Nikon has introduced a new, fast 50 mm lens. The new F1.4G, 50 mm AF-S lens features a Silent Wave Motor (for fast, quiet focusing), plus new coatings to reduce flare and chromatic aberration. And, since this lens has the built-in focus motor, this is the first 50 mm lens with autofocus support when attached to a D40/D40x or D60. The new lens is scheduled to ship in December for $439.
In the near to far category, Tamron has upped the ante with a 15x zoom for Canon and Nikon DSLR with the new 18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC lens. This superzoom from Tamron also features vibration compensation, which will surely be needed when taking into account the tele end of the zoom, which is equivalent to 419mm on a 35mm camera. Tamron has not provided us with a price or availability date yet.
September 1, 2008, Saitama City, Japan - Tamron Co., Ltd., under the leadership of Mr. Morio Ono, President, has unveiled a unique ultra high power zoom lens-the Tamron AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO (Model B003), the first digital SLR lens in the world that delivers a remarkable zoom ratio of 15X (28-419mm equivalent) and is equipped with a highly effective Vibration Compensation (VC) mechanism. Designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras with APS-C sized image sensors, the new lens delivers outstanding image quality over its entire zoom range and its exclusive VC anti-shake system facilitates sharp handheld photography even at the longest telephoto settings.
With its vast zoom-range, the Tamron AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC lens enables the user to cover virtually any photographic subject from wide angle to ultra telephoto simply by turning the zoom control. It covers angles of view equivalent to 28mm to 419mm when converted to the 35mm format. In addition, this breakthrough lens is equipped with Tamron’s exclusive, proprietary tri-axial Vibration Compensation (VC) mechanism that eliminates or substantially reduces the effects of handheld camera shake. As a result, the user can enjoy the convenience of handheld photography in virtually any situation, from shooting candid images, to covering sporting events, to news photography, without worrying about camera shake having an adverse effect on image quality. The new lens will be made available in Canon and Nikon mounts. The price and launch date of the new lens will be announced at a later date.
Since launching the Tamron AF28-200mm F/3.8-5.6 (Model 71D) in 1992 that was highly acclaimed as the first high power zoom lens suitable for practical use, Tamron has continued to develop innovative zoom lenses as the “pioneer in high power zoom lenses”. With the AF18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 XI Di II (Model A14), Tamron realized an 11.1X zoom power for the first time in a zoom lens exclusively designed for digital SLR cameras and expanded the telephoto range further to 13.9X with the AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II (Model A18), making steady progress in extending the range of high performance, high power zoom lenses.
Tamron’s engineers faced the even more formidable challenge of finding solutions for the problem of “handheld camera shake” while expanding the telephoto range even further and have eventually developed the AF18-270mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC. This lens has attained the maximum zoom power of 15X for the first time in the world, namely as a zoom lens exclusively designed for digital SLR cameras. It enables the user to cover an extremely wide angle-of-view range equivalent to a 28mm-419mm lens in the 35mm format. In addition, the lens is equipped with Tamron’s original and exclusive VC mechanism that effectively compensates for “handheld shake”, which would otherwise become visible as un-sharpness or blur in images shot handheld. Moreover this system is effective over the extremely wide focal length range of this extended ultra telephoto lens and Tamron’s VC mechanism provides maximum compensation performance at all focal lengths. The VC system enables the user to enjoy the full benefits of ultra-tele photography comfortably and provides amazingly stabilized viewfinder images as well. In short, this unique VC image stabilization system delivers the maximum potential built into the world’s longest-ratio zoom lens-15X.
Tamron was able achieve all these remarkable accomplishments thanks to its advanced optical / mechanical design technologies and production know-how accumulated over 16 years as the pioneer in high power zoom lens design, and its commitment to ongoing research and development. Even more important, in combining an amazingly high zoom ratio along with the VC function Tamron has maintained a high priority on its traditional goals of lightness and compactness. As a result the new Tamron AF18-270mm Di II VC delivers all the functionality and performance you expect from the latest Tamron ultra high power zoom, a lens that exemplifies our time-honored concept of “One great lens covering everything from wide angle to telephoto”.
Going back to the basic concept of “one lens covering everything from wide angle to telephoto,” engineers at Tamron took up the difficult task of expanding the zoom range of Tamron’s high power zoom lenses even further. Their unstinting efforts to extend the telephoto end beyond previous limits while retaining the wide-angle end at 18mm has borne fruit as an ultra high power zoom lens that is exclusively designed for DSLR cameras and boasts the greatest zoom range of 15X for the first time in the world.
Tamron’s proprietary VC (Vibration Compensation) mechanism was built in the AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC (Model A20) for the first time. It demonstrated its powerful compensation effect employing a tri-axial system that is designed to let three coils drive a compensator lens electromagnetically via three steel balls. Since the compensator lens is supported on rolling steel balls with very low friction, follow-up performance is also enhanced, resulting in stabilized viewfinder images. Since the mechanism is designed to allow parallel shifting of the compensator lens solely by means of electrical control, the mechanical construction is simpler and more compact, so the lens can be kept as a small and light as possible.
In developing the long-range zoom lens, Tamron’s optical designers pursued the optimum distribution of power within the overall optical system based on the optical design know-how Tamron accumulated over 16 years since the introduction of the first compact AF28-200mm in 1992. The resulting optical system uses three hybrid aspherical elements, two LD (Low Dispersion) glass elements and an AD (Abnormal Dispersion) glass element in order to effectively compensate for various aberrations including astigmatism and chromatic aberration, yet this design allows the first optical group to be small enough in diameter to realize the overall goal of a compact lens that incorporates a handheld-shake compensation mechanism.
Note: In order to realize the high zoom ratio of 15X, the optical system does not use any XR (extra dispersion glass) element. Instead, compactness is achieved through optimization of the power distribution within the whole optical system.
The AF18-270mm Di II VC allows close focusing down to 0.49m (20 inches) from the subject over the entire zoom range even though it incorporates the VC mechanism. The maximum magnification ratio of 1:3.5 at its 270mm telephoto end is the top class capability among high power zoom lenses exclusively designed for digital SLR cameras.
* 3 A format covered by an APS-C sized image sensor is smaller than that of 35mm format film. Therefore, this lens is capable of filling the frame by capturing an area that is almost the same as an area covered by a lens designed for the 35mm format and providing the maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.3.
In order to effectively compensate for changes in aberrations due to zooming, the zoom lens employs an innovative optical system that is designed to converge the angles of rays of light entering from the center to the periphery of the lens. The light rays thus reach the image sensor within a defined circle that assures high imaging performance and reduces light falloff.
As a lens exclusively designed for digital SLR cameras, this zoom lens delivers high resolution and contrast performance for outstanding image quality with sufficient flatness of the field under an extremely wide range of photographic conditions.
Tamron employs multi-layer coatings in order to reduce reflections on lens surfaces as well as internal surface coatings (coatings on the cemented surfaces of lens elements) in order to minimize reflections from the sensor itself within the mirror box, a problem inherent to all digital SLR cameras.
Designing a lens with the world’s first and greatest zoom ratio of 15X inevitably entailed a larger travel distance of the components within the optical systems, but Tamron has successfully accommodated the optical system as well as the special VC mechanism in a remarkably compact and slim package by employing mechanical design technology accumulated over many years. The result: A slim design measuring less than 80mm in diameter despite the fact that it is an ultra high power zoom lens that incorporates a VC mechanism. Production engineering this unique zoom lens meant incorporating complex optical / mechanical components, and Tamron’s engineers had to employ innovative manufacturing techniques including methods of further enhancing accuracy, reducing weight, and increasing the strength of many components.
Note: : In order to achieve the world’s first and greatest zoom ratio of 15X, metal mounts are used in both Canon- and Nikon-mount lenses.
The lens has a built-in zoom lock mechanism to prevent its barrel from sliding forward when the lens is being carried on the camera.
The lens is supplied with a flower-shaped lens hood as a standard accessory. It is designed to efficiently cut harmful light entering at angles other than intended angles at all four corners of the frame. This ensures clear, flare-free images.
Via : Photographybay
Nikon has introduced the new D90 digital SLR, which has been battling it out with the EOS-50D as the worst-kept secret of the month. The D90 is the replacement to the venerable D80, and it offers many of the same features found on its big brother, the D300. And did I mention that it can record HD movies? Yes, this is the first digital SLR with a movie mode, which is probably a sign of things to come.Onto the specs!
Nikon D90
The Award winner ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD lens belongs to the standard zoom lens category. It is based on the four thirds system standard. It is infused with SWD autofocusing system. Its zoom array counterpart ranges fromto 24 to 120mm on a 35mm camera lens.
The TIPA jury noted that: “With its fast aperture of f2.8-4.0, it’s suitable for use in all lighting conditions”. The lens’ rugged dust and splashproof build along with the inclusion of SWD technology - enabling the world’s fastest autofocusing speeds* - were further winning arguments cited by TIPA in choosing to bestow it with the “Best Expert Lens 2008″ award.
I’ve seen two different sources indicate the coming of an updated Nikon 70-200mm VR lens at Photokina. Nikon Rumors published a story yesterday regarding word from a Nikon VP. Additionally, I recently read a quote from Graham Watson (renowned Tour de France photographer and Nikon shooter) as he spoke in a matter of fact way that a replacement 70-200mm lens was coming from Nikon.
RSS Feed
