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Sigma announces 18-35mm f/1.8 APS-C zoom, breaks the elusive f/2.0 barrier
After opening a lot of eyes with its 30mm, F1.4 DC HSM lens, Sigma's just thrown another curve at the photo community with a feat that the major players haven't managed so far: a zoom lens with a fixed, sub f/2.0 aperture. The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM that launched today for Canon APS-C cameras flew under everybody's radar and flaunts over double the light-gathering powers of the priciest zooms, which typically top out at f/2.8 -- except for Olympus' $2,300 14-35mm f/2.0 Four Thirds model. The extra third of a stop over that model may not seem like much, but the company said it needed to "solve a variety of technical challenges" to build it in order to minimize distortion and aberration. Sigma's also promising fast autofocus via a hypersonic motor (with full-time manual override) and rubber-coated brass construction. There's no pricing or availability yet, but don't expect it to be cheap (think $2k plus) -- after all, it's the only game in town for now.
Visualized: Sony teases prototype 4K cameras and lenses at NAB
At its NAB 2013 press conference, Sony told us several times that it never stops thinking about the future. It's fitting, then, that in addition to announcing pricing for two 4K sets, the company gave us a taste of what's to come a few years down the line. A wide variety of lenses, including both current models and some prototypes, appeared on stage briefly -- behind ropes, no less -- and while we got no shortage of shots, specs, model names and any other particulars were strictly off-limits. Current optics included basic wide-angle and telephoto models, and of the two prototype cameras on display, one was of particular interest, due in no small part to its DSLR-like form-factor -- this could perhaps become Sony's version of the Canon EOS-1D C. Unfortunately, Sony says that these devices won't make it to market for quite some time, so photogs will have to make do with this eye candy for now.
DigitalOptics' fast MEMS camera enables Lytro-like post-capture refocus (video)
Tech shows like CES and MWC are great for taking a peek at what's coming up in the world of consumer electronics, even down to the component level. At the latter show this year, we came across DigitalOptics whose name may not sound familiar, but you may already be using its HDR, red eye removal, face tracking, face beautification and other related technologies on many phones (like Oppo's) and cameras (sorry, not allowed to name them here). Now, this year the company will also be offering its MEMS (microelectromechanical system) lens actuator which, compared to its traditional voice coil counterpart, is apparently more reliable, longer lasting, more efficient and faster with a 10ms settling time instead of the usual 20 to 25ms.
Sony grows E-mount lens collection with 20mm pancake, 18-200mm power zoom
One of the most common criticisms circling Sony's NEX lineup and mirrorless cameras as a whole is limited lens selection, so we're always happy to see new high-end optics make their debut. Today, Sony's doing its part to make its products more appealing by adding two new lenses (for a total of 13): a 20mm f/2.8 pancake and a 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS powered-zoom optic, which first made its debut with the VG30 camcorder, but will now be available as a standalone purchase. That first model will ship in April for $350, while the zoom lens will be available in March for $1,200. Photography buffs can catch a few more details in the PR just past the break.
Nikon unveils J3 and S1, takes 73-point AF and 15 fps stills to entry mirrorless cameras
Nikon clearly wants to make amends for its unspectacular J2 launch late last summer: it's launching not one but two 1 series models that provide a stronger incentive to go Nikon among lower-end mirrorless cameras. The 14.2-megapixel J3 and 10.1-megapixel S1 mostly receive hand-me-down features from the semi-pro V2, although that's not necessarily a bad thing. The leftovers give them uncommonly accurate 73-point autofocusing and an upgraded Expeed 3A processor that can handle 15FPS burst photography with continuous focus -- three times the frame rate of the J2 in the same conditions. Apart from their resolution, the main separators between the J3 and S1 are the J3's inclusion of a simple panorama mode and a slightly wider ISO range for the S1, which starts at ISO 100 versus the J3's 160. Both new bodies ship in February, when the S1 will lower the 1 system's entry price to $500 with an 11-27.5mm lens, and the J3 will have a suitably in-between price of $600 with 10-30mm optics. The shooters will soon be joined by new lenses and accessories, as well. A 6.7-13mm (18-35mm equivalent), f/3.5-5.6 wide-angle lens and a 10-100mm (27-270mm equivalent) f/4-5.6 telephoto zoom don't have definitive release dates, but should respectively cost $500 and $550. Scuba divers who want a J3 or S1 for their excursions will also get a WP-N2 underwater case in February, albeit at a $750 price that's more expensive than the cameras themselves. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Sony 16-50mm retractable zoom lens to ship in February for $349
Sony NEX-6 kit owners have been shooting with it for weeks, but the company's 16-50mm retractable zoom lens isn't quite yet available as a standalone purchase. That's set to change early next year -- reps have told us that the lens should hit stores by mid-February, while the optic's own product page now lists an estimated ship date of February 3rd. The lens, which ships with the NEX-6 for a $150 premium (compared to the $850 body-only price), delivers a focal range similar to that of Sony's larger 18-55mm optic, matching that version's f/3.5-5.6 aperture as well. It's compatible with E-mount cameras, including select Handycam camcorders and discontinued models like the NEX-C3. It was also slated to ship as part of an NEX-5R kit for $800, but the company has scrapped plans for that particular package. For now, you can hit up Sony's site at the source link below to hop on the pre-order list.
Slickdeals' best in tech October 29th: Digital camera bundles and a 65-inch Panasonic VIERA 3D HDTV
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long. Suffering from an awful case of the Mondays? Don't fret. We're sure a handful of gadget deals will put a little more pep in your step. Two more Canon bundles top the list this time out while a 65-inch Panasonic VIERA 3D Plasma HDTV gets a sizable discount as well. Jump down past the break to peek at the goods. As always, keep a close watch on those coupon codes and the requisite rebate forms.
Lensbaby Spark delivers selective focus for 80 bucks, we go hands-on (sample images)
What do you see when you look through a Lensbaby? Well, take a gander for yourself -- that image just above was shot with the company's new Spark. The $80 selective-focus optic is available for Canon and Nikon mounts, and brings f/5.6 shooting with a 50mm focal length, and, of course, that trademark Lensbaby bokeh. We caught up with the new lens at Photokina, and unlike many of the cameras we've seen so far, we were permitted to shoot some sample images. Snapping with any Lensbaby takes a fair amount of practice and patience, but the Spark is designed to simplify the process somewhat, with an interior barrel that prevents you from venturing too far past the focal plane, along with a more straightforward design -- simply frame your shot, focus and bend the lens towards your subject to blur out any other elements in the scene. Calculating exposure with the Spark can take some work, so we tweaked and cropped our sample images just a bit -- besides that, what you see is what you get, so click through our gallery below to see the Spark, shot by another Spark. So meta.
Panasonic teases 42.5mm f/1.2 and 150mm f/2.8 MFT lenses, slated for release by 2014
Panasonic further reinforced its commitment to the Micro Four Thirds form factor when it released the Lumix GH3 mirrorless camera today, but the company also announced the development of a pair of prime lenses, set to ship next year or in 2014. Details are spotty at this point (limited to what you see in that slide above, in fact), but you can expect a 42.5mm f/1.2 optic (85mm equivalent) and a 150mm f/2.8 lens, which offers a 35mm equivalent of 300mm. There wasn't even a hint of pricing, but we'd expect both of these offerings to be quite costly, though they'll likely be significantly less expensive than DSLR equivalents.
Windows Phone 8 introduces new Lens apps: Bing Vision, Photosynth and CNN iReport launching from the camera button
The first new Windows Phone 8 feature to appear alongside Nokia's Lumia 920 launch is the camera-augmenting Lens apps. Offering both in-house and third-party programs, (and no more zoom bar -- pinch-to-zoom!), these will all launch immediately from the camera button. On stage, Joe Belfiore detailed a handful of the apps, encompassing Bing Vision (camera-based search), Photosynth, Blink, FXSuite, PhotoStrip and CNN iReport. FXSuite offers up a preview of your viewfinder in all your favorite token visual effects, which can capture an image, and then send you back to the single Lens app, or back to the Lens menu. As to be expected, all your photographic skills can be instantly transferred across to your SkyDrive-powered cloud camera roll -- something that could be especially useful with the Blink app, which captures a burst of photos in one touch. %Gallery-164370%
Spherical glass lens concentrates sunlight by up to 10,000 times, boosts solar cell efficiency
Eking out more power from solar cells is an ongoing challenge for scientists, and now architect André Broessel has developed a spherical glass energy generator that's said to improve efficiency by 35 percent. Acting as a lens, the rig's large water-filled orb concentrates diffused daylight or moonlight onto a solar cell with the help of optical tracking to harvest electricity. In certain configurations, the apparatus can be used for solar thermal energy generation and even water heating. In addition to the oversized globe, Broessel has cooked up a mobile version of the contraption for domestic use and an array of much smaller ball lenses with dual-axis tracking that offers 40 percent efficiency. These devices aren't the first venture into concentrated photovoltaics, but they are likely among the most visually impressive. If the Barcelona-based architect's vision of the future comes true, you'll be seeing these marbles incorporated into buildings and serving as standalone units. Hit the source links below for the picture spread of prototypes and renders.
Ubuntu 12.10 adds Photo Lens for searching photos stored locally and online
If Ubuntu is your OS of choice, you've already been enjoying so-called lenses to help you search through your music, videos, apps and documents. So why not a search filter for photos? Why not indeed, said the folks at Canonical. The dev team has just updated the operating system (version 12.10) with a Photo Lens that lets you search your pics by name, tag or EXIF data. What's more, in addition to searching photos stored locally, you can pull in pictures stored on sites like Facebook and Flickr, because who knows how many of your cameraphone photos bypassed your computer and went straight to the web?
Harvard makes distortion-free lens from gold and silicon, aims for the perfect image (or signal)
Imaging has been defined by glass lenses for centuries, and even fiber optics haven't entirely escaped the material's clutch. Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences might have just found a way to buck those old (and not-so-old) traditions. A new 60-nanometer thick silicon lens, layered with legions of gold nanoantennas, can catch and refocus light without the distortion or other artifacts that come with having to use the thick, curved pieces of glass we're used to -- it's so accurate that it nearly challenges the laws of diffraction. The lens isn't trapped to bending one slice of the light spectrum, either. It can range from near-infrared to terahertz ranges, suiting it both to photography and to shuttling data. We don't know what obstacles might be in the way to production, which leads us to think that we won't be finding a gold-and-silicon lens attached to a camera or inside a network connection anytime soon. If the technology holds up under scrutiny, though, it could ultimately spare us from the big, complicated optics we often need to get just the right shot.
Insert Coin: Quikdraw targets lens fumblers and multiple camera packers (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Carrying an extra camera body just to avoid scrambling for another lens seems a bit silly, no? Quikdraw wants to run that convoluted method out of town with a holster system that lets you carry Canon or Nikon lenses on your belt and change them in around five seconds. The holder start in a locked vertical position, and to attach a lens you just bayonet it into place, securing the glass and allowing the holder to be lowered. To liberate that fresh prime, you tilt it up and give it a twist, freeing it and locking the carrier in the "ready" position at the same time. Admittedly, packing a gaggle of lenses around your waist may brand you as an overzealous camera geek, but we suspect that those in the market for such a product would hardly care about that. So far, the company has wrangled around $40k towards its $100,000 goal -- if you want to ante up $75 to get one in an EOS or F-mount, draw a bead on the source below.
Mobi-Lens clip-on lenses deserve your Kickstarter love
OK, TUAW readers. It's time to once again prove that Kickstarter works to get some really cool projects off the ground. In this case, it's an accessory lens setup for mobile devices. Yeah, we've seen them before -- but they're usually set up with some sort of case that only works with one kind of device. You buy one for an iPhone 4S, for example, and when Apple comes out with a new iPhone, suddenly the case doesn't fit anymore. The Mobi-Lens is designed to let you buy one kit and use it on any number of generations of electronic devices with cameras. The Mobi-Lens project accomplishes this with a deceptively simple design. It's a clip-on lens that reminds me of an old-fashioned clothespin, except one that's been updated in bright colored plastic and given a lens implant. More correctly, multiple lens implants -- inventors Aris and Evette Allahverdian are proposing a 2-in-1 wide-angle / macro lens as well as a fisheye lens version. What's awesome about this is that you can use the Mobi-Lens with just about any existing or future device with a camera. Want to use it on your iPad? Clip it on. Use it with your iPhone 4S? Clip it on. That sorry brother-in-law of yours who has an Android phone? Yeah, he can borrow the Mobi-Lens from you, but I'd keep an eye on him because you'll probably never get it back. Want a wide-angle view from the camera on your MacBook Air? Yeah, you can do that too. At this point, however, the Mobi-Lens might just be an über-compatible mobile phone photographer's dream, because the project is woefully underfunded at this point. With about 35 days to go, the project is at only about $2,900 of the $34,000 needed to start production. You can back the project and get one of the clip-on lenses for as little as $30, although higher support levels open up exclusive colors and the fisheye clip-on. My wish is that Aris and Evette get more than their minimum funding amount and look into a telephoto lens version as well. There are a lot of ways to get wide-angle and macro lenses (see the Phocus as an example), but nobody seems to be looking at the telephoto or zoom end of the business -- which is why I still use a "real camera" for a lot of photography. Give me the option of a telephoto that I can clip onto my 18-megapixel iPhone 6 and I may seriously consider using it as my sole camera. Interested? Here's the video pitch from Aris and Evette: #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Kipon preps Canon EF lens adapters for Micro Four Thirds, NEX cameras with electronic control
Adapters to fit Canon's EF lenses on Micro Four Thirds and NEX camera bodies most definitely aren't new. Without any electronic link, though, that Lumix GX1 or NEX-F3 owner has had to focus by hand, sometimes without any aperture control -- what year is it, 1930? Kipon wants to make sure you'll never have to stoop to that level again through a pair of new adapters that keep the electronic controls working. As always with these parts, there's likely to be catches: we don't know the prices and ship dates, for one, and lens conversion can still hurt the autofocus speed. Even so, anyone who's been hoarding (or simply envious of) Canon glass now doesn't have to eye an EOS-M just to get a mirrorless camera with the lens adapter they crave.
Canon confirms PowerShot S100 lens error, offers free repair for affected cams
Select PowerShot S100 cameras are encountering a lens error, Canon confirmed on its Product Advisories page. An undisclosed number of the high-end point-and-shoots have had issues with a "disconnected part inside the camera," which causes the optic to malfunction. Canon suggests that the issue may be connected with exposure to heat or humidity, but regardless of the cause, the company is offering free repairs, even for out-of-warranty cameras -- assuming the issue is caused by this specific part. Qualifying S100s should have a serial number that begins with any number ranging from 29 though 41 (29xxxxxxxxxx, for example), and this specific offer only covers residents of the US and Puerto Rico, though owners in other countries should be able to reach out to their local support centers for assistance. You'll find the full advisory at the source link below.
Fujifilm outlines X-Pro1 lens roadmap, brings zoom at last this fall
If there's been one outstanding gripe with Fujifilm's X-Pro1 camera, it's been the absence of zoom lenses; short of French kissing the subject, you might not get the photos you want. While there isn't much of a solution right this second outside of buying the fixed-lens X10, the Japanese camera designer can say when we'll see an interchangeable XF-mount zoom lens: fall 2012. That's when a bright 18-55mm, f/2.8-4.0 optically stabilized lens will make its appearance, along with a 14mm f/2.8 prime. Fujifilm will revert to unveiling nothing but pancakes and primes during early 2013, but the middle of that year will finish covering the zoomable basics through a wide-angle 10-24mm f/4.0 OIS lens and a 55-200mm, f/3.5-4.8 OIS telephoto. We wouldn't expect pricing with the new glass still months away -- but at least you can start planning that Sumatra vacation knowing you won't have to chase down the wildlife to get a good keepsake shot.
IRL: Canon Powershot D20, FX Photo Studio and Nikon's 35mm f/1.8G lens
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. It's photo week here at IRL. Turns out, quite a few Engadget editors are in the mood to talk up their shooting gear lately. On the camera side, Edgar recently took the PowerShot D20 on his honeymoon in Jamaica, while Darren's been giving FX Photo Studio a whirl (spoiler: he still prefers Snapseed). And say hello to our new copy editor Philip Palermo, who says if he had to live with just one lens for his Nikon D90, it would be the 35mm f/1.8G.
Apple files for a patent on an iPhone with swappable lenses, picky mobile photographers rejoice
Taking phone photography seriously is certainly possible. Short of tacking on a slightly ludicrous add-on case, however, you're normally stuck with whatever lens the phone designer deems fit. Unless Apple uses technology from a very out-of-left-field patent application, that is. The invention would make an iPhone's back panel removable so that owners could swap out lenses like they would with a DSLR or a mirrorless camera. Apple has even raised the possibility of a panel with two lenses built-in at opposite corners: to switch to a telephoto lens or a different filter, you'd only need to flip the panel around to use the additional glass. It's all quite wild, although it's for that reason that the patent might never get used. The company isn't a fan of replaceable parts, after all. But if the photographer for your future wedding shows up with nothing but an iPhone and a bag full of back plates, you'll know why -- even if you're still left scratching your head.
