Lens Reviews

Another year has come and gone, which means it’s time for Shutterbug to once again pick our favorite cameras and lenses of the past 12 months. With so much great photo gear to choose from in 2017, it was a difficult task. The below list though is a good summation of the cameras and lenses Shutterbug’s editors and writers most enjoyed shooting with last year.

Sigma’s 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens ($799) is part of their Contemporary series that the company says blends “refined optical design” with “compact and lightweight construction.” The lens is available for Canon, Nikon, or Sony DSLRs. Although as a DG lens it is designed for full-frame DSLRs, it can also be used with APS-C sensor cameras, where it produces an equivalent field of view of 150-600mm.

Nikon launched an intriguing new lens this summer though you might have missed it. For whatever reason, the AF-P Nikkor 70-300mm F/4.5-5.6E ED VR, which was announced the second week of July, slipped under most photographers’ radar and that’s a shame. I recently had a chance to test out this surprisingly lightweight and compact wide-ranging zoom lens from Nikon while shooting with it from the field level press area at a Major League Baseball game and came away impressed.

The Lensbaby Twist 60 is a very modern rendition of a 175-year-old optical design, and true to the designer, Joseph Petzval. But does it satisfy our creative expectations when used in the field?

“Show me a home where the buffalo roam…and I’ll show you a really messy house.” —Anonymous

Tired of standing across the street to get your entire family into the shot? This may be the lens for you. But it comes with a couple of caveats. 

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer, and often the supreme disappointment.”—Ansel Adams