RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘UltraWide’

Sony Announces Brand-New, Ultra-Wide, 12-24mm f/2.8 Lens

14 Jul

The post Sony Announces Brand-New, Ultra-Wide, 12-24mm f/2.8 Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

dps news sony 12-24mm f/2.8 lens announcement

Sony has officially announced its FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens, which is impressively wide, and offers a very fast aperture for such a wide-angle zoom.

While Sony did release a 12-24mm zoom back in 2017, it packed an f/4 maximum aperture, which just doesn’t offer the same low-light utility as a wide-angle f/2.8.

But now, with the new 12-24mm f/2.8, Sony shooters have the opportunity to work with an ultra-fast wide-angle lens, which is perfect for any sort of night photography, and astrophotography in particular.

Sony Announces Brand-New, Ultra-Wide, 12-24mm f/2.8 Lens

In terms of the lens’s specs:

A lens offering a maximum f/2.8 aperture is bound to be somewhat large, but Sony has kept both the size and the weight fairly reasonable:

5.5 in (137mm) long, 29.9 oz (847 g) heavy.

This means that landscape photographers and travel shooters won’t have too much trouble carrying the 12-24mm f/2.8 around in their bag.

The lens comes with a permanent hood, and the front element is unsurprisingly big, which means you won’t be able to use standard filters. However, Sony has designed the lens with a rear filter mount, which allows photographers to work with cut gel filters.

As for the optics:

Given that this is a GM lens, you can expect quite a lot, and early reviews seem to bear this out. The Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 is incredibly sharp, in the centers to the corners, both wide-open and stopped down.

Now, if you’re in need of a fast wide-angle zoom, you have two main options:

The new Sony 12-24mm f/2.8.

Or the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM, which is a very impressive lens in its own right.

Ultimately, picking between these lenses will come down to personal choice, but the extra 2 mm on the wide end can be pretty significant, especially for landscape and astrophotographers.

That said, while the Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 is a truly excellent new piece of glass, the cost ensures that only the most serious of photographers will be able to add it to their bags.

It’ll ship in mid-August with a starting price of around $ 3000 USD.

Bottom line:

If you’re looking for a pro-level, fast, wide-angle lens for landscape photography, then this is going to be a good option, assuming you can afford the price.

The post Sony Announces Brand-New, Ultra-Wide, 12-24mm f/2.8 Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on Sony Announces Brand-New, Ultra-Wide, 12-24mm f/2.8 Lens

Posted in Photography

 

Cine versions of Laowa ultra-wide lenses released for three sensor formats

20 Jun

Venus Optics has announced three additions to its cine range of lenses that each gives users an angle of view equivalent to a 15mm lens on a full-frame camera. The lenses released are for MFT, APS-C and full-frame sensor cameras and come with clickless apertures and 0.8 mod pitch gears for focusing and iris control.

The lenses are the Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine for Micro Four Thirds cameras, the Laowa 9mm T2.9 for APS-C and Super35 sensors and the Laowa 15mm T2.1 for Sony full-frame models. The 9mm and 15mm lenses have the company’s Zero-D designation meaning there is minimal barrel distortion, and all have exceptional close focus abilities – 12cm/4.7in from the sensor for the 7.5mm and 9mm, and 15cm/5.8in for the 15mm lens.

Each of the lenses is an adapted version of an existing stills lens but built with a new housing that has no lens hood, a larger filter thread and slightly longer focus rotation for the 15mm – as well as the geared rings, clickless apertures and T-stop markings.

The lenses are on sale now and come with their own mini Pelican hard case. The 9mm is available in mounts for Fujifilm X, Sony E and MFT, while the 7.5mm is MFT-only and the 15mm is Sony E-only, though the company says versions of the 15mm for Nikon Z, Canon R and L mounts will be coming later this year. The 7.5mm T2.1 and 9mm T2.9 cost $ 599 and the 15mm T2.1 is $ 1,199. For more information see the Laowa website.

Press release

Venus Optics unveiled 3 new Ultra Wide cine lenses for Micro Four Thirds, Super 35 and Full frame cinema cameras

Anhui China, Jun 19, 2020 – Venus Optics, the camera lenses manufacturer specialize in making unique camera lenses, unveiled three new ultra-wide cine lenses for cameras with different sensor sizes. They are the Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine for Micro Four Thirds cameras, Laowa 9mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine for Super35 cameras and the Laowa 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine Lens for large format (full frame) cameras. All three lenses feature the same optical system as the their popular photography version and offer premium optical performance. They have also been built with robust cinema lenses housing with design up to the industry standard.

Ultra-wide FoV & fast aperture
All three Laowa cine lenses feature an ultra-wide angle of view and fast aperture. The Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 feature a 110° FoV on MFT while the 9mm T2.9 features a 113° on Super35 sensors. The 15mm T2.1 instead features a 110° FoV on cameras with full frame sensors. The fast maximum t-stop is well suited for filming under low light condition. It also allows filmmakers to have more flexibility in depth of field control.

Close-to-zero distortion
Both the 9mm and 15mm feature the distinguishing Laowa close-to-zero distortion (Zero-D) design where the optical distortion at infinity distance has been compressed to the minimal. This is extremely important for motion picture recording when shooting indoor, architecture or footage with straight lines included. This also saves tremendous amount of time in distortion correction in post processing.

Compact & lightweight
All three wide angle prime lenses are extremely compact and lightweight. Both 7.5mm and 9mm weigh close to 0.5 lbs (226g). The 15mm is a little bit heavier due to the larger coverage but Venus Optics still manage to compress it to around 1.2 lbs (540g). On the contrary to the huge and heavy wide angle lenses in the market, the new Laowa cine lenses are extremely handy for run-and-gun productions, shooting with gimbals, in-car shots, indoor scene, etc.

Close Focusing Distance
All three Laowa cine lenses possess an extremely close focusing distance. This provides a great deal of flexibility for directors to compose shots at any distance. Filmmakers can also take advantage of this close focusing to create some wide angle shots with shallower depth of field. Both the Laowa 7.5mm and 9mm can focus as close as 4.7” (12cm) from sensor to subject while the 15mm can focus up to 5.9” (15cm).

Industry standard cinema lens housing
The major difference between the new cinema version and the still version is the improved housing. The new cinema lens housing have been designed with details to facilitate filmmakers to shoot with ease. Both the aperture and focus rings have been built with industry standard 0.8 mod pitch gears for pairing up with follow-focus motors. The aperture ring is now click-less for smooth iris control. Every one of Laowa cine lenses comes with a filter thread for filmmakers to use screw-in filters and mini matte-boxes. Entire lens body is made by premium grade aluminum and build for usage in extreme environment.

Hassel-free transportation
An authentic hard case made by Pelican will be included with the lens to allow filmmakers to travel around for shooting with ease.

A variety of Current & Future mount options
The Laowa 7.5mm T2.1 Cine is available in Micro Four Thirds mount and it is a perfect companion to cameras like Blackmagic Pocket 4K, Panasonic GH5 and Z-Cam E2

The 9mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine is available in Fuji X, Sony E mount and Micro Four Thirds mount. The Micro Four Thirds mount can cover the same cameras as 7.5mm and serve as an not-as-wide alternative to MFT users. The Fuji X mount is extremely popular among XT-4 or XH-1 shooters. The Sony E mount works really well with Sony cameras with Super35 sensors including FS5, FS7, A6500 series, etc.

The 15mm T2.1 Zero-D Cine is designed for large format sensor with Sony FE mount available. It is best suited with Sony full frame cameras like Sony A7 series and FX9.

New Nikon Z, Canon RF and Leica L mount will be introduced later this year and they will certain be interesting wide angle options for cameras like RED Komodo, Canon R5, Nikon Z6/Z7, Sigma FP, Panasonic S1H and more to come.

Laowa Wide Angle Cine Lenses line-up
Together with the Laowa 12mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine released earlier for EF and PL cinema cameras, Venus Optics currently offer four wide angle cine lenses for cinema cameras with different sensor sizes.

Pricing & Availability
All three cine lenses are currently available to purchase via Venus Optics official website (http://www.venuslens.net/) and authorized resellers. The US price for 7.5mm T2.1 and 9mm T2.9 is $ 599/pc (ex-VAT) and 15mm T2.1 is $ 1,199/pc (ex-VAT). Pricing varies in different countries.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Cine versions of Laowa ultra-wide lenses released for three sensor formats

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Sony to Announce Ultra-Wide 12-24mm f/2.8 GM Lens

03 Jun

The post Sony to Announce Ultra-Wide 12-24mm f/2.8 GM Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

dps Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 announcement

If you’re a landscape photographer, you’re in for a treat.

Sony is preparing to announce its brand-new, ultra-wide 12-24mm GM lens, which will offer a great range of focal lengths, an impressive f/2.8 maximum aperture, and (likely) stellar optics.

Let’s take a look at what we know.

First, the lens specs:

The Sony 12-24mm will feature a focal length range custom-made for landscape photographers. At 24mm, you’ll be poised to capture some wide images. And once you zoom out to 12mm, you’ll have wide-angle capabilities that few lenses can match, able to capture sweeping vistas that would normally be impossible to shoot.

Sony will announce the 12-24mm f/2.8 lens

A consistent problem with ultra-wide lenses is a bulbous front element, which makes it impossible to mount circular polarizers and neutral density filters. But Sony seems to have addressed this too, with the (rumored) inclusion of a rear-mounting filter option. That way, landscape photographers can take advantage of drop-in filters, and don’t have to choose between a wide focal length or enhanced image quality.

As for the optics:

Given the G Master designation, we can expect the lens to offer excellent sharpness from corner to corner, very limited chromatic aberration, and more.

In other words, the new Sony 12-24mm is a landscape photographer’s dream.

Note that Sony does already offer a 12-24mm lens, one that’s well-known for its optical prowess. But the current 12-24mm only shoots as wide as f/4, and while this is fine for most landscape situations, there’s one area of landscape photography where a wider maximum aperture is almost always better:

Astrophotography.

For photographers who shoot skies in complete darkness, an f/2.8 aperture allows for a shutter speed fast enough to freeze the stars without boosting ISO too much. The difference between f/2.8 and f/4 may not seem huge, but it does matter; at f/2.8, you’ll often come away with a sharp, clean shot, compared to the blurry or noisy result you get at f/4.

Of course, a lens that offers such impressive specifications is bound to come with a matching price tag. While Sony has not yet revealed any details, rumors suggest that the 12-24mm f/2.8 GM will cost around $ 4000 USD.

Is this pricier than I would like?

Absolutely.

But it’s bound to be one heck of a lens!

So keep an eye out for further news; you should see a Sony announcement sometime in the next few weeks.

Now over to you:

What do you think about this new Sony lens? Do you think that $ 4000 USD is too high a price? Or will the lens be worth it? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Sony to Announce Ultra-Wide 12-24mm f/2.8 GM Lens appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on Sony to Announce Ultra-Wide 12-24mm f/2.8 GM Lens

Posted in Photography

 

DPReview TV: Laowa 12mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine review – Do you need an ultra-wide for video?

07 May

Ultra-wide lenses pose special challenges when shooting video, but can create dramatic effects. We review the Laowa 12mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine lens, which shares the same optical formula as the company’s 12mm F2.8 lens for full frame cameras.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

  • Introduction
  • Using ultra-wide lenses for video
  • How the Cine version differs from the standard Laowa 12mm F2.8 Zero-D
  • Lens breathing
  • Distortion
  • Sharpness
  • Sunstars and flare
  • Do you need an ultra-wide for video?
  • Which version should you get: Stills or Cine?
  • See you next time!

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on DPReview TV: Laowa 12mm T2.9 Zero-D Cine review – Do you need an ultra-wide for video?

Posted in Uncategorized

 

DPReview TV: The great ultra-wide sunstar shootout

23 Dec

We compared sunstars from eight ultra-wide full frame lenses, including both DSLR and mirrorless lenses, from Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sigma, Sony and Tamron, including:

  • Canon EF 16-35mm F2.8 III
  • Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 IS
  • Nikon F 14-24mm F2.8
  • Nikon Z 14-30mm F4
  • Panasonic 16-35mm F4
  • Sigma 14-24mm F2.8
  • Sony 16-35mm F2.8 GM
  • Tamron 17-28mm F2.8

Who’s the winner? Watch the video and look at the samples below, then tell us which one you think is best in our poll (below).

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.

Sample gallery from this episode

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_5532213454″,”galleryId”:”5532213454″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

Have your say

$ (document).ready(function() { Poll({“pollId”:”9073297854″,”openForVoting”:true,”mainElementId”:”poll0″,”slot”:null,”isSingleChoicePoll”:true,”minNumberOfChoices”:1,”maxNumberOfChoices”:1}); })

Which lens produced the best sunstars in our sunstar shootout?
You need to login to vote

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on DPReview TV: The great ultra-wide sunstar shootout

Posted in Uncategorized

 

LG unveils 2020 UltraFine, UltraWide 32″ and 38″ 4K monitors for professionals

20 Dec

Ahead of their CES 2020 debut, LG Electronics has taken the wraps off its latest monitor lineup, including the 2020 UltraFine and 2020 UltraWide 4K models. Both monitors, as well as a new UltraGear line designed specifically for gamers, are part of the ‘premium’ market segment, according to LG.

Most notable among LG’s new models is the 2020 LG UltraWide 38WN95C 38in QHD+ 3840 x 1600 21:9 monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms Nano IPS display. This model, which is VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified, offers what LG calls ‘professional-level performance, picture quality and speed.’

The 2020 LG UltraFine monitor also features 98% DCI P3 color space, Thunderbolt 3, NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility, 450 nits brightness and an adjustable tilt stand.

Joining the UltraWide model is the new 2020 LG UltraFine Ergo 32in 4K Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 32UN880 monitor featuring an IPS display, 60Hz refresh rate, 5ms response time, HDR10 support, AMD Radeon FreeSync, and 350 nits brightness. This model does not feature Thunderbolt 3.

The UltraFine’s USB-C One Cable solution is joined by an ergonomic design with an ‘arm’ style stand capable of being adjusted in a number of ways and placed very close to a wall. LG says it designed this monitor specifically for professionals who spend ‘a significant amount of time’ working at a desk.

LG hasn’t provided pricing information for any of its new monitors at this time, but we’ll likely get the price and availability details during CES 2020 in early January.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on LG unveils 2020 UltraFine, UltraWide 32″ and 38″ 4K monitors for professionals

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Moment launches new ultra-wide Fisheye 14mm Lens with ‘bi-aspherical’ lens design

27 Nov

Smartphone lens manufacturer Moment has announced its new Fisheye 14mm Lens, an add-on lens that Moment claims ‘is the widest, crispiest shot you can have on a phone.’

The lens features an all-new optical design made specifically for the latest smartphones from Apple, Google, OnePlus and Samsung. It features a bi-aspheric design that Moment claims uses 15-percent more of the image sensor than its existing Fisheye 15mm lens.

This design results in a 170-degree field of view that’s 30% wider than the 120-degree field-of-view found on most ultra-wide-angle lenses in newer smartphones, such as the iPhone 11 Pro.

The resulting image can be de-warped using a new distortion correction filter in Moment’s Pro Camera app (Android, iOS). The de-warping feature is available in the iOS app today and the feature will make its way to the Android app ‘in the next few weeks.’

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_0870942634″,”galleryId”:”0870942634″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

Below is a sample video captured with the new Fisheye 14mm lens:

The Moment Fisheye 14mm lens costs just $ 89.99 for the first 48 hours, after which it will jump up to $ 119.99. It will work with Moment’s line of M-series cases, which include options for a handful of iPhone, Pixel, OnePlus and Galaxy devices. You can order yours now and find out more information on Moment’s website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Moment launches new ultra-wide Fisheye 14mm Lens with ‘bi-aspherical’ lens design

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Funleader LensCap 18mm F8.0 is an ultra-light, ultra-wide body cap lens

29 Oct

Artboard, a photography gear company located in Hong Kong, has launched a new Kickstarter campaign for the Funleader CapLens 18mm F8.0 lens, a small, slim, and lightweight ultra-wide model with a fixed aperture. The lens can double as a camera body cap, according to Artboard, offering protection while retaining the option of quickly snapping ‘playful’ images.

The Funleader CapLens 18mm F8.0 isn’t intended to offer a high level of quality, Artboard explains; rather, the company launched this model to give photographers ‘a lens for playful usage.’ The lens offers greater color accuracy and detail when compared to a Lomo camera while retaining a similar vignetting effect.

The lens features 6 elements in 4 groups, multi-coated glass, a 0.8m minimum focusing distance, and 100-degree FOV. The model is constructed from brass with a chrome plating finish and it is ultra-light at 80g (2.8oz). Below is a gallery of a few low-resolution sample photos:

$ (document).ready(function() { SampleGalleryV2({“containerId”:”embeddedSampleGallery_1260982875″,”galleryId”:”1260982875″,”isEmbeddedWidget”:true,”selectedImageIndex”:0,”isMobile”:false}) });

Artboard is offering the Funleader in Sony E-mount and Leica L-mount as a reward for Kickstarter pledges starting at HK$ 833 (approx. $ 107). Assuming the campaign is successfully funded and the lens is produced as anticipated, the company expects shipping to backers will start in December 2019. You can find out more information and secure your pledge by heading to the Kickstarter campaign.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Funleader LensCap 18mm F8.0 is an ultra-light, ultra-wide body cap lens

Posted in Uncategorized

 

The ultra-wide camera in the iPhone 11 models is fixed-focus, doesn’t support Raw capture

24 Sep

Last week, Apple debuted its new iPhone 11 devices, all three of which feature an ultra-wide camera module. This marks the first time Apple has put an ultra-wide camera in an iOS device and with the new camera comes all-new capabilities and shooting modes.

Not all of the cameras are made equal though. In addition to not having optical image stabilization, it’s been revealed the ultra-wide camera unit on all three models isn’t yet capable of capturing Raw image data or manual focus, unlike the wide-angle camera (and telephoto camera on the iPhone 11 Pro models).

Revealed by Halide developer Ben Sandofsky, the ultra-wide camera has a fixed-focus lens and doesn’t offer any Raw photo output. The reasoning isn’t yet known, but as noted by a number of responses to Sandofsky’s tweet, it’s possible the reason for not offering Raw output from the ultra-wide camera is due to the barrel distortion present in the uncorrected images from the ultra-wide camera. If not corrected, the distortion would be dramatic considering the 13mm (35mm equivalent) focal length, and without having iOS apps with that correction built-in it would result in rather distorted images.

It’s possible Apple could turn on Raw support in a later iOS update, but for now, Raw capture is limited to the other two camera modules.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on The ultra-wide camera in the iPhone 11 models is fixed-focus, doesn’t support Raw capture

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Apple debuts iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro with ultra-wide camera

11 Sep

Apple has unveiled the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. All three devices offer a standard 12MP camera plus, for the first time on an iPhone, an ultra-wide 13mm camera module. In addition to those two cameras, the Pro models also provide a 12MP telephoto camera. The iPhone 11 provides a 6.1″ LCD ‘XDR’ display, with the 11 Pro and Pro Max offering OLED HDR displays measuring 5.8″ and 6.5″ respectively. All three displays support P3 wide color gamut and display of HDR video content.

All three phones offer a main 12MP ‘wide’ camera with a 26mm equivalent F1.8 6-element lens and optical image stabilization. It’s a new sensor, and Apple claims it offers ‘100% focus pixels’, which suggests a dual pixel sensor with split photodiodes.

The iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Max all offer a second 12MP ‘ultra wide’ camera with a 13mm equivalent F2.4 5-element lens, which provides a dramatic wide 120 degree field of view. A new feature uses the ultra-wide camera to show you what’s beyond the frame when using the main camera, helping you decide whether to switch the wider field of view.

The 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max continue to offer the telephoto camera of previous generations. This is also a new 12MP sensor paired with a faster F2.0 lens with optical image stabilization.

All three iPhones have upgraded video capability, with the rear cameras capable of 4K 60p footage with what Apple is calling ‘extended dynamic range’ (EDR). Optical and digital stabilization work in combination for smooth footage. The front facing camera can record 4K 60p video, and can also record EDR video at 4K 30p. It’s now easier to switch from shooting photos to shooting videos: in stills mode, simply hold down the shutter to start recording a video.

Like previous models, slow motion and time-lapse modes are available. Apple claims the Pro models have all three rear cameras calibrated at the factory, so you can quickly switch between lenses when recording video and retain the same look across all cameras.

The iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max will be available for pre-order this Friday and will ship September 20th. The iPhone 11 is the most affordable of the bunch starting at $ 699; the 11 Pro and Pro Max are priced at $ 999 and $ 1099, respectively. Apple says it will keep the XR in the current lineup for $ 599.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Apple debuts iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro with ultra-wide camera

Posted in Uncategorized

 
« Older Entries