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…
Tag: lens
Why is the Canon 200-400mm so amazing?
Yes, I know. The Canon 200-400mm f/4 ext 1.4 costs a little fortune (or, at least, as much as a little car). Knowing quite well that I was lucky to be able to get mine (I will never thank enough those who contributed so actively; They will recognize themselves), I also know that it will…
Canon 200-400mm, now!
After waiting a very long time, here comes the official announcement of the new Canon 200-400mm tele zoom with integrated 1.4x focal multiplier. Everything has already been told and written (you’ll find below a list of announcement papers in other blogs), except the price: A whooping 11769 US Dollar! Even a little higher than what…
Canon 200-400mm: Finally coming to us?
Here is one big lens who knows how to make people wait: The all-new, all-innovative super-tele-zoom lens from Canon, the EF 200-400 f/4L IS 1.4x. It’s a lens which was pre-announced by Canon more than a year ago (for the first time). Since then, the rumors extended beyond reason. The lens was seen several times…
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…
Heavy-wheight lenses for 2013
While 2012 was relatively calm in terms of new tele-lenses (with the significant exceptions of the Pentax 500mm and the progressive availability of the new great whites from Canon), 2013 appears ready to become a year of big tele-lenses at nearly all the manufacturers: Nikon launches an 800mm f/5.6 which is becoming the biggest product…
Pentax K-mount lens roadmap
Now that Pentax has announced the Pentax K-01, a strange little hybrid photo camera using the K-mount lenses inherited from the DSLR range (K-5 or K-r cameras), it becomes once again important to see what Pentax is planning for the future of this range of lenses. In the past, the question of survivability of the…
13000€ for the big grey Sony 500mm
Sony announced it suggested retail price for its upcoming 500mm f/4 (which has been eagerly expected for years, which was seen in nearly all international photo fairs under various model guises): 13000 euros. This is not for everybody. This is heavy in all senses of the word. Availability of the Sony 500 mm f/4 G…
New partners for the micro-4/3 format
Olympus just announced the arrival of new partners for the micro-4/3 format. As a matter of fact, the more immediately significant ones are the two independent lens manufacturers: Tamron Kenko-Tokina Olympus press release.
Leica: lenses Made in Germany
Leica has a long history and a brilliant fame for manufacturing excellent lenses. This is a marketing video about these Leica lenses. Leica Lenses (English) from Leica camera on Vimeo.
Canon keeps working to replace its 100-400mm
I should never exaggerate the importance of patent publishing (some of them are only a way to make sure nobody can re-use the same idea when invented independently), but it is interesting to notice that Canon published a patent for an architecture targeting a 100-400mm f/4-5.6 tele-zoom which could well become the next replacement for…
Manufacturing of a Canon 500mm f/4 lens
Let’s go and see how is manufactured a big tele-lens from Canon. A lot of hot glass and quite a chunk of shiny metal. YouTube link
Canon Image Stabilization
As seen at the Photokina 2008, the visible operation of the image stabilisization inside a Canon lens. YouTube link YouTube link
Future avail of Canon tele-lenses
We no longer can say that this is a delay. Canon has been announcing so many of these up to now. Recently, they updated the list of availability for the future pro tele-lenses: EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM at $6,599, late August 2011 EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM at $10,499, late August 2011…
Next Samsung NX lenses
Samsung tells us the story of how they proceed to launch the future lenses (particularly for the products of the hybrid NX family). Presented as several videos from their web site. Videos are in English. YouTube link 1st part YouTube link 2nd part On this occasion, Samsung took some time to produce an illustration picture…
Sony NEX lenses for 2011-2012
Today, we know more about what Sony is preparing for the coming year in terms of supporting lenses for the ever-expanding NEX family of hybrid cameras. We can expect the following 6 lenses from Sony and Zeiss: Sony 30mm macro lens Sony 50mm f/1.8 Zeiss 24mm f/1.7 Sony 55-200mm f/4-5.6 zoom Sony medium telephoto lens…
Is the Sony NEX-5 as good as a Leica M9?
This is the interesting question asked by Steve Huff on his blog. As a matter of fact, he took a Leica Noctilux ASPH f/0.95 lens on both the Leica M9, and the Sony NEX-5 (with an adapter). Surprisingly for some, the Sony small inexpensive NEX-5 is giving pretty much the same results in quality even…
Lens repair
You must not be too easily frightened to go and reapir your own photographic lenses. But with some patience, some tidiness and a lot of concentration… This is exactly what Fredy Willette of Alpha-Numérique teaches us in his article Réparation d’un problème d’engrenage sur un objectif non motorisé (Google English translation).
Nikkor promotional video
No information, but the pleasure of watching Nikon promoting the line of its 60 million Nikkor lenses. YouTube link
Shortage at Samyang (lenses)
Samyang stays a South Korea lens manufacturer (and they have a catalog of both excellent quality and low-cost). But the March-11 tsunami hit hard one of their suppliers of special glass lens. Consequently, Samyang has been forced to announce some delays and difficulties to supply their products in the coming months. The list of impacted…
Samsung: Five new NX lenses
Samsung just announced five new lenses for the NX camera system. Samsung 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 ED OIS Samsung 16mm f/2.4 Samsung 60mm f/2.8 Macro ED OIS SSA Samsung 85mm f/1.4 ED SSA Samsung 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 OIS 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 ED OIS 16mm f/2.4 60mm f/2.8 Macro ED OIS SSA 85mm f/1.4 ED SSA 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 OIS…
Canon goes electro-optical on IS III
This may be something that many people missed, but when Egami (a Japanese blog) produced a patent from Canon for a 300mm f/4, the important part may not have been the possible upcoming tele-lens but the technology used in the lens to reach a better Image Stabilization (IS). Up to now, Canon and Nikon have…
30mm Sigma for Sony NEX
Confirming their participation in the race for more E-mount lenses for the Sony NEX family of cameras, Sigma presented a prototype of the upcoming 30mm f/2.8 E.
Sigma: price for the f/2.8 lenses
Sigma revealed the official prices for the high-end lenses presented yesterday: 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM: $4700 Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM: $1600