
Matthew Richards
Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners!
His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related.
In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.
Latest articles by Matthew Richards

Godox ML-150II Macro Ring Flash review: effective close-up lighting for almost any camera
By Matthew Richards published
Review The Godox ML-150II Macro Ring Flash comes in just one flavor, designed to be as universal as possible rather than being dedicated to individual makes of camera

Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD review: Is this the ultimate lens for travel?
By Matthew Richards, Hillary K. Grigonis last updated
REVIEW You’ll be in for a long stretch with the Tamron 18-300mm Di III-A VC VXD for Sony and Fujifilm APS-C cameras

HP FilmScan 5” Touch Screen Film Scanner review: get your old negs and slides out of the shoebox and into the digital realm
By Matthew Richards published
Review The HP FilmScan 5” Touch Screen Film Scanner aims to make short work of digitizing your negatives, transparencies and slides, with touchscreen simplicity

Neewer RF1 Macro Ring Flash review: a smart close-up contender for Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras
By Matthew Richards published
Review The Neewer RF1 Macro Ring Flash comes in a range of dedicated options for Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras, offering quality close-up lighting at a bargain price

K&F Concept KF-150 Macro Ring Flash review: close-up flash for Canon and Nikon cameras
By Matthew Richards published
Review The K&F Concept KF-150 Macro Ring Flash isn’t entirely perfect but it’s certainly not lacking in power and versatility

The best travel tripod in 2025: lightweight, stable supports for taking on the road
By Matthew Richards last updated
Buying Guide The best travel tripods have to be small enough to pack, light enough to carry, and sturdy enough for shake-free photos!

Best Leica M lenses in 2025: every current Leica M rangefinder lens
By Sebastian Oakley last updated
buying guide Looking for the best Leica M lens? These are all the Leica-made rangefinder lenses for Leica cameras

The best photo printer in 2025: here's my pick of the top printers for creating A4, A3 and A2 photos
By Matthew Richards last updated
Updated The best photo printers empower you to create spectacular color and mono photo prints at home. Here are the best options

The best large format printer for photographers, exhibitors and studios
By Matthew Richards last updated
Updated Discover the best large format printers available, from desktop options to roll-fed commercial printers

The best compact printers in 2025: space-saving printers for the home or taking on the road
By Matthew Richards last updated
Updated Whether you're cramped for space at home or need a printer to take with you on the journey, here are my picks for the best compact printers

Panasonic Lumix S1IIE review: the powerful pedestrian
By Matthew Richards published
Review The Panasonic Lumix S1 IIE offers almost everything you get from the pricier S1 II, but without the blazing top speeds and at a more competitive price

The best rechargeable AA batteries in 2025 to power your cameras and portable devices
By Matthew Richards last updated
Updated Find the best AA rechargeable batteries to power your flashes and other gadgets.

The best lenses for astrophotography: these fast ultra-wide lenses can pull in the night sky
By Matthew Richards last updated
UPDATED We pick the best lenses for astrophotography fans shooting a starry night sky, to suit a range of cameras and budgets

The best carbon fiber tripods in 2025: get solid support for your camera while easing the load for the journey
By Matthew Richards last updated
Updated More than just a touch of luxury, carbon fiber enables tripods to be sturdy and resistant to vibration, while shedding around 25% in terms of carrying weight

Vanguard Vesta TB 204CB tripod review: a stunningly affordable, complete carbon fiber travel tripod kit
By Matthew Richards published
Review The Vanguard Vesta TB 204CB kit shoehorns a set of carbon fiber legs and a ball head into an amazingly lightweight package with an unfeasibly featherweight price tag

Vanguard Vesta 203AP tripod review: a remarkably inexpensive tripod kit, complete with 3-way pan head
By Matthew Richards published
Review The Vanguard Vesta 203AP aluminum tripod kit is reasonably compact, very lightweight, simple to use, and astonishingly inexpensive to buy

Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Pro review: a go-faster portrait prime for APS-C format cameras
By Matthew Richards published
Review The Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.2 Pro ticks all the right boxes, as a portrait prime for APS-C format Fujifilm X, Nikon Z and Sony E mirrorless cameras

Godox XPro TTL/HSS flash trigger review: an object lesson in wireless RF trigger-nometry
By Matthew Richards published
Review The Godox XPro TTL/HSS flash trigger is powerful, versatile and available in dedicated Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Micro Four Thirds and Pentax options

The best lenses for bird photography and wildlife: these lenses really go the distance
By Matthew Richards last updated
UPDATED The best lenses for bird photography will help you get close to birds and wildlife from a distance, and there are some great options to snap up

The best Leica SL lenses in 2025: a guide to the full Leica SL lens range
By Sebastian Oakley last updated
Buying guide Looking for the best Leica SL lenses? Leica’s full-frame L-mount lenses aim for optimum performance

Godox iT30 Pro review: this dedicated TTL flash is tiny but mighty in terms of features and functions
By Matthew Richards published
Review The Godox iT30 Pro flash is an ideal little add-on for cameras that lack a pop-up flash, and it can do a lot more besides

The best pan and tilt tripod heads in 2025: precise control for your camera
By Matthew Richards last updated
UPDATED Also known as 3-way heads or 2-way heads, the best pan-and-tilt tripod heads offer extra precision over a ball head

The best L-mount lenses: check out these best buys for your Panasonic, Sigma or Leica mirrorless camera
By Matthew Richards last updated
Buying guide Team players Leica, Panasonic and Sigma formed the L-mount Alliance back in 2018, giving rise to a fabulous line-up of lenses. Here’s my pick of the crop...
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