Peppy | Villa Ndio Photography

10 August 202425 December 2025

Minolta 135mm f2.8t4 STF

Very sharp. Very heavy. Manual focus only.

Here is a pro description:

The Minolta 135mm f/2.8 STF (Smooth Trans Focus) is a legendary, cult-classic portrait lens known for its incredibly smooth, creamy, and non-distracting background blur (bokeh) due to its unique twin-aperture design (f/2.8 actual aperture with a T/4.5 STF filter), offering excellent sharpness and unique image character, though it’s manual focus only and requires adapters for modern mirrorless cameras. Reviewers praise its fantastic build quality, pleasing colors, and exceptional bokeh, making it a favorite for portraits and isolating subjects despite being older technology.

I usually use my Sony LA-EA5 adapter on my A7R cameras. The lens works very well directly on my A77V.

09 August 202426 December 2025

Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS

This is the very first e-mount lens in my collection. It remains one of my favorites. And for good reason. It is quite sharp (Dyxum 4.98/5.00) and it is solidly built. It almost always goes with me when I am out with a camera bag.

Click here to see photoposts with images produced with this lens in reverse chronological worder.

The sample images below were produced using this lens. Click on an image to see a full-screen photopost that includes details about the image.

No Images found.

05 August 202412 August 2024

Butterflies of Villa Ndio

I am committed to finally putting together a book showcasing my photos of butterfies taken at Villa Ndio and nearby sites. Going back through photoposts on this website and posts on Facebook and other social media, I am selecting out favorites. I hope to have representative photos for the broad range of species I have seen, dating from 2020 to present day, while keeping the total number of photos manageable. It will be difficult to select from among the large collection of favorites. My goal it to have a hard copy book published by the end of September.

28 July 202405 August 2024

Looking Forward

Reflecting on how to stay active and current among multiple pursuits. I am at once a photography and finger style guitar enthusiast, and I have on-going and planned home improvement projects. It has at times been a challenge to organize my time, compartmentalize, stay focused and stay motivated. There are so many distractions in my surroundings and my life. I am most grateful for what I have. I tell myself not to get complacent.

In addition to reviving this blog feature on my Villa Ndio Photography website, I am in the process of overhauling the website so it will have a few empty spots and rough edges for awhile. I am also starting a camera and lens review section. I currently have half a dozen or so digital cameras and numerous lenses. About each I will be posting details, with notes on my experiences using them, along with sample images.

I am also getting serious about entering contests, publishing photobooks, and finding other avenues to promote my art.

I hope you will visit these pages and find them interesting if not useful. I will appreciate your comments left here or sent to my email address rdoggett[at]villandio[dot]net