The Tamron SP AF70-200mm F/2.8 Di LD (IF) MACRO now has a built-in AF motor, making it compatible with Nikon’s APS-C DSLR cameras. The Tamron 70-200mm lens provides a field of view equivalent to 105-300mm when used with the Nikon D60, D40x and D40. Tamron have revealed that the new lens will be launched in Japan on May 30th 2008.

The Tamron SP AF28-75mm F/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO now has a built-in AF motor, making it compatible with Nikon’s APS-C DSLR cameras. The Tamron 28-75mm lens provides a field of view equivalent to 42-112.5mm when used with the Nikon D60, D40x and D40. Tamron have revealed that the new lens will be launched in Japan on May 30th 2008.

The Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical (IF) MACRO now has a built-in AF motor, making it compatible with Nikon’s APS-C DSLR cameras. The Tamron 28-300mm lens provides a field of view equivalent to 42-450mm when used with the Nikon D60, D40x and D40. Tamron have revealed that the new lens will be launched in Japan on May 30th 2008.

PhotoZone have reviewed the Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA, a wide angle 24-70mm zoom lens with a large f/2.8 aperture.

“The Zeiss ZA Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 SSM will surely find many fans. In terms of resolution is may well be the hottest cake around in this class and neither distortions nor vignetting are problems to worry about (all within the APS-C scope). Lateral CAs may be visible at times in wide-angle images but it’s a non-issue in the middle to upper zoom range. The only sour aspect of the lens is the quality of the bokeh (character of the out-of-focus blur) which could be better @ 70mm f/2.8 - this may cause headaches for some users.”

Website: PhotoZone - Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA Review

The ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 9-18mm 1:4.0-5.6 is a new extreme wide angle lens equivalent to 18-36mm. The super-compact and light-weight 9-18mm lens is ideal for anything from sweeping desert landscapes to broad shots. The ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 9-18mm 1:4.0-5.6 (18-36mm)* lens will be available from September 2008, price to be confirmed.

Sigma have announced the UK price of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM lens. This new large aperture, standard prime lens will cost £379.99. In the UK, the Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM will be available from June 2008.

Production of Canon’s EF lenses has just passed the 40 million mark. EF lenses for Canon EOS-series AF (autofocus) single-lens reflex cameras were first made in 1987 at the company’s Utsunomiya Plant. Canon’s proprietary EF lens, born in March 1987 along with the EOS SLR camera system, marked a new direction in the future of AF systems. Canon’s current EF lens lineup comprises more than 60 models, with two new high-performance L-series telephoto lenses being added this Spring.

Carl Zeiss have announced a limited special edition of lenses in three different focal lengths for the Hasselblad V system. This special series covers three of the most popular focal lengths of this system: the wide-angle classic Distagon T* 4/50 ZV, the universal macro lens Makro-Planar T* 4/120 ZV and the Sonnar T* 4/180 ZV, popular for portrait photography. Each lens receives a certificate with the edition number and is delivered with a leather case and an attractive presentation box. The lenses of the ZV Classic series will be available from May.

The-Digital-Picture have reviewed the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM Macro lens.

“Even though I’m not enamored with the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM Macro Lens’s AF performance, it is still a good medium length telephoto lens - which also has many uses. I would avoid actions sports, but portraits are a good use - especially on a full frame body. The f/2.8 aperture produces a nicely-blurred background at this focal length.”

Website: The-Digital-Picture - Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM Macro Review

CameraLabs have reviewed the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens specifically for use on a cropped-frame camera body.

“Canon’s EF 24-105mm is clearly a quality zoom lens, but it comes at a higher price than most general-purpose options for cropped-frame bodies, while also missing out on true wide angle capabilities when mounted on such a body. It’s also important not to assume Canon’s L lenses are optically perfect either, as even on the more forgiving smaller frame of APS-C bodies, the EF 24-105mm can exhibit noticeable fringing.”

Website: CameraLabs - Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens Review for cropped-frame bodies

The new Carl Zeiss C Biogon T* 2,8/35 ZM lens is the perfect addition to your light, mobile photo equipment. Its moderate speed of 1:2.8 permits an exceptionally compact construction. The symmetrical Biogon construction with 7 lens elements in 5 groups allows for practically distortion-free images. The ZM lens series from Carl Zeiss is suitable for cameras with the M-bayonet, and will be available in mid 2008 for € 590.00 (excluding VAT).

The Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM is a new large aperture, standard prime lens for the latest digital cameras. This lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), which ensures a quiet and high-speed AF as well as full-time manual focus override. It effectively becomes an 80mm medium telephoto lens on digital cameras with APS-C size image sensors. Price and availability of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM to be confirmed.

PhotoZone have reviewed the new AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, a wideangle 5.3x zoom lens with built-in vibration-reduction.

“Despite some shortcomings the Nikkor AF-S 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR DX is probably still the best DX standard zoom lens in Nikon mount to date. It is very sharp throughout the range although there could be a little less field curvature (curved focus field) at 16mm. The level of distortions and lateral CAs is comparatively moderate for such a lens (still a bit high in absolute terms).”

Website: PhotoZone - AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Review

Panasonic have released a firmware update, version 2.0, for the LEICA D SUMMILUX 25mm f/1.4 lens which enables contrast auto-focus when used with the DMC-L10 DSLR camera. Note that the firmware of of the DMC-L10 should also be upgraded to the new firmware version 1.2.

Website: Leica 25mm Lens Firmware Update 2.0

The Olympus ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm 1:2.8 is a tiny new Four Thirds lens equivalent to a focal length of 50mm. Measuring 23.5mm long and weighing in at a tiny 95g, the combination of Olympus’ 25mm lens and the new E-420 DSLR camera is a a meagre 76.5mm, the most compact camera body and lens combination available. The ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm 1:2.8 lens will be available from April 2008 at a recommended price of £189.99.

Olympus Europa has issued some important information that may affect a small number of ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-60mm 1:2.8-4.0 SWD lens owners. While the manual focus performance of all lenses functions as specified, in some lenses the autofocus may not operate in the intended manner. This is the result of a fault during the manufacturing process of the autofocusing drive. The potential problem only concerns ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-60mm 1:2.8-4.0 SWD lenses with serial numbers ranging between: 230005416 and 230010688. Olympus is offering a free-of-charge inspection and repair service.

Website: Olympus 12-60mm Service Announcement

Sigma have announced the 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM 70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM lenses in the Four Thirds mount. The wide angle of view of the Sigma 10-20mm lens (94.5°at 10mm on Four Thirds cameras) offers a broader perspective. The 70-200mm lens offers a minimum focusing distance of 100cm/39.4in and maximum magnification ration of 1:3.5. Both lenses will be available in April 2008, prices to be confirmed.

Sigma have announced two new lenses for Sony and Pentax cameras - the 50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM and 70-200mm f/2.8 II EX DG HSM. The Sigma 50-150mm is a large aperture telephoto zoom lens designed to match APS-C size image sensors. The Sigma 70-200mm lens is is suitable for taking all type of subjects such as portraits, landscape, and close-up pictures. The availability and price of both lenses is to be confirmed.

Sigma has added a built-in motor to the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro and 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro lenses to make them compatible with Nikon DSLRs. The Nikon D40, D40x and D60 cameras cannot fully support the original Nikon lenses, as there is no AF motor built into these cameras, therefore they require a motor built into the lens to achieve autofocus. The inclusion of the built-in motor in these two new lenses allows autofocus with all Nikon cameras. The 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro lens costs £199.99, and the 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro £149.99.

The Sigma APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG is the world’s first Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens that offers a fast aperture of F2.8 at 500mm focal length. It covers widely used focal lengths from 200mm to 500mm and has a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range. The 200-500mm lens is so big that it has its own dedicated Li-ion battery BP-21 to power the zooming and AF operation! The Sigma APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG will be available in April 2008 for a whopping £16,000.