APS-C Dslr Lenses

A standard telephoto zoom lens for NX series interchangeable lens cameras.The 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED OIS lens offered as the second kit zoom lens with the Samsung NX10 is typical of many 50-200mm kit zooms. Just over 10 cm in length and weighing 417 grams without end caps and hood, it is built mainly from black polycarbonate and has a solid, stainless steel mounting plate with eight electronic contact points.

A fast, lightweight prime standard lens for the NX series of interchangeable-lens cameras.The 30mm f/2 ‘pancake’ lens offered with the NX10 body is the only prime lens in the NX series so far. However, it’s scheduled to be followed by a 20mm f/2.8 ‘pancake’ later this year and a 60mm f/2.8 macro lens may be added some time during Q4 1020 or Q1 2011. Only 21.5 mm long and with a diameter of 61.5 mm, this lens weighs roughly 85 grams and covers a focal length equivalent to 46.2mm (in 35mm format).

An affordable, mid-range zoom lens for Samsung’s NX mirrorless cameras.Samsung’s 20-50mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens has been designed to be small and light and features a retractable design similar to the 14-42mm kit lens provided by Olympus with its PEN-series cameras. However, it’s just over 30 grams lighter. Compared to standard kit lenses, it is narrower by 2 mm at wide angle and by 5 mm at the tele end. But it lacks built-in stabilisation.

The standard kit zoom lens for NX series interchangeable lens cameras.Samsung’s 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS covers the typical focal length range of a standard kit lens. Built to a price, it nevertheless offers desirable features like built-in optical stabilisation and comes with a clip-on, petal-shaped lens hood (which some manufacturers omit). It’s also surprisingly small for a camera with an APS-C sized sensor, at just over half the weight of similar lenses supplied with APS-C DSLRs.

A fast, stabilised, standard zoom lens for Canon and Nikon cameras with APS-C sized sensors.Tamron’s SP AF17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II VC lens is designed exclusively for cameras with APS-C sized sensors and covers the popular standard zoom range of focal lengths. On Nikon cameras it is equivalent to 26-78mm in 35mm format, while on the Canon EOS 40D body we used for our tests, the equivalent range is 27-80mm. The fast f/2.8 maximum aperture applies across the focal length range.

A competitively-priced, general-purpose lens with the longest current zoom range and effective image stabilisation.Designed specifically for DSLR cameras with ‘APS-C sized’ imagers, Tamron’s latest ultra-zoom lens, the AF18-270mm Di-II claims to offer the world’s largest zoom ratio of any current lens. The 15x zoom covers angles of view that range from the equivalent to a 28mm wide angle to a 419mm ultra telephoto in 35mm format. As such, it represents a genuine ‘all-purpose’ lens for DSLR users who wish to cover as wide a variety of subjects as possible without having to change lenses.