Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

 

New Canon 500mm & 600mm Lenses Available in May 2012

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Canon 600mm f/4L IS II

Canon USA has issued an update on the availability of its 500mm f/4L IS II and 600mm f/4L IS II lenses, which were previously announced in February 2011.  Initially, the lenses were set to be available in May and June 2011; however, that was pushed back until December 2011 and ultimately listed as TBD for the availability of both models.

Now, Canon says that both lenses will be available in May 2012.  Currently, B&H lists the availability for each lens as April 25, 2012.  Check the following links.

Canon 500mm f/4L IS II @ B&H

Canon 600mm f/4L IS II @ B&H

Sigma 19mm & 30mm f/2.8 EX DN Lenses Hands-On

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Sigma EX DN Lens

A couple of upcoming lenses that I’m looking forward to trying out are the Sigma 19mm and 30mm f/2.8 models for NEX and Micro Four Thirds cameras.  I’m particularly looking forward to getting a production model of the 30mm f/2.8 lens in the NEX mount since it works out to a 45mm-equivalent (60mm-equivalent for Micro Four Thirds models). [Read more…]

Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD Lens Announced

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Tamron SP 24-70mm f2.8 Di VC USD

Tamron has announced a nice-looking 24-70mm f/2.8 lens that has image stabilization (or “Vibration Compensation” as Tamron says) built into it.  The new lens has a silent drive AF that should put into the conversation with Sigma’s 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, as well as an alternative to the Canon and Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses.

I don’t think any other manufacturers offer a stabilized 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, so this makes Tamron somewhat unique.  Surprisingly, it weighs 825g, which puts it in the same weight category as other 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses – and it is, in fact, lighter than some of them.

Tamron hasn’t announced any pricing for the new lens; however, the feature-set and touted quality lead me to believe it will be at or above the $1000-mark.  When it is made available, you should be able to find it for Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts.

Full press release and spec list below. [Read more…]

Canon Lens, Speedlite & DSLR Rebates Ending Soon

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Canon 70-200mm Instant Rebate Deals

Just a little over a week left in the Canon Instant Rebate program for Lenses and Speedlites, as well as the DSLR combo rebates.  Both of these were previously extended through January until February 4, 2012.

Details on specific products and combos via the links below.

Canon Lens & Speedlite Instant Rebates

DSLR Combo Rebates

 

Nikon Launches New 85mm f/1.8G Lens

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Nikon 85mm f/1.8G

Alongside, the new flagship D4, Nikon has announced a new 85mm f/1.8G lens.  The new lens offers FX-format coverage for use on both FX cameras like the Nikon D4 and DX cameras like the Nikon D7000.

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8G Lens should be available in March at an initial retail price of $499.95.  Check availability on B&H, Amazon and Adorama.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Lens Patent

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Canon 70-300mm Lens

Canon applied for a patent application on a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens in March 2011.  Presumably, this is an update to the consumer grade line of 75-300mm non-IS lenses.  There’s no mention of image stabilization in the patent; however, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it couldn’t be an IS lens.

These are the current consumer zoom models in this range:

The other line of thought is that a new 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens with image stabilization could replace the existing mid-grade lens as a cheaper/lower model. [Read more…]

Olympus ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ Lens

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Olympus 12-50mm Lens

Olympus has unveiled the ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ lens for its Micro Four Thirds cameras. The new lens covers a 24-100mm equivalent field of view on full frame cameras and is optimized for HD video capture via a motorized zoom and quiet AF motor.

The Olympus ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ should be available in January 2012 at an initial retail price of $499.99.  Check availability on Amazon.