Lens News

The big news about the Leica M-D (Typ 262) is what it doesn’t have. It does not have autofocus. It does not provide through-the-lens viewing. And it’s not compatible with any zoom lens. 

After seeing yesterday’s post about a new 1000mm telephoto lens Canon has in development, reader Jim Headley let us know he has a rare Birns and Sawyer Omnitar 1000mm f/4.5 telephoto for sale. The one-of-a-kind lens was commissioned by NASA in 1964 through Birns and Sawyer in Los Angeles and built by Astra in Germany.

Scientists at Harvard’s John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) are working on a high-efficiency, ultra-thin single planar lens that could revolutionize photography by replacing the multi-element curved lenses used for cameras, smartphones and telescopes. 

For Canon lens fans, the wait finally ended when the company took the wraps off the new EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, a relatively compact super-telephoto zoom that has been hotly anticipated and frequently rumored about for years.

Our favorite weird lens guru Mathieu Stern has been testing out some unusual Soviet-era Russian lens and the results have been surprisingly impressive. In fact, in the below video, Stern pairs the Jupiter-9 85mm F/2 portrait lens on a Sony A7 II mirrorless camera and some of his still photos and video are actually quite amazing.

German optical company Meyer-Optik Gorlitz is celebrating the 100^th anniversary of their acclaimed Trioplan line by relaunching the legendary 50mm Trioplan “Soap Bubble” lens, so named for its unique bokeh characteristics. The new 50mm f/2.9 Trioplan features premium build quality, modern coatings, and a 1:4 reproduction ratio for macro photography.

The decisive moment had decisively passed and I missed another great shot: While framing and reframing my zoom lens the scene changed, the sun slid behind a cloud, and people in the shot moved. I finally realized I was missing shots because I had too much gear.