Inspiring ways to improve your photos
Inspiring ways to improve your photos
A ‘premium-class’ update to Tamron’s budget-priced 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di lens.Tamron’s SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD lens was released in time for the company’s 60th anniversary. The ‘SP’ label denotes ‘professional’ build quality, while other welcome additions include an Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) AF drive motor and Vibration Compensation (VC) stabilisation plus Full Time Manual focusing when the lens is in AF mode.
An affordable lens with good performance for photographers seeking a one-lens-for-all-purposes solution.With a zoom ratio of 13.9x, Tamron’s new AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro lens provides a good single-lens option for DSLR photographers whose cameras have APS-C sized imagers. Weighing less than half a kilogram with the supplied lens hood attached it covers focal lengths equivalent to 27-375mm when fitted on a Nikon, Pentax or Sony DSLR camera or 28.8-400mm on a Canon DSLR.
A compact and affordable extended-range zoom lens that will suit travelling photographers.In its new AF18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II LD Aspherical [IF] Macro lens, Tamron has provided an impressive 13.9x zoom magnification yet only added 0.2 mm in diameter and 0.6 mm in overall length to the dimensions of the AF18-200mm Di-II lens. Designed specifically for DSLR cameras with ‘APS-C’ sized image sensors, this lens covers the equivalent of 27-375mm on Nikon, Pentax and Sony camera bodies and 28.8-400mm on a Canon DSLR. We tested the lens on the new Nikon D60, which lacks a built-in focus drive motor and, therefore, relies on the AF motor in the lens for all autofocusing.
Tamron’s latest long-range zoom lens, the AF18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro, extends the range of the zoom at the wide-angle end of the spectrum and covers a popular range of focal lengths for amateur photographers. Like the 28-300mm Di lens we reviewed in Issue 21 (February/March 2005), it’s surprisingly compact and light in weight for its range.
A fast, high-performance prime lens that is ideal for portraits and candid photography.The name alone should be an assurance to knowledgeable photographers that the Sony CZ Planar T* 85mm F1.4 ZA is no ordinary lens and the ‘Planar’ tag reflects its noble ancestry. The original Planar was a six-element symmetrical lens designed by physicist, Paul Rudolph, at Carl Zeiss in 1896. It was very popular with serious photographers for its speed and pictorial qualities and offered consistent performance over a wide range of imaging ratios.
A fast, high-performance 50mm prime lens for DSLR cameras from Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony.The 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM is the first large-aperture 50mm prime lens to be manufactured by Sigma and the company has gone to considerable lengths to include the latest designs and technology. Unlike the 50mm f/1.4 primes from other manufacturers, which use designs that hark back to the 1970s, this lens is bang up-to-date, with a Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensuring silent, high-speed AF; a non-rotating front element and a moulded aspherical optical component.
A very fast prime lens that covers a ‘normal’ angle of view and is designed for ‘APS-C’ format DSLR cameras.Designed exclusively for DSLR cameras with ‘APS-C’ sized image sensors, Sigma’s 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM lens is solidly constructed and available in mounts to suit all popular brands – including Olympus and Panasonic. On the Canon EOS 40D and 400D cameras we tested it on, this lens equates to a 48mm lens on a 35mm camera – which is close to a ‘standard’ viewing angle. It cannot be used on DSLRS with ‘full frame’ sensors because it vignettes at the corners of the frame.
An affordably-priced long-zoom lens that will suit photographers who want a single ‘go-anywhere’ lens for their DSLR cameras.Sigma’s versatile 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 DC OS lens has been designed as an all-purpose lens for digital SLR cameras with ‘APS-C size’ image sensors. Offering an 11x zoom ratio and a minimum focusing distance of 45cm at all focal lengths, this lens will appeal to photographers who want a single, long-range zoom lens to fit on their camera body. A built-in Hyper-Sonic Motor (HSM) uses ultrasonic waves to drive the autofocusing controls, providing fast and quiet AF.
A highly specialised lens that provides control over the plane of focus and is usable for shooting close-ups.Nikon’s PC-E Micro Nikkor 45mm f/2.8D ED lens is the latest in a series of perspective control (PC) lenses that have been produced by the company over many years. Offering a shift range of plus or minus 11.5mm and tilt of plus or minus 8.5 degrees, it can also be rotated through plus or minus 90-degrees in 30-degree increments. In all respects, this is a pretty wide range – but it’s only achievable on camera bodies with 36 x 24mm sensors. The lens can also be used on cameras with smaller imagers, but its adjustability will be limited.
A fast prime lens that covers a ‘normal’ field of view and supports the advanced autofocusing systems in the latest Panasonic G-series cameras.The Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens was announced by Panasonic in June 2011 at the same time as the Lumix DMC-GF3 camera. It’s due for release locally at the end of August. On G-series bodies, it provides an effective focal length equivalent to 50mm on a 35mm camera, making it an excellent ‘standard’ lens.
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