Lens News

Tamron has always been a pioneer in the do-everything zoom lens category and their new AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens is no exception. Don’t be intimidated by those initials—it’s all good stuff—and I’ll get to them shortly. The 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 is part of Tamron’s Di II family of lenses that are engineered specifically for digital SLRs with image sensors measuring 24x16mm, typically referred to as APS-C. The sensor size of the Canon EOS 50D I tested the lens with measures 22.3x14.9mm so I guess that’s close enough. The 15x zoom range of the lens provides a 35mm focal length equivalency of 28.8-432mm with the Canon EOS 50D’s 1.6x multiplication factor, but that will be slightly different for the Nikon and Sony versions that are also available. Shooting full frame? Check out Tamron’s Di lens series for 35mm film cameras or digital SLRs featuring larger (24x36mm) sensors.

One of the great things about photokina is that you find a lot of “straws in the wind”: not necessarily major introductions from major manufacturers, but intriguing indicators of which way the wind is blowing.

Tamron SP 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD Lens
Designed for use with AF 35mm, full-frame sensor, and APS-C sensor D-SLR cameras, the SP 70-300mm lens features vibration compensation and a silent ultrasonic autofocus drive. It has an extra low dispersion lens element made from high-grade glass. The angle of view (diagonal) is 34? 21’-8? 15’; the maximum focus...

Nikon’s S-Series COOLPIX
There are three new S-series COOLPIX cameras from Nikon. The S8000 features a 10x optical zoom ED glass lens, a four-way Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilization System, ISO settings to 3200, and a 3” LCD screen. It can record HD movies with stereo sound and has a Sport Continuous mode. Colors for the S8000 include black, red...

Back in the day when prime lenses ruled supreme and snooty purists decried zooms for lack of absolute sharpness, Tele-Converters (TCs) were popular accessories. Photographers wanted to bring distant subjects closer, and TCs provided a means to that end. Also known as tele-extenders, these thick slabs of metal and glass increase the focal length of a given lens while also decreasing the f/stop.

Nikon’s AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II Lens
The AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II lens is constructed from die-cast magnesium and sealed to resist dust and moisture. It features meniscus glass to protect the front element, VR II image stabilization, Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass elements, Silent Wave Motor technology, and three Focusing modes. The suggested...

Nikon’s entry into past universal 80-200mm f/2.8 lenses started back in 1978 with a manual focus, push-pull lens checking in at 4 lbs. Ten years later the autofocus model arrived sporting ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass; ’92 marked the “D” package. In ’96 the AF-S version came along, followed by the new generation of front motor drive “G” models. Now we...