Carl Zeiss today announced its introduction of a new series of lenses for the semi-professional market: the ZF.2 with Nikon F bayonet for digital SLRs. The lenses have a built-in CPU to transmit EXIF data and to support a range of photographic functions. The CPU also supports manual exposure settings, including those for camera casings that are not AI-compatible. The ZF.2 lenses are available in seven focal lengths, five of which will be available from the end of November (this means a total of eight lenses, as there are two 50mm optics in the line-up): 3,5/18, 2,8/21, 2/35, 1,4/50, 2/50 and 1,4/85. The Distagon T* 2/28 ZF.2 and macro Planar T* 2/100 ZF.2 will be introduced in Spring 2010. The prices for these new lenses will lie between €545 and €1,386+VAT.

Website: Zeiss

Pentax has announced a “Focus on Savings’ rebate that offers a $100 prepaid card on a choice of over 20 Pentax lenses. From now until January 15, 2010, K-7 buyers may select from more than 20 lenses and receive a $100 VISA prepaid card rebate for each and every qualifying lens purchased at the same time. Lenses must be purchased at the same time on the same receipt as the Pentax K-7 digital SLR. The offer is valid for US customers only. Click through / read on for the full list of qualifying lenses.

Website: Pentax Special Offers

Olympus has published a roadmap for its Micro Four Thirds lens releases over the next two years. Apart from the existing two lenses and the two zooms planned for 2010, there are four lenses planned for spring 2011. These include a telephoto zoom and three primes including a 50mm macro, an 8mm fisheye and a wide-angle lens whose exact focal length is hard to determine from the roadmap. Currently, there are two Olympus-branded Micro Four Thirds lenses available, including a 14-42mm zoom and a 17mm “pancake”, plus one Leica- and five Lumix-branded optics, with two more Lumix lenses coming, according to Panasonic.

Source: Olympus PEN Micro Four Thirds Lens Roadmap [PDF]

Olympus have announced two new lenses for the Micro Four Thirds system, including an ultrazoom and a wide zoom. The compact M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4-5.6 covers an angle-of-view range equivalent to that of a 18-36mm superwide-to-wide lens on a 35mm body, while the M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-150mm f/4-5.6 can be likened to a 28-300mm lens in 35mm equivalency. These two lenses, shown above in the company of the existing 14-42mm and 17mm optics, will go on sale in the first half of 2010. Prices to be confirmed.

Update: Olympus has published a lens roadmap, which shows the lenses mentioned above, plus four more optics planned for spring 2011.

Carl Zeiss today announced the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/35 ZE manual-focus wide-angle lens for the Canon EF mount.  The high-speed, moderate wide-angle Distagon T* 2/35 ZE fits all analogue and digital EOS cameras. On full-frame digital and film SLRs, the lens offers an angle of view of 53 degrees, whereas on DSLRs with APS-H sized sensor - such as the new Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, it works as a fast “normal” prime.  With an initial aperture of 1:2, the Distagon T* 2/35 easily handles low light , making perfect pictures possible even under difficult lighting conditions. The relatively short angle of rotation of the precision focusing mechanism enables fast but precise focusing when required. The Distagon T* 2/35 ZE will be available from October 2009 at a recommended retail price of € 755.50 (excluding VAT).

Lensbaby has released two new optics, the Lensbaby Fisheye and the Lensbaby Soft Focus Optic. Lensbaby’s new Fisheye is their most complex optic to date, featuring a focal length of 12mm, angle of view of 160° and drop-in aperture disks. The Soft Focus Optic creates images with an overall soft and diffused look. In addition to a set of standard round aperture disks, which allow you to take photographs with a classic soft focus look, the Soft Focus Optic also comes with three special multi-hole apertures which combine one large aperture surrounded by smaller holes. This hole pattern creates a sharp underlying image with a soft overlay, the company says.

Canon USA has announced instant rebates, ranging from $20 to $500, on select EF/EF-S lenses and Speedlites. The instant rebate programme runs until 16 January, and eligible products must be purchased by an end customer from a participating authorised Canon USA dealer or reseller in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico. Used or refurbished products are not eligible. The offer is valid for US residents only. Click through / read on for the full list of participating products.

Website: Canon USA Promotions

Tamron has announced the imminent launch of the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 Di II VC lens for Canon. The VC abbreviation in the product name stands for Vibration Compensation, which is the name of Tamron’s proprietary tri-axial optical image stabilisation mechanism. The lens, whose Nikon version has already been available for some time, is only sutiable for use on cameras with an APS-C sized sensor. The Canon iteration will go on sale on 29 October 2009 in Japan.

Website: Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f2.8 Di II VC

Cosina has released a Canon version of its Ultron 40mm f2 SL II Aspherical “pancake” lens, which has hitherto only been available for Nikon and Pentax. The Ultron is a manual-focus lens made up of six elements in five groups, and has an angle of view of 57° on full-frame and film SLRs. The release of the Canon version makes it the most compact EF mount lens ever made. The lens can currently only be purchased in Japan, for the price of 53,000 yen. N.B.: The illustration above depicts the Nikon version.

Website: Ultron 40mm f2 SL II Aspherical (Google translation)

The Color Skopar 20mm f3.5 SL II Aspherical is a remarkably compact ultra-wide lens for modern SLR cameras. Previously only available in Nikon (pictured) and Pentax versions, the Color Skopar 20mm f3.5 SL II Aspherical is a manual-focus lens that has now also been released for Canon. The lens is constructed of 9 elements in 6 groups and delivers an angle of view of 94° on full-frame and film cameras. Currently, it can only be purchased in Japan, for 58,000 yen. The optional LH-20 lens hood costs another 2,000 yen.

Website: Color Skopar 20mm f3.5 SL II Aspherical (Google translation)

In addition to the special rebates announced two months ago, Tamron USA now has a mail-in rebate offer on its two newest lenses: SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR VC Di II LD Aspherical IF and SP AF60mm F/2.0 Di II LD IF 1:1 Macro. The two new lenses are designed for APS-C size DSLRs and are available in Canon and Nikon mounts (plus Sony in the case of the macro). The $25 rebate is valid on purchases of these lenses made by US residents at an authorized Tamron USA retailer from 15 October 2009 through 31 December 2009. As noted, there are other, ongoing rebates on offer too: consumers receive $70 back on the 18-270mm VC and $60 on the 18-200mm, both popular and award-winning all-in-one zooms, when purchased between until the end of this year

The Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2/28 ZE is a new wide-angle lens for the Canon EF mount. With a maximum aperture setting of f2, it is among the most light-intense of its kind in its focal length. Following the recent introduction of its two ultra-wide-angle lenses, the Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE and the T* 2,8/21, the new Distagon T* 2/28 ZE is Carl Zeiss’ first “moderate” wide-angle lens for the EF mount. Thanks to the Carl Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating and meticulously crafted lenses, the new Distagon T* 2/28 ZE is claimed to deal effortlessly with reflections and stray light. The Distagon T* 2/28 ZE will be available starting this autumn for a suggested retail price of €965.55 (excluding VAT).

The Polish distributor of Samyang lenses, telescopes and filters has announced a delay in the production of the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 IF ED MC Aspherical lens. The news release found on the company’s website states that the delay is due to a partial redesign of the lens, as well as some unspecified “further improvements”. The Samyang 14mm f/2.8 IF ED MC Aspherical lens, which we first wrote about a few weeks ago, is an ultra-wide manual-focus lens whose imaging circle is large enough to cover a full frame on 35mm film or a similarly sized imaging sensor. Samyang originally planned to release the lens this November, in Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony/Minolta versions, and the Samyang Poland site even published an MSRP of 999 zloty (about $360). The new release date is the first quarter of 2010.

Website: Samyang Poland

Olympus have launched three promotions on select Four Thirds bodies and lenses. Those purchasing an Olympu E-30 digital SLR can choose to receive either a free HLD-4 power battery holder or FL-36R wireless external flash. If you opt to purchase an Olympus E-620 DSLR instead, you can claim a spare BLS-1 battery to go with it. And if you buy a Zuiko Digital lens, you can expect a cashback of €30 - €120, depending on lens. Participating lenses include the 7-14mm f4,  14-35mm f2 SWD (read review), 35-100mm f2, 150mm f2, 8mm f3.5 fisheye, 50-200mm f2.8-3.5, 9-18mm f4-5.6, 70-300mm f4-5.6, 18-180mm f3.5-6.3, EC-20 teleconverter and 35mm f3.5 macro. All three offers are valid from today until 31 January 2010. To learn more about these promotions and see if you are eligible, visit the website below.

Website Olympus Promotional Offers

Hot on the heels of the release of the Distagon T* 3.5/18 lens for the EF mount, Carl Zeiss today announced the new Distagon T* 2.8/21 ZE, a 21mm f/2.8 ultrawide lens for the Canon EOS system. Allegedly, the Distagon T* 2,8/21 ZE’s ability to flawlessly correct colour errors prevents colour fringing and unwanted lack of focus that can result from chromatic aberrations. Thanks to the Carl Zeiss T* anti-reflex coating and meticulously-crafted lenses, the Distagon T* 2.8/21 ZE is not affected by reflections or stray light either, the company claims. The Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/21 ZE will be available in autumn this year for a suggested retail price of €1,549 (including German VAT).

Direct Source Marketing, the sole US distributor of Horseman photo products for professionals and high-end consumers, today announced unique multi-coated conversion lenses for DSLR cameras. These conversion lenses, all made in Japan by Komamura Corporation, provide wide-angle and macro solutions without changing lenses. They are attached in front of the taking lens, much like a filter. Street pricing is expected to range from $60-$120, depending on the model, of which there are seven.

Website: Multi-Coated Horseman Conversion Lenses for DSLRs

The Samyang 14mm f2.8 is a new ultrawide, full-frame manual-focus lens that will be available in Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony/Minolta mounts. According to the official Samyang Poland website, the lens has 14 elements in 12 groups, including two ED- and two hybrid aspherical elements. The angle-of-view is 114 degrees on full-frame and film bodies, and about 2/3rds of that on cropped-sensor DSLRs. Samyang Poland has made available three Nikon D3x raw images for download, all of which were apparently shot using this lens. Availability of the Samyang 14mm f2.8 is slated for November 2009. The site indicates a suggested retail price of PLN 999, which translates into less than $360 / £220.

Website: Full-sized Samyang 14mm f2.8 Samples

Via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Panasonic has released a firmware update for the 45-200mm lens. The 1.1 update for the LUMIX G VARIO 45-200mm / F4.0-5.6 / MEGA O.I.S. lens improves the auto focus performance in AFC mode and the auto focusing and stability of the Optical Image Stabilizer while reducing noise of aperture control for taking movies.

Carl Zeiss today announced the pricing and availability of its Distagon T* 3.5/18 ZE ultra-wide lens for Canon EOS SLRs. The lens’s extremely wide 99°-angle view is suitable especially for full-frame sensor cameras, delivering an array of new creative possibilities. The Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE has a relatively compact design, especially when compared to zoom lenses. Internal focusing also helps to reduce its size while delivering extremely precise and smooth focus control, according to claims made by Carl Zeiss. Following the Planar T* 1,4/50 ZE and 1,4/85 ZE, the Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE is the first wide-angle lens with EF bayonet mount on the market. The Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZE will be available in autumn 2009 at a suggested retail price of €1,049+VAT.

Electrophysics, a Sofradir Group company, has introduced a high-performance night vision module for use with Nikon’s full-frame (FX) digital SLR cameras. These digital cameras deliver bright high resolution green images of night-time scenes having a full image format and edge-to-edge sharpness when used with the new AstroScope 9350NIK. Because the night vision module fits between the camera body and SLR lens, all the lens electrical connections are maintained and important lens features such as vibration reduction (VR) remain fully functional even in night vision mode. The introduction of the AstroScope 9350NIK follows hot on the heels of the announcement of the AstroScope 9350EOS-FF for Canon EOS digital SLR cameras.