24mm

Sony struggles to meet demand for popular NEX lens

Those looking to buy the Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T E 24mm F1.8 ZA lens may have a hard time finding it for sale anytime soon.

In an announcement today, the Japanese company informed consumers that it cannot keep up with demand for the popular E-mount lens, which starts at around $999. The shortage situation is on the path to a resolution, as the Sony notice says that "we are working diligently in order to meet the needs of customers as much as possible."

Why is this lens so popular? "It's fast (wide aperture), sharp, and bright with nice bokeh, plus it has a good feel and comfortable manual focusing," says CNET Senior Editor Lori Grunin. Read her review of the most current cameras that use the lens, the Sony NEX-7 or NEX-5N, at CNET Reviews. … Read more

Canon overhauls 24-70mm lens, stabilizes 24mm and 28mm primes

To IS or not to IS?

That is the question Canon faced when deciding whether to put image stabilization in a trio of new lenses it announced today. Curiously, it reached two different answers.

For a rework of a highly regarded professional-grade staple, the 24-70mm F2.8, Canon decided against image stabilization, evidently discouraged by drawbacks such as weight, complexity, and expense. But for new incarnations of its 24mm and 28mm F2.8 lenses, IS is now an option.

Canon's new EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM follows the pattern of several lens upgrades in recent years: spruce … Read more

Panasonic FX75 is wide, bright, extra Intelligent

It's always nice when the highlight of a touch-screen camera isn't the LCD. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX75, for example, has a 3-inch touch-screen LCD, but the main attraction is really the lens: a compact ultrawide-angle 24-120mm-equivalent lens with a maximum aperture of f2.2 and a 5x zoom. The 14-megapixel ultracompact features the company's Sonic Speed AF system, too, for fast focusing and low shutter lag.

Unlike some previous FX models, this one doesn't appear to have semimanual or manual shooting modes; it's got a whole lot of automatic and scene modes. Fortunately, Panasonic's … Read more