Author: Klaus

Sigma has a wide variety of ultra-fast lenses in their lineup. Among them is the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG DN ART. At a price of around $800 USD, it may not be cheap, but compared to the Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM ($1400), it’s almost a bargain. As always, this raises the question of whether Sigma has taken some shortcuts to make this happen, so let’s see. Sigma emphasizes that the lens is especially aligned to astrophotography which has probably the highest quality requirements in terms of edge-to-edge sharpness – something that has traditionally been difficult to achieve for such…

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Ref.: https://www.tamron.com/global/consumer/lenses/f072/Price: $700 USD SpecificationsOptical construction15 elements in 12 groups ( 4x LD )Number of aperture blades12 (rounded)min. focus distance0.23m (max. magnification: 1:1)Dimensionsφ 79.2 x 126.5mm Weight630gFilter sizeφ 67mmHoodBarrel-shaped, bayonet mount, suppliedOther featuresFocus limiter, moisture-resistant, fluorine coating, custom button

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Whenever a new pancake lens arrives in the lab, I’m getting pretty excited. Sure, their on-paper specs are never impressive – especially in terms of speed – but they are cute or, in other words, darn compact and super-lightweight and thus easy to carry around. So when Viltrox asked me whether I’d like to review this new -full-format- Viltrox AF 28mm f/4.5 VCM, I raised my hand, of course. However, while this appears to be a “normal” pancake lens, this isn’t really the case here. Thus, let’s get the elephant out of the room here—this lens offers autofocus and electronic…

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Ref.: https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/rf28-70mm-f2-8-is-stm Price $1100 USD SpecificationsOptical construction15 elements in 12 groups (2x aspherical, 2x UD)Number of aperture blades9 (rounded?)min. focus distance0.37m (max. magnification: 1:4.16)Dimensionsφ 92.2 x 76.5 mmWeight495gFilter sizeφ 67mmHoodPetal-shaped, bayonet mountOther featuresOptical IS (5.5 stops, combined with the camera up to 7 f-stops), dust- and weather-resistant

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Ref.: https://www.hasselblad.com/x-system/lenses/xcd-20-35e/ Approx price:  $5,929 USD SpecificationsOptical construction16 elements in 12 groups (3x aspherical, 4x ED)Number of aperture blades9 (rounded)min. focus distance0.32m (max. magnification: 1:10.4)Dimensionsφ 81 × 112mmWeight805gFilter sizeφ 77mmHoodPetal-shaped, bayonet mountOther features leaf shutter

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Ref.: https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/lineup/lens/z-mount/z_50mmf14/ Price: $500 USD SpecificationsOptical construction10 elements in 7 groups (1x aspherical)Number of aperture blades9 (rounded)min. focus distance0.37m (max. magnification: 1:5.9)Dimensionsφ 86.5 × 74.5mmWeight420gFilter sizeφ 62mmHoodPetal-shaped, bayonet mountOther featuresdust- and drip-resistance sealing

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Most of us just love high-speed lenses. And if it’s a 35mm lens, that’s even better. When it comes to prime lenses, it’s a typical example of the one lens that you’d take to an isolated island if you could only take one. While some may consider them fairly boring, they are simply very versatile. That is … if it wasn’t for the costs. Sony’s own FE 35mm f/1.4 GM sets you back by $1300 USD, placing it outside of the realm that is still accessible for most amateurs at least. However, a more affordable entry ticket is the Sigma…

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Ref.: https://leica-camera.com/en-AU/photography/lenses/sl/vario-elmarit-sl-70-200-f28-asph-black-anodized-finish Price: $3300 USD Note: This seems to be a slightly tuned version of the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG DN ART – just like the Leica 14-28mm f/2.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8. SpecificationsOptical construction20 elements in 15 groups (7x LR, 3x aspherical)Number of aperture blades11 (rounded)min. focus distance0.7-1.0m (max. magnification: 1:5.1)Dimensionsφ 89 × 207mmWeight1540gFilter sizeφ 82mmHoodBarrel-shaped, bayonet mount, suppliedOther featuresFluorine coating, detachable tripod mount, dust and splash-proof, compatible with converters, optical IS

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Ref.: https://www.sigma-global.com/en/lenses/c023_10_18_28/ Price: $660 USD SpecificationsOptical construction13 elements in 10 groups (3x FLD, 1x SLD, 4x aspherical)Number of aperture blades7 (rounded)min. focus distance0.116 (W) – 0.191m  (max. magnification: 1:4)Dimensionsφ72.2 x 62.0mmWeight270gFilter sizeφ67mmHoodPetal-shaped, bayonet mount, suppliedOther featuresMount gasket

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