Lens News

As we said in the review of the new Zeiss Ikon (ZI) 35mm rangefinder (April 2006 issue of Shutterbug or online at www.shutterbug.com), we received six of the seven Zeiss ZM-mount lenses announced at photokina 2004: 15mm f/2.8, 21mm f/2.8, 25mm f/2.8, 28mm f/2.8, 35mm f/2, and 50mm f/2. The 85mm f/2 (listing at $2759, plus $127 for the lens shade) still wasn't available as we...

Zeiss has introduced the second lens in its coveted Otus family: an 85mm F/1.4 lens known as the Apo Planar 1.4/85. Designed for portrait photography or any imaging job that requires extreme sharpness and the ultimate in resolving power, the Otus Apo Planar 1.4/85 is comprised of 11 elements in nine groups and comes in both ZE (EF bayonet mount for Canon) and ZF.2 (F bayonet mount for Nikon) versions.

Zeiss has just introduced the Batis 25mm F/2 and 85mm F/1.8 lenses for Sony's A7 series mirroless cameras. The lenses, which are formally known as the Zeiss Batis 2/25 and Batis 1.8/85, are equipped with OLED displays and autofocus.

Zeiss just launched the Batis 2/25 and 1.8/85 lenses, which are are the first full-frame autofocus lenses with an OLED display for Sony's mirrorless E-mount A7 camera series.

If you’ve ever lusted after a really fast lens—even faster than f/1.2—imagine how compelling the thought of an affordable f/0.95 lens might be. Well, buckle your gadget bags folks, because the Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 25mm for Micro Four Thirds cameras is an f/0.95 that pops into the shopping cart for less than $400.  

How about an "advanced" shooting technique that's easy enough for anyone to master in minutes? What makes this method so cutting edge isn't because it requires special skills, but rather because it delivers eye-catching effects that stand out from the crowd.