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Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Zeiss 55mm f/1.4 Otus Distagon T* Officially Launched

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Zeiss 55mm F1.4 Otus Distagon

Though this lens has been in development for some time, Zeiss has finally taken the official wraps off of its 55mm f/1.4 Otus Distagon T* lens. The new lens is available in Nikon and Canon mounts for $3,999. It is expected to ship in November for both mounts.

Zeiss 55mm f/1.4 Otus Distagon T* Key Features

  • Optimized for Full-Frame Camera Sensors
  • f/1.4 – f/16 Aperture Range
  • Zeiss T* Anti-Reflective Lens Coating
  • Floating Elements Design
  • All-Metal Lens Housing
  • Manual Focus, 20″ Close Focus Distance
  • 77mm Filter Thread
  • Highly Visible Yellow Scale Markings

This is the first lens in this new family of Zeiss lenses that is supposed to take optical excellence to the next level. Perhaps we’ll see another lens “in development” at or around PhotoPlus 2013…

 

Tokina 16-28mm T3.0 Cinema Lens Unveiled for EF and PL Mounts

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Tokina 16-28mm Cine Lens

Tokina has announced a new cinema lens – the 16-28mm T3.0 cine lens. It has its optical roots in the popular Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 PRO lens. Of course, the cine version is kitted out with standard gearing for the focus and aperture rings.

Additionally, the new cine lens gets a substantially higher price tag. In Japan, it retails for ¥580,000, which is slightly less than $6,000 when converted to US dollars. That would make it close to 10x more expensive than Tokina’s standard AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 PRO lens.

The PL-mount version of the lens should ship sometime in September, while the EF-mount option is expected to be available in November. Stay tuned for official pricing and availability.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 IS Patent Revealed

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Canon 24-70mm Lens

Prior to the release of the latest Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II lens, there were rumors that a prototype of a version with Canon’s Image Stabilization was undergoing testing. Then, the new lens came along, it didn’t have IS, and word of any kind of possible replacement with image stabilization died out.

A recently published Canon patent document reveals that Canon has, in fact, developed such a lens. [Read more…]

Olympus ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO Lens Announced

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Olympus 12-40mm Micro Four Thirds Lens

Alongside the new OM-D E-M1, Olympus has released the new ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens in Micro Four Thirds mount. Thanks to the 2x crop factor of Micro Four Thirds sensors, the lens offers a 24-80mm equivalent field of view.

Like the Olympus E-M1, the 12-40mm f/2.8 lens offers weather-sealing for durability in the elements. It features a 7-blade circular aperture for pleasant bokeh. The Olympus ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens retails for $999. Check it out here at B&H Photo.