Lens Reviews

It snowed yesterday where I live, so it's time for a sleighride song. This ditty is sung to the tune of Jingle Bells and is called "Wannabe's Lament." It's a cheerful tune about the photographer I could have been, if only I'd had the right equipment. Sigh!

Mitakon, the lens brand from Zhongyi Optics (ZY Optics), opens a window into the fascinating world of "ultra macro." The image of an object is recorded on the camera's sensor up to 5X its actual size. Intriguing? Read on…

Wanna go really wide with an affordable full-frame optic? Check out this Cookie from Laowa. Cookie? No, I think I'll call it "Jewel." Laowa has created a full-frame 15mm (110° coverage) manual focus lens that opens a myriad of creative doors for Nikon Z, Canon RF, Sony E, L-Mount and Leica M users.

Tamron just announced the availability of a 90mm f/2.8 Macro lens for Sony E and Nikon Z full-frame and APS-C cameras. Shutterbug had the opportunity to shoot extensively with this new lens for a few weeks prior to its release. Here's our evaluation of the Tamron 90mm F/2.8 Di III Macro VXD (Model F072) and a gallery of sample images.

The Tamron 18-300mm zoom has already made its bones in the Sony E (APS-C) mount. But how about the Fujifilm X version? Is it truly "Everything in one?" Here we test it on a Fujifilm X-T5.

Tamron just announced a 50-300mm f/4.5-6.3 zoom for Sony E mount full-frame cameras, and Shutterbug had a chance to evaluate a sample for a few weeks before the new lens was unveiled. That's not a typo—she's a 50-300, not a 70-300—and that, as it turns out, makes a huge difference. Here is our hands-on review.

Cameras come and go, but Lensbaby lenses are timeless. They add dynamic energy to ordinary photos and empower creatives to express unique visualizations. I can think of more than 101 reasons to use a Lensbaby, but I'll share just five big ones.