Lens - SlashGear

‘lens’ Stories

Canon new tilt-shift lens TS-E 24 3.5L II and 17 4L up for pre-Order, costly as expected.

Daniel Lim, Feb 20th 2009 Discuss [0]

Canon may have slowly losing its professional-ground in DSLR camera’s market, but not in optics department. From the last few years, they have redesigned, and in most cases, introduced a variety of premium L-prime from 800mm 5.6L, 200mm F2.0L IS, 85mm II 1.2L , 50mm II 1.2L to a decently pair of 17mm and 24mm tilt-shirt lens. If you were an architecture or a landscape photographer, you would love that 17mm Tilt-Shirt lens. Pairing it with the cheapest 21mp available -- 5D mark II -- would result in the world’s widest 35mm format angle of view setup; but as expected, the new L glasses will cost you an arm and a leg as usual. They are up at Amazon for pre-order and are priced at $2,499 and $2199 for the 17mm and 24mm II, respectively. In today’s image sensor standard, image qualities are nearly identical from one technology to another, availability of glasses is more important, at least to me. The 17mm tilt shift godness really got me thinking about robbing a bank or two. ( smiley )

Canon unveiled TS-E 17mm F4L / TS-E 24mm F/3.5L II

Daniel Lim, Feb 17th 2009 Discuss [0]

Architecture and wide landscape photographers take note, Canon has announced a pair of tilt and shift lenses, TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II and an ultra-wide TS-E 17mm f/4L today. These two new lenses features new barrel design, UD glass, specially coated aspherical elements, and Canon’s latest SWC to have better control over the positioning of the focal plane while keeping optics distortion at minimum. Read The Full Story

Leica launches SF 58 flash unit and Super-Elmar-M 18 mm lens

Daniel Lim, Feb 17th 2009 Discuss [0]

Words got out last week Leica is coming out with an ultra wide Super-Elmar-M 18 mm lens, and today, the announcement of the new Leica along with the SF58 flash unit are official. The new wide-angle lens is a better candidate than the Zeiss 18mm f/4 Distagon and can be used both on Leica M analog camera models, as well as on the digital Leica M8 or M8.2. Read The Full Story

Sigma postponed Canon-mounted 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM

Daniel Lim, Feb 17th 2009 Discuss [0]

Last Month Sigma unveiled an exciting ultra zoom range 18-250mm F3.5-F6.3 DC OS HSM, and revealed its tentative EF-mounted launch date by February 21th. Today, they have postponed the release of the digitally optimized crop sensor lens for three more weeks. Retails of the holdback were not given, nor they have revealed further release dates for the rest of Pentax, Nikon or Sony’s mounted DSLRs. Read The Full Story

A sneak preview of upcoming Leica M 3.8/18 Super-Elmar

Daniel Lim, Feb 13th 2009 Discuss [0]

PMA 2009 is nearly two weeks away, there aren't any news from Leica front so far; but super wide shooters get your wallet ready, the French has posted a preview of an upcoming Leica M 3.8/18 Super-Elmar. A tap faster than Zeiss 18mm f/4 Distagon, less distortion and better vignetting control, but twice as expensive! Read The Full Story

More Nikkor Lenses to come, says Nikon

Daniel Lim, Feb 10th 2009 Discuss [0]

Our thought on Nikon’s lack of interest in much faster primes than the newly announced DX 35mm 1.8G could change this year, and probably around the PMA 2009. In an interview with folks from DPR, the Nikon’s Europe Region lenses product manager, Ludovic Drean, has revealed company’s plan to release more DSLR lenses by this year. According to Drean, “ this [refer to AF-S DX 35mm F1.8 ] is not the lens announcement we’ll making this year” but details were thin on lenses focus distance and format. Nikon has recently covered the 35mm digitally optimized DX, and 50mm Nikkor AF-S with field of view equivalent to about 50mm and 75mm lens on a 35mm sensor size camera. Would there be another affordable large aperture DX-format fast prime at wider end, says 20ish? Or they will finally get to fill one of the many holes in FX line-up, or a combination of both ? I’m sure the Nikonians are dreaming on a AF-S F1.2G for a very long time now.

Nikon fastest DX prime to date : AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f1.8G

Daniel Lim, Feb 9th 2009 Discuss [0]

Nikon has today announced the AF-S DX 35mm F1.8G lens with field of view equivalent to about a 52mm lens on a 35mm sensor size camera. It’s the faster Nikon’s DX-format digital SLR prime lens to date, but hardly ground breaking. Read The Full Story

Nikon’s stereoscopic Microscope now fits Nikon DSLR, Extreme Macro anyone?

Daniel Lim, Feb 4th 2009 Discuss [1]

Shoot! I thought my stacked lenses with 2.7:1 magnification was extreme, Nikon optics geek-squad have came out a portable stereoscopic microscope, for the first time ever, allows the use of its DSLR lineup to capture images with magnification of up to 66 times from a 1.5 crop factor image sensor. Read The Full Story

Nikon Price Raises hit US

Daniel Lim, Feb 3rd 2009 Discuss [0]

As you’ve probably aware, due to plunging of the major currencies against raising yen, Nikon has begun to implement a price raise to most of its Digital SLR optics, globally. First country to confirm new pricing came from our friendly neighbor to the North, then the UK, Australia and is now taking its toll in US major retailers. An official announcement of the US prices adjustment was never revealed to consumers, but was shortly reported by camera vendors and Nikon Guru Thom Hogan with manufacturer’s plan to change in pricing term coming in the beginning of February. Camera bodies and bundle kits are said to hold its current pricings, only DLSR lens pricings are going up. As advertised, new prices are set in on number of camera lens, as much as 10-15% increases are being shown major online retailers such as B&H. Nikon is not the only one that’s raising camera price, other camera and optical lens makers such as Sigma and Canon in Europe regions have announced similar pricing scheme to battle the currency fluctuations. An advice for Canon’s shooter, it’s time to practice your L-fever, store ‘em used L-lens up.

Creative camera lens packs calendar

Daniel Lim, Feb 2nd 2009 Discuss [0]

A typical manually focus camera lens shows focus distances and aperture values, but this innovative camera lens designed by Sharad Haksar, has adjustable ring elements to form calendar. Sculpted from a single aluminum block into a lens shape, the front ring elements are marked with the year, month and date instead of the focus distance, shutter speed and aperture values you would normally expect from a camera lens. Each ring controls an aspect of the calendar to cue dates from 2008 to 2032. We aren’t sure if the calendar feature is powered electronically to keep data up to date, but we are pretty sure it doesn't come in F or EF bayonet mount. Read The Full Story

Pentax postponed the launch of DA Star 55mm F1.4 SDM to February

Daniel Lim, Jan 22nd 2009 Discuss [0]

Pentax prime junkies will have to stick with consumer FA 50 just a little longer, Pentax Japan has postponed the long overdue professional build quality SMC PENTAX DA Star 55mm F1.4 SDM to next month (February 20, 2009), parts procurement delays were to blame. Read The Full Story

Sigma unveils ultra zoom lens, 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM

Daniel Lim, Jan 15th 2009 Discuss [0]

Sigma dished out a total of three HSM OS zoom lens last year at PMA, covering as wide as 18mm to 500mm of focus distance for a variety of shoot subjects. The 09 PMA is still one and a half month away; the manufacturer is already prepping another piece of ultra zoom lens with similar features- a digital APS-C crop sensor version of 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC with optical stabilizer (OS) and HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), extending 50mm more on the tele end to its popular line of 18-200mm. Read The Full Story