The recently announced Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR lens looks set to be an important milestone for Nikon for at least two reasons. Firstly, it is the company’s first professional AF zoom with a constant f/4 maximum aperture, putting aside the £4500+ AF-S 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED VR. Secondly, this is the first pro-grade non-telephoto FX lens with Vibration Reduction.

The fact that Nikon has come out with a pro f/4 zoom may bring hope to those users who have found the f/2.8 offerings too heavy or too pricey. At $1259.95/£1049.99/€1249.00, the new 16-35mm f/4G ED VR is certainly not cheap, but it’s still about 30% less expensive than the existing 17-35mm f/2.8D. It does not deliver so well on the size/weight front, as it is only lighter by some 50 grams, and actually longer than the f/2.8 lens. Still, the announcement may indicate that Nikon is thinking about coming out with f/4 versions of their 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses. Those would almost certainly be smaller, lighter and again cheaper than their f/2.8 counterparts, and if wide-open performance is good they may do their job just as well, as long as one doesn’t need the shallower DOF the extra stop of aperture provides.

The AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR is Nikon’s first ultrawide-to-wide zoom lens featuring Vibration Reduction (VR), and generally, the world’s first full-frame ultrawide lens with any form of in-lens stabilisation. Intended to be a more affordable alternative to the venerable AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED, the new AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR features Nikon’s proprietary Nano Crystal coating and incorporates 2 extra-low dispersion (ED) glass elements as well as three aspherical lens elements for superior optical performance. The Silent Wave Motor and the VR II anti-shake mechanism ensure quiet operation, while the 9 rounded diaphragm blades make for excellent bokeh. On FX and film bodies, the AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR has an angle-of-view range of 107°-63°, whilst on a DX format DSLR camera, its angle of view is 83°-44°. Featuring a filter thread size of 77mm, the AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR ships with a soft pouch and an HB-23 lens hood. Available from late February at an estimated retail price of $1259.95/£1049.99/€1249.00.

The AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G ED is a new ultra-wideangle prime for FX format DSLR camera bodies. Designed for professional photojournalists and landscapists, the AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G ED has 12 elements in 10 groups. Among these are two ED - extra-low dispersion - glass elements and two aspherical lens elements. The lens also features Nano Crystal coating to reduce reflections, and has 9 rounded aperture blades for nicely rendered out-of-focus highlights. The Silent Wave Motor ensures quiet and fast focusing and manual focus override even when the focus mode switch is in the M/A position. Boasting an angle of view of 84° on FX and film bodies (61° on DX), the AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G ED will ship from late March with a soft pouch and an HB-51 lens hood, priced at $2199.95/£1949.99/€2319.00.

The price and availability of the new, ultra-wide Samyang 14mm f/2.8 manual-focus lens has been announced. According to a report by lenstip.com, the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 IF ED MC Aspherical will go on sale in Europe at the end of March. About four months ago, Samyang announced a delay in production, after early reviews of pre-production samples had unveiled some image quality issues. Since then, the company has allegedly been able to improve edge resolution by 15%, and reduce flare as well. The Samyang 14mm f/2.8 IF ED MC Aspherical, which projects a large enough imaging circle to cover the full frame on 35mm film, will be available for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax and Four Thirds, priced at €329.

Via LensTip

At PMA 2010, Lensbaby will showcase the two new additions to the Lensbaby Optic Swap System announced back in October. These include a fisheye and a soft focus lens. The Lensbaby Fisheye Optic allows photographers to turn their Lensbaby Composer or Muse into a fisheye lens by swapping out the installed optic and dropping the new Fisheye Optic into the lens. This optic’s six element multi-coated optical design features an ultra-wide 12mm focal length capable of capturing a 160 degree fisheye angle of view from infinity all the way down to one-inch from the front of the lens.  The Soft Focus Optic’s multi-coated optical glass doublet creates a much flatter field of focus than previous Lensbaby optics, making this optic well-suited for a variety of soft focus applications. This new optic does not have the Sweet Spot of sharp focus and dramatic blur outside of that spot created by the Double Glass, Single Glass, and Plastic Optics.

Website: Lensbaby

Along with the E-PL1 Micro Four Thirds camera announcement, Olympus have revealed some extra information - including pricing - on the M Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4-5.6 and M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4-5.6 lenses announced three months ago. The extremely petite M Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4-5.6 will feature a collapsible barrel similar to that of the 14-42mm lens that is usually sold in a kit with Olympus’ Micro Four Thirds cameras, and offer an ultra-wide 100° angle of view at the wider end of its range. Priced at $699.99, the M Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4-5.6 is scheduled to go on sale in May. The 14-150mm travelzoom will hit the shelves in June priced at $599.99. Both lenses are optimised for movie shooting with low focusing noise, and Olympus also claims “extremely fast high-speed contrast AF” performance with both.

Tokina has announced the availability of its AT-X 116 Pro DX 11-16mm f/2.8 DX zoom for Sony, which is the manufacturer’s first DX lens for the Sony Alpha mount. Years ago, Tokina used to manufacture lenses for the Minolta A mount, but this is their first-ever offering for cropped-sensor Sony DSLR cameras. Constructed of 13 elements in 11 groups, the Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX offers an angle-of-view range of 104°-82°, similar to that of a 16.5-24mm lens mounted on a 35mm camera. Weighing in at 560 grams, the lens goes on sale on 24 February in Japan, priced at 94,500 yen. There is no word on international pricing or availability.

Website: Google Translation of Tokina Press Release

Varioptic, a manufacturer of liquid lenses, has announced that it has developed its first liquid lens to bring optical image stabilisation functionality to camera phones. With no moving parts, the new liquid lens, codenamed A316S, is very robust and uses very limited power. The A316S liquid lens actuator features both OIS and silent/smooth AF. The new-generation liquid lens has a multi- electrodes design, allowing to tilt the light in all directions of space and, at the same time, to refocus the light. The ability to tilt the light enables camera module manufacturers to use Varioptic’s liquid lens to activate optical image stabilisation by measuring the handshake and compensating in real time.

Website: Varioptic’s Technology Overview

The 50 millionth Canon EF lens has just gone into production. This landmark was achieved during the manufacture of the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens. Canon has produced over 10 million lenses in just under two years.

Sigma UK have managed to slash the price of several of their specialist, professional lenses by securing lower cost prices from their parent company in Japan. The lenses in question include the Sigma 4.5mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Circular Fisheye, the 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye, the 10mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Fisheye, the 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Fisheye, the 180mm f/3.5 EX DG HSM Macro, the 800mm f/5.6 APO EX DG (pictured), the 100-300mm f/4 EX IF DG HSM, 120-300mm f/2.8 APO EX DG HSM and the 300-800mm f/5.6 APO EX DG HSM. Click through / read on for the new SRPs.

Cosina has just released a new, Voigtländer branded ultra-wide lens for the M mount. The Heliar 12mm f5.6 Aspherical II is a rectilinear lens that has an angle of view of 121° when mounted on an M series Leica - except for the cropped-sensor M8 and M8.2 - or any other rangefinder camera that uses the M mount (except for the Epson R-D1xG and its predecessors sporting APS-C sized imagers). The new version offers more precise focusing and accepts filters without a filter adapter. Consturcted of 10 elements in 8 groups, the Heliar 12mm f5.6 Aspherical II will retail for 85,000 yen without taxes. The separately sold 12mm auxiliary viewfinder will set you back another 34,500 yen. There is no word on international availability just yet.

Via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Update: Photoscala reports that the new lens shall be available in the German market in the early summer, for about €1,000. The external finder will cost approximately €450.

Over the past week we posted over 50 CES-related articles, mostly product announcements, so don’t blame yourself if you are feeling a little overwhelmed and wondering if there have been any major pieces of news among these. We’ve just put together a list of what we thought were the most interesting photography-related products announced before or at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. But before we delve into these, let’s summarise in a few words the main tendencies that emerge from this avalanche. Firstly, the sheer number of digital compact cameras announced was way beyond expectations. In some cases, the companies didn’t even bother to highlight the differences between the models in any detail, or indeed differentiate the cameras in any meaningful way. Secondly, it’s evident that certain features that used to come at a premium are now must-haves in entry-level models too. These include HD video, at least 4x zoom and image stabilisation. While there still are 3x zoom models with VGA video recording and no optical or mechanical image stabilisation, these are becoming the exception rather than the rule. Thirdly, 2010 has brought the almost total victory of the SD card, with both Olympus and Sony giving in to the trend. While Sony is still making Memory Sticks, it has announced its own branded SD/SDHC cards, and made all of its new compacts capable of reading them. Olympus apparently said goodbye to its xD cards and also made its newest cameras compatible with SD. Meanwhile, CES 2010 also saw the appearance of the first SDXC cards and SDXC host devices.

After these general tendencies, let us now see the products that have grabbed our attention the most.

Canon today introduced the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. Built for the professional, the body structure of the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens has been enhanced to provide better durability and strength without a significant increase in weight, the manufacturer claims. Canon has improved optical performance on the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens by redesigning the internal elements, incorporating a fluorite element and a fifth UD element. The use of the fluorite element and five UD elements helps to minimise secondary chromatic aberrations and produce better image quality with improved contrast and resolution through the entire zoom range. Along with its redesigned optical elements, the new lens design features improved AF speed due to a new focusing algorithm and Canon has reduced the minimum focusing distance to 3.9 feet (1.2 metres) through the entire zoom range. The enhanced magnesium alloy barrel design of the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens features added strength with a minimal 20-gram increase in weight compared with the previous model (1490g vs. 1470g) and retains Canon’s protective seals and fittings providing dust and water resistance for those photographers working in adverse conditions. Other noticeable improvements include a wider focusing ring, and sleeker design by reducing the thickness of any protruding elements such as the switch panel. The new lens is scheduled to be delivered to dealers in April, price to be determined.

Samyang has announced two lenses for Four Thirds. The Korean manufacturer said that as of March 2010, its 85mm f/1.4 and 8mm fish-eye lenses will be available in five different mounts, including Canon, Four Thirds, Nikon, Pentax and Sony/Minolta. Both are manual-focus lenses, and at present there is no information on whether focus confirmation will be available when used on a Four Thirds body. With a maximum aperture of f/1.4 and a 35mm equivalent focal length of 170mm, the Samyang 85mm lens will be the fastest telephoto prime in the whole Four Thirds system. Prices are to be confirmed.

Website: Samyang

Nikon Europe today announced a new super telephoto lens to replace the AF-S VR NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED. The new VR II version features the new generation of Vibration Reduction technology, providing the ability to shoot hand-held at shutter speeds up to four stops slower than normal, and a new A/M focus mode. The latter is an addition to the existing M/A and M modes that enables autofocus priority even if the focus ring is being handled during shooting. The optical system of the new AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II is unchanged from its predecessor. Measuring 124mm x 267.5mm and weighing in at 2.9kg, this lens is comparatively compact for its class. The lens construction features eleven elements in eight groups, including three ED glass elements and Nano Crystal Coat. The recommended retail price is £5099.99 / €6050. The AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II is expected to hit the shelves on 29 January 2010.

Pentax has just announced the smc Pentax-D FA Macro 100mm F2.8 WR, a weather-resistant tele-macro lens for use on Pentax digital and film SLRs. This macro lens features a high-grade aluminium barrel, and its exterior design has been greatly refined from that of the existing Pentax D FA-series lenses. As the WR designation suggests, the lens features a simplified weather-resistant construction, protecting the lens barrel from moisture.  By mounting the lens on a Pentax weather-resistant digital SLR camera body, it offers greater durability and reliability when shooting in conditions such as rain or mist. Also, the Pentax-D FA MACRO 100mm F2.8 WR is the first Pentax interchangeable macro lens featuring a completely rounded diaphragm blade. A working distance of 13cm facilitates the shooting of timid or dangerous creatures, such as insects. The smc Pentax-D FA Macro 100mm F2.8 WR features 1:1 (life-size) magnification, Pentax-developed Quick Shift Focus system and an image circle accommodating the image size of 35mm film-format cameras. The new Pentax lens is expected to go on sale in December 2009 or January 2010, at a recommended retail price of £679.99.

Selected items from the Olympus E-System DSLR range are now available for hire at competitive rates via the Olympus UK E-System User Group, an online community and resource founded by Digital Photography Now editor Ian Burley. The hire stock of E-System lenses, camera bodies, and accessories, is being provided by Olympus UK, enabling the e-group to offer very competitive rates. “Probably the greatest attraction of the Olympus E-System is the range of Zuiko Digital lenses,” Ian explains, “and even if you could never justify the cost of owning one of the amazing Top Pro lenses, they are now accessible to many more E-System photographers.” For more detailed information on the e-group equipment hire service, visit the group’s website.

Website: Olympus UK E-System User Group

Nikon has created a new and exciting interactive tool to graphically represent their current lens lineup. The horizontal axis of the chart shows the actual focal length in millimetres, the vertical axis is for the maximum apertures. The lenses themselves are represented by a spot, a bar or a rectangle; depending on whether we are talking about a prime, a zoom with a fixed maximum aperture or a zoom with variable maximum aperture. You can also display product images of the lenses as thumbnails if you wish. Users of the tool can also filter lenses by the size of their imaging circle (DX or FX), focusin method (AF or MF), prime or zoom, and features (such as vibration reduction, internal focus etc.).

Website: Nikkor Lenses Positioning Map

Via Thom Hogan | 1001 Noisy Cameras

With two new macro lenses, the Makro-Planar T* 2/50 and the Makro-Planar T* 2/100, both now also available with EF bayonet, Carl Zeiss expands its existing ZE line of lenses. Both macro lenses render objects in close-up on a scale of 1:2. To enable such detail, these lenses include Carl Zeiss’s acclaimed “floating elements” design. This special lens alignment enables high optical performance across the entire focusing range, from 0.24 m to infinity. The Makro-Planar T* 2/50 and Makro-Planar T* 2/100 are already available with F bayonet (ZF) and K bayonet (ZK). The Makro-Planar T* 2/50 is also available as a ZF.2 version. Both lens systems are optimized for analogue and full-frame digital SLR cameras.

Website: Zeiss

Sigma have announced a new, optically stabilised version of their 17-70mm DC lens. This fast standard zoom for DSLR cameras sporting an APS-C sized sensor has a maximum aperture of f/2.8 at the wide end and f/4 at maximum telephoto.  The OS (Optical Stabiliser) function offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise be possible, Sigma claim. The incorporation of HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures a quiet and high speed AF. Three aspherical lenses and one Extraordinary Low Dispersion glass element are on board to fight all types of optical aberration, whilst the Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting to help maintain optimum contrast in all lighting conditions. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 22cm(8.7in.) throughout the entire zoom range and maximum magnification ratio of 1:2.7, which is why the word ‘Macro’ appears in the product name. This minimum focusing distance is apparently measured from the sensor plane, as Sigma also claim you can focus as close as 4.7cm(1.9in.) from the front lens element to the subject. The lens will be available for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sigma and Sony DSLRs.

Website: Sigma