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Lately Sigma had quite a run in delivering very decent products not only in terms of value but also optical & mechanical quality as well as improved quality control. The transformation of their product lineup is still at the beginning but they are busy executing their new product vision. One of their latest products in the Sigma 24-105mm f/4 HSM DG OS | A. As the name implies it is part of the "Art" series thus their most prestigious segment of lenses. In Canon land, it is obviously targeting the (rathe Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 USM L IS which has been the 1st choice among customers looking for a high quality, full format standard zoom lenses with a slightly longer reach. Interestingly the Sigma lens is just marginally more affordable than its Canon counterpart. This trend certainly shows that Sigma is getting more confident about its products compared to high end products from original manufacturers.
At photokina 2012 Sigma announced a new "Global Vision", which divides their lens portfolio into 3 categories: "Contemporary", "Art" and "Sports". These product lines don't apply to existing Sigma lenses, but any newly developed lens will be assigned to one of them, giving a rough guidance about the intended purpose of a lens.
The first lens that carries the "Art" tag is the 35mm f/1.4 DG. Sigma already has some experience in building fast prime lenses, a market segment that has not seen much contribution from 3rd party suppliers in the past. Just like their other full frame primes, the EX 50/1.4 and the EX 85/1.4, the new Art lens competes with the original manufacturer's products. Since we're looking at the EF-mount version of the Sigma lens here, the direct competitor is obviously Canon' own EF 35mm f/1.4, a highly regarded lens, but also a rather expensive one. Retailing at just more then half the price of the Canon, Sigma now offers a more affordable option to Canon shooters but is it also as good ... or even better ?
ver many years Sigma struggled to take off in the fast standard zoom arena for APS-C DSLRs. That segment had been dominated by the Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 (VC) with its highly attractive price/performance ratio and the all mighty but expensive OEM offerings (Nikon AF-S DX 17-55/2.8 and Canon EF-S 17-55/2.8 IS) owning the quality crown. However, with the release of the AF 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM OS in 2010, Sigma finally offers a lens that is able to compete in this arena.
That alone may not be all THAT exciting - we've seen many fast standard zoom lenses by Sigma come and go - but this one is a bit more special. Within the recent years, Sigma announced a couple of lenses featuring their new FLD glass and the new 17-50mm f/2.8 OS is among them. FLD glass has an optical characteristic similar to fluorite glass. Such glass elements can be used to compensate optical aberrations (defects) more efficiently than conventional "special" elements such as Sigma's more commonly used SLD glass. We were already very impressed by the performance of the Sigma AF 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM which also benefits from FLD elements so there's some well founded hope that the AF 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM OS stands out from the ordinary as well.
So, let's have a look at how the lens performs on our current DX test camera, the Nikon D7000.
The micro-four-thirds (MFT) system may be the most complete of the mirrorless systems. However, it mostly tackles entry to medium level users but slowly but steadily we are seeing more ambitious offerings. The Olympus M.Zuiko 75mm f/1.8 ED is certainly among them. It has a fairly "unusual" focal length equivalent to a 150mm lens on classic full format cameras. As such it is a moderately long tele lens suitable for applications such as portrait and still-life photography. At f/1.8 it is very fast by MFT standards but keep in mind that in terms of depth-of-field is behaves like a "150mm f/3.6" (full format). While this may not be highly impressive it is usually "good enough" for many if not most scenarios in this focal length class.
Sigma offers a trio of fast wide angle lenses, featuring focal lengths of 20, 24 and 28 mm. All three lenses share a maximum aperture of f/1.8 and a very short minimum focus distance, which allows for interesting and often dramatic perspectives of close subjects.
The lenses are designed for full frame cameras, but can of course be used on DX DSLRs, too. In this review we'll have a look at how the 24mm lens performs on our current DX test camera, the Nikon D7000, where it is the equivalent of roughly a 35mm f/2.8 lens. That's a classic wide angle focal length, often used for press work or street photography, for example.
The Nikkor AF-S DX 10-24/3.5-4.5 was introduced in 2009 as the second dedicated DX wide-angle zoom in Nikon's lens portfolio. Compared to the higly regarded but somewhat expensive AF-S DX 12-24/4, the newer lens offers a slightly extended zoom range at the wide end, but gives up a constant aperture across the zoom range. The DX 10-24 is more affordable than the DX 12-24, however at around 750 EUR it's still not really a cheap lens.
In this review we will have a look at how the lens performs on our current DX test camera, the Nikon D7000.
Fast standard zoom lenses are certainly a hot spot in the product portfolios. So far this arena has been dominated by the original manufacturers although the third-party manufacturers tried to challenge the big boys every once in a while. Tamron did so as well with the SP 28-75mm f/2.8 XR but the lens had/has no differentiator other than its low pricing. As such it was popular among amateurs on a budget but it has been largely ignored by professionals.However, their latest offering is a different beast altogether - the Tamron AF 24-70mm f/2.8 SP Di USD VC. Other than matching the specs of competing products it has something unique - it is the first fast standard zoom lens featuring an image stabilizer (VC = Vibration Control). An ultrasonic AF (USD) as well as weather sealing are also part of the package. Obviously Tamron is pretty much convinced of the capabilities of their new baby because they do no longer want to compete by price - they are asking about 1000EUR. Now this may still be significantly less than the price of the new Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8, but it is a magnitude more expensive than the old Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR and it's certainly no budget item anymore. In this review we'll have a look at how the lens performs on our current FX test camera, the Nikon D3x.
The Olympus M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 40-150mm 4-5.6 R MSC may not be the hottest lens around in terms of generated excitement. However, it is certainly one of the most sold lenses of the micro-four-thirds (MFT) system - simply due to the fact that it is usually sold as part of camera-lens kits (either with a black or silver color finish). Given its specs it is a mid-range tele zoom lens suitable for a variety applications such as basic wildlife or portrait photography. The "R" model is an improved version of the initial 40-150mm - if you count in the Four-Thirds variants this is even the 4th incarnation.
At Photokina 2012, Sigma announced a reorganization of its lens lineup into three categories - 'Contemporary' covering lightweight, flexible zooms, 'Sports' for larger telephoto lenses, and 'Art' for a wide range of optics aimed at serious photographers, including ultra-wideangles, macros and fast primes. At the same time the company announced three new lenses, one in each class, with the 35mm F1.4 DG HSM as the first release in the Art category...
Our review of the Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD, prepared in partnership with DxOMark. In the last of our mini-series examining superzoom lenses for SLRs, we take a look at how Tamron's contender compares to its Sigma and Nikon counterparts that we reviewed recently. This type of all-in-one travel and 'walkaround' lens is enduringly popular, but how does this two-year-old design stand up against its brand-new competitors?
Today, we received our first 35mm f/1.4 Sigma lens. The first in their new revamped lineup. I was eager to see it, hoping it was going to be another step forward and hoping to find some signs of what will be adjustable in these new lenses.
The Lenstip editorial office received the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17 mm f/1.8 lens already on the day of its launch courtesy of Olympus Poland. Such a fast reaction mobilized our team to test the device as soon as possible and today we can present its full review. Enjoy!
The (old) Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 is a relic of the earliest days of EOS. This year it celebrated its 25th(!) year in production which is nothing short of amazing for an AF lens. However, 2012 is finally also the year of its successor - the Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 USM IS. As you may notice the focal length and speed remained the same but Canon added a modern USM (Ultrasonic) AF as well as an image stabilizer. While USM is not really a killer argument (the micro-motor AF drive was fast enough after all), the IS certainly widens its usage scope specifically with respect to low light photography. Used on APS-C DSLRs the field-of-view is equivalent to a 45mm full format lens so it's more like a standard/normal lens here rather a wide-angle one. Something like street photography would be an obvious application.
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SLR Magic is an interesting young chinese lens brand. They are manufacturing manual focus lenses for various mounts including Micro-Four-Thirds and Sony NEX. So far most of their lenses were found on the cheaper end of the food chain but they are keen of delivering more prestigious products. One of their latest releases is the Hyperprime LM 50mm T/0.95, which is ambitious in two ways: it's their first lens to feature a Leica M mount with rangefinder coupling, and it obviously targets and competes with the "king" of that eco system, the Leica Noctilux 50mm f/0.95 ASPH. Interestingly, SLR Magic provides a T-number in the lens name instead of a f-number. The T-number refers to the effective light transmission characteristic rather than the calculated f-number of the lens. Since a small amount of light is lost in transmission, the T-number is always a tad slower than the f-number. Or, in other words: the f-number of the lens is even faster than T/0.95, according to SLR Magic it is around f/0.92. The Hyperprime 50mm T/0.95 is a build-to-order product, which is available in two different versions. There is the LM version, which features an M-mount with rangefinder coupling and thus is fully functional on any Leica M camera. This version of the lens currently retails for $4995.
The CINE version of the lens features identical optics, but no rangefinder coupling. It's targeted at videographers and users of mirrorless cameras (including full frame cameras like the Sony A7/A7r), which intend to use adapted M-mount lenses. Retailing at $2995, it is considerably cheaper, but due to the lack of coupling not usable on most Leica M cameras (with the exception of the latest M 240, which features a live view mode). SLR Magic is still a very small company with a limited distribution (& service) network. Their products can be primarily ordered via their website. To avoid some confusion: SLR Magic offers another 50mm f/0.95 lens, which they aquired together with the Noktor brand. The former Noktor lens is also called Hyperprime now, but it is a completely different design for APS-C and smaller sensors, available in MFT- and E-mount (Sony NEX) and completely unrelated to the full frame LM/CINE lens which is reviewed here.
35 mm is likely the most common focal length among Leica M shooters,and to many the focal length of choice if they had to get along with only a single lens. Leica currently offers three 35mm lenses to choose from, with the Summilux 35/1.4 marking the premium end and offering the fastest speed, while the Summarit 35/2.5 on the other end comes in a very small package. Inbetween sits the Summicron 35/2 ASPH, probably the most popular Leica 35mm prime, if not the most popular Leica lens at all. It combines the best of both of its sister lenses: it's reasonably fast, but still very compact. However, as many Leica lenses, it doesn't come cheap, retailing at around 2500 EUR at the time of this review. The current edition of the lens is the first to feature aspherical elements, after a history of 4 models without aspherical lens, dating back to 1958 (often referred to as Type I to Type IV, the current ASPH model being Type V). In this review we'll have a look at how the lens performs on our test camera, the Leica M9.
Our review of the Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD. In our latest lens review produced in collaboration with DxOMark, we look at Tamron's fast standard zoom for full frame cameras - the first in its class to include optical stabilisation. With its Ultrasonic Drive focus motor and drip-proof construction, it looks like a very tempting option for full frame shooters, especially as it costs rather less than its counterparts from Canon, Nikon or Sony. But is this all too good to be true? Click through to read our review and find out.
The Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 is a wide prime that has been around for quite a while. The still current AF-D version of the lens was introduced in 1994, however the basic design goes back to the Ai version, which was brought to market in 1977 already. Just like the optical formula, other properties remained unchanged through the years: it is rather compact and light-weight, and also quite affordable for a relatively fast wide prime. At the time of this review the lens retails for around 440 EUR.
The AF-D 24/2.8 is designed for full frame cameras, but can of course be used on DX DSLRs, too. In this review we'll have a look at how the lens performs on our current DX test camera, the Nikon D7000, where it is the equivalent of roughly a 35mm f/4 lens. That's a classic wide angle focal length, often used for press work or street photography, for example.
Normal primes for full frame cameras are often considered must-have items in any camera bag, since they usually offer stunning performance at a very moderate price.
On APS-C digital cameras, things look a bit different though. To achieve the field of view of a normal prime, it takes a lens in the range of 30mm to 35mm, preferably a fast one. Many systems feature a native 35mm f/1.4 lens, however these are usually full frame lenses targeting professional users. Which means: they are mighty expensive.
Nikon adresses this issue with its AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8 lens, however there is also a 3rd party option that is even faster: the Sigma AF 30mm f/1.4 DC HSM. The lens has been around for a while, in fact at the time of this review Sigma just announced they are going to replace the lens with a different design. So, the lens faces the end of its product life cycle. However, that won't stop us from having a look at how the lens performs on our current DX test camera, the Nikon D7000.
At photokina 2012 Sigma announced a new "Global Vision", which divides their lens portfolio into 3 categories: "Contemporary", "Art" and "Sports". These product lines don't apply to existing Sigma lenses, but any newly developed lens will be assigned to one of them, giving a rough guidance about the intended purpose of a lens.
The first lens that carries the "Art" tag is the 35mm f/1.4 DG. Sigma already has some experience in building fast prime lenses, a market segment that has not seen much contribution from 3rd party suppliers in the past. Just like their other full frame primes, the EX 50/1.4 and the EX 85/1.4, the new Art lens competes with the original manufacturer's products. Since we're looking at the F-mount version of the Sigma lens here, the direct competitor of course is Nikon's own AF-S 35mm f/1.4, a highly regarded lens, but also a rather expensive one. Retailing at roughly half the price of the Nikkor, Sigma now offers a more affordable option to Nikon shooters.
So, let's have a look at how the lens performs on our current FX test camera, the Nikon D3x.
We usually focus on current lenses here at photozone, or very popular ones among the discontinued ones. However, sometimes we're offered somewhat exotic or rare lenses that out of curiosity we simply can not resist to review. One such lens is the Tokina AF 300mm f/4 AT-X (or, as it was called in the catalog, the AT-X 304AF).
Not much information is available online about this lens (it isn't even mentioned on Tokina's own web site). It was introduced in the 90's and discontinued early in the new century. Despite being very affordable compared to the OEM offerings of the time, it seems the lens was never very popular, which makes it a rare item nowadays. One property remained, though: if you can actually find one for sale, the price is usually very low. The unit we had available for this review sold for just 200 EUR.
So, let's have a look at how the lens performs on our current FX test camera, the Nikon D3x...
Currently Pentax has as many as four lenses with a focal length near 50 mm on its offer. We tested smc FA 50 mm f/1.4, and smc DA* 55 mm f/1.4 SDM models long ago. Now the time has come for the Pentax smc DA 50 mm f/1.8. Enjoy our review!
"Although the Pentax company doesn’t offer a full frame digital reflex camera they evidently have a soft spot for classic fixed-focus lenses with a focal length near 50 mm, which can be considered as standard instruments only on full frame; on an APS-C/DX sensor they can qualify as rather a casual portrait lens. Currently Pentax has as many as four such lenses on its offer: the oldest, full frame Pentax smc FA 50 mm f/1.4, an equally old Pentax smc D FA 50 mm f/2.8 Macro, the Pentax smc DA* 55 mm f/1.4 SDM, launched in 2008, and the newest one, the Pentax smc DA 50 mm f/1.8..."
The snobs among us avoid extreme range zoom lenses for various reasons but the truth is that such lenses are among the most popular in the market. Tamron is especially successful in harvesting customers here so it's no surprise that Nikon is also interested in a fair share.
The Nikkor AF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR II is a hot seller already but the competition has been pushing the zoom ratio further than that already. However, Nikon wouldn't be Nikon to leave the situation as is so they came up with the Nikkor AF-S 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR (16.7x zoom ratio) - a new record as of the time of this review. Nikon also managed to keep the max. aperture at 300mm to f/5.6 which is a little faster compared to the third-party alternatives.
The 18-300 VR obviously is an APS-C format (DX) lens and in full format terms it behaves similar to a "27-450mm" lens ... which is a little nuts if you think about it actually :-) However, the privilege doesn't come for free. At 850EUR/1000US$ it is far from being a cheap lens and it'll be interesting to see whether the pricing of the lens results in some degree of decency on the optical side as well.
Our review of the Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM. The latest version of Sigma's stabilized superzoom is smaller and lighter than the existing non-macro version, yet is able to add improved close-focus performance, helping it compete with the similarly-sized Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 VC PZD. These long-range all-rounders are a popular choice, so we've had a look at how Sigma's latest performs. We've also added DxOMark's test data for a selection of its competitors, to give a sense of context.
The Sony NEX 5N and NEX 7 are superb cameras. Raw files from the NEX 5N can deliver stunning 13X19" prints quite easily; so I never regretted buying this camera for its extreme portability and discretion when traveling. It packs a lot of quality in a very small package. The only frustration has been the relatively small number of lenses that are made for it - an improving story as the product line matures. Yes, I do have the (costly) LA-EA2 adapter and it does extend the lens options considerably, but the pickings are thin in the super wide-angle zoom category (lenses in the range of 10~18mm zoom). I've tried three different ones using the adapter and returned them, because sharpness at long ends of the images was simply inadequate (to my liking) to justify the high prices one pays for them. Two of the three were also quite heavy and all of them used with the adapter added much bulk to the camera, impairing the beauty of handling it.
While on the subject of returning lenses – do yourselves a favour and buy from retailers who will take them back and refund your money without fees if you're not happy after a short trial period. This is particularly important for these zoom lenses that are challenging to design and manufacture, and experience indicates that not every piece is necessarily optimal.
So I was patiently awaiting the day when Sony would produce a super wide-angle zoom with an E-Mount for the NEX. Last week they finally hit dealers' shelves and my patience was rewarded. The NEW Sony 10~18mm super wide angle zoom really has some good things going for it.
Full-frame cameras are becoming more and more affordable and thus popular, either because of new models that help to reduce the used prices of first generations cameras, or through new entry-level cameras like the Nikon D600 or Canon's EOS 6D with comparatively low prices (for full-frame cameras).
Unfortunately the same can not be said about corresponding lenses, especially zoom lenses. There are lots of very good, but quite expensive higher grade lenses, but modern and affordable consumer zooms, that we see from almost any manufacturer for their APS-C cameras, largely don't exist for the bigger sensor. With the D600 now being the first new FX camera aiming at consumers, Nikon obviously felt the need to offer a modern, but still affordable kit lens. The new Nikkor AF-S 24-85/3.5-4.5 VR features current features like a silent-wave AF drive and optical stabilization at a moderate price, even though it's still far from the low prices of 18-55mm crop lenses that we have become used to. At the time of this review, the lens retails for slightly below 500 EUR. In this review we'll have a look at how the lens performs on our current FX test camera, the Nikon D3x.
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