If you consider buying an expensive lens like the $12,000 Nikon 180-400mm f/4 TC 1.4, you will find useful to read actual field tests (and not only the usual read-the-specs reviews that most web sites will provide). So, I found to welcome field tests that I’d like to recommend: Petapixel’s A Field Test of the…
Category: Nikon accessories & lenses
Nikon 800mm f/5.6 E FL ED VR: new, big, black
Nikon has decided to start renewing some of its sports- or wildlife-oriented long lenses this year (and probably in 2014 too). Starting in January 2013, they offer a monster of a lens, the Nikkor 800mm f/5.6 E FL ED VR. It’s a monster of price (18,000 USD list price, but slightly better at B&H or…
Sigma (upcoming) 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM
It’s hard to be sure of the details on this new lens from Sigma, since they announced that there is a delay (it will not be available this month – in March 2013). The only useful thing I would like to point to the significant items in the spec list: Dust-proof and splash-proof construction High…
Nikon drops mirrors
As was expected by many people, Nikon annoucned a new photo camera system based upon a mirrorless architecture, a small sensor and a new lens system. Press Release MELVILLE, N.Y. (Sept 21, 2011) – Nikon Inc. today announced a revolutionary new digital imaging system built from the ground up to empower users with new ways to…
Nikkor promotional video
No information, but the pleasure of watching Nikon promoting the line of its 60 million Nikkor lenses. YouTube link
Best Nikon SLR lenses for wildlife photo
Nikon: The biggest digital camera seller in the world (mostly because of its sales of compact photo cameras), an internationally famous reference for the quality of its lens and it SLR cameras. Wildlife photographers (professionals as well as amateurs) must take this offering very seriously. But the fame did not come from nothing, and the…
Nikon works on a replacement for the 80-400mm/4.5-5.6
The Nikon users will want to see some improvements on the (already) old 80-400mm/4.5-5.6 telephoto zoom will probably be satisfied soon. Nikon recently issued two patents (1 & 2) for a zoom in this category. It does not tell us when it will be available, but according to the yellow brand habits, the end of…
Lens reviews, now with Pentax forums
One of the very first resources I created for YLovePhoto is the list of web sites providing lens reviews or comparisons. There, I make sure that there is one location where we can go to find all lens reviews available on the web. Today, I updated it with a major addition. Pentax Forums just made…
Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4
Faithful to its age-old fame, Carl Zeiss shows us a new wide-angle lens aiming at the high-end of the market, at least because of the “widigantic” aperture of f/1.4. Available in Canon and Nikon mounts at 1385€, from the first quarter of 2011.
New Nikon lenses
Nikon did not stop at announcing the Nikon D3100 as a new beautiful entry-level digital SLR. Here are four new lenses: AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G (estimated selling price of $1699.95) AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR (estimated selling price of $1049.95) AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR (estimated selling price of $1299.95) AF-S DX NIKKOR…
Glass at the Photokina
As we all know, the upcoming Photokina in September is already the center of rumours coming from all parts. I have been trying to give an idea of what could be coming for the major brands in the DSLR market, concentrating mostly on the new bodies to be seen. But there is no end to…
Big lenses for the iPhone
After some years of people trying to hook big lenses onto an iPhone (like above), there is now somebody trying to make this a serious affair: Here is the prototype of something that could become a real product from Vid-Atlantic, a way to solidly attach a Nikon DSLR lens to your iPhone. Little cameras like…
Photography, so many failures!
photo credit: davidgsteadman When buying a photo camera, we often research in order to decide if this is the best camera, if its features will be goo enough, but will it be robust enough? Will it be useful or necessary to purchase a warranty contract extension? Will it fail very soon? When somebody asks me…
Remote control with LiveView display
The best of all worlds, the miracle combination. But, most of all, a great little trick of engineering: a radio remote control for your photo camera which communicates with a small gadget fixed in the flash shoe of your SLR camera and transmitting the image right from the SLR direct AV connector. Really smart thingy.…
No Nikon at the PMA?
According to NR, the announcements of new Nikon for the PMA will be very limited: “several large aperture prime lenses and light compact zoom lens this year”. The official PMA press conferences will happen in the coming hours, but this probably means “no SLR“. Updated on 9-Feb: As a matter of fact, the Nikon press…
Nikon Lens Simulator
It is sometimes difficult for the budding photographer (or for more seasoned ones, also) to clearly grab the differences between focal lengths. Nikon comes to our help with their Lens Simulator. Nothing absolutely new, but a nice one (even taking into account the differences between DX and FX formats – APS-C and Full Frame).
A fish-eye lens at rock-bottom price
When you use an expensive SLR camera you are often tempted to purchase a specialty lens like a ultra-wide angle (fish eye) lens. But, apart from the rare occasions when you really need it, it’s too expensive for you and me. Why not build it yourself? Instructables does the demonstration with a Nikon D90, but…
Nikon also launches 2 lenses
Today is clearly a big day for Nikon marketing department, since they not only launch two major SLR cameras, but this also comes with a couple of nice lenses: The AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm F3.5-5.6G ED VR II improved to correct the unpleasant ‘zoom creep‘ of previous versions, at a list price of €887.00 /…
New Nikkor 70-200mm
We should discover tomorrow that Nikon updated one of its most attractive tele-zoom lenses, the 70-200mm. The new AF-S Nikkor 70-200 mm f/2.8G ED VR II is expected by RP to have the following specs: Image stabilization: VR II. Lens with nano-coating. New faster AF. 1540g weight (70g more than the previous model). 209mm length…
Focal length and photo lenses
Tamron rewrote its web site. This was the occasion to move the Lens Comparison Tool but it is still useful to compare a 400mm with a 500mm (or a 35mm with a 50mm). But you can also find a similar tool at Olympus (and it takes into account the specificities of 4/3 sensor format, of…
Nikon lens sales
An interesting tidbit in the just-published Nikon financial data for fiscal year 2008 is that -despite obvious diffculties in nearly all markets- sales of photo lenses went up by 9%.
New Nikkor wide-angle zoom
With the announcement of the Nikon D5000, Nikon also presented a new wide-angle zoom that may be able to attract the attention of many enthusiast Nikon lens lovers. Nikon Press Release
All lens tests are wrong
I recommend reading a nice little post titled “All lens tests are wrong” that concludes that the only good test for a lens is to use it during a full year. Not wrong, but I still recommend to also check my list of web sites with photo lens reviews.
Focal Length Comparison
Thanks to Tamron, it is possible to easily compare photo lenses of different focal length and their effect on the size of an image. Tamron focal length comparison
Comparison of 80-200mm zooms
DPreview has a good comparison of 4 zoom lenses opening at f/2.8 for SLR cameras: Canon 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Nikon AF-S VR 70-200mm F2.8 G Sigma 70-200mm 1:2.8 EX DG Apo Macro HSM II Tamron 70-200mm 1:2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro Since they are one of the most coveted segment of the SLR…