Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Sigma Lens Announcements

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Sigma has announced pricing and updates for a number of new lenses, which include the APO 120-300mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM, the APO MACRO 150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM, the 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM, the APO 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM, and MACRO 105mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM.

The previously announced 12-24mm, 120-300mm and 150mm lenses have retail price tags of $1400, $4700 and $1600, respectively.  As usual with Sigma lenses, however, the street prices should be substantially lower.

The 12-24mm lens will be available in April.  Initial availability at Amazon for $949.

The new 120-300mm lens will be available in February.  Check availability on Amazon.com.

The new 150mm lens will be available in March.  Check availability on Amazon.com.

Sigma has updated its 50-150mm f/2.8 and 105mm f/2.8 macro lens to include optical stabilization.  Both lenses feature Sigma’s high-quality EX exterior and speedy hypersonic AF motor.  The Sigma 105mm lens is capable of true 1:1 macro reproduction.

No word yet on pricing or availability for the new 50-150mm or 105mm lenses.

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

 

Canon EF 500mm F/4L IS II USM and EF 600mm F/4L IS II USM Announced

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Refreshed versions of Canon’s popular 500mm and 600mm super-telephoto lenses will be available, respectively, in May and June 2011.

The Canon EF 500mm F/4L IS II USM and EF 600mm F/4L IS II USM offer reduced weight and greater durability over their predecessors.  The addition of two fluorite lens elements should also provide better image quality over the older lenses as well.

In addition to other features, the new lenses offer a feature aimed at HDSLR shooters, which Canon calls “Power Focus.”  According to Canon, “This mode allows manual rack focusing to be operated smoothly by turning a playback ring that is normally used for the focus preset function.  Both low-speed and high-speed focus shifting are available.”

All these improvements come at a price though.

The EF 500mm F/4L IS USM will retail for $9,499.00 (check availability at B&H Photo and Amazon), while the 600mm F/4L IS USM will retail for $11,999.00 (check availability at B&H Photo and Amazon).

Complete details and more images for the new lenses are below. [Read more…]

Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM (w/ Built-in 1.4x Extender) Under Development [UPDATED]

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Canon is in the process of developing a new 200-400mm f/4L IS lens that features a built-in 1.4x extender.  With the built-in extender, the lens will have a maximum focal length of 560mm.

This is great news for Canon DSLR shooters who have been clamoring for a lens equivalent to the highly-regarded Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VR lens.

While Canon has not provided a release date or pricing info for the new lens, a prototype of it will be on display at CP+ in Japan this week.

Here’s a couple of photo of the new beast-of-a-lens:

You can read more about the new lens in the official press release below. [Read more…]

Firmware Friday: Casio EX-H20G, Panasonic 14-140mm Lens, Paul C. Buff Cyber Commander

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Camera Firmware Update

Below you will find this week’s firmware updates.  Hit the manufacturer website links for more details and download instructions for the firmware.

Casio EX-H20G version 1.01 – “Adds a function that writes position log data saved in camera memory to a memory card (Output Log)” [Casio Website]

Panasonic Lumix 14-140mm G HD Lens version 1.4 – “Improved stability of O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabilizer) and AF(Auto Focus) in movie recording.” [Panasonic Website]

Paul C. Buff Cyber Commander version 32 – “Optimizes antenna hardware to increase range by up to 25%. Corrects the power range of the White Lightning X3200 1/4 power as displayed on the FLASH screen. The -3.7f Ws power rating of 640Ws lights now displays as 9.2Ws (previously displayed inaccurately as 49.2Ws).” [Cyber Commander Website]

Tamron 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD

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Tamron has announced a new 18-270mm travel zoom lens for DSLRs.  The 15x zoom lens features a Piezo ultrasonic motor for fast and silent AF.  It also features Tamron’s vibration compensation to reduce camera shake image blur.

The new lens should be available in December for Canon and Nikon mount versions, while a Sony version of the lens is planned for a later date.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Officially Priced and Available

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Sigma has officially announced pricing for its new 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM lens.  The lens can be found at a street price of $899, which is far less than the fictional retail price of $1400 assigned by Sigma.

According to Sigma’s press release, the lens should be available immediately. You check on stock status for the new lens on B&H Photo, Adorama and Amazon.com.