lenses

Sigma releases stabilized 18-200mm ultrazoom

Canon SLR (single-lens reflex) owners now have an answer to Nikon's 18-200mm ultrazoom--as long as they're willing to buy a non-Canon lens.

Japanese lensmaker Sigma this week announced it's begun selling its 18-200mm ultrazoom for Canon SLR cameras.

These lenses are flexible, but typically have lower image quality than zoom lenses with narrower ranges or "prime" lenses with a fixed focal length. They're convenient, though, and often are called "vacation lenses" because they're popular with people who don't want to carry a big, heavy bag of better lenses.

Sigma'… Read more

Buy a lens hood? Heck, print it for free

For those entering the realm of SLR cameras and their interchangeable lenses, lens hoods can improve your shots by screening out glare from the sun or other light sources. But those hoods, when not included with the lens, can cost tens or even hundreds of dollars.

But you can get them for free, as long as you don't mind a little arts and crafts action.

Paul Mutton's www.lenshoods.co.uk Web site has hundreds of lens hood designs available for free download as PDF files. Anyone can print the PDFs (preferably on thick, dark paper), do a … Read more

Pentax's Primo Lenses

Pentax has been really busy this last year. First they celebrated the legacy of their K-series cameras with the K100 and K110 dSLRs, then they unleashed the powerful K10D, now they have unveiled a new line of high performance lenses called the smc Pentax-DA* series. The line debuts with two lenses: the DA* 16-50mm f/2.8 ED AL[IF]SDM and the DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 ED[IF]SDM. Pentax won't say what the SDM stands for, but the press release does say that the lenses include a supersonic motor. The samples we saw at the PMA … Read more

The camera with three lenses

The disturbing trend of technological mutation that has taken hold of the computer industry has apparently been extended to cameras. Case in point: the "120 Tri-lense Stereo Camera."

Why would anyone want or need three lenses, especially in a camera that uses film? According to Gadget Lab, China-based 3D World claims that its camera can produce two slides that "combine to produce an image that gives an illusion of three-dimensional depth." There's apparently a catch, though, as you need one of its viewers to make the whole thing work. But that's the best part, … Read more

Mixing oil and water--for cell phone lenses

A French company called Varioptic has announced two camera modules designed for mobile phones and built around an unusual liquid-lens design.

Varioptic's Arctic 416 lens combines electrically conducing water with nonconducting oil in a sealed package. Depending on how electrical voltage is applied to the package, the boundary between the oil and water changes geometry, which has the effect of focusing light passing through the liquids.

Using this "electrowetting" technology, Varioptic promises compact lenses that focus quickly, consume little power, don't need moving parts and have good transparency to visible light.

The first module, the AFCM … Read more

Why that Canon lens costs $5,500

Newcomers to the digital SLR camera realm have no shortage of opportunities for sticker shock. Take, for example, Canon's EF 500mm F/4L IS USM lens, a 15-inch, 8.5-pound telephoto.

It costs about $5,500.

That's more than five times what I got when I sold my not-too-shabby car a while back.

But there's a reason that sticker is so high besides Canon's desire to transfer my salary to its coffers. Those suckers are expensive to make. Or at least that's the impression I got from watching an artful online propaganda video from Canon: … Read more