Introduction Time flies also in the mirrorless camera world. Some of the lenses released early in this era are getting a little long in the tooth – like the Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS, which was released back in 2014.It’s a fine lens also used by yours truly for a while. However, just like moths longing for the sun, we get excited when new stuff is coming around – in this case, the Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS macro II.While the name may imply a mild evolution, it is actually a very different lens compared to its predecessor.…
Author: Klaus
Introduction TTArtisan may not yet be a household name among most photographers. However, they have released some ambitious designs in the past, and they are now slowly moving towards offering more mainstream products – and the latter means, first and foremost, lenses with autofocus, camera-controlled aperture and EXIF data. One of them is the TTArtisan AF 27mm f/2.8, available in X-mount (tested here), E-mount and Z-mount. The paper specs aren’t all that hot upon first sight – it’s an APS-C format lens equivalent to “42mm f/4.2”. However, just like its Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 WR counterpart, it is tiny, making…
Introduction The Samyang AF 12mm f/2 E has been on the market for quite some time, so we are a bit late to the game here.However, the design of the lens isn’t new anyway – it dates back to the Samyang 12mm f/2 NCS CS, a manual focus lens.Even so, it’s certainly one of the more interesting prime lenses for APS-C cameras. It’s wide, it’s fast, and it’s affordable at just $300/340EUR.Samyang emphasizes its suitability for astrophotography due to the fast max aperture of f/2. While it may be fast enough, we’d probably wish for something wider for this specific…
Introduction Over the years, we have seen quite a few Chinese players, but most of them are still on the exotic side of things – except Viltrox. And since last year, they seem to be in full attack mode in the medium to high-end market. Especially the Viltrox AF 75mm f/1.2 XF Pro and AF 16mm f/1.8 FE surprised us with a combination of great quality at an affordable price. And the Viltrox AF 27mm f/1.2 XF Pro just made it into our lab. As the name implies, it is for the Fujifilm X mount, but other mounts will follow shortly.…
Introduction Samyang has been a lens manufacturer for quite a while but only recently released their first zoom lens – the Samyang AF 24-70mm f/2.8 FE. And Samyang wouldn’t be Samyang if they didn’t undercut the competition by quite a margin. The lens has an MSRP of just $999, but you can get it for as low as $800US/750EUR if you shop around. Quite a steal – on paper, at least. That’s a third of Sony’s own offering here and a couple of hundred bucks less than the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DN DG ART. The price tag alone is no…
Introduction Having multiple lens grades to choose from is great from a consumer perspective. Sony knows this as well and is offering no less than three of them (GM, G & consumer). However, Sony isn’t alone with this, even within the E-mount ecosystem. Sigma is doing something similar with their ART, SPORTS and Contemporary lineup. Interestingly, they even offer different variations of the same lens TYPE here and there.They’ve got the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN ART alongside the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary – that’s quite a unique approach to all this. And today, we’ll have a look…
Introduction Canon may not have a Pentaxian-level love affair with pancake lenses, but they still have a history here. During the EF mount era, they had an EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM as well as an EF 40mm f/2.8 STM.And they continued their journey with the (sort-of pancake) RF 16mm f/2.8 STM in 2022. Fortunately, they didn’t stop here, so let’s welcome the new Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 STM. There are probably two kinds of people on the planet – those who hate them because they tend to be fairly slow by modern prime lens standards, and those who love them…
Introduction In an era in which long tele zoom lenses are reaching 600mm, the 100-400mm class may almost feel dated, but it still exists. For a good reason, actually. Sony’s own 200-600mm G is certainly the more attractive choice when reach is everything, but such lenses are heavy, big and 200mm at the short end makes them unsuitable for mainstream use. Conversely, the 100mm setting of a 100-400mm lens is usable for some landscape and even basic portrait photography – although the speed isn’t all that hot. Still, it is simply a more versatile lens. Unlike its longer cousin, it’s…
Introduction Many of us know the problem – sometimes wide and fast just isn’t wide and fast enough. And then there’s the other problem – the wider and faster you go, the more you are entering stratospheric price levels. However, there might be a solution to these problems – meet the Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 FE, available in Sony E-mount and, soon, in Nikon Z-mount. Yes, there are wider and faster lenses, but the Viltrox lens keeps a nice balance by offering a little extra without going downright bonkers. And it does so without breaking your bank account at just…
Introduction At the time Canon announced the Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM and RF 800mm f/11 IS STM, the photo community was a little confused. While (all-manual) slow, long tele tele prime lenses have been around for decades, these were mostly confined to more or less obscure third-party manufacturers. e.g. The oldies among you may remember the T-mount Samyang/Vivitar/Exakta 500mm f/8 from the 1970s and 80s, but with the emergence of 500/600mm zoom lenses, these vanished into history.So why a modern 600/800mm f/11? There are a couple of reasons, of course. The most obvious one is costs. Canon R-mount…