Photo Review Reviews section

Sony SAL135F18Z 135mm F1.8 Sonnar T* Lens

9 Rating

A fast, high-performance telephoto prime lens with above-average close-up capabilities.One of the first Carl Zeiss lenses to go on sale for the Sony DSLRA100 camera, the 135mm F1.8 Sonnar T* is relatively large and heavy, with a massive front element. It’s also extremely well-built, as you’d expect from a high-quality prime lens with a longish focal length. The T* designation indicates special multi-layer coatings on the lens elements to maximise light transmission and contrast. Claimed as the brightest telephoto lens in its class, it has nine aperture blades which close on a circular aperture, providing outstanding bokeh (out-of-focus blur).

Sony DT 50mm f/1.8 SAM Lens

8.5 Rating

A fast 50mm prime lens designed for Sony’s Alpha DSLRs with APS-C sized sensors.The DT 50mm f/1.8 SAM lens was introduced as one of four lenses announced with the A230, A330 and A380 DSLR cameras in early May 2009. The DT 50mm f/1.8 SAM lens is the first DT prime lens Sony has introduced and it’s being promoted as a ‘portrait’ lens. This is logical because it provides a focal length equivalent to 75mm (in 35mm format) when mounted on ‘APS-C’ camera bodies.

Sony DT 35mm f/1.8 SAM Lens

8.5 Rating

A new prime lens for general photography makes a welcome addition to Sony’s ‘Easy Choice’ lens range.The DT 35mm f/1.8 SAM (SAL35F18) was one of three new lenses announced by Sony in July, 2010. Designed to provide an affordable, compact and lightweight prime lens with a popular focal length for both entry-level and advanced photographers it’s less than one fifth of the price of Sony’s other 35mm prime lens, the SAL35F14G, which retails for $2,699 and is the only in line-up.

Sony DT 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens

8.8 Rating

An extended-range zoom lens that covers a useful focal length range and provides above-average optical performance.Scheduled for release in October, at around the same time as the new Sony DSLR-A700 camera, the DT 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 zoom lens covers a 14x zoom range that is equivalent to 27-375mm on a 35mm camera. This well-built optic weighs only 440 grams and is reasonably compact. It can focus down to 45 cm to give a close-up magnification of 0.29 times.

Sony DT 11-18mm f4.5-5.6 Lens

8 Rating

A capable wide-angle zoom lens for Sony’s Alpha DSLR-A100 camera.Sony’s DT 11-18mm super wide zoom lens represents a minor evolution of the 11-18mm lens released by Konica Minolta in mid-2005 for the Dynax 5D and 7D cameras. Its DT design is ideally suited for the APS-sized CCD imager of these now defunct models – and also for the Sony Alpha A100 camera. Used on the A100 it provides angles of view between 104 and 76 degrees, which is equivalent to 16.5mm to 27mm on a 35mm camera. This is quite wide for the smaller sensor.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V3

Although it has the same sensor as the DSC-P150 reviewed in this issue, Sony’s new DSC-V3 Cyber-shot is quite a different beast. Designed to attract serious photographers it features a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 4x optical zoom and a reasonably fast aperture at both wide and tele positions. It also sports a pop-up flash plus a hot shoe for accessory flash units and dual CompactFlash and Memory Stick slots.

Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Lens

8 Rating

A fast, high-quality zoom lens that covers a popular focal length range and can be used on all Sony DSLR bodies.The price tag reflects the build quality and performance of Sony’s fast 70-200mm f/2.8 G lens. Compatible with APS-C format and 35mm sized sensor cameras, it covers a focal length range of 105-300mm with the former. The fast f/2.8 maximum aperture is available at all focal length settings, as is the minimum aperture of f/32. Eight contacts inside the lens mount allow the lens to interact with compatible camera bodies.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1

8.5 Rating

Many keen photographers will welcome the release of Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-R1, which replaces the aged DSC-F828 at the top of the company’s line-up. Like the F828, the new model sports a non-interchangeable lens – a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* wide angle zoom covering a field of view equivalent to 24-120mm in 35mm format – and a high-resolution sensor. However, Sony has fitted a much larger CMOS chip in the R1 and its resolution is significantly higher.

Sigma SD15

8.5 Rating

A well-built DSLR camera for photographers who want to work with raw files to obtain maximum image quality.It’s taken a while for Sigma’s SD15 to reach the market. First displayed at Photokina 2008 and then officially announced as a successor to the SD14 on 20 February, 2010, the SD15 has only just gone on sale locally. It offers a few updates to its predecessor but features the same Foveon X3 sensor, which has a focal length crop factor of 1.7x.

Canon PowerShot TX1

8 Rating

An interesting multi-function digicam with a long zoom lens and extensive video capabilities.It’s difficult to classify Canon’s PowerShot TX1 camera because, functionally, it sits somewhere between a medium-resolution digicam and a camcorder. Combining a 7.1-megapixel imager with a 10x optical zoom lens, the TX1 is larger than Canon’s Ixus models but has a similar, stainless steel clad body. But its zoom range and video resolution are closer to Canon’s high-definition camcorder products.