Lens News

The expansive coverage of a 14mm lens may be more than you think you need. But you'd be surprised to discover that it reveals a world of possibilities that might otherwise escape you. While it certainly is ideal when shooting in open country, a super-wide lens can do wonders in tight quarters. To check out this lens, and along the way explore the potential of this focal...

Now that you've mastered the standard zoom lens that came with your D-SLR, you have to be asking yourself "what's next?" You bought a D-SLR instead of a compact camera so that you could change lenses. The question is: which lens to buy first? The answer is easy, but it all depends on what kind of pictures you like to take.

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If photography is your pastime, you can afford to indulge in toys. If it is your occupation you tend to be more selective about what you spend your money on; toys are an extravagance--you couldn't afford 'em when you were struggling, and you don't need 'em now that you have a client base which likes your style.

But what if a toy is also...

When Sony first unveiled their Alpha D-SLR system in June 2006, the company made a pledge to expand its line of lenses with additional Sony G models as well as some Carl Zeiss lenses. The first three of these products, with a ZA designator indicating Zeiss Alpha, are available at this time, distributed exclusively by Sony. A fourth model, a wide aperture (f/2.8) zoom, should be...

"My" Leica M8--a loaner from Leica for review--came with a 50mm f/2 bar-coded Summicron. The 18x27mm sensor turns this into a 67mm lens in 35mm terms: rather long for someone whose standard lens on 35mm has for decades been a 35mm. So as soon as I got the M8, I started using other, older lenses. There is, after all, an enormous choice, from 12mm (18mm...

Although most of the new products shown at PMA 2007 were digital, at least some of the new lenses are just as useful for anyone still shooting with a 35mm SLR system. While some of the new zooms were designed exclusively for use with D-SLRs with the APS-size sensor, the multi-platform lenses work perfectly with both analog and digital cameras. That's because they project...

I 've been shooting most of my portrait work with a 28-75mm zoom, but always felt I could use something longer. And I'm about at the point where fixed focal length lenses just won't do; once you get used to the flexibility of a zoom, you're spoiled. I also like a fast lens with a relatively wide maximum aperture, as I like to get way out-of-focus...