Lens News

Photokina 2014 in Germany has been covered widely on the Internet already—including our own extensive reporting on the show on Shutterbug.com—so there’s no need for me to rehash the major announcements from the event, such as the latest full-frame cameras from Canon and Nikon and the like. My photo report here is aimed at sharing some wider ranging thoughts and perspectives on this important biennial show and what it told us about photography today and where it might be heading tomorrow.

We recently got some hands-on time with the two newest lenses in Sigma’s arsenal: the Sigma 24mm F/1.4 DG HSM Art lens and 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens. Both lenses, which will be available in Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts, go on sale this month at relatively decent prices considering their impressive specs.

A few days after Sigma announced a new 24mm F/1.4 DG HSM Art lens, the company has revealed its pricing and availability. And the lens will cost a lot less than people were probably expecting.

Sigma announced two new photo products ahead of the big CP+ Imaging Show in Japan: a new 24mm F/1.4 DG HSM Art lens and the dp0 Quattro camera.

Ricoh Imaging just introduced two new HD PENTAX D FA Lenses. Designed for use with the current PENTAX K-mount D-SLR cameras (and future PENTAX sensor technology) these lenses offer ranges not found in previous models, including a star-series telephoto zoom and super-telephoto zoom for capturing clear images of distant subjects and weather resistant for shooting in all conditions.

The HD PENTAX D FA lenses feature a high-grade HD Coating which helps produce extra-sharp, high-contrast images, minimizing flare and ghosting, even under demanding lighting conditions such as backlight situations. 

Korean lens manufacturer Samyang has announced a new 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC len. The lens,  which will be available in The lens in Canon, Nikon, Sony E and MFT mounts, is a full frame compatible, prime telephoto lens with a fast f/2.0 aperture and 11 elements in 7 groups.

Nikon launched a new digital SLR and two long lenses at CES tonight. The company unveiled the D5500, an advanced amateur DSLR sporting a 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter (OLPF) and a new 3.2-inch varia-angle LCD touchscreen on back.