The Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM lens is now available for Nikon SLR cameras. After a slight delay due to the launch of the Nikon D40x, Sigma’s 18-200mm lens now features the HSM motor at no extra charge, plus Sigma’s own unique OS (Optical Stabiliser) function. The new Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM lens is priced at £439.99.

The Leica 14-50mm f/3.8-5.6 is a new Four Thirds System standard zoom lens equivalent to 28-100mm. The LECIA D VARIO-ELMAR 14-50mm/F3.8-5.6 MEGA O.I.S lens is included with the new Panasonic DMC-L10 digital SLR as a complete kit. The new lens comes in a more compact and light-weight body than the faster 14-50mm/ F2.8-3.5 Leica lens. The The Leica 14-50mm f/3.8-5.6 lens will be available from October 2007.

The new Leica 14-150mm Four Thirds lens will be available in the market from around November 2007. First announced at the PMA show back in March, the LEICA D VARIO-ELMAR 14-150mm/ F3.5-5.6 ASPH./ MEGA O.I.S. lens is equivalent to 28-300mm in 35mm terms. The new lens is the first Leica D lens to incorporate Extra Silent (XS) technology, which assures quick, quiet, accurate auto focusing control.

The Tamron AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II LD Aspherical IF Macro lens has won the European Consumer Lens of the Year EISA Award. “This is a do-it-all lens many DSLR users will never need to take off their cameras. The extreme (almost 14X) zoom ratio delivers the ultimate freedom for composition and framing.” commented the EISA Jury. Tamron’s 18-250mm lens offers a zoom ratio of 13.9X covering a 28mm wide-angle to 388mm ultra telephoto focal length.

Tamron has postponed development of their 28-300mm lens for the Canon mount, blaming a “technical problem in a part of the VC (Vibration Compensation) mechanism”. The Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC lens was expected to be available on August 29th in Japan. A new release date has yet to be announced by the company.

CameraLabs have reviewed the Nikon 55-200mm VR lens, a compact telephoto zoom lens featuring Vibration Reduction at a budget price point.

“The Nikkor DX 55-200mm VR is one of the best value lenses around right now for Nikon DSLRs. It’s compact, light and perfectly complements the DX 18-55mm kit lens, extending the effective range to 300mm for useful telephoto coverage. The addition of Vibration Reduction effectively reduces camera shake and in order to support AF on its entry-level DSLRs, Nikon’s had to equip the lens with a quick and quiet SWM focusing motor which gives the DX 55-200mm VR a degree of classiness that’s absent on rival budget telephoto zooms.”

Website: CameraLabs - Nikon 55-200mm VR Lens Review

e-Fotografija have just reviewed the Zuiko Digital 90-250mm f/2.8 Four Thirds lens, which is equivalent to 180-50mm in 35mm terms.

“The Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 90-250 mm/2.8 performed well even at maximum apertures. All it needs is a good camera, and it’ll be one of the best lenses. This is even more true due to the sheer size and weight of classic 35 mm format lenses. The only thing that’s wrong about it is the price. It’s very much in line with its performance, but it’s still enormous. Because of its optical quality and usefulness, it’s going to be the subject of much admiration and desire.”

Website: e-Fotografija - Zuiko Digital 90-250mm f/2.8 Lens Review

The Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 and Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 are two new professional zoom lenses designed for the new FX (full-frame) format D3 DSLR camera. Both lenses share Nikon’s unique Nano Crystal coat technology to minimize ghost and flare “These new zoom NIKKORS offer photographers immense creative potential when combined with the new FX-format D3, but are equally useful for those using Nikon’s DX-format cameras too”, said Robert Cristina, Brand Manager, Nikon Professional Products Europe. Available in November, the price of the Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 and Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses has yet to be announced. The estimated US selling price for the AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens will be $1,799.95, and AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED will be $1,699.95.

Nikon have unveiled three super-telephoto lenses featuring the VR II Vibration Reduction system - the Nikon AF-S 400mm f/2.8 VR, Nikon AF-S 500mm f/4 VR and Nikon AF-S 600mm f/4 VR. “Lenses like these bring the photographer right to the heart of the action, even from hundreds of metres away,” said Robert Cristina, Brand Manager, Nikon Professional Products, Europe. “Judging from feedback we have had already, this news will be very welcomed by photographers”. Available in November, the price of the Nikon AF-S 400mm f/2.8 VR, Nikon AF-S 500mm f/4 VR and Nikon AF-S 600mm f/4 VR lenses has yet to be announced. Estimated selling prices for the AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR, AF-S NIKKOR 500mm and 600mm f/4G ED VR lenses are $8,799.95, $7,899.95 and $9,499.95 respectively

The Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM lens offers a a 114 degree angle of view. It features the latest Ring-type Ultrasonic Motor (USM) for fast and near silent auto focus and a closest focusing distance of just 20cm. The Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM lens will be available from October 2007, priced at £1799.99 / €2599.99 RRP inc VAT.

The Canon EF-S 18-55mm and Canon EF-S 55-250mm lenses offer equivalent focal lengths of 29-88mm and 88-400mm respectively. Built to fit exclusively on those EOS cameras with an EF–S lens mount, the new lenses both incorporate a 4-stop Image Stabilizer to combat image blur caused by camera shake and slow shutter speeds. The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS will be available from September 2007 and the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS will be available from October 2007, priced at £159.99 / €239.99 and £239.99 / €359.99 RRP inc VAT respectively.

CameraLabs have just reviewed the Sony DT 16-80mm lens.

“In use the DT 16-80mm can certainly deliver excellent results. The range is much more flexible than the kit lens, and perfect as a single general purpose zoom. The optical quality is also of a much higher standard, with our Outdoor Results and Gallery pages revealing very well-corrected images with high contrast, sharp corners and minimal coloured fringing. It also managed to squeeze a little more resolution out of the A100 in our studio tests.”

Website: CameraLabs - Sony DT 16-80mm Review

Four Thirds User have just reviewed the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro for Four Thirds lens.

“There is much to like about the Sigma 105mm Macro EX DG for Four Thirds. It feels solidly built and is positive in handling and results. It’s also a very versatile lens, useful for portraits and medium telephoto work, especially in low light, as well as macro work.”

Website: Four Thirds User - Sigma 105mm Macro Lens Review

Leica has announced four new Summarit-M lenses, all with a maximum aperture of f/2.5. The Summarit-M f/2.5 lenses cover the most popular focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and 90mm. “Corner-to-corner definition and brilliance over the entire visual field, maximum imaging performance already at full aperture and superior stray light reduction - this is what photographers like about their Leica lenses” commented Steven K. Lee, CEO of Leica Camera AG. Deliveries of the new Leica Summarit-M lenses are scheduled to begin at the end of November 2007.

Update 8th August 2007: We now have full details of UK pricing for all four lenses, accessories and various lens sets (which are a cheaper way of buying multiple lenses).

ePhotoZine have reviewed the Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS, the second Sigma lens to feature an Optical Stabiliser to compensate for camera shake.

“The problem with superzooms is compromise. Getting the best results from what is a stretching of optical laws to the extremes. At a zoom ratio of 11.1:1, this 18-200mm optic is a result of some well-balanced compromises though. As is usual in this type of lens, the wide end is better than the longer end in general, but does suffer some distortion. Barrel distortion is just evident at the wide end of the zoom, turning to negligible pincushion by the time the telephoto end is reached.”

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Sigma-18-200mm-f35-63-DC-OS-1

Nikon have made 40 million Nikkor SLR lenses since their introduction in 1959. In that year the F mount, a 44mm large-diameter bayonet mount, was first employed for the Nikon F SLR camera. There are currently 57 lenses in the Nikkor range.

Sigma 17-70mm HSM and Sigma 18-50mm HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) lenses provide quiet and high-speed auto-focusing for all Nikon DSLR cameras. The Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4.5 DC MACRO HSM has a minimum focusing distance of 20cm (7.9”) throughout the entire zoom range. The Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC MACRO HSM has a large aperture of F2.8 and a minimum focusing distance of 20cm. The Sigma 17-70mm HSM lens costs £289.99, and the Sigma 18-50mm HSM lens £389.99.

Carl Zeiss lenses are now available for Pentax and Samsung SLR and DSLR cameras. The Carl Zeiss ZK is a series of manual focus lenses that will fit the K bayonet currently used on Pentax and Samsung cameras. Shutter priority, aperture priority and programmed auto exposure modes will be available on all camera models with these features. The Planar T* 1,4/50 ZK lens will be available in August, with 5 other models following later in the year.

CameraLabs have just reviewed the Canon 17-40mm f/4L lens.

“In this review we’ve concentrated on using the EF 17-40mm with the full-frame Canon EOS 5D, where its enormous wide angle coverage can be truly unleashed. We’ve compared it against the EF 24-105mm f/4.0L and the older EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, as many photographers will actually consider using the EF 17-40mm as their main general-purpose walk-around lens. While it clearly can’t zoom-in to anything you’d describe as telephoto, the 40mm ‘long’ end makes it more flexible for day to day use than you’d think.”

Website: CameraLabs - Canon 17-40mm f/4L Lens with Canon EOS 5D Review

Website: CameraLabs - Canon 17-40mm f/4L Lens with Canon EOS 400D / XTi Review

Sigma has unveiled two new HSM lenses for Nikon DSLR cameras - the 18-50mm F3.5-5.6 DC HSM and 55-200mm F4-5.6 DC HSM. The Sigma HSM lenses provide quiet and high-speed auto focusing with all Nikon DSLR cameras. The Sigma 18-50mm HSM lens will cost £129.99, and the Sigma 55-200mm HSM lens £159.99 in the UK.