Lens News

Our video from last year on “7 Reasons Why a 50mm Lens Is All You Need for Great Photography,” proved to be an all-time favorite. That clip, which featured Shutterbug photographer Jordan Matter explaining what he loves about his “Nifty Fifty” lens, has racked up over one million views on YouTube and counting.

While there is no single “perfect lens” for all forms of photography, a few lenses offer more versatility, image quality, portability, and bang for the buck than others. One such lens is the 50mm “Nifty Fifty” we featured in a recent Shutterbug video, and as you’ll see in the video below, another is the 135mm f/2 short telephoto.

Nikon just announced two new lenses for it’s FX-format (aka Full Frame) DSLRs: the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR zoom and PC Nikkor 19mm f/4E ED tilt-shift lens.

Last week we discussed the basics of depth of field, a key concept enabling you to capture better images. Today we’ll explore the topic further, through the eyes of an experienced pro.

Some styles of photography cry out for specific types of lenses (although we're strong proponents of experimenting beyond common conventions). Wide focal lengths, for example, are the primary choice of landscape shooters, while very few experienced wildlife photographers would venture out in the field without a long telephoto of 400mm or more.

Landscape photographers walk a fine line when heading into the great outdoors, when it comes choosing the gear to pack. On the one hand, it’s important to be prepared for whatever you encounter. Conversely, it’s nice to minimize your load, especially if you plan a long hike.

Have you ever wished you could get precise autofocus when using vintage, manual-focus lenses on a modern digital camera? Well, now you can thanks to an innovative adapter from Techart that lets you use classic lenses on Sony E-Mount bodies. Our favorite Weird Lens Guru Mathieu Stern was even able to hack this adapter to deliver crisp AF with a 120-year-old camera. as you can see in the video below.