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

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

Lensmaker Tamron announced a new 24-70mm F2.8 zoom lens today, beating Nikon and Canon with a model that brings image stabilization to this premium lens category.

The SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD lens includes Tamron's vibration compensation technology, which can counteract camera shake to stabilize photos. It's a feature that Canon and Nikon haven't added to their 24-70mm F2.8 lenses.

Such lenses don't have a huge zoom range, but they're popular among photo pros and enthusiasts, in particular because their wide aperture is good for low-light shooting with smoothly blurred … Read more

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

Creating collages with your images is easier than ever on your iPhone, and--with the right app--you can make great looking projects in minutes and share them immediately.

Are you old enough to remember making collages with a glue stick and poster board? These days anyone can create a collage (without all the mess) using digital photos and any photo layout program on a desktop computer. But some recent apps for iPhone make it even easier with intuitive touch-screen controls and other extras that put the old glue-stick-and-photo method to shame.… Read more

Panasonic announced four converters at CES to make its Lumix G series lenses photograph subjects that are farther, closer, and wider.

The four converters increase the flexibility of the lenses--and of Panasonic's Lumix G series of Micro Four Thirds. These cameras, one of the early entrants and now strong players in the interchangeable lens camera (ILC) market, forsake SLRs' reflex mirrors for a smaller design. So far even relatively strong ILC companies like Panasonic can't match the range of lenses available to SLR leaders Canon and Nikon.

Enter the converters, which will ship sometime in 2012 for as-yet … Read more

Sometimes, the simplest gadgets turn out to be the most useful, and such is the case with the Macro Cell Lens Band.

What you see here is pretty much what you get: a rubber band with an embedded macro lens that you can wrap around any smartphone to take close-up photos. When not in use, you can simply wear it on your wrist or store it in your wallet on a credit card. … Read more

The original Holga toy cameras were all about reveling in low fidelity. Just because you have fancy modern camera technology in your iPhone doesn't mean you have to forgo all the fun.

The Holga iPhone Lens Filter Kit will whisk your iPhone back to an '80s level of cheap camera design with a rotating kaleidoscope of plastic filters.

The filter kit fits on like a case and sports nine different color and special effect filters. These range from the tame to the wacky.… Read more

There are tons of photo-editing apps in the iTunes App Store, but a recent update to an old favorite might be one of the best yet. It's called Photogene 2 and it offers so many tools that it's almost like it does the job of multiple apps.

Photogene 2 (99 cents until November 17) is the successor of a favorite photo-editing app of ours on iOS, and this completely rebuilt version is definitely worth checking out. To start off, a redesigned interface offers intuitive controls for exploring Photogene2's many editing options.… Read more