In the above image found on dc.watch.impress.co.jp, the EXIF info in the left panel indicates that the lens used was a Nikon AF-S 50-150mm f/2.8 G lens. That’s all well and good, except there’s no lens with that focal length in Nikon’s current line up.
While I can’t make out all the text, I’m pretty confident on the assessment that this is a Nikon lens, given “G” moniker follow the f/-stop. Although Sigma has a 50-150mm lens, it has a DC moniker, which indicates that it is for cropped-sensor DSLRs only.
The inclusion of a 50-150mm lens in Nikon’s line signals their commitment to the DX sensor format and the alternative to the popular 70-200mm full frame focal length.
Perhaps we’ll see this lens at Nikon’s Photokina 2008 showing. For now, this will remain a rumor.
UPDATE: Apparently, the Sigma lens appears as a “G” lens Nikon’s software EXIF data. Why? I don’t know. But I suppose that a Sigma lens was used for this Nikon ad. [via]
Yeah, this rumor got busted. I still like the ides of Nikon AF-S 50-150 VR /f2.8