Lenses Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Fine Art Photography Studio

Lenses New Sigma 85mm Art Lens Is Now Available for Nikon

February 27, 2017 Donald Scarinci

The much-anticipated Sigma 85mm 1.4 DG HSM Art lens is now available for the Nikon mount. Sigma announced the new art lens at Photokina this fall. Most photographers consider the 85mm as a go to lens for portrait photography. Early reviews have been fabulous. So far, everyone who has tested the new 85mm 1.4 DG HSM Art lens has been impressed, particularly with the quality optics and performance. Some reviewers consider it as an upgrade alternative to the Nikkor 85 mm 1.4 lens. Sigma’s new lens is designed for high quality portraiture. It features a totally revamped optical design that incorporates 14…

Lenses Nikon Announces NIKKOR PC 19mm f/4E ED Tilt Shift Lens

January 9, 2017 Donald Scarinci

Nikon announced the release of a new tilt shift lens at the end of last year. It is the first new tilt shift lens in its line up in many years, and it has gotten outstanding reviews. The highly anticipated NIKKOR PC 19mm f/4E ED tilt shift lens is the widest perspective control (PC) lens on the market. It is also easier to use then its predecessors because the tilt and shift mechanisms can be adjusted independently from each other, eliminating the need for lock operation. For photographers who aren’t familiar with PC lenses, they feature a shift function that…

Lenses Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Not a Lens to Rush to Buy

November 28, 2016 Donald Scarinci

Nikon recently announced a refresh of the important full frame AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR lens. While most professional photographers considered the existing Nikon 70-200 lens as an unprovable third lens in the “holy trilogy” (14-24; 24-70; 70-200) in every photographer’s bag, the refresh has people scratching their heads a bit. Unlike the recent refresh of the 24-70 lens, Nikon did not go with an 82 mm filter thread. They stayed with the 77 mm thread. This means that photographers who take the trilogy with them will also have to carry different size filters. It remains to be…

Lenses Sigma Introduces New Flagship Sports Lens

November 14, 2016 Donald Scarinci

Sigma recently introduced the 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport. The new flagship super telephoto lens features the latest in Sigma technology. Designed for professional outdoor and wildlife photographers, the lens is rugged and durable without sacrificing function. It is constructed magnesium alloy components and includes a carbon fiber hood. The front element is water and oil resistant, which makes it possible to shoot in the rain or near water spray without worrying about damaging the lens. As with other sports lenses, the 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sport also features a dust and splash proof construction. For even more…

Gear Does New Lens Adapter Combine the Best of Both Worlds?

October 31, 2016 Donald Scarinci

Novoflex recently introduced the new Nikon F Lens to Leica SL/T Camera Body Lens Adapter. The adapter could be a game changer for photographers who own a lot of Nikon lenses, but would like to try a Leica body. The Novoflex lens adapter allows photographers to use Nikon F-mount lenses on the Leica T or Leica SL camera bodies. The latest adapter is designed to extend the range of available lenses for the Leica SL to Nikon E-type NIKKOR lenses. Nikkor lenses with electronic aperture control were previously incompatible with Novoflex lens adapters. According to Novoflex, 13 Nikon E-type NIKKOR…

Lenses Nikon Unveils AF-S Nikkor 105mm f/1.4E ED Lens

August 29, 2016 Donald Scarinci

Nikon recently unveiled its new AF-S Nikkor 105mm f/1.4E ED lens. It is the fastest full-frame lens of its kind (FX format) on the market today. Nikon coordinated the announcement with another milestone. The total production of NIKKOR lenses for Nikon interchangeable lens cameras reached the landmark of 100 million in July. Nikon’s latest medium-telephoto lens is aimed at professional and advanced enthusiast photographers, particularly those who take portraits. According to Nikon’s press release for the Nikkor 105mm f/1.4E ED Lens, “This short telephoto lens can defocus backgrounds with painterly finesse and isolate subjects with three-dimensional fidelity.” The image quality of…

Lenses Nikon Lenses to Wish For

November 16, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Now that Nikon has refreshed the classic 24-70 f./2.8 and included VR, what other Nikon lenses do photographers want most? Sigma has been catching up to the quality of Nikon optics. Many consider the new art series Sigma 35mm and 50mm prime lenses superior to their Nikon equivalents. Perhaps a good way to approach the “what next” question for Nikon would be to anticipate Sigma. Nikon has a hit with the new technology they are using in the 300mm f./4 lens VR2 recently released. This could become a line of fixed lenses—400mm; 500mm and 600mm. Even if the focal length…

Lenses Nikon Debuts Two New Lenses: NIKKOR 500mm and 600mm

September 10, 2015 Donald Scarinci

In July, Nikon announced the addition of two new full frame telephoto lenses. The AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR has a focal length of 500 mm, while the AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR has a focal length of 600 mm. Thanks to the addition of two fluorite elements, Nikon boasts that the lenses are “the world’s lightest lenses available at their respective focal lengths.” Compared to their predecessors, the AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR weighs 20 percent less, while the AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR is 25 percent lighter. Of course, the…

Lenses Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens

June 29, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Sigma touts the 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens as the perfect blend of both versatility and portability. The hyper-telephoto zoom lens has been available for pre-order for the past few months and began shipping in June. Over the past year, Sigma has been rolling out updates to its lens lineup, creating three distinct lines — Art, Contemporary, and Sport. While all of these lenses deliver excellent quality images, the features and construction differ among the lines. (As does the price!) Like its other recent additions, the 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary lens features the quiet Hyper Sonic…

Lenses Nikon Outperforms Sigma Art Series with the 20mm f./1.4

June 1, 2015 Donald Scarinci

Following up on the success of the two previous Sigma art lens series lenses—35mm f/1.4 and 50mm f/1.4—a choice between the new Sigma 24mm f./1.4 or Nikon 20mm f./1.4 released around the same time looked like it might be tough. Now that the reviews are in, it would appear that the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 is not quite up to the standard of their other Art Lens Series lenses. Nikon purists can buy the new Nikon 20mm f/1.8 knowing that photographers without Sigma Stigmaphobia won’t best them. The general consensus among reviewers is that the Sigma’s latest addition to the wildly…