Sony has introduced three new Alpha A-Mount lenses - the Distagon T* 24mm F2,  DT 35mm F1.8 and 85mm F2.8 SAM. The Distagon T* 24mm F2 ZA SSM (SAL24F20Z) is a wide-angle lens for full-frame cameras, or offers a focal range of 36mm on APS-C bodies. The DT 35mm F1.8 SAM (SAL35F18) and the 85mm F2.8 SAM (SAL85F28) are new affordable ‘Easy Choice’ lenses, with the 85mm lens compatible with both full-frame and APS-C cameras. The Distagon T* 24mm F2 will be available in September for €1,250 / £1,100, the 85mm F2.8 SAM for €250 / £220, and the DT 35mm F1.8 in October for €200 / £175. There’s no news yet on US availability.

The Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 EX DC OS HSM standard zoom for DSLR cameras with an APS-C sized sensor is now available in the US. This lens has two FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass elements, plus two glass mold and one hybrid aspherical lens that are claimed to provide excellent correction for all type of aberrations. The Optical Stabiliser (OS) allows you to take longer hand-held exposures than would otherwise be possible, while the inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, making the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 particularly suitable for use with the supplied petal-type lens hood and circular polarising filters. The lens is currently available in Canon mounts at all authorised Sigma dealers for the MSRP of $980, and it will be available in Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax mounts in the coming weeks.

The Sigma APO 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM full-frame telezoom lens is now available in Japan. Constructed of 22 elements in 17 groups, the lens has a filter thread size of 77mm and has an iris diaphragm with 9 rounded blades for a smooth bokeh. Two FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass elements, which have the performance equal to fluorite glass, and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements provide excellent correction of colour aberration, the company says. Supplied with a tripod collar and a petal type lens hood, the Sigma APO 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM weighs in at 1,430 grams and is available in Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax fit. Film camera users should be aware that the Optical Stabiliser (OS) does not work when the lens is mounted to film SLRs except for the and Canon EOS-1V.

Website: Sigma

Samyang will be offering three of its manual-focus lenses in NX mount. The Korean optics company has announced that the Samyang 8mm f/3.5 fish-eye, the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ultra-wide lens and the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 telephoto lens will be available in NX fit in the second half of September. The prices are expected to be the same as the Canon, FourThirds, Nikon, Pentax and Sony versions.

The Tokina SD 16-28mm f2.8 (IF) FX lens that was first shown at PMA 2010 will be available for Nikon and Canon full-frame DSLRs at the end of this summer. Costing ¥123, 900 in Japan (around US$1400), the 16-28mm lens will be launched on August 6th for Nikon and from mid-September for Canon.

Tokina Japan Press Release

Sigma UK has issued a service notice to owners of certain Sigma telezoom lenses. Some of its APO 50-500mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM, APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM (pictured) and APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM lenses, produced recently, may suffer from this autofocus defect, the company says. Sigma has listed the serial numbers of the potentially affected lenses, which you can find in the press release below. If you own one of these lenses, you should contact Sigma on 01707 376 795, and they will arrange to collect your lens at no cost for inspection and modification where necessary. Your lens will be returned to you free of charge.

Hot on the heels of the Sigma SD15 announcement, Sigma UK has unveiled the suggested retail price of the new 17-50mm f2.8 EX DC OS HSM standard zoom lens. Designed for DSLR cameras with APS-C sized sensors, the lens incorporates two FLD glass elements whose performance is equal to that of fluorite glass. The inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, making the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 particularly suitable for use with the supplied petal-type lens hood and circular polarising filters, while the Hyper Sonic Motor makes for fast and quiet focussing. Available now in Canon fit, the lens will also come in Sigma, Nikon, Sony and Pentax versions shortly. The suggested retail price is £649.99.

The Distagon T* 2,8/25 manual-focus lens from Carl Zeiss is now available in a ZF.2 version for Nikon SLR cameras. This version has an electronic interface (CPU) that supports all exposure modes of the camera like shutter priority, aperture priority and program mode, as well as manual mode (even with camera bodies without AI-coupling lever). The new Distagon T* 2,8/25 ZF.2 is available at a retail price of €755.46 (excluding VAT).

Panasonic has posted four full-resolution sample images taken with the new Panasonic Lumix G Fisheye 8mm f/3.5 lens mounted on a Lumix G2 body. The twelve-megapixel samples depict a variety of subjects ranging from the skyline and marina of Venice to a landscape, an image of a tree and - rather surprisingly for this type of lens - a cat portrait. The pictures - along with samples taken with other Micro Four Thirds lenses - can be downloaded from the website below.

Website: Panasonic Sample Images by Lens

The LUMIX G FISHEYE 8mm / F3.5 is a new fisheye lens for the Micro Four Thirds system. Offering a diagonal angle of view of 180 degrees, the LUMIX G FISHEYE 8mm is comprised of ten lenses in nine groups, an inner focus system with a closest focusing distance of 0.1m, and a stepping motor which makes the focusing action smooth and silent for use in both photo and movie recording. The LUMIX G FISHEYE 8mm will be available in the UK from July 2010 priced at approx £729.99.

The Cosina Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 90mm F3.5 SL II manual-focus lens, which was announced back in February, is now available in Canon, Nikon and Pentax fit. Constructed of 7 lens elements arranged in 5 groups, the APO-LANTHAR 90mm F3.5 SL II has 9 diaphragm blades, and comes with a lens hood and an add-on close-up lens that allows the photographer to focus down to 32cm and achieve a magnification of 1:1.8. The Cosina Voigtländer APO-LANTHAR 90mm F3.5 SL II is priced at €549.

Website: Voigtländer

Leica has announced a new version of the Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH lens for its M series rangefinder cameras. The new Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. differentiates itself from its predecessor by incorporating a floating element:  the lenses behind the aperture blades are constructed as a floating group that changes its position relative to the front lens group during focusing. According to Leica, this ensures outstanding imaging performance at closer focusing distances (the close-focus point of the new lens is at 0.7m). The Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH will be available in the UK at the end of June 2010 at a suggested retail price of £3,375 including VAT.

Sigma has launched the Sigma APO 120-400mm f4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM in Sony and Pentax mounts. Incorporating a Hyper Sonic Motor for fast and quiet focussing and optical image stabilisation for blur-free handheld images, the Sigma APO 120-400mm f4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM is constructed of 21 lens elements arranged in 15 groups. Of these, three are Special Low Dispersion glass elements that have been implemented to combat chromatic aberrations. This lens is equipped with a rear focus system and features super multi-layer coating that reduces flare and ghosting. The Sony version is compatible with the 1.4x EX DG APO and 2x EX DG APO teleconverters that provide additional reach, albeit at a light loss of 1 and 2EV, respectively, meaning the autofocus system cannot be used when the lens is mounted to the camera in combination with either of these teleconverters.

Nikon has just announced the new AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II lens. Incorporating Nikon’s VR II image stabilisation technology, the AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II features Automatic Panning Detection and an Active VR Mode to help compensate for movement from an unstable position such as a moving vehicle.  Additionally, VR is always engaged when shooting in the D-Movie mode on select Nikon D-SLRs, helping to stabilise HD video capture. Other highlights include Nikon’s exclusive Nano Crystal Coat for reduced ghosting and flare, and a new a/M autofocus mode that enables autofocus priority even if the focus ring is being handled during shooting. The lens projects an imaging circle that is large enough to cover FX sensors, but can of course also be used on DX bodies. The AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II lens is scheduled to be available at authorised dealers in late May 2010 with an estimated selling price of $6,999.99 in the USA, and recommended retail prices of £6249.99 / €7400.00 in the UK and the euro zone, respectively.

The Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM, the world’s widest rectilinear lens for DSLR cameras with an APS-C sized sensor, is now available in the US.  This is the first ultra-wide zoom lens with a minimum focal length of 8mm, designed specifically for APS-C size image sensors. The wide-angle of view of 121.2 degrees produces striking images with exaggerated perspective, enabling photographers to emphasise the subject. The lens is currently available in Canon mount at all authorised Sigma dealers for the MSRP of $1,100, and it will be available in Sigma, Nikon, Sony and Pentax mounts in the coming weeks.

Sigma has announced that, through collaboration with Adobe, Sigma lenses will be compatible with the “Lens Correction” feature of Adobe Photoshop CS5 and CS5 Extended. When the improved “Lens Correction” filter is selected, it will provide accurate correction of aberrations automatically in accordance with each lens parameter. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 will apply optimum correction of aberration to photographers who own Sigma lenses, the manufacturer claims.

Carl Zeiss has just launched the first set of cine lenses designed especially for HDSLR cameras: the Compact Prime CP.2 lenses. The Compact Prime CP.2 lenses deliver great flexibility by introducing interchangeable mounts that allow the lenses to be used with a wide range of cameras, from traditional cine to HDSLR systems. Available with three different mounts – PL, Canon EF and Nikon F – this new family of ZEISS lenses enables cinematographers to be completely free in their choice of camera systems, the company says. The ergonomics have been improved compared to standard SLR lenses. The lenses’ cine-style housing dimensions, focus and iris gear positions, and front diameter are the same for the standard lens set. The longer focus rotation and the possibility for manual focus give users the flexibility they demand. The iris diaphragm consists of 14 high-precision blades, which stay consistently round and symmetrical over the entire T-stop range. This translates into natural and pleasing out-of-focus highlights and a smooth bokeh. Currently on display at the NAB in Las Vegas, these lenses cover a 24x36mm image format without vignetting. They will be available from June 2010.

Website: Zeiss Cine Lenses

Carl Zeiss has introduced a new Lightweight Zoom lens for filmmakers, which comes with interchangeable mounts that allow it to be used with a wide range of cameras, from traditional cine to HDSLR systems. The Carl Zeiss Lightweight Zoom LWZ.2 features radically shaped spherical glass surfaces with a very strong curvature, which guarantee high optical performance, the manufacturer says. Large-diameter aspherical lens elements keep the lens light while at the same time reducing spherical aberrations and keeping the image free of distortions. Straight lines stay straight, from infinity to close-ups and over the entire zoom range. The new lens is currently being showcased at the NAB show in Las Vegas.

The new Sigma 50-500mm f4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM has now arrived in the UK. Presently available in Sigma, Canon and Nikon fittings, the Sigma 50-500mm f4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM has a suggested retail price of £1399.99. The Pentax and Sony versions will follow shortly, said Paul Reynolds of Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd. Incorporating Sigma’s original Optical Stabiliser function, the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 allows sharp hand-held shots at shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible. Four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements provide excellent correction of colour aberration, the company says.

This year marks the 120th anniversary of Carl Zeiss lenses. While Carl Zeiss was founded in 1846 in Jena, in its early years, it manufactured microscopes almost exclusively. The first photo lenses were launched at the end of March 1890. Throughout the anniversary year, the company will be celebrating its breakthroughs in photographic technology with activities for both customers and the public. “Carl Zeiss lenses helped write photographic history. They have truly stood the test of time,” says Winfried Scherle, head of the Camera Lens Division. Zeiss submitted a patent for the Tessar lens (pictured), invented the anti-reflex coating in 1935, and developed MTF charts in 1943. The shots of the 1969 moon landing were taken with Carl Zeiss lenses, as were numerous Oscar-acclaimed films, such as Barry Lyndon, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Slumdog Millionaire.  Sony has been using Zeiss lenses in its compact cameras and camcorders since 1996, while Nokia camera phones have had integrated Zeiss lenses since 2005. Today, Carl Zeiss manufactures high-quality SLR lenses for Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony mounts.