MXcamera has announced The Dark Knight, a Pro version of the Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm f/0.95 lens. The new lens features improved lens coating, a smaller 58mm filter thread and a new bayonet lens hood to minimise flare. For more information, visit MXcamera's Facebook page.

The Leica Summicron-S 2/100 mm ASPH. is a fast short telephoto lens for the Leica S system. Designed for portrait, glamour and available-light photography, the Leica Summicron-S 2/100 mm ASPH. features 7 elements in 5 groups and a maximum aperture of f/2. The dust- and splashproof lens has a close-focus point of 70cm and weighs in at 910g. Available from mid-September, the Leica Summicron-S 2/100 mm ASPH. has an RRP of €6,500.

Via Photoscala

Fujifilm UK have launched some very special cashback offers: Buy a Fujifilm X-T1 body or X-T1 kit (X-T1 with 18-55mm lens) and any Fujinon XF lens to claim £100 cashback. Or, buy a Fujifilm X-E2 body or X-E2 kit any XF lens and claim £200. Those who already own a Fujifilm compact system camera can also claim £200 cashback when purchasing two XF lenses at the same time. These offers apply to all Fujinon XF lenses except for the XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR, and  are available through 30 September 2014.

The HD Pentax-DA645 28-45mm F4.5ED AW SR is an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for medium-format Pentax cameras. Providing focal lengths from 22mm to 35.5mm in 35mm format, this is the first medium-format Pentax lens designed specifically for digital imaging. Thanks to its dustproof, weather-resistant construction, this newest member of the AW (All Weather) series offers outstanding reliability and durability in demanding shooting conditions, allowing photographers to capture images outdoors without worry. Incormporating the Pentax-original built-in SR (Shake Reduction mechanism), the HD Pentax-DA645 28-45mm F4.5ED AW SR will be available from early September for £3,399.99/$4999.95.

Zeiss has announced the availability of a firmware upgrade for the E-mount version of its Touit Makro Planar 2.8/50mm T* lens. This update addresses two issues including AF hunting in continuous auto focus mode and "clearly noticeable shutter release delays when pressing the release button with activated flash." Note that you cannot install this firmware update yourself - you will need to send the lens, together with a completed copy of Zeiss' delivery note, to the Zeiss Service address nearest to you.

Canon broadcast lenses were the most widely used broadcast lenses covering the matches of the recent World Cup in Brazil, the company said in a statement. Furthermore, the professional photographers tasked with capturing the events utilised Canon DSLR cameras and lenses more than any other brand. Throughout the tournament, approximately 70 percent of imaging professionals chose Canon DSLRs and lenses to capture and share the memorable moments of the matches, the company claims. At each of the 12 stadiums that hosted football matches in Brazil, Canon Professional Service had teams of technical and professional representatives providing imaging professionals with access to product support, equipment maintenance, and product loans.

Canon has launched a new microsite devoted to camera lenses. "Visitors will be enlightened about the possibilities unlocked through the many different kind of lenses available to them: macro, zoom, telephoto, prime, wide-angle, STM, tilt-shift and fisheye," the company says. "Through informative videos, sample imagery, and educational video content, photographers and videographers from entry level to advanced amateur status will learn how to determine which Canon EF or EF-S Lenses will best help them create more powerful images with their EOS digital SLR camera. Additionally, visitors will find helpful quick tips for shooting with each category of lens, from fisheye to telephoto."

Intro 2020 has announced the UK availability and RRPs of the three new Tamron lenses unveiled last week. The Tamron 14-150mm f/3.5-5.8 Di III Micro Four Thirds lens (pictured) and the 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Di lll VC in Canon M mount will be available in July for £389.99. The Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD full-format lens will also go on sale next mont, priced at £619.99.

The Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD is a new superzoom lens for full-frame cameras, featuring a Piezo Drive AF motor, moisture-resistant construction, and a more compact build than its immediate predecessor. Headline features include optical vibration compensation, advanced anti-reflection coating, four low-dispersion elements, three molded glass aspherical elements, one hybrid aspherical element, one extra-refractive-index glass element and one element of UXR (Ultra-Extra Refractive Index) glass. The lens will be available in the U.S. in both Canon and Nikon mount on June 26, 2014 at $849.

Tamron today announced the price and availability of its 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III superzoom lens for the Canon EOS M compact system camera. Originally released for Sony mount in 2011, this 29-320mm equivalent lens employs two (Low Dispersion) elements, three Molded-Glass Aspherical elements, one XR (high refractive index) element, and one Hybrid Aspherical element to reduce aberrations "to a bare minimum" as Tamron put it. The lens also has optical vibration compensation and a stepping motor adopted for the AF drive, a construction that accommodates contrast-detect auto focus and movie shooting. This feature also supports the Direct Manual Focus (DMF) function, which allows the user to make fine manual adjustments after initially focusing by AF. The Tamron 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC for Canon will be available in the US starting 26 June 2014 priced at $499.

Tamron announced the price and availability of its first superzoom lens designed for Micro Four Thirds compact system cameras. Employing one LD (Low Dispersion) glass element, two AD (Anomalous Dispersion) glass elements, two Molded-Glass Aspherical elements and one Hybrid Aspherical element, Tamron's new 14-150mm F/3.5-5.8 Di III lens is housed in a compact body with a filter diameter of just 52mm. The metal lens barrel exterior is available in two colours: black and silver, providing the most popular colour options to match high end cameras. The Tamron 14-150mm Di III will be available in the USA starting June 26, 2014 at $589.

The Canon EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM is Canon's first EF-M mount telephoto zoom lens. Featuring the manufacturer's lens-based optical image stabiliser, the Canon EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM offers a 35mm equivalent focal range of 88-320mm. The lens will be available from July with a SRP £329.99/€389.99.

Fujifilm has released its first weather resistant lens for its compact system cameras. The Fujinon XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR covers a wide shooting range of 27mm wide-angle to 206mm telephoto (35mm equivalent). Fujifilm claims that the lens "has the world’s most advanced 5.0-stop image stabilisation technology" and features a dust-proof and waterproof structure with weather resistant sealing. The Fujinon XF18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR will be available from July 2014, priced at £749.00.

If you’re not directly aware of Maidenhead, UK based photographic distributor Intro2020, you’ll certainly be au fait with most if not all of its 28-strong brand offerings. These include lens brands: Samyang photo and video lenses, Tamron photo lenses and Tokina Cine Lenses. Filters from Hoya, Kenko and Cokin and many other leading brands such as Velbon tripods, Metz flash, plus photographic bag ranges including Tamrac and Interceptor.

With responsibility for distributing all these in the UK, Intro2020 is constantly in touch with product developers in Japan and the Far East, and decided to share some of its current and future offerings with PhotographyBlog across a recent press trip to Amsterdam and back.

Schneider Kreuznach reports that the Schneider Group's consolidated sales reached 71.8 million euros in 2013, down approximately 7.9% compared to the previous year. "This was mainly due to the negative performance of the market for compact cameras," the company said in a statement. On the other hand, Jos. Schneider Optische Werke GmbH in Bad Kreuznach itself contributed 44.3 million euros to the Group’s sales and delivered positive results," says Dr. Josef Staub, CEO of the Schneider Group. “We are in the middle of a transitional and restructuring process. High demand for our full-frame lenses for videos with DSLR cameras shows that we are on the right track.” In future, the company intends to focus even more on high-quality photographic lenses. In particular, Schneider Kreuznach plans to expand its range of “Xenon FF-Prime” full-frame lenses for video shooting with DSLR cameras to seven lenses by autumn 2014.

Phase One has announced the immediate availability of the Schneider Kreuznach 40-80mm f/4.0-5.6 leaf shutter zoom lens. Designed specifically for the Phase One 645 camera platform, the Schneider Kreuznach 40-80mm f/4.0-5.6 is the latest result of close optical collaboration between Schneider Kreuznach, Phase One and Mamiya Digital Imaging. Featuring 15 elements (including 2 aspherical ones) in 11 groups, the new 40-80mm f/4.0-5.6 complements the existing Schneider Kreuznach 75-150 mm f/4.0-5.6 leaf shutter zoom lens. The Schneider Kreuznach 40-80mm LS f/4.0-5.6  is priced at €6.990 / $8,990.

The Leica M Edition 100 is a special kit comprising a purely mechanical rangefinder camera for film photography – the Leica M-A, which is based on the currently available Leica MP – and a digital Leica M Monochrom, alongside three Leica Summilux-M lenses with focal lengths of 28, 35 and 50mm. Of these, the Leica Summilux-M 1,4/28 mm ASPH. is a completely new lens, designed specifically for the Leica M Edition 100 bundle. These cameras and lenses will be available exclusively as sets from Leica Stores and Boutiques and strictly limited to 101 sets.

The Leica Macro-Elmar-M 90 mm f/4 is a new, collapsible macro lens for the Leica M-System. Featuring four elements in four groups, the lens has a close-focus point of 0.8m and comes with a detachable, metal lens hood. In combination with the new Leica Macro-Adapter-M,, the Leica Macro-Elmar-M 90 mm f/4 allows photographers to capture macro shots at a reproduction ratio of up to 1:2. The Leica Macro-Elmar-M 90 mm f/4 (£2250) and the Leica Macro-Adapter-M (£500) are planned to be available from June.

The Tokina AT-X 70-200mm F4 PRO FX VCM-S is a new, stabilised, full-frame telezoom lens for Nikon SLR cameras. First announced on 29 January 2013, the Tokina AT-X 70-200mm F4 PRO FX VCM-S has an optical formula comprising 19 elements in 14 groups, with a 9-bladed iris diaphragm and a 67mm filter thread. Promising three stops of advantage versus non-stabilised lenses, the Tokina AT-X 70-200mm F4 PRO FX VCM-S carries a suggested retail price of JPY 150,000, which is equivalent to about £880. Availability is slated for 30th May (in Japan). An optional tripod collar (Tokina TM-705) will also be on offer starting 30th June, priced at JPY 24,000. International availability and pricing to be confirmed.

Source: Tokina Japan

Canon China has posted half a dozen high-resolution sample photos taken with the new Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM lens. Offering a 35mm equivalent focal range of 16-29mm, the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM features both a UD lens element and a range of optimised lens coatings, as well as a quiet STM focus motor, 4-stop image stabiliser and a circular iris diaphragm. The EF-S 10-18mm IS STM will be available from May 2014 with an SRP of £299.99 / €349.99 / $299.99.

Website: Canon China