lenses

Hmmm. Earlier today, both Zeiss and Schneider announced plans to manufacture lenses for the Olympus/Panasonic-brainchild Micro Four Thirds (MFT) mount for ILC (interchangeable lens) cameras. Hours later, a note from Sony has popped up in my inbox stating that it will open its competing E-mount specification up--free of a license fee--to all lens and adapter makers, starting in April.

When you think about it, Sony really didn't have much of a choice. Whatever inroads MFT has made in the market is partly attributable to the availability of lenses and adapters for legacy lenses. But it's also worth … Read more

The new ranges of compact digital cameras from Olympus and Panasonic got a shot in the arm with the announcement today of future lenses from two prestigious German lens makers, Carl Zeiss and Schneider Kreuznach lens maker Jos. Schneider Optische Werke, along with Horseman lens maker Komamura from Japan.

Panasonic and Olympus got the camera industry fixated on a new range of compact ILC (interchangeable-lens camera) models that dispense with SLRs bulk by leaving behind the internal reflex mirror and viewfinder. To go with their cameras, the companies came up with a new lens standard, Micro Four Thirds, a cousin … Read more

Canon today disclosed prices for previously announced overhauls of its 500mm and 600mm supertelephoto lenses, but more unusually, announced a new 200-400mm model that will join the company's already large lens family.

Nikon and Canon, locked in fierce competition for professional photographers, often have similar lens models, but Nikon for years has offered a highly regarded and newly refurbished 200-400mm supertele zoom while Canon stuck with its increasingly elderly 100-400mm design. Now Canon is countering with the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender l.4x.

Some of the nomenclature should look familiar: f/4L means a continuous maximum … Read more

While your dSLR is important, you can't take pictures without lenses. So, it's important to offer equal protection for your optics and camera body. dSLR bodies can go into bags with ample padding, and lenses can go into the Beta Shell.

These lens containers are watertight so you don't have to worry about getting drenched in the rain. They are also capable of regulating temperature so the lenses won't get too hot or cold in extreme climates. The polymer plastic case is also shock-resistant, while the neoprene cushions inside will dampen any vibrations that may damage the optics.

The company makes cases for most popular Canon and Nikon's lenses, and you can check out the list on the product Web site. The shells cost between $45 and $84, depending on the size. Check out the video below to see just how tough the Beta Shell tubes are. … Read more

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Cosina Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95 lens. Usually we don't rush through product testing in a day, but due to the vendor's request (the lens is selling like hotcakes at his store), we had no choice but to put it through its paces within a couple of hours of getting it.

Announced two months ago, the Nokton lens has since been eagerly awaited by enthusiasts. The reason is its super-wide F0.95 aperture, which renders creamy-looking bokeh and the ability to take low-light shots with faster shutter speeds. The focal length of the optics, when fitted on a Micro Four Thirds shooter, is 50mm.

The lens barrel is constructed entirely out of metal and it feels really solid. It's heavy, too, tipping the scales at 410g (just under a pound). The Nokton is a manual-focus optics, so you have to rely on your eye to gauge whether the subject is in focus. The focusing ring is smooth, and turns almost 360 degrees to focus from about 7 inches to infinity. Hence, it may take you awhile to switch focus from a closeup subject to something far away. … Read more

COLOGNE, Germany--Sony's two translucent-mirror cameras are going to get a big brother, an advanced model geared for enthusiasts, the electronics giant said Tuesday.

The Sony Alpha 33 and 55 arrived earlier this year sporting an SLR look but lacking a mirror that flips out of the way when it's time for the photo to be taken and the light to go to the sensor rather than the viewfinder. Instead, these models use a translucent mirror that sends most of the light to the sensor but shares some with an autofocus subsystem. Sony's SLT (single-lens translucent) cameras use an electronic viewfinder; there's no optical viewfinder.

One result of the SLT designs is a camera that can shoot 10 frames per second with autofocus continuously engaged and that can use autofocus even when shooting video. Another result is demand for a55 and a33 that pushed back until 2011 availability of Sony's A560, which uses the same image sensor.

So it's probably no surprise that Sony is pushing ahead with further models. … Read more

COLOGNE, Germany--Canon, adapting to the high-end video revolution its SLRs are helping to fuel, plans changes to its cameras and lenses to make them friendlier in cinema hands.

The company already announced that two of the company's newest lenses, Canon's updated professional 300mm and 400mm F2.8 models, are equipped with a mechanism to permit smooth, steady, motorized focus changes. And at the Photokina show here, the company said further adaptations are coming. Specifically, the camera maker is working on an ability to set specific focus points the lens can move between.

That sort of feature is suited to the cinematographer crowd. Today, even with the new lenses, they must physically mark two focus points and manually change focus until they reach their desired spot.

However, the feature will require updated camera bodies to work, said Mike Burnhill, a Canon Europe representative here. … Read more

COLOGNE, Germany--Samsung, showing off its new higher-end compact NX100 camera, declared its ambition Monday to become a power in the camera industry.

"I believe the NX100 will be the catalyst for photo innovations in the digital camera industry and will propel Samsung forward to become one of the world's leading manufacturers," said Sangjin Park, president of Samsung's digital imaging division, speaking at press event at the Photokina show here.

Compact ILC (interchangeable lens camera) models are all the rage as the industry seeks to build new demand in a somewhat saturated market. Olympus and Panasonic led the way with their compatible Micro Four Thirds models, and Samsung and Sony have now arrived with models of their own featuring a larger sensor and their own proprietary lens mounts. These higher-end models aren't cheap: Samsung's costs $599 with a 20-50mm lens and $649 with a 20mm lens.

The ILC trend is still in its early days, though, and InfoTrends analyst Ed Lee believes it'll take the arrival of the industry's high-end camera powerhouses, Canon and Nikon, to truly legitimize the market.

But Samsung isn't waiting. Front and center in the effort to make more usable cameras is a new feature called i-Function to control camera settings that the company hopes will attain that holy grail, a camera that's easy to use but that offers a wealth of creative possibilities. Control over details such as shutter speed and aperture has never been simple, but Samsung promises i-Function will be different.

It works through a button on the side of an i-Function-compatible lens, of which Samsung plans a range that begins with a 20mm f2.8 pancake and a 20-50mm f3.5-5.6 zoom. Pushing the button cycles through various parameters that can be set--shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation--while turning the lens' focus ring changes the setting. … Read more

Olympus on Tuesday unveiled two new telephoto zoom lenses for its Micro Four Thirds system, and also updated its current 17mm optics with a new color chassis.

The company is touting the M.Zuiko Digital ED 75-300mm F4.8-5.6 lens as the smallest 600mm-equivalent lens (Micro Four Thirds cameras have a crop factor of 2x) on the market with a diameter of 2.8 inches and a length of 4.5 inches. Weight-wise, it tips the scale at less than a pound. This glass also comes with a new focusing motor that delivers silent and precise AF, which makes … Read more