Lens News

Back in the day when fixed-focal-length optics reigned supreme, the 35mm lens, along with its wider cousin, the 28mm, was known as the lens a portrait or wedding photographer would use for group or full-length portraits or, especially if it had a fast aperture, the photojournalist would use to grab street candids. Today, with our wide zooms we’re often happy enough with an f/4 maximum aperture and we tend to overlook what faster fixed-focal-length lenses could do to help our photography.

Canon offers five different 70-300mm zoom lenses in its product lineup. Why so many? They obviously think this is a popular and practical focal length range and I happen to agree. I even own one of them myself—the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM—but the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM tested is the mac daddy of ’em all. Part of the reason for its high price tag ($1599) is that it’s the only one of the five lenses that is resplendent in white paint (the better for TV cameras to see), making it part of the “L” series. (See “Just For The ‘L’ Of It.”) Canon’s L lenses typically have wide apertures fixed throughout the zoom range but in this case all five lenses in this focal length range have identical f/4-5.6 apertures.

The new Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM telephoto zoom lens features two Ultra Low Dispersion (UD) elements for improved image quality and reduced chromatic aberration. It incorporates a floating focusing mechanism for sharpness from close-up (3.9 feet) to infinity plus an Image Stabilization (IS) system that Canon claims increases usability by approximately four stops. The IS system includes a function that allows it to continue to operate even when the camera or the lens, the latter being a better idea, is mounted on a tripod. There’s an optional ($189.95) Canon Tripod Mount C for mounting on a tripod or monopod but I was unable to get one for testing. The lens is dust- and water-resistant and features a Fluorine coating that resists smears and fingerprints and significantly eases lens cleaning, but that doesn’t make me suggest less vigorous lens protection. More later.

Canon just dropped the curtain on two next-generation 70-200mm zoom lenses, giving photographers a choice between a fast EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS III USM and an affordable EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM.

It’s been a long wait but it seems to have been worth it. Canon just unveiled new EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM lens, the company’s (and world’s) first lens to use Canon’s new Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics (BR Optics).

Canon announced its latest lens for the EOS R full-frame mirrorless camera system: the RF 85mm F1.2 L USM standard prime lens.

Canon kicked off its once-every-five-years Canon Expo 2015 show in New York City yesterday where the Tokyo-based company pulled back the curtain on some potentially ground-breaking imaging technology. Shutterbug was on hand for the event, which is part science lab and part marketing showcase, along with thousands of buyers, dealers, and distributors of Canon products eager to see what the company has up its sleeve.