lenses

Panasonic sees wide angle with new X series lens (hands-on)

With the announcement of a new 12-35mm f2.8 lens in its X series of Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lenses, I am now officially confused by Panasonic's lens marketing. The X series lenses do seem to have a slightly better build quality and design than the plain old Lumix G models, composed of more metal and less plastic, but all the usual markers that manufacturers use to differentiate between classes of lenses -- coatings, wide apertures, features -- are absent.

When Panasonic first announced the X series, I had though that X would be defined by the power zoom or video-optimized quieter stepping motor (designated by an HD), but there are non-X HD lenses (like the veteran 14-140 f4-5.8), and the new 12-35mm lacks power zoom. There are non-X lenses with Panasonic's Nano Surface Coating plus low-dispersion (UED) and high refraction (UHR) lenses, like its Leica-produced DG Summilux 25mm f1.4. And Panasonic doesn't have enough lenses in its lineup to use price as a discriminator. … Read more

Nikon adds midrange 28mm to its lens lineup

In addition to introducing its latest entry-level dSLR today, Nikon also debuted a new lens targeted at video shooters and D800 adopters. The fast, midrange 28mm f1.8 lens incorporates the company's Nano Crystal Coat, and Nikon claims it's designed to resolve on high-resolution sensors. Although the press release didn't mention how many aperture blades it has, I think we can assume that it's got a round iris.

The lens is slated to ship at the end of May for $699.95.

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

Lensbaby hits 80mm at full tilt

Lensbaby adds another yummy--and better-designed--optic to its tilting lens system.

When Lensbaby originally debuted its swappable-optic lens system, it was a somewhat offputting, complicated device with a laudable concept: a housing, frequently tiltable, in which you could slip different types of lenses. The latest optic in the Lensbaby system, the $300 Edge 80, shows the Lensbaby evolved to the most user-friendly and streamlined it's ever been. I tested the Edge 80 in the Composer Pro on a Canon EOS 7D.

The 80mm optic has the same 12-bladed aperture as the Sweet 35, but adds a well-defined aperture ring with … Read more

The 404 991: Where we're trapped in a cube (podcast)

Steve "The Spherical Audiophiliac" Guttenberg makes his first 2012 appearance on the show this morning and adds some more descriptors to his middle name.

He brings in a few noise-canceling earbuds and headphones into the studio for a head-to-head, and we'll confer about which modern artists have the talent to stick around another 30 years.

Finally, we'll end the show with a talk about Paul McCartney pulling his tracks from Spotify! These stories and more on today's 404 Podcast.… Read more

Sony's E-mount plans

At this week's CP+ show in Japan, Sony unveiled its road map for the next couple years' worth of NEX E-mount lenses. Hint: it's light on the heavy glass.

According to the plans Sony unveiled at the show, photographers with Sony's Alpha NEX series of cameras have eight new lenses to look forward to over the course of the next year and a half or so. These include:… Read more

Tamron, Kenko Tokina boost Micro Four Thirds lens alliance

Tamron and Kenko Tokina, two third-party lens manufacturers, have thrown their weight behind the Micro Four Thirds alliance, helping Olympus and Panasonic during a major shift in the camera industry.

Olympus and Panasonic were the early entrants to a new class of interchangeable-lens cameras much more compact than traditional SLRs. They're both members of the Micro Four Thirds partnership that governs image sensors and lenses, meaning that Micro Four Thirds lenses can be used on either company's camera bodies.

The new membership, like that of third-party lensmaker Sigma before, means photographers can expect more variety for Micro Four … Read more

Delivering anesthesia via contact lenses

Eye drops are so 1.0. Not only can they be messy and inconvenient to apply, they deliver medicine to treat dryness and other issues in imprecise volumes so quickly that they need to be reapplied every few hours.

And for those applying eye drops after laser eye surgery--when the eyes are especially tender--they can be a real pain.

Which is why researchers at the University of Florida are working to design contact lenses already helpful in protecting the eyes post-surgery that can extend the release time of anesthesia to help with this post-surgery pain.

The trick, chemist Anuj Chauhan … Read more

Photorito: A burrito for your camera lens

If you're a die-hard foodie or dislike the hassle of bulky lens cases, Photojojo may have the answer in a most unlikely form: a burrito!

The Photorito Lens Wrap starts off as a circular wrap before use. All you need to do is place your lens in the center and wrap up four corners of the padded sleeve. A built-in band secures it in place, together forming a protective cushion.

Made from waterproof and durable Tyvek material, this unique lens wrap is cushioned with a layer of neoprene and can fit a lens between the range of 24mm and 200mm. … Read more

Sigma's first MFT, E-mount lenses surface at CES

LAS VEGAS--It's been almost a year since Sigma announced its intention to create ILC lenses, and at this year's CES/PMA that intention finally bore fruit.

Dubbed "DN" lenses, Sigma's debut consists of two primes available in Micro Four Thirds (Olympus, Panasonic) and E-mount (Sony) models.

The initial models will be the 30mm f2.8 EX DN and 19mm f2.8 EX DN. (Because of the different sensor sizes associated with the mounts, the effective angle of view is different for a given lens--multiply MFT by 2 and E by 1.5 for that.) They both use a new direct autofocus motor that sounds similar to the one used by Sony in its new 16-50mm, which drives the system without gears for less noise during video recording.… Read more