Lens Tag

This diminutive lens was launched with the last generation of Pens, and aside from its 100 degree wide field of view the big news then was that this is an MSC (Movie-Still-Compatible) lens. That plainly means that it’s optimised for movies and stills… and translated that means it’s fast, smooth and silent when focusing.

A colleague at work told me about his favourite lens, the “50mm f1.4”. He had used one for a while and could not fault it. With that sort of endorsement it was quite easy to take the plunge and the lens was ordered the same day. That was nearly 3 years ago and since then the 50mm f1.4 is almost permanently attached to my camera.

I had always thought of the Canon EF 200mm f/2.0 L IS USM as a bit of a unicorn – you hear tales about it and it’s magical qualities, but I very much doubted I would ever have the privilege of shooting with one myself. That all changed the moment the doorbell rang.

After spending forever carting lenses that weigh 4kg and upwards around, what an absolute breath of fresh air it was to just go out shooting with the Sigma! It’s so much lighter, making it far more portable, and when paired up to a crop sensor camera it offers an incredible amount of reach.

The lens is extremely well built. On mounting it to my Canon 5D Mark II for the first time I noticed this straight away. The metal gives it a tank like feeling and it will easily deal with the knocks and bumps of daily life.

Today Nikon announced the latest addition to their lens line-up, the DX-format Nikkor 40mm f/2.8 G. This micro lens boasts a true 1:1 reproduction ratio, minimum focusing distance of 0.163m (from focal plain) as well as the large maximum aperture of f2.8, making it a promising Macro lens.

So is it the perfect travel lens? It certain crams in all you’d normally need – with some icing on top as it has more than excellent reach – 300mm equivalent used to be ‘long’ so the 405mm the Tamron offers is a very useful bonus.

In the “Why I love my…” articles we will be asking photographers to tell us about a specific piece of equipment that they have developed a strong bond with and whose presence has improved their photographic experiences. Here, Mark Stephenson tells us why he loves his Canon EF 135mm f2 L USM Lens.

These lens fetish cameras are trying harder than ever to add the SLR magic that people want – even if they don’t know an f/stop from a g-string. Of the enthusiast compacts I’ve tried recently, the XZ-1 strikes the best balance of pros and cons.

The Canon EF200-400mm f/4L IS USM EXTENDER 1.4x zoom lens. Yes, that’s quite a mouthful. While not a particularly succinct title, this does tell you pretty much all you need to know, and in fact all Canon are willing to tell you, for now. Due for release later this year, this is one lens worth keeping an eye on.