lens

Lumix DMC-LX3 lens cap mod is brilliant

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 is a popular pro-level point-and-shoot that has won much praise from users. However, one minor gripe that most shutterbugs have with it is the lens cap. Some photographers find that a hassle and are looking for alternatives to protect the optics.

Malaysian blogger Ian Ho has found a pretty good solution, and no, it's not manufactured by Panasonic. Instead, he utilized the Ricoh LC1 self-retaining lens cap that was produced for the company's own GX100 and GX200. By using a combination of springs and hinges, three flaps protect the lens when the camera is … Read more

Dell has the Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED lens for $224.99, after $25 Instant savings.

Save $25 on the Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED lens from Dell >> Regular price is $249.99 >> Sale price is $224.99 >> Savings $25 (10.00%) >> Click here for deal

Easier updates for Four Thirds lenses

Olympus, Panasonic, and Sigma, the makers of Four Thirds cameras and lenses, have joined forces to make updating lens firmware easier. They have launched an online firmware update service that will enable people to update the firmware in their Four Thirds lens, even if the lens and camera are made by different manufacturers. Because lens and body mounting information in the Four Thirds system is based on an open standard, photographers can freely mix and match camera bodies and lenses supplied by participating manufacturers. Before lens firmware could only be updated if the lens was mounted on a camera by … Read more

Why that Canon lens costs so much, part II

Last year, Canon posted an interesting video showing the manufacturing process behind the EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens that costs about $5,800. Now a photographer has posted his own site that that illustrates why the comparatively lowly EF-S 17-85MM f4-5.6 IS USM costs about $500.

A FredMiranda forum member named Sam posted some photographic details of his lens disassembly after his model suffered a stuck aperture, the mechanism that regulates how much light goes into the lens. Fittingly, the last photo he took was of an exhibit at a Parisian Arab-Islamic museum that features dozens of … Read more

A 50mm f1.4 lens for Four Thirds from Sigma

Sigma has announced a 50mm f1.4 lens for Four Thirds system DSLRs, the Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM. The 50mm lens, long considered the standard in 35mm SLR photography, will have a 35mm equivalent of 100mm on a Four Thirds camera, making it a 100mm f1.4 lens effectively. That is a very fast medium telephoto lens, great for lowlight shooting, or portraits with a very shallow depth of field. The lens features Sigma's Hyper Sonic Motor(HSM) for faster and quieter autofocusing; it also has full-time manual focus override. Pricing and availability information were not … Read more

Versatile new 8x zoom lens from Tokina

Tokina has announced a versatile new 8x zoom lens, the Tokina AT-X 16.5mm-135mm f3.5-5.6 DX lens. It's a digital-only lens, featuring a wide focal length range, and it will be available for Canon and Nikon lens mounts. It has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 26mm to 216mm on a Canon DSLR, and a 35mm equivalent focal length range of 25mm to 203mm on a Nikon DSLR. The lens has a close-focusing distance of about 18 inches. No pricing or availability information was available, but it is said to be shipping early in 2009.

The 404 185: Where we're banned from using the phone

CNET Tech Editor Matt Fitzgerald joins us on today's show to shoot the film with us on a flurry of random stories from around the Internet, including George Takeiiiiiii's marriage, the inevitable death of TRL, the new POS Dragonball Z movie, the final word in iPhone updates, and more!

The morning starts off with a few crank calls (do I smell a new recurring segment?) that ends with us being forever banned from picking up a CNET telephone. Oh well, phones are overrated anyway. Anyway, I know we all bitch about iPhones incessantly on the show (especially Jeff "Hatin' on Fools" Bakalar), but most of our former qualms are solved by the newest firmware upgrade to end all firmware upgrades, version 2.1! If you have an iPhone, 3G or Edge, do yourself a favor and install the upgrade. Battery life is increased, phone crashes and dropped calls are nonexistent, and no more text lags! After three tries, Apple finally got it right. Now, if only they enabled cut/paste, SMS forwarding, and picture messaging....baby steps, Mr. Jobs, baby steps.

EPISODE 185 Download today's podcast … Read more

Tamron announces new ultrawide-angle zoom lens

This week Tamron announced a new ultrawide-angle zoom lens, the SP AF 10-24mm Di II LD f3.5-4.5, for use with Canon and Nikon APS-C sensor-size dSLRs. Versions for Pentax and Sony will be announced in the future.

The lens has a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 16mm to 37mm. It offers a wider focal length range, and a faster aperture than Tamron's current SP AF 11-18mm Di II f4.5-5.6 lens. A flower shaped lens hood is included with it. The lens has a close focusing distance of 9.4 inches, a 77mm filter size, is 3.… Read more

New Canon lens goes for versatility

If you're a Canon shooter and always wished Canon made a do-everything 18-200mm lens like others make, well, it finally arrived.

Canon on Tuesday announced its latest EF-S lens, the 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 IS. It offers an incredibly wide focal length range, with a 35mm equivalent range of 29-320mm. The lens features Canon's built-in optical image stabilization system, with a claimed 4-stop effect. With a minimum focusing distance of 18 inches, you will get pretty close for a big lens. Its focal-length versatility makes it ideal for traveling, and for anytime you don't want to carry … Read more