Lens News

Optical technology has advanced dramatically since the early days of zoom lenses when the consensus among serious photographers was that prime lenses offered far greater sharpness, resolution, color rendition and contrast than zoom lenses. In the video below, Matt Granger discusses that “misconception” as it pertains today, as well as the notion that prime lenses encourage more compositional creativity by forcing you to “zoom with your feet.”

Now that 2016 is done and dusted, we’ve had a chance to look back at all the cameras and lenses we reviewed this past year and have chosen ten of our absolute favorites. 

Sports photography shares much in common with capturing images of wildlife: You’ve got an active scene captured at a distance requiring specialized equipment and knowledge of the subject’s activities while anticipating what they are going to do next…or not. Sure, you’ll need fast, long focal length lenses but you will also need camera supports and other gear that along with specialized knowledge separates the virtuosos, like Regis Lefebure (regislefebure.com), from the wannabes. Here’s a look at some of our favorite tools of the sports trade.

Inexpensive kit lenses typically only add a hundred bucks or so to the cost of a new camera, and they provide a means of getting you get started before you can afford to upgrade your glass. In the video below, you’ll learn a few tricks for achieving interesting effects with these bargain lenses, and have some fun in the process.

If you’ve ever lusted after a really fast lens—even faster than f/1.2—imagine how compelling the thought of an affordable f/0.95 lens might be. Well, buckle your gadget bags folks, because the Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 25mm for Micro Four Thirds cameras is an f/0.95 that pops into the shopping cart for less than $400.  

Nikon’s Lindsay Silverman gave us the scoop on two new Nikkor lenses that were making their debuts at the PhotoPlus Expo show in New York City last week: the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR zoom and PC Nikkor 19mm f/4E ED tilt-shift lens.

In homage to a classic screw-mount lens Leica produced from 1955-1963, the company’s new ultra-compact Summaron-M 28mm f/5.6 wide-angle delivers premium optics and a gorgeous retro design for users of Leica M digital cameras.