Lens Reviews

After shooting with Nikon’s extraordinary AF-S Nikkor 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR lens last year I wondered what their next telephoto zoom lens would be. We didn’t have to wait long, because hiding in the wings was the fast and powerful Nikkor AF-S 120-300mm f/2.8E FL ED SR VR.

When you talk about lenses these days you always have to bring in the multiplication factor, especially when you have a lens that fits comfortably on both so-called full-frame and APS-C sensor cameras. To know what angles of view you will have available you have to know: (a) that the lens is made for full-sized sensors (or not) so will work with the multiplication factor on smaller sized sensors...

I got a lot of feedback – mostly positive but with a few spirited rejoiners – to last month’s editorial “Smartphones (Still) Can’t Compete with Great Camera Gear,” that I feel I should “double down.” Again, this isn’t a knock against using smartphones for shooting images. As I mentioned last month, I do it all the time with some pretty decent results. And many serious photographers are constantly turning to that little phone in their pockets and have produced many spectacular photos.

Olympus just announced the M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS Pro for Micro Four Thirds systems. Shutterbug has obtained an early sample and is currently preparing a full review. In the meantime, here’s a rundown on this exciting new lens.

It’s now widely appreciated that many great old lenses of the analog era can capture images that have that elusive quality known as character. Writers of the early 20th    century tried to express these qualities by describing them as “rounded” “luminous” or “plastic” rendition, but later writers and scientists dismissed such terms as imprecise and speculative, turning to resolution and later MTF testing to quantify lens performance parameters.

Professional photographers live by their lenses—they know they’re one of the keys to capturing high-quality images. That’s why they often spend thousands of dollars for a lens that’s optimized for their type of shooting, or gives them an edge over their competitors. But is it possible for serious photo enthusiasts without deep pockets or a business write-off to acquire lenses that deliver professional caliber imaging performance for a lot less money?

Why would anyone in their right mind want to use old lenses on their shiny new high-performance DSLR or mirrorless camera? The simple answer is that some older lenses can capture images that have that elusive quality known as character.