Photography Gear News

"Schneider Kreuznach has said it will begin making lenses for mirrorless systems, and has shown renderings of a 14mm F2.0 lens for the Micro Four Thirds system. The move will make Schneider one of the few independent lens makers building autofocus lenses for mirrorless systems, following the launches of lenses for Micro Four Thirds and Sony NEX from Sigma and a NEX 18-200mm from Tamron. As part of its annual review, Schneider says it will introduce a range of lenses for mirrorless cameras 'this fall,' which we're expecting to mean around the Photokina show in Cologne, this September."

Pentax Ricoh has announced the Pentax DA 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 ED SDM superzoom and a the HD Pentax DA 560mm F5.6 ED super-telephoto prime. The 18-270mm offers a 15x superzoom covering a 27.5-414mm equivalent range and is based around the company's SDM 'supersonic AF' motor. Meanwhile the 560mm F5.6 becomes the first Pentax lens to be given its 'HD' coating which, the company says, denotes high performance. The 859mm equivalent super-telephoto lens is environmentally sealed, to match the performance of the company's higher-end DSLRs. The lenses will cost around $800 and $7,000 respectively.

"Canon has developed the EF-S 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm F2.8 STM lenses with stepper motors for fast, quiet operation when shooting video. The 18-135mm STM is an extended standard zoom for APS-C DSLRs, while the 40mm STM is a pancake prime lens for full frame and APS-C cameras. Both lenses feature stepper motors, to enable fast, quiet focus, particularly with the contrast-detection method of autofocus used for live view and video. They also both have electromagnetic diaphragms - allowing smooth and accurate control over aperture for video shooting. The lenses will be available from late June 2012, with the 18-135mm STM costing $549 and the 40mm F2.8 STM costing $199."

"Nikon has launched the AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 G, an updated version of its popular moderate telephoto prime lens. The AF-S version of the lens is a completely new optical design and features a built-in focusing motor to allow it to autofocus on all Nikon DSLRs. The lens features an internal focus design and 7 rounded aperture blades. It can focus down to a distance of 80cm (2.6ft). The lens will be available from March 2012 for a price of around $499."