Home / Lens

Lens Database Updates

May
20
2013
May 20, 2013
By 7 Comments

We have been working hard on building the lens database during the last few weeks, so I would like to apologize for not being able to provide updates, reviews and new articles on the site. We want to make the lens database as comprehensive and as useful as possible for our readers, which is why we have been putting a lot of our effort into it. Thanks to your valuable feedback from our announcement, we have made significant changes to the database and added a few great features:

Photography Life Lens Database
  1. We added close to 100 new lenses to the database (Leica, Samyang, Kenko, Voigtlander, Zeiss)
  2. We now have a separate rating for infrared performance of many brand and third party lenses (Nikon, Canon, Sigma, Olympus, Panasonic, Tamron, Tokina and Zeiss). When looking at most of these lenses, you will now see a separate line that says “Infrared Rating”. For now, we only have three rating categories: Good, Mixed and Poor. We might expand on this in the future, if we start testing for IR performance of lenses. Big thanks to Bob Vishneski for this idea. Many of the lens ratings are based on Bob’s feedback and research.
  3. The main “Lens Database” page now has some filtering options. You can filter lenses by Brand, Mount, Lens Type, Format, Price, Title, Focal Length and Release Date. We do not have advanced search capabilities yet, but that will be coming soon.
  4. Lenses are now listed by focal length instead of title.
  5. We created a comprehensive “Lens Index” that shows a listing of all lenses in the database.
  6. Our lens reviews have not been fully integrated into the database yet, but a number of lenses have been changed with sample images and our rating. Once we complete this, we will enable the feature to sort by lens rating.
  7. We had some issues with data on a number of lenses. Thanks to your feedback, we were able to fix them all.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , ,

Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L Announcement

May
13
2013
May 13, 2013
By 16 Comments

A much more exciting news today is for Canon shooters – the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L with a built-in 1.4x teleconverter has finally been announced. The Canon 200-400mm f/4 was released in response to the highly regarded Nikon 200-400mm f/4G VR, which Nikon has been making for a decade now. Many Canon enthusiasts and pros have been craving badly for such a lens, because it can be invaluable for photographing wildlife. Instead of creating the same lens, Canon took optical design a step further and designed the lens with a built-in 1.4x teleconverter, making it a versatile lens with 200-400mm or 280-560mm focal lengths.

Canon 200-400mm f/4 IS 1.4x

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Photography News Tagged With: , , ,

Third Party Lens Manufacturers are On The Rise

Apr
29
2013
April 29, 2013
By 47 Comments

I remember not that long ago there were two types of lenses. Brand lenses, those designed by known manufacturers for their own cameras, such as Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Olympus, and the cheapskate third party lenses you’d buy if you couldn’t afford the first type. Brand lenses were more expensive, but well worth the extra price. Better build quality, better optical capability, better dependability, better compatibility, better autofocus and fewer quality control and manufacturing issues were what you got for your hard-earned cash. Not to mention respectful nods from anyone spotting letters Nikkor or a red ring around the front of that lens barrel. A few years have gone by now and situation seems to be changing, however. Third party manufacturers have moved the game up and started producing some serious alternatives. Sigma is very keen to prove the point with the launch of its latest lens, the new 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM for APS-C DSLR cameras. In this article, I will introduce you to this new lens and give insight as to why it is such an important step forward in current smaller-format lens market.

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM

What is it About This Lens?

In a nutshell, this new lens sports a useful wide-to-normal focal length range of 18-35mm on an APS-C sensor camera (27-52.5mm full-frame equivalent), for which it is designed. It also has Sigma’s fast HSM AF motor, which is similar to Nikon’s SWM and Canon’s USM technology. Zooming and focusing are internal, so length remains constant. The new Sigma also has 17 elements in 12 groups and sports 9 rounded diaphragm blades for smooth out of focus highlights. Some of the optical elements are aspherical while minimum focus distance is 0.28m. The lens accepts 72mm filters and is, unfortunately, not protected against dust and moisture. It’s also quite hefty at around 810g. The lens sits in Sigma’s Art lineup alongside Sigma 35mm f/1.4 HSM and is designed with aesthetic flexibility in mind. But the spotlight is the f/1.8 aperture throughout the zoom range. Oh yes. This is the first ever f/1.8 zoom lens for DSLRs.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cameras and Lenses Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Announcing the Lens Database

Apr
23
2013
April 23, 2013
By 55 Comments

We have been incredibly busy during the last few months, working on building our very own Lens Database. As of today, the database contains 400 lenses and we are continuously working on adding more lenses from different manufacturers. You might be wondering about why there is a need to have our own database at Photography Life, when there are plenty of them on the Internet. After I went through a dozen different sites about a year ago, I realized that most sites contain very little information about lenses. While manufacturer specifications are mostly there, such important data as lens construction and MTF charts is typically missing. On top of that, very few sites provide image samples from lenses – images are often too small to look at even on a mobile device.

Photography Life Lens Database

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , ,

Nikon Lens Instant Rebates Extended

Mar
6
2013
March 6, 2013
By 12 Comments

I have received a number of emails from our readers that were not able to purchase Nikon lenses on time, before the rebate program ended. Thankfully, looks like the rebate program deadline was too short, so Nikon decided to extend it further until March 30, 2013. Since March 31 is Nikon’s financial year end, the goal is obviously to continue to push lens sales as much as possible. I seriously doubt that this specific lens rebate program will be available later this year. Unless Nikon is in serious financial trouble, rebate programs will probably only include DSLR + lens discounts like we have seen in the past.

Nikon Lens Rebate Program

Once again, if you are wondering about which lenses I personally recommend, see my previous article on the rebate program.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Photography News Tagged With: ,

Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G vs 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D

Mar
5
2013
March 5, 2013
By 72 Comments

In this article, I will compare the new Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR and its predecessor, the Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D VR. Since the lens has just been announced, I have not had the chance to use it and compare it with the older 80-400mm lens. I am planning to expand this comparison further, once I have both lenses in my hands later this year. For now, I will go over specifications and compare both lenses side by side using information provided by Nikon, as well as MTF charts. First, we’ll get started with specifications:

Nikon 80-400mm AF-S vs AF-D

Lens Specifications and Comparison

FeatureNikon 80-400mm AF-SNikon 80-400mm AF-D
Mount TypeNikon F-BayonetNikon F-Bayonet
Focal Length Range80-400mm80-400mm
Zoom Ratio5x5x
Maximum Aperturef/4.5-5.6f/4.5-5.6
Minimum Aperturef/32-40f/32
FormatFX/35mmFX/35mm
Maximum Angle of View (DX)20°20°
Minimum Angle of View (DX)4°4°
Maximum Angle of View (FX)30°10′30°10′
Minimum Angle of View (FX)6°10′6°10′
Maximum Reproduction Ratio1/5.7x (1/5.1x in MF)1/4.8x
Lens Elements2017
Lens Groups1211
Compatible Format(s)FX, DX, 35mm FilmFX, DX, 35mm Film
VR (Vibration Reduction)YesYes
VR Technology2nd Generation1st Generation
Diaphragm Blades99
Distance InformationYesYes
Nano Crystal CoatYesNo
ED Glass Elements43
Super ED Glass Elements1N/A
Super Integrated CoatingYesYes
AutofocusYesYes
AF-S (Silent Wave Motor)YesNo
Internal FocusingYesNo
Minimum Focus Distance5.74 ft. (1.75m)7.5 ft. (2.3m)
Focus ModeAuto, Manual, Auto/ManualAuto, Manual, Auto/Manual
G-typeYesNo
Filter Size77mm77mm
Accepts Filter TypeScrew-onScrew-on
Dimensions3.8 x 8.0 in. (Diameter x Length), 95.5 x 203mm (Diameter x Length)3.6 x 6.7 in. (Diameter x Length), 91 x 171mm (Diameter x Length)
Weight56 oz. (1570g)47 oz. (1360g)
Supplied AccessoriesHB-65 Lens Hood, LF-4 Rear Lens Cap, LC-77 Snap-On Front Lens Cap, CL-M2 Ballistic Nylon Lens CaseHB-24 Hood, CL-M1 case, 77mm lens cap, Rear lens cap

Let’s go over the differences between the two now. The very first major difference between the two lenses is obviously the optical lens design. The new 80-400mm lens has a completely new optical formula, with 20 elements in 12 groups, while the older version has 17 elements in 11 groups. So we are not just talking about new tweaks to the lens – this is a whole new design. Here is the comparison of lens construction on both lenses:

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cameras and Lenses Tagged With: ,

Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Announcement

Mar
4
2013
March 4, 2013
By 105 Comments

In a rather surprising announcement today, Nikon released a major update to the existing 12 year old Nikkor 80-400mm AF-D lens. The new Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR has a completely redesigned internal focus optical formula with Nano Coating, Super Integrated Coating and extra-low dispersion glass elements. On top of that, the lens sports a second-generation Vibration Reduction (VR II) system for up to 4 stops of shutter speed compensation and a silent wave motor (SWM / AF-S), which means that autofocus will function on any modern Nikon DSLRs, including entry-level models like D3200. This is one of the few Nikkor lenses to have “Super ED Glass”, which has a lower refractive index and light dispersion than ED glass, making the new 80-400mm a premium lens for both enthusiasts and professionals. And with a versatile focal length of 80-400mm, the lens is well-suited for sports and nature photography.

Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cameras and Lenses Tagged With: , , , , ,

Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR Review

Feb
16
2013
February 16, 2013
By 98 Comments

Overview

Nikon has a long history of making professional 70-80 to 200mm focal length zoom lenses, but aside from the very old 70-210 f/4 AI-S and AF lenses, it has never had an affordable and lightweight constant aperture f/4 model in its line. With its arch-rival Canon making a 70-200mm f/4L lens since 1999, and the high cost of the 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II model, Nikon was often criticized for not providing an f/4 alternative. After many years of delays, Nikon finally announced a lightweight alternative to the f/2.8 version in October of 2012 – the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR, which is designed to work on both full-frame (FX) and cropped-factor sensor (DX) DSLR cameras.

Nikon 70-200mm f/4G ED VR

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cameras and Lenses Tagged With: , , , ,

Nikon 70-200mm f/4G vs f/2.8G

Feb
6
2013
February 6, 2013
By 158 Comments

In this article, I will do a comparison between the new Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR and its bigger brother, the 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II. This comparison is expanded even further in my Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR review. I have been using both lenses for the past month, along with two other similar lenses from Tamron and Sigma, so the review will include direct comparisons between all four lenses, along with bokeh and other lens feature comparisons. Let’s take a look at the detailed lens specifications, along with a side by side comparison to the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II:

Lens Specifications and Comparison to Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II

FeatureNikon 70-200mm f/4G VRNikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II
Mount TypeNikon F-BayonetNikon F-Bayonet
Focal Length Range70-200mm70-200mm
Zoom Ratio2.9x2.9x
Maximum Aperturef/4f/2.8
Minimum Aperturef/32f/22
FormatFX/35mmFX/35mm
Maximum Angle of View (DX-format)22°50′22°50′
Minimum Angle of View (DX-format)8°8°
Maximum Angle of View (FX-format)34°20′34°20′
Minimum Angle of View (FX-format)12°20′12°20′
Maximum Reproduction Ratio0.274x0.12x
Lens Elements2021
Lens Groups1416
Compatible Format(s)FX, DX, 35mm FilmFX, DX, 35mm Film
VR (Vibration Reduction)YesYes
VR Technology3rd Generation2nd Generation
Diaphragm Blades99
Distance InformationYesYes
Nano Crystal CoatYesYes
ED Glass Elements37
Super Integrated CoatingYesYes
AutofocusYesYes
AF-S (Silent Wave Motor)YesYes
Internal FocusingYesYes
Minimum Focus Distance3.28 ft.4.6 ft.
Focus ModeAuto, Manual, Auto/ManualAuto, Manual, Auto/Manual
G-typeYesYes
Filter Size67mm77mm
Accepts Filter TypeScrew-onScrew-on
Dimensions3.1×7.0 in. (Diameter x Length), 78.0×178.5mm (Diameter x Length)3.4×8.1 in. (Diameter x Length), 87×205.5mm (Diameter x Length)
Weight30.0 oz. (850g)54.3 oz. (1540g)
Supplied AccessoriesLC-67 Snap-on Front Lens Cap 67mm, HB-60 Bayonet Hood, LF-4 Rear Lens Cap, CL-1225 Semi-Soft CaseHB-48 Bayonnet Hood, CL-M2 Case, 77mm lens cap, LF-1 Rear lens cap

There are a couple of differences worth noting here. While the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G has a maximum aperture of f/4, its minimum aperture is also smaller at f/32 (versus f/22 on the 70-200mm f/2.8G). Next, it obviously has a simpler optical design with 20 elements in 14 groups, while the 70-200mm f/2.8G has 21 elements in 16 groups. The new Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR also comes with a brand new, third generation Vibration Reduction (VR) technology, which Nikon claims can provide up to 5 stops of image stabilization. This is interesting, because while the new 70-200mm f/4 lens is one stop slower than the 70-200mm f/2.8, in some situations it regains the light loss with better VR control. After playing with the lens for sometime, I must admit that the VR on the 70-200mm f/4 is in fact better. I am sure Nikon will be using this new VR system in all future lenses, because it really works. The number of ED elements in the 70-200mm f/4G lens design is fewer: 3 versus 7 on the 70-200mm f/2.8G. A big advantage, in my opinion for the 70-200mm f/4G is its closer focusing distance of 3.28 ft versus 4.6 ft on the f/2.8G version. Because the barrel size is smaller, the filter size is also smaller – 67mm versus 77mm. And lastly, it is a smaller and significantly cheaper lens. But what about everything else? Looks like the rest of the features are pretty much exactly the same. Both lenses have a 9 blade diaphragm, both are coated with Nano Coated glass, both have Super Integrated Coating, AF-S motor and Internal Focusing.

MTF and Sharpness

Thanks to all these optical features, the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR performs extremely well compared to the f/2.8 version. Take a look at the MTF chart of the 70-200mm f/4G compared to the MTF chart of the 70-200mm f/2.8G at 70mm (wide):

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cameras and Lenses Tagged With: ,

What is Field Curvature?

Jan
16
2013
January 16, 2013
By 19 Comments

Field Curvature, also known as “curvature of field” or “Petzval field curvature”, is a common optical problem that causes a flat object to appear sharp only in a certain part(s) of the frame, instead of being uniformly sharp across the frame. This happens due to the curved nature of optical elements, which project the image in a curved manner, rather than flat. And since all digital camera sensors are flat, they cannot capture the entire image in perfect focus, as shown in the below illustration:

Field Curvature

In a simple field curvature scenario like above, the light rays are perfectly focused in the center of the frame, at Image Plane A (where the sensor is). Since the image is curved, sharpness starts to drop as you move away from the center, resulting in less resolution in the mid-frame and much less resolution in the corners. The circular “dome-like” image in three dimensional form is shown to the right of the illustration. If the corner of the image is brought into focus, which would move the image plane closer (Image Plane B), the corners would appear sharp, while mid-frame would stay less sharp and the center would appear the softest. The effect of field curvature can be very pronounced, especially with older lenses.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Photography Tutorials Tagged With: , , , ,