April 27, 2024
Back-lit Red Tsingy.
Canon 5D4 | Canon 70-300mm F4-5.6214mm | 1/640 sec | F8 | ISO 400
In the last article, I surveyed the diverse and beautiful wildlife of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. Today, I’d like to continue the tales of my Madaga…
April 25, 2024
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| Image: Viltrox |
Viltrox has announced the new AF 40mm F2.5 Z lens for full-frame Nikon Z-mount cameras. The lightweight prime lens provides a normal field of view, roughly approximating the perspective of human vision.
Optically, the AF 40mm F2.5 Z features an internal focus design built around ten elements in six groups. This includes one ED lens, one aspherical lens, three high-refractive index lenses, a high-definition nano-multilayer coating, and a front lens element that includes an anti-fouling coating. The close focus distance is 0.34m (13″).
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| Image: Viltrox |
The lens includes a 52mm filter thread and features a 7-bladed aperture.
The AF 40mm F2.5 Z weighs a relatively lightweight 180g (6.3oz). A stepper motor drives autofocus, and Viltrox says the lens is compatible with face and eye recognition systems. It also says the lens should be suitable for shooting video thanks to low distortion and minimal focus breathing.
On the tech side of things, Viltrox says the lens supports full EXIF transmission to the camera, and it includes a USB interface to support future firmware upgrades.
Viltrox says the AF 40mm F2.5 Z will be available “as soon as April.” It has a suggested retail price of $158.
Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don’t abuse it.
| Principal specifications | |
|---|---|
| Lens type | Prime lens |
| Max Format size | 35mm FF |
| Focal length | 40 mm |
| Image stabilization | No |
| Lens mount | Nikon Z |
| Aperture | |
| Maximum aperture | F2.5 |
| Minimum aperture | F16 |
| Aperture ring | No |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 7 |
| Optics | |
| Elements | 10 |
| Groups | 6 |
| Special elements / coatings | 1 ED element, 1 aspherical element, 3 high refractive index elements, nano-multilayer coating |
| Focus | |
| Minimum focus | 0.34 m (13.39″) |
| Maximum magnification | 0.14× |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Motor type | Stepper motor |
| Full time manual | Unknown |
| Focus method | Internal |
| Distance scale | No |
| DoF scale | No |
| Physical | |
| Weight | 180 g (0.40 lb) |
| Diameter | 68 mm (2.68″) |
| Length | 56 mm (2.2″) |
| Materials | Plastic |
| Sealing | No |
| Filter thread | 52 mm |
| Hood supplied | Yes |
| Tripod collar | No |
Image: 7Artisans
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April 24, 2024
The most significant products of the past 25 years
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April 23, 2024
As part of the work on our review of the Fujifilm X100VI, we’ve shot and processed our standard studio test images with the camera.
Given the camera is based on a sensor we’ve seen before, there are few surprizes in terms of its performance. It produces more detail than the 26MP sensor in the X100V. Inevitably it shows more noise at the pixel level than lower-res sensors, but is comparable when viewed at the same output size, up until the very highest ISO settings.
The studio scene is not intended as a lens test: we typically use very high-performance lenses at an aperture that delivers high levels of cross-frame consistency with little risk of diffraction limiting the performance. However, with the X100VI, we have no choice but to use the built-in lens.
The 35mm equiv field of view means we have to move much closer to the target but this is still at over 40x focal length, so not especially close-up. An aperture value of F5.6 means we’re not being especially challenging.
And the X100VI’s lens appears to acquit itself well in these circumstances. In the JPEGs it’s comparably detailed near the center as the X-H2’s results, using our standard 56mm F1.2 R testing lens (though the X100VI is possibly having to apply more sharpening to deliver this result). Things get a little softer towards the corners and exhibit (easily corrected) lateral chromatic aberration and some vignetting in the Raw conversion, but overall the lens appears to be doing a good job in front of a high-resolution sensor.
As with all the other 40MP X-Trans cameras, the Adobe Camera Raw conversion isn’t showing the same levels of contrast or sharpening that the camera’s own JPEGs do, so it’s worth downloading the Raw files to see whether your preferred software and processing workflow produce results you’re happier with. But overall, we feel it does well.
Image: mood.camera
A new camera app that wants to offer a film-like experience is now available. The mood.camera app (iOS only) targets fans of analog photography and consists of 14 film-like filters. I was given early access to the app to tes…
Image: Sigma
Sigma has announced it will be offering six of its DC DN APS-C lenses for Canon’s RF mount, making it one of the first third-party manufacturers to sell autofocus RF lenses under license.Recent Videos
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April 22, 2024
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Launched in 2023, the T-series is Moment’s current line of premium add-on lenses for smartphones and comprises an entire lens ecosystem, including cases, filters, filter mounts, and other accessories.
Compared to the previous M-series introduced in 2017, the new T-series has been designed for the larger image sensors and bigger pixel counts in the latest generation flagship smartphones, using 25% more glass, an additional lens element and a larger bayonet mount. In addition, the larger dimensions should help avoid vignetting on smartphone cameras with focal lengths of 24mm equivalent or wider.
We had three Moment T-series lenses available to test: the Tele 58mm telephoto lens, the Wide 18mm lens and the Fisheye 14mm lens. The Moment T-series line-up also includes a 10x macro and anamorphic lenses for video shooters, the Anamorphic 1.33x and the Anamorphic 1.55x.
Moment offers a variety of options for attaching the lenses to your smartphone, including a universal lens mount that should work with most smartphones. We used Google’s latest top-end smartphone, the Pixel 8 Pro, with its dedicated Moment case for our tests.
Buy now:
All three lenses come with a metal body and are reassuringly hefty, giving you the impression of having shelled out your money for a premium product. In the box, you’ll find a lens cap and a pouch, and in the case of the 18mm lens, also a screw-in metal hood. The 58mm tele and the 18mm wide lenses offer a filter thread. There is no way of attaching filters or hoods to the fisheye lens.
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| All lenses come with a pouch in the box. |
The Google Pixel 8 Pro dedicated case looks like any generic plastic lens case but comes with a bayonet-style mount for attaching the lenses. Lenses are attached with a 1/4 turn motion, similar to a mirrorless camera or DSLR, but lack the reassuring click sound when the lens locks into place. Still, the connection is solid and tight.
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| Lenses are attached to the bayonet mount in the lens case with a quarter-turn motion. |
Moment recommends mounting their lenses in front of the smartphone’s primary camera module, which offers better overall image quality on some smartphones than the ultra-wide or tele modules. The Moment case for the Google Pixel 8 Pro allows you to mount lenses in front of the phone’s tele module. This would, of course, only make sense for the 58mm tele, but in practice, it does not work. With the lens attached, the Pixel camera automatically switches to its primary camera and uses digital zoom instead. Moment offers a dedicated app that can be configured to force the device to use its telephoto camera. However, the app is currently only available for iOS.
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| The tele lens adds quite a bit of bulk and weight to your smartphone. |
On the Pixel 8 Pro, the Moment wide lens expands your options in terms of wide-angle shooting. It widens the field of view of the primary camera module but is still closer to the primary camera than to the Pixel’s ultra-wide in terms of focal length.
Overall image quality is not massively impacted by the add-on lens, across all light conditions. The camera tends to use a very similar ISO value with the lens attached, and global image parameters, such as color, dynamic range or contrast, are very close to the Pixel image without the lens attached. The same is true for image noise, but the Moment lens introduces a slight corner softness, and our lens sample also had a soft spot towards the bottom center of the frame.
The Moment lens was also somewhat prone to lens flare when shooting in bright sunlight, even with the hood attached. Focus was still working well, though, and both distortion and vignetting were well under control.
The Moment fisheye lens offers a slightly wider field of view than the Pixel 8 Pro’s built-in ultra-wide camera, but the difference is relatively moderate.
As you would expect from a fisheye, its images display a much stronger distortion than the built-in ultra-wide camera, but depending on the use case, this can be a desired effect and a legitimate reason for using the Moment lens. You’ll have to live with quite soft corners in your images, though.
With the Pixel 8 Pro’s ultra-wide camera delivering excellent detail and low noise, even in low light, using the Moment fisheye with the primary camera doesn’t offer any real benefit in this respect. Like the wide lens, the fisheye is a little more prone to flare than the built-in cameras. Focus works just as well with the lens attached as without.
When mounted in front of the Pixel’s primary camera, the Moment tele 58mm tele lens achieves, as one would expect, a narrower field of view, but not as narrow as the Pixel’s own 2x tele mode, which is achieved through digital zoom.
Shooting through the Moment lens with the Pixel’s primary camera gives you a slight advantage in terms of fine detail over the digitally zoomed image. Still, given the Moment image’s wider field of view, this advantage is canceled out when viewing the same crop area. Given both images are captured by the image sensor in the primary camera module, there is no noticeable difference in terms of image noise, but in some conditions, we noticed a slightly reduced contrast with the Moment lens and, surprisingly, chromatic aberrations appear to be better controlled with the Moment glass.
You can also combine the Pixel’s 2x zoom with the Moment lens for roughly a 4x tele factor, but the result is pretty underwhelming. The Moment lens magnifies the digital zoom’s imperfections, resulting in a relatively obvious lack of detail. You’re better off using the Pixel’s dedicated tele camera with its native 5x tele in almost any situation.
The Moment Tele provides some advantages in terms of portraiture. Background blurring is not as pronounced as with the artificial bokeh of the Pixel’s portrait mode, but you do not get the same segmentation errors around the subject, especially in fine details, such as hair. This said, current flagship smartphones, such as the Pixel, have become very good at isolating the subject from the background, and you have to zoom in fairly closely to spot the imperfections.
Conclusion
The Moment T-series lenses are nicely made, and the case and lens mount designs work well together, giving you the impression of converting your smartphone into a much more serious piece of photographic equipment.
However, out of the lenses we have tested, the fisheye is the only one that offers a unique perspective unavailable through one of the Pixel’s built-in cameras. In addition, shooting with the add-on lenses mounted in front of the Pixel 8 Pro’s primary camera does not really give you an advantage in terms of image quality. The built-in ultra-wide and Google’s 2x tele zoom mode are just too good for that.
You also do not get any aperture control, as you would get on an interchangeable lens camera and the Moment lenses eliminate one of the most apparent advantages of a smartphone camera: ultimate compactness and simplicity.
Overall, the Moment T-series lenses are an interesting option for smartphone photographers who like to experiment with gear. The fisheye provides a unique look, and the telephoto’s natural bokeh is nice for portrait shots, but you should not expect massive improvements to your smartphone’s camera capabilities.
The Moment lenses might make more sense on smartphones with less capable ultra-wide and tele cameras, but if you own a current top-end device, it’s hard to justify the cost and added bulk.
What we like:
What we don’t like:
Buy now:
April 21, 2024
Photo sharing site Photobucket recently revealed that it might license the images it hosts to teach AI models.
Photobucket’s recent reveal that its 13 billion images may soon be licensed to teach AI models raises questions about copyright and …
April 20, 2024
Interview participants (all with Ricoh Imaging Company, Ltd.)Second from Right: Tomoki Tanaka, General Manager, Pentax Division Others, left to right: Kazuhiko Shibuya, Pentax Division, Business Management Department, Overseas Sales SectionHiraku…
April 19, 2024
Image: TTArtisan
Today, TTArtisan has officially released its AF 56mm F1.8 autofocus lens for X and E-mount cameras. The APS-C portrait lens is another budget offering from the China-based company. The company’s website also includes specs for…
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Photo: Shaminder Dulai
If you haven’t signed up for the free DPReview newsletter, you’re missing out. It’s more than a recap of the website; …
Image: 7Artisans
7Artisans has released a new manual focus 50mm F1.4 Tilt lens, compatible with Sony and Fujifilm APS-C cameras, as well as Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras. Recent Videos
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Entries for Fujifilm US’s Limited Edition X100VI raffle are now officially open. Entry is free and only open to US residents (18+). The raffle closes on April 21st (11:59 p.m. EDT), so if you want…
April 18, 2024
Image: Blackmagic Design
Alongside the Ursa Cine, Blackmagic Designs also announced the Pyxis, a $3000, 6K full-frame (36 x 24mm) modular camera. It will be available with PL, locking Canon EF or Leica L mounts.Recent Videos
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Multi-shot modes can have their moments, especially if there’s any degree of motion correction available. I had to borrow a tripod to capture this shot and even after all that it doesn’t show a major boost over the single-shot image of the same …
April 17, 2024
The Sony FE 16-25mm F2.8 G is a relatively compact wide-angle zoom E-mount lens aimed at street and travel photographers.
We were able to get our hands on the lens for a day and figured most readers would be curious to see some street and architectural photography out of this lens, so we hit the streets of downtown Seattle and ducked into the Seattle Public library when the weather turned ugly.
View our Sony FE 16-25mm F2.8 G sample gallery
Note: Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don’t abuse it.
April 16, 2024
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| Image: Sony |
Sony has announced the FE 16-25mm F2.8 G, a fast, compact wide-angle zoom designed as a twin to the recent FE 24-50mm F2.8 lens.
The 16-25mm is roughly the same dimensions as the 24-50mm and offers essentially the same features. This makes it a little longer but narrower than the existing 16-35mm F4.
The design is made up of 16 elements in 13 groups, including three extra-low dispersion elements to rein in chromatic aberration and four aspherical elements (one of which is an ED aspheric), helping to keep the lens compact. The optical performance is better than the original 16-35mm GM, and not far behind the newer GM II, the company says.
It uses twin linear motors to drive its internal focus design and doesn’t require the additional power of Sony’s XD linear motors, the company tells us. It is fully compatible with the a9 III’s 120fps modes.
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| Image: Sony |
The 16-25mm can focus as close as 0.17m (6.7″) at the 16mm or 0.22m (8.7″) at the 25mm end in manual focus mode. These figures increase to 0.18 and 0.24m in autofocus mode, decreasing the 0.23x maximum magnification to 0.2x.
Like the 24-50mm, it has an aperture ring with a switch to enable or disable the clicks between positions. Other than this, there’s an MF/AF switch and a customizable focus hold button on the side.
Focus breathing is fairly minimal, according to the demonstration we were shown, and this can essentially be eliminated when used with a camera that supports Sony’s focus breathing compensation function. The lens is also compatible with the company’s ‘Dynamic’ IS feature that relies on extensive communication of gyro data between the lens and camera.
The Sony FE 16-25mm F2.8 G will be available from May 10th at a manufacturer’s recommended price of around $1199.
Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don’t abuse it.
Press Release:
A constant F2.8 full-frame E-mount lens that offers high-resolution image quality, a wide-angle zoom range and excellent portability
SAN DIEGO. April 16, 2024 – Sony Electronics is pleased to announce the FE 16-25mm F2.8 G (SEL1625G), a large-aperture wide-angle zoom lens compatible with Sony’s α™ (Alpha™) E-mount cameras. This latest addition delivers sharp imagery from 16 mm through 25 mm while maintaining a maximum aperture of F2.8 over the entire zoom range. The FE 16-25mm F2.8 G is the smallest and lightest constant F2.8 zoom lens that Sony has produced to date. The compact design is a signature feature of Sony’s G lens series and makes it a highly portable lens option.
The FE 16-25mm F2.8 G’s wide-angle lens offers photographers and videographers an expanded range of creative expression, allowing them to capture a variety of subjects including landscapes, architecture, portraits, and selfie-shooting. This new addition follows the FE 24-50mm F2.8 G standard zoom lens announced February 2024, both offering many of the same characteristics including filter diameter, aperture, and compact size and weight.
“The FE 16-25mm F2.8 G was designed to offer creators a wide-angle lens option that perfectly balances large-aperture, compact form factor, and high-image quality. This is the 73rd addition to our E-mount lens line-up, and just another step in our commitment to providing photographers and videographers with the perfect lens solutions for their specific needs,” says Yang Cheng, Vice President, Imaging Solutions, Sony Electronics Inc. “The FE 16-25mm F2.8 G is a fantastic lens with high-resolution performance, beautiful bokeh, and high precision autofocus. It is a perfect companion to the Alpha 7C R and Alpha 7C II compact full-frame camera bodies, and together they offer an unbeatable lightweight set-up.”
The FE 16-25mm F2.8 G features an impressively compact and lightweight design with a width of 74.8mm (about 2.94 in), length of 91.4mm (about 3.58 in), filter diameter of φ67 mm, and weight of approximately 409g.
This lens incorporates advanced optical technology to deliver exceptional image quality across the entire frame. By incorporating three Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) elements and four aspherical lenses (including one ED aspherical lens), the lens design effectively minimizes various optical aberrations, including chromatic aberration.
The FE 16-25mm F2.8 G combines an 11-blade circular aperture and the optimization of spherical aberration to produce the signature smooth bokeh known to the G lens series. Moreover, it offers functional close-up shooting capabilities with a minimum shooting distance of 0.18m and a maximum magnification of 0.20x when using autofocus (AF)i.
The lens is equipped with two linear motors that enable exceptional autofocus performance, delivering high-speed, high-precision, and quiet focusing capabilities, even when capturing fast-moving subjects. These linear motors ensure swift and accurate focusing, allowing photographers and videographers to maintain sharpness and clarity in their images and videos, even in challenging shooting situations. Furthermore, it supports high-speed continuous shooting with AF/AE tracking of up to 120 frames per second, a feature capable of being used when paired with the Alpha 9 III full-frame mirrorless cameraii.
The FE 16-25mm F2.8 G excels in video performance, ensuring smooth and precise focusing even when shooting high-frame-rate videos such as 4K120p or FHD240piii. The lens is equipped with linear response manual focus (MF), allowing videographers to make precise focus adjustments with ease. Additionally, it supports in-body Active Mode Image Stabilizationiv and Focus Breathing to optimize video capture.
The lens is equipped with practical and user-friendly functionality including a customizable focus hold button, aperture ring, aperture click ON/OFF switch, and a focus mode switch. The FE 16-25mm F2.8 G’s design is dust and moisture resistantv, and includes a fluorine coating to further prevent dirt from sticking to the front surface of the lens.
The FE 16-25mm F2.8 G will be available for pre-sale April 17, 2024, and purchase May 10, 2024. It will retail for approximately $1,199.99 USD and $1,599.99 CAN, at a variety of Sony’s authorized dealers throughout North America.
i Maximum magnification is 0.2x (AF)/0.23x (MF) with a minimum focus distance of 0.18 m (0.59ft) (AF) / 0.17 m (0.56ft) (MF) at the 16 mm end of the range and 0.24 m (AF) (0.79ft) / 0.22 m (0.73ft) (MF) at the 25 mm end of the range for superb wide-angle close-up performance.
ii Sony test conditions. Maximum continuous frame rate may be lower in some shooting conditions. Continuous shooting speed may vary depending on the lens used in AF-C focus modes. Visit Sony’s support web page for lens compatibility information.
iii Depends on the camera used.
iv Compatible models only.
v Not guaranteed to be 100% dust and moisture proof.
| Principal specifications | |
|---|---|
| Lens type | Zoom lens |
| Max Format size | 35mm FF |
| Focal length | 16–25 mm |
| Image stabilization | No |
| Lens mount | Sony E, Sony FE |
| Aperture | |
| Maximum aperture | F2.8 |
| Minimum aperture | F22 |
| Aperture ring | No |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 11 |
| Aperture notes | Rounded blades |
| Optics | |
| Elements | 16 |
| Groups | 13 |
| Special elements / coatings | 3 ED lenses, 1 ED Asph, 3 Asph |
| Focus | |
| Minimum focus | 0.17 m (6.69″) |
| Maximum magnification | 0.23× |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Motor type | Linear Motor |
| Full time manual | Unknown |
| Focus method | Internal |
| Distance scale | No |
| DoF scale | No |
| Physical | |
| Weight | 409 g (0.90 lb) |
| Diameter | 75 mm (2.95″) |
| Length | 91 mm (3.58″) |
| Zoom method | Rotary (extending) |
| Power zoom | No |
| Zoom lock | No |
| Filter thread | 67 mm |
| Hood supplied | Yes |
| Tripod collar | No |
April 15, 2024
Image: Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design has unveiled its latest Ursa Cine camera, a 12K camera with support for interchangeable Arri PL, Arri LPL, Canon EF and Hasselblad lens mounts. It features a large sensor, propriety memory and a slew …
Sigma owner and CEO Kazuto Yamaki, who spoke to us at the CP+ conference in Yokohama, early this spring.
Photo: Richard Butler
“Unfortunately, we have not made any significant progress since last year,” says Sigma owner and CEO Kazuto Yamaki…
April 13, 2024
We have a winner for sensor Top Trumps: the LSST camera is the world’s largest astronomy camera. It’s more than 350 times the size of a full-frame sensor, for reference.
Photo: Jacqueline Ramseyer Orrell/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
…
Madagascar. A huge, wild, faraway Island. Even mentioning its name provokes an exotic, exciting feeling in my soul. I had wanted to visit Madagascar for many years before finally realizing my plans in 2022. It was one of the most wonderful trips…
April 12, 2024
Image: Atomos
Atomos has announced the Ninja Phone, a monitor and recorder that connects cameras with HDMI out ports to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The unit acts as a ‘co-processor’ to encode a camera’s HDMI signal to 10-bit ProRe…
March 16, 2024
Photo: Richard Butler
We’re almost a third of the way through the year already! Here’s a recap of the reviews and testing we’ve done this year so far, with more (and more and more) to come as the year goes on!
April
Panasonic S5II: Review
…
