by Klaus Schroiff, published July 2021 Introduction It seems that comparatively slow-speed “budget” prime lenses are all the rage these days. A few years ago, Samyang was probably the one starting the segment with a number of affordable (semi-)pancake lenses. This was followed by Sigma with a more premium approach. In late 2019, Tamron entered the scene with three identical-looking primes – a 20mm f/2.8, 24mm f/2.8, and a 35mm f/2.8. Traditionally, Tamron is more of a mid-tier player but the gang of 3 is clearly budget-oriented. We’ll review them all in the next few weeks and let’s start with…
Author: Klaus
Introduction Sony’s APS-C system has been a 2nd class citizen during the last few years. New native APS-C format lenses are rare, and the lineup is rather limited compared to e.g. Fuji.To be fair – Sony users can always use full-format E-mount lenses anyway so the situation isn’t really dire. However, even when ignoring the potentially higher costs, full-format lenses aren’t feasible when it comes to standard zoom lenses. E-mount has not been without options in this respect, albeit a high-quality lens was not provided until late 2019 – namely the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G. In terms of specs,…
by Klaus Schroiff, published June 2021 Introduction There is an almost mad amount of 35mm full format lenses available in Sony E-mount. As of the time of this review, we can count no less than 13x 35mm lenses with an AF motor, 15x when including 40mm variants plus several more with manual focusing only. Makes you wonder whether there’s a different one for every buyer? Jokes aside, it just shows that the lens class is obviously popular enough to sustain such a variety. Of course, Sony has a bunch of these lenses in their lineup as well. One of them…
Introduction There is always a lens that is the bottom feeder in the lineup and within the range of prime lenses. This is usually a nifty-fifty. In R-mount, we are talking about the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM which is, by far, the most affordable prime lens offered by Canon at least. It can be yours for as little as $200USD/230EUR.The build quality of this tiny lens is good but it’s obvious that it doesn’t target professional users. There is no weather-sealing and an inner lens tube extends when focusing towards closer distances. The tube retracts automatically when switching off…
Introduction By now we know that Canon can produce superb L-class lenses but the photographic world isn’t just about high-end R-mount gear and it’s good that they’ve finally started to release some gear for the rest of us. One of the early examples is the Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM IS macro. Obviously, it’s a medium-tele prime lens but with a little twist this time. Traditionally such lenses are slightly faster at f/1.8 but Canon decided to sacrifice a little bit of speed for macro capabilities. Regarding its max object magnification, it’s not a true macro lens but this middle…
by Klaus Schroiff, published February 2021 Introduction Tamron has been an early adopter of the mirrorless concept so it’s not surprising that they are offering a vast number of corresponding lenses across most segments by now. One of them is the Tamron 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD. Tamron is following an interesting philosophy with their fast f/2.8 zoom lenses. While Sony and Sigma (ART) are embracing high-performance priority, Tamron is going for compactness and low weight – which is certainly an attractive proposition for many buyers. And light-weight f/2.8 zoom lenses are an even rarer breed. Just to give you…
by Klaus Schroiff, published February 2021 Introduction The Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD is a member of Tamron’s own “holy trinity” of fast f/2.8 zoom lenses with the other ones being the recently reviewed 17-28mm f/2.8 and the 28-75mm f/2.8.These 3 lenses share a very similar philosophy – they are smaller, much more light-weight, and also more affordable than comparable lenses from other manufacturers. This is especially true for the 70-180mm f/2.8 which has a rather radical design comparable to the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L IS with the Tamron lens going even further in some respects. At…
by Klaus Schroiff, published January 2021 Introduction Over the last few years, Laowa has created an arsenal of ultra-wide prime lenses across all relevant systems – and they are still looking for further niches in this segment. They just released the Laowa 10mm f/2 Zero-D MFT. Those who have followed their journey may be a bit surprised. After all, they are also offering a 7.5mm f/2 MFT and a 9mm f/2.8 which aren’t all that old either. However, not everybody needs an extreme wide-angle lens and a 10mm lens (“20mm” full-format) is easier to handle. Beyond the paper-specs are some…
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Introduction Canon has been THE dominant player in the super-telephoto arena for decades. There are many photos of sports events where you can see a myriad of white Canon L lenses in the press section. Besides lots of prime lenses, Canon has always offered moderately fast long tele-zoom lenses, with the most popular one being the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 USM L IS (II). However, during recent years this lens felt a bit conservative regarding a competition that moved on to 500mm and even 600mm at the long end. And for sports/wildlife photographers, nothing beats a long focal length but a…