, they are variations of one model with 49 and 61 full-sized velocity-sensitive keys. There is ability to choose one of 4 velocity curves or one of 3 fixed velocity levels. Keyboard has octave shifting buttons; pitch-bend and modulation control wheels; 8 velocity-sensitive drumpads ( there is also ability to chose for them one of 4 velocity curves or one of 3 fixed velocity levels ); 8 potentiometers; 9 30 mm faders; 9 programmable buttons; 6 transport control buttons; 5 set and recall parameters sets buttons; pedal input ( pedal itself isn’t bundled with controllers ); and USB port ( through which they are connected to computer or Apple iPad via camera connection kit and from which they are fully powered ). MIDI keyboards are compliant with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and newer and Mac OS X 10.7 and newer operating systems, there is no need in additional drivers for their work. They are tightly integrated with modern DAWs and their instruments : Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER and others. Package contains : Nektar Impact LX 49 or 61 MIDI keyboard itself, USB cable and user’s guide. These are very functional MIDI keyboards with full spectrum features : keys, drumpads, pitch-bend and modulation control wheels, control buttons, including programmable, and adequate price. One “minus” is their blocky design, but this is a matter of taste and different people have different tastes.
Lets meet with Zenitar 50mm f/2 standard photo lens for M42x1 mounts, which is produced by Russian plant KMZ. With adapters and converters it can be attached to any modern camera mount and it will allow to get excellent photos, due to low lens elements amount and chromatic and geometric aberrations correction. Its 50 mm focus is fixed; its aperture can be set in f/2 – f/16 range – it is light lens, aperture is controlled via 6 diaphragm blades; field of view is 45 degrees; and minimal focusing distance is 0.35 m. 6 lens elements in 6 groups are built into it, all of them are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. Lens can work with 24 × 36 mm optical sensors, optical filters can be attached to it via M46×0.75 mount. It does not support auto-focusing and image stabilization ( however, camera itself can perform it via sensor shift, if it supports it ). Lens mass is 190 g, sizes are : 45 ( length ) x 65 ( diameter ) mm. Package contains : Zenitar 50mm f/2 photo lens itself, frontal and rear caps and user’s guide. This is a great objective photo lens, with which high-quality photos can be obtained, and, accounting its price, it has no competitors. Difficulties can be caused only by lack of auto focus and image stabilization for novice photographers and for video recording. So, it will be the most useful for experienced photographers.
Lets review MIDI keyboard M-Audio Axiom AIR Mini 32, which has diverse functional and compact sizes. It has 32 velocity-sensitive mini-keys, with selectable touch curves; 8 drumpads; 8 knobs; 3 transport buttons; 10 memory cells for setting and recalling of keyboard parameters sets; pitch bend, modulation and sustain control buttons; and octaves shift buttons. Keyboard is connected to computer via USB port and receives power from it; it supports HyperControl function for integration with modern DAWs : Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio, Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools and others. MIDI keyboard is supported by Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10 and Mac OS X operating systems; it is supplied with software DAW Ableton Live Lite and Ignite Music Creation ( which is bundled with 275 software instruments, developed by AIR Music Technology ). Keyboard sizes are : 396 ( width ) x 196 ( depth ) x 38 ( height ) mm. Package contains : M-Audio Axiom AIR Mini 32 MIDI keyboard itself, USB cable, optical disks with drivers and software and user’s guide.
MIDI keyboard M-Audio Axiom AIR Mini 32 ( top view )
It is interesting keyboard, which has 32 keys, 8 drumpads, compact sizes and adequate price; its minuses are : pitch-bend and modulation controls in form of buttons, instead of wheels, and lack of expression or sustain pedal input. So, it is applicable for wide range of uses, from home studio to concerts.
Lets meet with tele-photo objective lens Rokinon 800M-B 800mm F/8.0, which is designed for T-mount ( there are adapters on it for all modern cameras’ mounts types ). It has fixed 800 mm focus and f/8.0 diaphragm; lack of automatic focusing and image stabilization and lens and mirrors optical scheme of Maksutov-Kassegrene telescope with 8 elements in 8 groups. All lens elements are made from low-disperse optical glass and are covered with protective and anti-reflective multi-coating. Field of view of lens is 3 degrees, there is ability to attach to it 105 mm optical filters, it can work with full-format 35 mm optical sensors and its minimal focusing distance is 3.35 m. Objective lens weight is 936 g, sizes are : 111 ( diameter ) x 114.3 ( length ) mm. Package contains : Rokinon 800M-B 800mm F/8.0 photo lens itself, frontal and rear caps, carrying and storage pouch and user’s guide. It is very good objective lens, which also can be used as telescope and which has adequate price. Wherein : fixed focus and diaphragm, lack of automatic focusing and image stabilization ( it can be performed by camera itself via sensor shifting ) can be inconvenient for novice photographers or for video recording, but for professional photos of long-distance land objects and astronomical objects this lens is very good.
In audio part today we will meet with IK Multimedia iRig Keys – MIDI keyboard, which is oriented on work with different devices : PC, Mac, iOS and Android. It has 37 velocity-sensitive mini-keys; pitch bend and modulation wheels; volume control knob, which can be programmed to control custom parameter; octaves control buttons, which can be programmed; 4 buttons for storing and restoring of parameters sets; and sustain or expression pedal input. MIDI keyboard is connected to devices via Core MIDI interface ( for iOS ) or via USB interface ( for PC and Mac ), it is powered from these connections. Also, it can be used with Android devices via OTG to Micro-USB adapter, which is bundled with controller. Keyboard is supplied with following software : SampleTank FREE iOS and iGrand Piano FREE for iOS ( they can be downloaded from Apple App Store ); iGrand Piano FREE and iLectric Piano FREE for Android ( they can be downloaded from Google Play or Samsung Galaxy Apps ); SampleTank 3 SE for PC and Mac ( they can be downloaded from manufacturer’s web-site after registration ); and The Grid plus 5 Beats and Elektronika virtual instruments for SampleTank 3 SE ( they are also can be downloaded from manufacturer’s web-site ). This is interesting MIDI keyboard model, which has small sizes and weight and ability to work with different devices; its minuses are : lack of drumpads, small amount of programmable buttons for DAW control and small keys size ( but this is the consequence of its compact sizes ). So, this device should be bought only if there will be no need in additional controls; but, if there is need to simply buy MIDI keyboard, then it is better to buy more functional device, which costs the same amount of money or not much more.
Lets review wide-angle photo lens Sigma 19mm f2.8 DN. It is produced in variants for Micro Four Thirds ( for Panasonic and Olympus cameras ) and Sony E mounts. Its focal length is fixed and equals to 19 mm, diaphragm can be set in f/2.8 – f/22 range with use of 7 blades. Minimal focusing distance is 0.2 m, field of view is 59.3 degrees for Sony E mounts and 1:7.4 maximal magnification. Lens supports auto focusing and internal focusing; motor, that moves optics, is quiet and lens is useful for videos recording. It has 8 lens elements in 6 groups ( 3 of them are aspherical for chromatic and geometric distortions correction ), all elements are coated with Super Multi-Layer Coating. 46 mm optical filters can be attached to it. Lens sizes are : 60.8 ( diameter ) x 45.7 ( height ) mm; weight is : 160 g. It is released in black and silver color variants. Package contains : Sigma 19mm f2.8 DN photo lens itself, frontal and rear caps, storage and carrying case and user’s guide. All in all, this is a high-quality wide-angle lens, which is useful for photos and videos recording and which has optimal price. Its minus is relatively big amount of lens elements for fixed focus lenses, but most of them have around so amount of glasses.
Lets review in audio part external studio audio interface ESI Dr. DAC prime. It has big amount of professional functions and adequate price. Card works with 192 kHz sampling rate and 24 bits precision. Digital to analogue conversion ( DAC ) is performed by TI Burr Brown PCM1796 module, which has 123 dB dynamic range ( this allows to play simultaneously silent and loud sounds and makes sound picture more complete ); next signal is processed by 3 operational amplifiers LME49860NA, which are placed on PCB in sockets and can be easily replaced with others, if needed. Reverse analogue to digital conversion ( ADC ) is performed by AKM AK5386 ADC module with 110 dB dynamic range. Audio interface can playback signal, that it receives via USB port, digital S/PDIF audio connector or from analogue inputs, 2nd and 3rd variants requre additional power from power adapter. Frontal panel of card has : power switch; sound mute switch; upsampling switch ( if input signal has sampling rate less, than 192 kHz, then card can upsample it to this value for further processing or transmitting ); input signal selector ( USB, digital input or analogue inputs ); volume control for headphones; TRS 6.3 mm ( 1/4″ ) jack and 3.5 mm ( 1/8″ ) mini-jack headphones outputs themselves; and LED indicators of card’s different functions states.
External sound card ESI Dr. DAC prime ( back panel )
Card’s back panel has : linear analogue RCA inputs and outputs; digital S/PDIF RCA input and output ( they can work with coaxial and optical signal, second variant requires special converter, which is bundled with card ); USB port; power adapter input; and analogue outputs mode switch ( fixed or variable volume level ). All RCA-slots are gold-plated, there is need to use gold-plated plugs with them, so that oxide film will not form in contacts places, which decreases connection quality. Sound card is automatically recognized by Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8 and 10 and Mac OS X operating systems; also ASIO 2.0 drivers are released for it for Windows, via which it can work with modern DAWs Cackewalk Sonar, REAPER, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, FL Studio and others with low latency. Card sizes are : 150 ( width ) x 104 ( depth ) x 38 ( height ) mm. Package contains : ESI Dr. DAC prime sound card itself, power adapter, USB cable, optical S/PDIF signal converter, optical disks with drivers and software and user’s guide.
Based on description and my experience of work with ESI devices, there is ability to say, that this is good card with adequate price, which is oriented for playback and recording of already completed signal, because it has no microphone and instrumental Hi-Z inputs and MIDI connectors. Its pluses are 192 kHz sampling rate and professional hardware, that is set in it. Wherein, it is worth purchasing, if it will be used for the purpose, for which it is designed, because there is ability to buy for the same price more universal studio audio interface, which will perform all professional functions.
Lets review mirror and lenses tele-photo objective lens Rokinon 500M-AI 500mm F8.0 Mirror Lens. Judging by its view and description, it looks like telescope with Maksutov-Kassegrene scheme and for attachment to camera it uses astronomical device – Т-adapter ( these adapters are available for all cameras mounts types ). It has fixed 500 mm focus, fixed f/8 aperture ( it is not very light by photo lenses standards ), 1.7 m minimal focusing distance and 35 mm maximal optical sensor size. Lens does not support auto-focusing and there is need to perform it manually. It has 7 optical elements in 6 groups; there is ability to attach 72 mm optical filters to its frontal side, on the back side it has 30.5 mm thread for smaller optical filters ( 3 of optical devices of this type are included in package of lens ). Photo lens sizes are : 86 ( diameter ) x 100 ( length ) mm, weight is : 363 g. Package contains : Rokinon 500M-AI 500mm F8.0 Mirror Lens itself; optical filters ND-2X, ND-4X and Skylight; frontal and rear caps; carrying and storage pouch; and user’s guide. It is supplied with 1 year warranty of manufacturer. This is very good tele-photo lens, which can be used for land-based shooting of distant objects and for astronomical objects shooting, and its price is quite adequate in comparison with other tele-photo lenses. There is even ability to invent something and add telescope eyepieces to it and use it as stars gazing device. Its minuses include : small aperture by photo-lenses standards, but f/8 aperture is average for telescopes; also lack of zoom, variable diaphragm and auto-focusing can cause difficulties for novice photographers or in videos recording, but it has small optical elements amount and this reduces light dispersion, internal reflections and increases light strength of lens, so, experienced photographers will be able to make very good photos with it.
Lets review objective photo lens Opteka 12mm f/7.4 HDMC Fisheye Lens for Sony E mounts. As it is seen from its name, it has 12 mm focal distance; f/7.4 fixed diaphragm, because of this it is not very light; field of view is 167 degrees; and minimal focusing distance is 0.28 m. It has 4 lens elements in 4 groups, all of them are made from optical glass and are covered with protective and anti-reflective multicoating. Objective weight is 198 g, and sizes are : 65 ( height ) x 57 ( diameter ) mm. Also, there are variations of objective lens with f/8 diaphragm and 7.5 mm ( for Nikon 1 mount ) and 9 mm ( for Micro Four Thirds mount for Panasonic and Olympus cameras ) focal distances. Package contains : Opteka 12mm f/7.4 HDMC Fisheye Lens objective photo lens itself, frontal and rear caps, carrying and storage pouch and users guide. All in all, it is a good photo lens with adequate price, low optical elements amount ( this reduces light dispersion and internal reflections on surfaces ) and variations for different mounts. Its light strength is relatively low, but it is inherent to all fish-eye lenses, because they gather light with the same input lens diameter for much larger field of view.
