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Tamron 70-300mm for Sony Review: A Compact, Well-Priced Telephoto Lens

02 Jan

The post Tamron 70-300mm for Sony Review: A Compact, Well-Priced Telephoto Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

The new Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 lens is the “world’s smallest telephoto zoom lens for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras.”

But does this lens live up to the hype?

Let’s find out in this Tamron 70-300mm for Sony review!

Tamron 70-300mm for Sony: Overview

The Tamron 70-300mm is made to be used on a full-frame camera, but you can also mount it on an APS-C camera; the equivalent focal length just gets cropped to 105-450mm. This can be an advantage if you prefer getting more zoom out of your lens.

Besides its compact and lightweight build (more on that below!), the biggest appeal of this lens is the price. At just $ 550 USD, the Tamron 70-300mm is more than half the price of the Sony alternative.

For comparison’s sake, the Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 has a slightly faster f-stop and also comes with image stabilization. But it is larger, heavier, and more expensive than the Tamron model. So if budget, size, and weight are a concern, the Tamron 70-300mm is the way to go!

Released: September 2020
Focal Length: 70 to 300mm
Maximum Aperture: f/4.5 to f/6.3
Minimum Aperture: f/22 to f/32
Lens Mount: Sony E (full-frame)
Minimum Focus Distance – 31.5″/0.8 m
Focusing: Autofocus
Image Stabilization: No
Filter Size: 67 mm
Dimensions: 5.8” x 3″/148 mm x 77 mm
Weight: 19.2 oz/545 g

Lens design

The Tamron lens follows on the coattails of some impressive Tamron releases, such as the 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6. And if you’ve used any recent Tamron lenses, the 70-300mm will feel very familiar in your hands. It has a similar look and feel to other Tamron lenses, and it takes a 67 mm front filter, just like many other Tamron lenses.

While the build is mostly plastic, the lens is weather-sealed with a dust- and moisture-resistant construction. This makes the 70-300mm ideal for shooting in a variety of outdoor conditions. I wouldn’t take the lens out in pouring rain, but a light drizzle is totally fine.

Aside from its low price point, the biggest advantage of the Tamron 70-300mm is its compact size. With a weight of just 545 g (1.2 lb) and a length of 5.8 in, it’s easy to forget that you’re hauling a rather long-range telephoto lens. The small size also makes it easier to hold the lens for long periods of time, especially compared to bigger lenses like the Sony 100-400mm.

Ease of use and performance

The Tamron 70-300mm is a very straightforward lens. There’s a zoom ring and a manual focus ring with no additional buttons or switches on the lens.

It would be nice to have a lock switch to prevent the zoom barrel from sliding out when you use the lens – and while it’s not a dealbreaker, the lack of a lock is something to be aware of.

All Sony autofocus modes (including Eye AF) are as snappy as they’d be if using a native Sony lens. If you have any concerns about using a third-party lens, rest assured that all modern Tamron lenses work flawlessly with Sony E-mount cameras.

Image quality

Snowy owl — 300mm | 1/1600s | f/6.3 | ISO 400

Photos on the 70-300mm Tamron are razor sharp. Color rendition is also accurate, with absolutely no chromatic aberration or distortion.

While this lens doesn’t have a fast f/2.8 or f/1.8 aperture, beautiful bokeh can still be achieved with sufficient distance between the subject and the background. The bokeh is pleasing and smooth. The lens’s sweet spot seemed to be between f/4.5 and f/11.

The lens also has a nice minimum focusing distance of 31.5 in (0.8 meters) when shooting at 70mm. This allows you to get pretty close to your subject and still get crisp shots.

autumn leaves — 186mm | 1/800s | f/5.6 | ISO 1600

Best uses

Given its focal range and features, the 70-300mm is best used as a complementary lens to a wide-angle or mid-range zoom, such as the 24-70mm.

Shooting purely at 70-300mm may suit some photography styles, but most photographers will want to occasionally get a shot wider than 70mm, which is when a wider second lens will come in handy.

snowy landscape — 70mm | 1/320s | f/6.3 | ISO 640

However, you can use the Tamron 70-300mm as your sole lens and get some great wildlife, landscape, and portrait shots. Just make sure you have enough light or a camera that can shoot at high ISOs because of the narrower maximum lens aperture. If you plan to shoot indoors or in low light, the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 will better suit your needs.

The Tamron 70-300mm can also work as a great video lens. Just note that it lacks image stabilization (IS), so it is best used on a tripod or a gimbal stabilizer if shooting video.

Tamron 70-300mm for Sony review: Conclusion

For the budget-conscious photographer, or for those wishing to have the smallest and lightest camera kit, the Tamron 70-300mm is a bargain of a lens.

One of the only reasons why you may not opt for this lens is if you prefer the all-in-one Tamron 28-200mm lens. The 28-200mm is smaller and slightly more expensive, and it gives you a much wider focal range at the expense of not being able to zoom as far as 300mm.

If you are interested in purchasing the Tamron 70-300mm for Sony, you can grab it here.

So what do you think? Would you buy the Tamron 70-300mm, or would you opt for a different lens? Let me know in the comments below!

The post Tamron 70-300mm for Sony Review: A Compact, Well-Priced Telephoto Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

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Nikon teases upcoming super telephoto lenses, 50mm prime with an updated lens road map

21 Nov

Click to enlarge. The new ‘Micro 50mm’ prime is center-left in the bottom row and the two super-telephoto lenses are top-right in the back row.

Nikon has released an updated version of its visual lens roadmap for Z-mount camera systems, revealing silhouettes of three upcoming lenses, including two super-telephoto lenses and one macro prime lens.

While there are eleven total silhouettes, only three of them are new: the ‘Micro 50mm,’ the 400mm S-Line and the 600mm S-line. As you would expect, the silhouettes for the two super-telephoto lenses tower above the rest. Meanwhile, the ‘Micro 50mm’ lens falls halfway between the already-released 24–50mm F4–6.3 and 35mm F1.8 S-Line prime.

Below is another roadmap from Nikon that shows the focal length coverage of current and future lenses:

Click to enlarge.

There’s still no concrete information on expected release dates for thee lenses, so the waiting game continues. But at least we now have visual representations of all the lenses currently on Nikon’s Z-mount lens roadmap and Nikon does say all of the lenses on display ‘will be available by the end of 2022.’

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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6 Tips for Near-Macro Photography with a Telephoto Lens

04 Oct

The post 6 Tips for Near-Macro Photography with a Telephoto Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Elliot Hook.

Macro photography is the art of capturing the fine detail of very small subjects that may not be seen by the naked eye. Technically, to fall under the category of “macro,” the subject should be captured with a reproduction ratio of 1:1 (i.e., the subject will be captured on the sensor at 100% life-size).

Macro lenses are specially designed to minimize the focusing distance, allowing the photographer to get closer to the subject and therefore increase the reproduction ratio.

There are a number of techniques that can be used to help achieve the desired magnification without a dedicated lens (extension tubes, close-up filters, and reversing rings). However, one of the less common techniques is to use something that you probably already have in your bag: a telephoto lens.

Milking Bonnet Fungi (Mycena galopus)

Telephoto lenses offer extreme magnification, but generally have much larger minimum focusing distances. This pushes the photographer farther from the subject and therefore reduces the reproduction ratio. Some telephoto lenses, when combined with camera systems utilizing smaller sensors, are able to offer 1:1 magnification (true macro). However, typically, telephoto lenses are limited to close-up photography at near-macro reproduction ratios.

Using a telephoto lens for this kind of work offers a couple of advantages over a dedicated macro lens that are a direct result of the large minimum focus distance. Because the working distance to the subject is in the region of 1 meter (compared to the 15-30 cm working distance of standard macro lenses), the risk of disturbing your subject as you compose your shot is much reduced.

Also, given the extra distance between the camera and the subject, you are much less likely to cast a shadow over your subject, and you have a lot of freedom with the lighting you can employ to light the subject, both natural and flash.

Common Blue butterflies, mating (Polyommatus icarus)

Using a telephoto lens for such precise work is not without challenge, so here are a few tips to help maximize your chances of getting that near-macro shot with your telephoto lens:

Due to the extreme focal length, the risk of reduced sharpness due to camera shake is higher. Therefore, it is imperative to use a tripod and a remote shutter release to try to limit lens/camera movement.
Even on a tripod, images can still suffer from camera shake. Try to use a tripod collar for your telephoto lens, so that the lens is clamped directly to the tripod, reducing the chances of “lens wobble.” If not, use the “1/focal length’” shutter speed rule to help capture sharp images. (I always use 1/effective focal length, where you multiply your focal length by the sensor crop factor to give the focal length in 35 mm terms.)
Be aware of the depth of field. Using extreme focal lengths at such close distances can reduce the depth of field to fractions of a millimetre. Therefore, to ensure the subject is sharp throughout, use a small enough aperture to ensure the depth of field extends across your whole subject (there are websites and apps to help you do this).
If you want to capture your subject in focus from front to back, ensure that it is parallel to your sensor. The depth of field will be so narrow at the extreme focal lengths that you may not have more than a few millimetres to play with. Therefore, position yourself accordingly to maximize your chances of capturing a sharp image.
If your telephoto lens as an AF/MF switch, switch it to manual focus and compose/focus the shot manually. You may find that, when focusing manually, the minimum focusing distance decreases, meaning that you can get closer to your subject, increasing the magnification.
Use a teleconverter to increase the focal length, but retain the same minimum focusing distance. This will allow you to significantly increase the magnification of the subject, without having to move any further away. Increasing the focal length in this way will have consequences on your choice of shutter speed and aperture, but as long as it is taken into consideration, a teleconverter can successfully be used to increase the reproduction ratio.

Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)

Using a telephoto lens for near-macro photography will typically not allow you to magnify your subject as far as if you were using a dedicated macro lens, but you will be able to test the water to see if macro photography is something you enjoy without having to splash out on any additional kit.

If you do decide that macro photography is for you, by putting this technique into practice, you will learn a lot of good fieldcraft that will be beneficial when you get around to picking up that new macro lens.

The post 6 Tips for Near-Macro Photography with a Telephoto Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Elliot Hook.

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Wide Angle Versus Telephoto Lenses for Beautiful Landscape Photography

28 Sep

The post Wide Angle Versus Telephoto Lenses for Beautiful Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Will Crites-Krumm.

WILLCK 1 SNEFFELS

An easy assumption to make, when shooting landscapes, is to use a wide-angle lens. After all, most landscape photographers favor wide-angle lenses for a reason: They naturally give you the widest view and allow you to get the full landscape into the frame, from the foreground to the horizon.

Wide-angle lenses also have the widest depth of field, so you get the whole landscape in focus. And their distortion enlarges objects in the foreground, letting you show off close-up details. The same distortion also emphasizes leading lines, enhancing your compositions and giving your image a more dynamic feel. But when you default to wide-angle glass, you miss many hidden opportunities offered by telephoto lenses.

Field of view: The whole and its parts

This is the most basic difference between the two lens types:

Wide lenses give you a wide view; telephoto lenses give you a narrow view.

And while landscapes look great in their entirety, it’s a good habit to take a moment and look for details. These details are beautiful elements of the landscape that might get shrunken or ignored in the expanse of a wide-angle image. This is where your telephoto lens comes in. Its narrow field of view is perfect for trimming the extra elements and for focusing on small, beautiful scenes like the curve of a mountain, a reflection in a far-off pond, or the silhouette of a tree.

WILLCK 2 YOSEMITE

In the two images above, you can see this in action. They were both taken from Olmstead point in Yosemite National Park, one with a wide-angle lens and the other with a telephoto.

In the first image, the wide-angle lens shows off the total landscape. It includes both sides of the valley, the up-close textures of the rocks, and the far-off peak of Half Dome. In the second image, the telephoto lens brings the eye right up to the mountains, showing off their shapes and the details of the geology.

Another pair of images (below) shows this effect even more dramatically. The first image is not just a wide-angle image, but an aerial shot as well, taken from a small airplane over the Okavango Delta in Botswana. From this vantage point, all of the individual elements of the landscape become incredibly small and your eyes pay more attention to their arrangement than their individual shapes. In the second image, also from the Okavango area but this time on the ground, a telephoto lens is used to draw attention to the beautiful curves of a single Acacia tree.

WILLCK 3 OKAVANGO wide

WILLCK 4 OKAVANGO tele

Depth of field: Focusing the eye

The second major difference between wide-angle and telephoto lenses is the innate size of their depth of field.

Put succinctly, the higher the focal length, the narrower the area of focus. In practice, this means that when shooting wide, it’s much easier for you to get everything in focus, from the grass at your feet to the ridge on the horizon. This is especially true when you’re trying to use your lens’s sharpest apertures (the so-called sweet spot).

However, a narrower depth of field is much better for isolating your subject from the background, and this is where your telephoto lens comes into play. Try shooting a close-up detail at a wide aperture, using the landscape as a nice, creamy bokeh backdrop.

WILLCK 5 FLATTOPS

WILLCK 6 DENVER

The two images above are perfect examples of this effect. In the first image, the wide-angle lens brings the whole landscape into focus, from the close-up sunflowers to the far-off mountains.

In the second image, shooting with a telephoto blurs out the flowers and mountains in the background, turning them into a nice soft background for the main sunflower.

Depth compression: Playing with size

It’s no secret that wide-angle lenses expand the sense of depth in an image by enlarging elements in the foreground and shrinking those in the back. This is great for creating images that make you feel like you could step right into the frame.

On the flip side, you run the risk of making towering, awesome mountains in the distance look like puny hills. Telephoto lenses, on the other hand, compress depth, causing objects near and far to appear more similar in size. A compressed sense of depth is great for abstracting a scene and bringing out its graphical qualities. Colorful forest canopies, layered mountain ridges, and curving sand dunes are all great subjects for this kind of shooting.

WILLCK 7 MICA

In the left image above, notice how the wide-angle lens exaggerates the size of the flowers in the foreground at the expense of the mountains in the background. The mountains are so tall that they’re shrouded in clouds, but the lens keeps them from looking quite as grand.

Pull out a telephoto lens, and you can zoom straight in on the mountain, showing off the contrast between the rugged outline of the peak and the soft wispy form of the cloud (right).

WILLCK 8 BIGBEND wide

WILLCK 9 BIGBEND tele

Here are two more images, both taken at the same location in Big Bend National Park, that show off this effect. In the first image, you can see that the wide-angle lens increases the size of the plants and rocks in the foreground while shrinking the large desert mountains in the background. In the second image, a telephoto lens flattens out the depth of the many desert ridges, calling attention to their graphic patterns and outlines.

Summary: Space versus object

Have a hard time remembering all these details? Here’s an easy way to summarize it with a simple idea:

Wide-angle lenses show off space, telephotos show off objects.

The wide-angle lens’s big field of view, ease of uniform focus, and depth-distorting abilities are great at showing off big, expansive landscapes. However, they take focus away from individual elements within the landscape in favor of showing the whole. Telephoto lenses are naturally the opposite: they’re great at showing off the size, shape, and intricacy, of detail of individual elements within the landscape. But their narrow field of view, small depth of field, and depth-compressing qualities make it hard to capture the landscape as a whole.

WILLCK 10 WILLOW wide

You can analyze this pair of images to see exactly how all of these techniques work together. Starting with the photo above, you can see how the wide-angle lens fits the whole landscape into the frame, from close-up rocks to far off peaks and sky. Because of the lens’s large depth of field, the whole landscape is in acceptable focus as well. The lens’s depth distortion is readily apparent, as well: the foreground rocks look very large, creating a pleasing sense of depth, and emphasizing the leading lines that draw the eye from the edges of the frame to the center. Overall, you get a very good sense of the space and the expansiveness of the valley.

WILLCK 11 WILLOW tele

This image was taken in the same place, but the use of a telephoto lens captures it in a very different way. The photo brings out a single element of the landscape; look closely and you can see this peak in the previous image on the top right. It allows the viewer to appreciate its subtle details.

Because of the telephoto lens’s narrow depth of field, the sky is slightly out-of-focus while leaving the details of the peak itself perfectly sharp. And most of all, the compressed sense of depth flattens the image, showing off the rocky mass of the mountain, and calling attention to the beautiful curve of the ridgeline. Overall, you get a great sense of the mountain as a solid object, rather than a bounded space.

When to shoot what?

The best way to know which lens to use is to get out there, look, and think. What part of the landscape are you most drawn to? Does the landscape’s expansiveness give it its character? Are there stunning details surrounded by less photogenic elements? Are you shooting spaces or objects?

WILLCK 12 ZODIAC

That said, my personal strategy is to just shoot both, because almost any landscape has enough beauty that just one type of lens isn’t enough to get to all of it.

The post Wide Angle Versus Telephoto Lenses for Beautiful Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Will Crites-Krumm.

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Hands-on with new Canon RF 100-500mm, 600mm and 800mm telephoto lenses

10 Jul

Hands-on with new Canon RF 100-500mm, 600mm and 800mm telephoto lenses

Alongside the EOS R5 and R6, Canon has announced a brace of lenses, all in the short to long telephoto range. Filling out the ‘long’ end are one L-series zoom, and two innovative primes. Click through to learn more about the 100-500mm F4-7.1L IS USM and the RF 600mm and 800 F11 IS STM.

100-500mm F4-7.1L IS USM

Let’s start with the more conventional lens of the trio – the 100-500mm F4-7.1L IS USM, which first appeared in mockup form at events earlier this year (remember when we had events?) featuring 20 elements in 14 groups, this is a complex design, which incorporates six UD (Ultra Low-Dispersion) elements and one ‘Super’ UD element. These elements should help control chromatic aberrations.

(Relatively) compact

The 100-500mm is relatively compact when zoomed ‘out’ to 100mm (207.6mm / 8.2 in) but extends (to 297mm / 11.7 in) at 500mm. A torque adjustment allows you to make the zoom movement stiffer or looser as desired, and lock the zoom ring if required.

Canon is at pains to reassure users that despite its telescoping design, this lens is very well-sealed against dust and moisture. At 1370 g (3 lbs), the 100-500mm is far from a lightweight lens, but it’s only a couple of hundred grams heavier than the much faster RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM. The front filter thread is a very reasonable 77mm.

A removable tripod collar allows the lens to be mounted directly onto a tripod, in situations where hand-holding isn’t desirable or practical.

Close focusing performance

Considering its focal length range, the 100-500mm offers good close focusing performance, with a minimum focus distance of 0.9m at the 100mm end of the zoom, and 1.2m at 500mm. This should make it practical for conventional short-tele portraiture. The maximum magnification ratio of 0.33X is achieved at 500mm (full extension at 500mm shown in this image).

Autofocus is handled by dual Nano USM motors that can work independently of one another for fast and silent AF.

5 stops of IS

This is a stabilized lens, rated at 5 stops of correction on an EOS R. When mounted on an R5 or R6, Canon claims that total stabilization with its I.S.-enabled lenses should improve due to both in-body and lens IS systems receiving information from the others’ sensors.

This two-way communication is enabled by the fast protocols developed for the RF mount. Canon quotes as much as an 8 stop benefit with some lenses. Canon claims you can expect 6 EV of correction from the 100-500mm and R5/6 combination, and this is something we’ll be sure to test as soon as we can. There are three IS modes to choose from: standard, panning or active during exposure.

Compatible with RF 1.4X and 2X teleconverters

The 100-500mm is compatible with Canon’s new RF 1.4X and 2X teleconverters, but only at focal lengths of 300mm and longer. A locking mechanism prevents their use at wider focal length positions, where damage might occur to the lens’ rear element.

The RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens is scheduled to be available in September 2020 for an estimated retail price of $ 2,699. The RF Extender 1.4x and 2x are scheduled to be available at the end of this month for an estimated retail price of $ 499.99 and $ 599.99.

Canon RF 600mm F11 IS STM

Alongside the 100-500mm Canon unveiled two very unusual lenses, both of which employ collapsible mechanisms and DO – Diffractive Optics – elements in their designs, to reduce their size and weight. The first is the RF 600mm F11 IS STM. Canon claims that the use of a new material for the gapless dual-layered DO element allows for smaller and more cost-effective designs compared to the EF equivalents.

Compact and lightweight

The 600mm F11 IS STM weighs less than a kilo (930 g / 2.05 lbs), features a perfectly reasonable 82mm filter thread and measures only 200mm (7.9 in) when stowed. Considering its focal length, these figures are impressive. The DO optical technology certainly helps, but the main reason for its unusual compactness is an innovative retractable design.

Retracting design

Retracting / collapsing designs have been around for as long as photographic lenses have existed, and the basic principle (and benefit) has remained the same – extend and lock the mechanism when you need to shoot with the lens, and retract / collapse it when you don’t, for compactness. This isn’t possible with complex multi-element primes (let alone zooms) but for a long tele like the RF 600mm, where most of the glass is clustered together, in a design with a lot of empty space between groups, it becomes an option.

Retracting design

To unlock the 600mm’s extending mechanism, just turn the collar, and pull (or push) to put the lens into either the extended shooting position, or collapsed storage position. When extended, the lens measures 270mm (10.6 in).

Fixed aperture of F11

Another way of keeping this lens small is its fixed aperture of F11. This is the kind of aperture that traditionally, we would have associated with mirror lenses, which were a devil to work with on D/SLRs because of the dim viewfinder image associated with such a small working aperture.

However, on a mirrorless camera with a decent EVF, that’s much less of a concern, especially now that the Dual Pixel CMOS AF systems in Canon’s EOS R-series cameras can autofocus at working apertures down to F22 (which – not coincidentally – allows for these lenses to be used with the new RF teleconverters). Yes, F11 (and remember that’s fixed – you cannot stop down as there is no multi-bladed iris) is still a limiting aperture for exposure, but it’s a much more practical working aperture now than it would have been back in the days of SLRs.

Image stabilization and autofocus

The 600mm F11 is also equipped with an image stabilization system which can deliver up to 5 stops of stabilization. Canon did not claim an increase in performance when paired with the EOS R5 and R6 IBIS systems, and this makes some sense given the limited ability of IBIS systems to effectively stabilize very long focal lengths. Autofocus is handled by an STM motor, of the kind that has become common in Canon’s more enthusiast-centric lenses and those optics intended to be used for video, as well as stills. It’s not as fast – or usually as silent – as Canon’s Nano USM motors, but still quite effective.

Canon RF 800mm F11 IS STM

The RF 800mm F11 IS STM is a very similar lens to the 600mm, but it’s a little bigger, a little heavier and features a little more glass (11 elements in eight groups, as opposed to ten elements in seven groups for the 600mm).

Bigger and heavier (but still compact)

The 800mm is 35% heavier than the 600mm, weighing in at 1260 g (2.77 lbs). At 282mm (11.1 in) when stowed in its collapsed position, it’s about the same length as the 600mm is when extended. When the 800mm is extended to its shooting position, overall length increases to 352mm (13.8 in). That’s longer than a mirror lens would be, but very compact for a conventional 800mm.

Larger filter ring, longer minimum focus

The general ‘upsizing’ of the 800mm compared to the 600mm extends to the filter ring, which is a less traditional (and less convenient) 95mm. The IS system in the 800mm is only rated to four stops, too, compared to five in the 600mm (rated as per CIPA, measured on an EOS R body). The minimum focus distance is longer, too, at 6m compared to 4.5m.

All of this probably makes the 600mm slightly more practical for most photographers, but there’s no doubt that 800mm can itch some places that 600mm can’t quite scratch. We suspect that both lenses will be a hit with fans of bird photography.

The RF600mm F11 IS STM and RF800mm F11 IS STM lenses are scheduled to be available at the end of July 2020 for an estimated retail price of $ 699.99 and $ 899.99, respectively.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Lightweight telephoto: Pentax-D 70-210mm F4 sample gallery

19 Jun

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Ricoh’s Pentax-D FA 70-210mm F4 telephoto zoom is a lightweight and more affordable alternative to the company’s existing 70-200mm F2.8 for those who don’t need that wide maximum aperture. So how does it perform? Take a look through our gallery to see how it handles portraits, action, landscapes and more.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Ricoh unveils HD Pentax-D FA 70–210mm F4 ED SDM WR telephoto zoom lens

23 Jan

Ricoh has announced the HD Pentax-D FA 70–210mm F4 ED SDM WR, a new telephoto zoom lens for its full-frame K-mount DSLR camera systems.

The lens, which strongly resembles the Tamron 70-210mm F4 Di VC USD, is constructed of 20 elements in 14 groups, including three extra-low dispersion (ED) elements and two anomalous dispersion elements. It features a minimum focusing distance of 95cm (3.1ft), a nine-blade aperture diaphragm, uses Pentax’s high-definition (HD) multi-layer coating on its elements and features a weather-resistant design that works alongside Pentax’s weather-resistant DSLR cameras to provide a tight seal against the elements.

Powering the autofocus is a ring-type supersonic direct-drive motor (SDM) and a quick-shift focus system makes it easy to switch from autofocus to manual after the shutter has been half-pressed. The lens measures in at 175mm (6.9in) long, 78.5mm (3.1″) diameter and weighs 859g (1.89lbs) with the lens hood on.

The HD Pentax-D FA 70–210mm F4 ED SDM WR will be available starting February 15, 2020 for an MSRP of $ 1,100.

Ricoh announces compact, lightweight, high-performance telephoto zoom lens for use with 35mm full-frame digital SLR cameras

New HD PENTAX-D FA 70–210mm F4 ED SDM WR provides great portability in a variety of applications, from nature and scenic photography to active fieldwork

PARSIPPANY, NJ, January 22, 2020 – Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation today announced the HD PENTAX-D FA 70–210mmF4ED SDM WR zoom lens for use with PENTAX K-mount digital SLR cameras. This high-performance telephoto zoom lens features a compact, lightweight body with weather-resistant construction for great portability in a variety of outdoor applications.

Featuring a highly portable design, this high-performance zoom lens covers the image circle of 35mm full-frame digital SLRs, and provides a focal length range of 70mm to 210mm ideal for handheld outdoor photography. A constant f/4 maximum aperture ensures consistent brightness throughout the zoom range and enables increased control over depth of field for selective focus effects. When used with an APS-C-format camera, its focal length range is extended to the equivalent of 107mm to 322mm in the 35mm format. The new lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.95 meters and a maximum magnification of 0.32 times, providing greater macro coverage than previous models. It also features a Quick-Shift Focus System that enables an instant shift to manual-focus operation after locking a subject in focus during autofocus operation.

This lens is ideal for active field photography in a wide range of outdoor applications including scenic photography, landscape shooting with a beautiful bokeh effect in the fore- and background, close-up photography of animals and plants, and sports and wildlife photography where its outstanding portability really comes in handy.

A high-grade, multi-layer high-definition (HD) coating has been applied to the optical elements of the lens, enabling the capture of high-contrast images with edge-to-edge sharpness and minimizing flare and ghost images. A super-protective (SP) coating, highly repellent to water, grease and dirt, has also been applied to the lens’ front surface, making it easy to wipe off stains or fingerprints.

Pricing and Availability

The HD PENTAX-D FA 70–210mmF4ED SDM WR will be available for sale on February 15, 2020, at www.us.ricoh-imaging.com and retail outlets nationwide for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $ 1099.95.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Tamron developing a compact 70-180mm F2.8 telephoto zoom for Sony E-mount

23 Oct

Tamron has announced the development of a compact tele-zoom for full-frame Sony E-mount bodies: the 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VXD. The lens will be just 149mm (5.9″) long and will weigh in at 815g (1.8lbs), and it will use the same 67mm filters as the two other lenses in the series: the 17-28mm F2.8 and 28-75mm F2.8.

The 70-180 will offer ‘several’ specialized glass elements and will use the company’s VXD linear focus motor. The minimum focus distance is a relatively short 0.85 meters (33.5 inches). The lens will be sealed against dust and moisture, and will have a fluorine coating to repel oil and water from the front element.

Tamron says that the 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VXD will be available in Spring of next year.

Press Release:

Tamron Announces the Development of Compact and Lightweight High-Speed Telephoto Zoom Lens for Sony E-Mount Full-Frame Mirrorless Cameras

Much-anticipated third model in its series of F/2.8 high-speed zoom lenses delivers superb optical performance with extremely quiet, fast focus

70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD (Model A056)

October 23, 2019, Commack, NY – Tamron announces the development of a new high-speed telephoto zoom lens for Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras, the 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VXD (Model A056). Availability of this new zoom is planned for Spring 2020. The lens will be on display at the upcoming Photo Plus Expo in New York City this week and Salon de la Photo in Paris next month.

Developed under the concept of “making high-speed zoom lenses user-friendly,” Model A056 features a compact and lightweight design, an ideal match for full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. The 67mm filter diameter is the same as all other Tamron lenses in this series. The optical design includes several specialized glass elements that contribute to the lens’s superb imaging performance and its very short 33.5 in MOD (Minimum Object Distance) expands overall versatility. The lens adopts Tamron’s newly developed VXD (Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive) linear motor focus mechanism that produces a quiet, quick autofocus drive.

Other features that support a great shooting experience include a Moisture-Resistant Construction helpful for outdoor shooting and Fluorine Coating for easy maintenance. In addition, Model A056 is fully compatible with various camera-specific features including Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF. This new model joins the 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD (Model A046) and the 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD (Model A036) and brings Tamron’s total of F/2.8 zoom lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras to three.

Main features

Comfortably compact (149mm / 5.9 in) and light weight (815g / 28.7 oz).
67mm filter diameter, same as all other Tamron lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras.
Superb optical performance and MOD of 5 in. for a broader range of photographic versatility.
Extremely quiet and fast newly developed VXD linear motor focus mechanism.
Moisture-Resistant Construction and Fluorine Coating contribute to a comfortable, user friendly photographic experience.
Compatible with various camera-specific features including Fast Hybrid AF and Eye AF.

* Specifications, appearance, functionality, etc. are subject to change without prior notice.

Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VXD specifications

Principal specifications
Lens type	Zoom lens
Max Format size	35mm FF
Focal length	70–180 mm
Image stabilization	No
Lens mount	Sony FE
Aperture
Maximum aperture	F2.8
Aperture ring	No
Optics
Special elements / coatings	Fluorine coating
Focus
Minimum focus	0.85 m (33.46″)
Autofocus	Yes
Motor type	Linear Motor
Full time manual	No
Focus method	Internal
Distance scale	No
DoF scale	No
Physical
Weight	815 g (1.80 lb)
Length	149 mm (5.87″)
Sealing	Yes
Zoom method	Rotary (extending)
Power zoom	No
Zoom lock	Yes
Filter thread	67 mm
Hood supplied	Yes
Tripod collar	No

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Google Pixel 4 adds telephoto lens, improved portrait mode and HDR in live view

15 Oct

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Google officially unveiled the Pixel 4 today, with the addition of a telephoto camera headlining the camera updates. Other improvements include an enhanced live view experience showing the approximated effects of HDR in real time, added controls for adjusting exposure and tone mapping prior to image capture, and an updated portrait mode with better depth mapping thanks to the additional rear camera.

The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL offer 5.7″ and 6.3″ OLED displays respectively, each with a 90Hz variable refresh rate that Google calls ‘Smooth Display.’ Gone is the fingerprint sensor on the rear of the device, replaced by face unlock. Also new is a technology called Soli, comprising a radar chip that detects hand motions. Called Motion Sense, this feature makes it possible to skip songs and silence calls with a wave of your hand.

As is the case with high-profile phone launches, along with the main specifications the camera updates are also the center of attention (in fact, Annie Leibovitz made an appearance). In addition to the new F2.4, optically stabilized telephoto camera (about 48mm equiv.), Google has introduced improved Super Resolution Zoom for up to 8x digital zoom. In fact, the telephoto camera uses a hybrid of optical and digital zoom at its default zoom setting to achieve approximately 2x zoom.

The process of taking photos has been improved on the Pixel 4 as well. On previous models, the results of Google’s impressive HDR rendering could only be seen after capture – now, machine learning is used to approximate the effect in real-time for a much more ‘what you see is what you get’ experience.

Google Pixel 4 official sample images

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Additional exposure controls are also available during image capture. Two new sliders give users direct control of overall scene brightness and rendering of shadows, as compared to the single exposure slider offered by the Pixel 3. Google also says the Pixel 4’s camera is more responsive and stable compared to the Pixel 3, thanks to 6GB of RAM at its disposal.

Portrait mode should see significant improvements as well. The mode now uses information from the telephoto camera as well as split pixels to judge subject distance, creating a better depth map than was previously possible only using split pixels. Portrait mode’s range has also been extended, making it possible to capture large objects as well as human subjects from farther back than was possible on the Pixel 3.

While the telephoto camera lends depth information, the standard camera with a 1.5x digital zoom is used for the image itself. Background blur is now applied to the Raw image before tone mapping, with the aim of creating more SLR-like bokeh. The updated Portrait mode should also handle human hair and dog fur better, and Google says that its face detection has been improved and should handle backlit subjects better.

All camera modes will benefit from improved, learning-based white balance – previously used only in Night Sight

An astrophotography mode is added to Night Sight, using longer shutter speeds to capture night skies. Additionally, all camera modes will benefit from improved, learning-based white balance – previously used only in Night Sight. Google has also done some white balance tuning for certain light sources.

Google has reduced the number of front-facing cameras from two back down to one. Citing the popularity of the ultra-wide selfie camera, the Pixel 4’s single front-facing camera offers a focal length that’s a happy medium between the standard and ultra-wide options on the Pixel 3.

Google Pixel 4 pre-orders start today; Pixel 4 starts at $ 799 and Pixel 4 XL starts at $ 899. Both will ship on October 24th. It will be available for all major US carriers for the first time, including AT&T.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Video: a teardown of OPPO’s periscope-style smartphone telephoto lens

29 Mar

Periscope-style tele lenses are the latest big thing in mobile photography as they allow to squeeze longer zoom factors than before into the thin bodies of high-end smartphones. Huawei just launched the P30 Pro with a 5x optical tele and OPPO’s Reno device with a similar setup is set to launch on April 10, 2019.

Despite still being more than a week away from the official launch date, a video has surfaced on the Chinese social media site Weibo, showing a teardown of the Reno’s rear camera, including the innovative tele lens, and it’s fascinating to see how much technology and optical engineering can fit into such a tiny module.

The periscope camera only measures 23.5 x 11.5 x 5.73mm, making it thin enough to fit into phones without the need for a big camera hump. It also doesn’t take up much space in the body overall and therefore does not get into the way of other components.

A close-up of the periscope-style camera array on the Huawei P30 Pro.

The module consists of the image sensor, lenses and the prism that diverts the incoming light into the lens and onto the sensor. Optical image stabilization is achieved through a magnetic coil that moved the prism. Optical image stabilization is also available on the camera’s primary wide-angle and image data captured by the two cameras can be combined to generate a 10x hybrid-zoom image.

We also already know that at least one version of the Reno will be powered by Qualcomm’s top-end chipset Snapdragon 855-powered and come with a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution. So, overall the upcoming OPPO looks like it could be a real competitor to the P30 Pro.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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