Category: Camera Lenses

Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 Lens for Sony NEX Cameras Sony recently expanded its line of lenses for the NEX system with a tiny 30 mm f/3.5 1:1 Macro, a 50 mm f/1.8 wide-aperture lens and this 55-210 mm zoom with image stabilizer. The optical formula consists of 13 elements including aspherical and low-dispersion glass. A…

Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 Lens The second X lens with a variable-speed powered-zoom mechanism, this so-called “pancake” zoom is similar to the 45-175 mm model in technology, but it offers another benefit. When not extended for use, it’s tiny – much smaller than any competitors. That’s ideal when used on one of…

You’ve got the camera, you’ve got the lenses. Now make sure you add these filters to your list to ensure the best possible results. The P-Type filters that slot into a holder on the front of your lens are traditionally pretty expensive, yet this Cokin BPW400 Filter Kit is available for around $30. The set includes an…

  The Micro Four Thirds lens offerings from Panasonic continue to get more sophisticated, which means you can enjoy the advantages of slim, lightweight interchangeable-lens compacts (ILCs) with the kind of optics you might expect to find in a DSLR. Furthering this trend is Panasonic’s line of G X lenses, with two key design innovations.…

The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM is one of two Canon 100mm macro lenses currently on the market, the other being the more expensive image-stabilized L-series optic, which costs a far less affordable $1100. This lens focuses down to 1:1, and contains an internal focusing system that maintains the same working distance throughout its focusing…

One of the most recent arrivals on the macro scene, this Sigma lens boasts an image stabilisation system that claims to provide a maximum four-stop benefit. It also contains a floating system and internal focusing, as well as a Hyper Sonic Motor with full-time manual focus override. It confirms focus quickly and is remarkably quiet; only…

Rarely does an independently manufactured lens cost more than some camera manufacturers’ ownbrand rivals, but this Sigma is a bit special. Unlike its Canon and Nikon equivalents, this 17-50mm boasts a fast, constant aperture off/2.8 that remains fixed throughout the zoom range. That’s quite an achievement for a lens that also includes optical image stabilization.…

Most of the alphabet seems to feature in this lens’s full title – Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF]. SP signifies Super-Performance, based on three XR (Extra-Refractive) elements, an LD (Low-Dispersion) element and two Aspherical elements in its construction. As a Di II lens, it’s designed for SLRs with…

This new multi-purpose lens (available for Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Pentax and Sony DSLRs) with image stabilizer is smaller and 120 grams lighter than the earlier model. It accepts smaller filters (62 mm vs. 72 mm) and can focus 7 cm closer. This lens also features a rounded diaphragm for circular out-of-focus highlights as well as…

Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 45-175mm/F4.0-5.6 Lens for Panasonic Lumix G-Series Digital Cameras This is one of the first lenses to include a power zoom mechanism. The amazingly slim Lumix G X Vario PZ 14-42 mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS pancake lens ($450, street) is the other. Both are equipped with a variable-speed zoom motor, allowing…