Latest Lenses

Sony’s so-called mirrorless cameras, the NEX-3 and -5, are impressively compact especially considering they house an APS-C size sensor and flip-up rear LCD panels. But like any camera system, compatibility with a wide range of good-quality lenses is crucial. Along with the obligatory 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, Sony also made an ultra-compact 16mm f/2.8 prime available immediately and announced an image stabilised 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 to follow. The latter we can now see as being the obvi

Arguably the least glamorous of Nikon’s most recent lens announcements, this DX format zoom is intended to partner the 18-55mm kit lens bundled with the new D3100 and D5000. It’s also meant as an alternative to the existing 55-200mm VR, offering more reach as the equivalent to an 82-450mm on a 35mm camera. Despite the humble intentions as a starter lens, the 5.5x zoom range is ambitious, and has, therefore considerable demands on the optical design.   It may be a low

With the popularity of zooms, particularly of constant aperture f2.8 types amongst the press, not to mention DSLRs with variable ISOs and ultra-high sensitivities, the fast prime has been overlooked in recent times. But that’s changing. After the surprise AF-S 50mm f1.4 revamp, Nikon’s latest pro-level prime is a 24mm, again, with a maximum aperture of f1.4, to rival Canon’s offering. It’s unequivocally aimed at photojournalists and ideally suited for low-li

Sigma has quietly been strengthening its professional lens range with new models aimed at full-frame DSLRs. Not only has the company added a number of pro-worthy large-aperture primes but they’ve also taken the opportunity to revisit the constant-aperture zooms. Arguably the single most important zoom in a pro-photographer’s armoury is the 24-70mm f2.8, and it’s a lens that must be bombproof – capable of landscapes, portraits and close-ups with equal ap

Whichever brand of camera you have few can complain at the choice of zooms available but there’s real dearth of primes for APS-C format DSLRs. Sony’s range leans heavily on the Konica Minolta legacy but the DT 30mm f/2.8 Macro SAM is a completely new design. Used with APS-C sensors the 30mm matches the field of view of a 45mm on full-frame, a handy focal length for general shooting as well as having the flexibility of a macro to achieve 1:1 (life-size) view in a petite packa

Think of a dedicated macro lens and chances are your first thoughts will be of one made by your particular camera-maker. All the big names make a range of focal lengths, usually based on the old 35mm film format with focal lengths of around 50mm, 100mm and 200mm. That’s fine if you have one of the full-frame DSLRs but if you’re selecting the coverage (or angle/field of view) based on one of these ‘classic’ focal lengths for an APS-C size cropped camera, you

With both tilt and shift movements, as a wider version of the earlier TS 35mm f/2.8 SSC FD, the original Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 caused quite a stir when introduced in the early 90’s. But the design was made for 35mm SLRs and with successively higher resolution DSLRs being launched the model was in need of an update. Canon’s revamping has been substantial. You really only need look at the increase in filter size from 72mm up to 82mm to appreciate it’s a far bigg

On the face of it, the GXR is a crazy idea. It’s an interchangeable lens camera with the added cost of a sensor built into every lens. But it has enabled Ricoh to produce carefully tailored pairings of lens and sensor, and there are advantages. The body/camera unit combinations are smaller than rival cameras, even Micro Four Thirds models, and the sealed camera units mean no more problems with sensor dust. Not only that, the lens designers can choose any back-focus distan

This is not Nikon’s first ultra-wide FX zoom. When the full-frame D3 body was launched Nikon also introduced the spectacular 14-24mm f2.8, a lens so good that this 16-35mm actually has quite a tough act to follow. Perhaps the biggest problem with the existing 14-24mm, though is its cost. With a list price of over £1500, it’s a serious investment. It’s also a big, ungainly lens, and unlike this new model, it doesn’t have VR.

Canon’s L-series lenses are designed to the highest professional standards and have a reputation for optical quality. Not surprisingly, this means they’re more expensive, and at a whisker over £1000 this Canon 100mm macro lens costs £400 more than the standard non-L-series 100mm macro and £650 more than Canon’s 50mm macro. In other words, it had better be good! Canon’s revamping the cosmetic appearance of its L-series lenses, replacing the glossy