Lens News

Just bought a 200mm f/2.8 lens for my Nikon D300s for $99! Incredibly it’s only 3.1 inches long and it’s as sharp as a handful of carpet tacks. It’s used, sure, and it’s manual focus. But hey! It was made by Nikon. It’s a real Nikon lens and it’s just one example of the fantastic bargains that are available to those who know what to look for.

Canon has two innovative lenses that incorporate built-in LED “Macro Lites” on either side of the front element, the EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM for M-Series mirrorless cameras, and the EF-S 35mm Macro IS STM for Canon DSLRs. In the video below, you’ll see what you can accomplish by using these lenses instead of a conventional on-camera flash.

Canon announced some new photo goodies this morning: the PowerShot SX730 Compact Camera with a 40x zoom (24-960mm equivalent), and the Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM lens, which has built-in Macro Lites on the sides of the lens.

The simple teleconverter is a compact and relatively affordable add-on that will increase the magnification of your lens and dramatically enhance its versatility. All teleconverters are not created equal, however, so watch the video below to learn more about these very useful tools.

Though it's a commonly used term in the photography world, opinions vary on how the word “bokeh” should be pronounced. The term is said to come from the Japanese word “boke,” which translates as “blur” or, in some cases, “senility.”

I tend to travel on the wide side when it comes to lens selection, so it was exciting to get a hold of Tamron’s new super telephoto zoom—the SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 (Model A022). And what better way to give this big beauty a try than to take it on safari? Admittedly, this “safari” was of the local variety with a quick trip to the recently renovated Audubon Zoo barely two miles from my home in New Orleans. I also spent an afternoon with the Tamron 150-600mm G2 ($1,399) on one of the many bayous running through Southern Louisiana to shoot some gators and less exotic wildlife.