Lenses & Accessories

With the exception of the filters used for black-and-white photography (see the article Black & White Landscape Photography) the numbers of filters used for capturing color landscapes are few, mostly due to the fact that, in digital imaging, many white balance and filter effects can be addressed in camera.

Photographing cityscapes is like shooting landscapes… only more so. I say this because cityscapes consist of hundreds of buildings that qualify as skyscrapers. New York City, which for the record has more buildings than any other city on the planet, has more than 5,500 high-rise buildings.

Seascapes are about sky, water, the physical dynamics of the points at which they meet, reflections and mirror imaging and most of all, the unique qualities of moisture-filtered light that one can only find where sky meets water.

Panasonic’s Lumix cameras do an outstanding job of capturing still images, but they’re also very popular tools for shooting high-definition video. A new firmware update for seven of its G Series Lumix lenses was announced today that enhances their ability to shoot smoother-looking video.

When shopping for a new lens, sooner or later you’re going to run into the terms “ED” (extra-low dispersion), “LD” (low dispersion), “SLD” (special low dispersion), “ELD” (extraordinary low dispersion), and “ULD” (ultra-low dispersion), and each of these variants represents a standard above the norm when it comes to image quality.

In keeping with the spirit of its compact Lumix interchangeable-lens cameras, Panasonic has introduced two new truly compact zoom lenses: the Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 14–42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Power O.I.S. and Panasonic Lumix G X Vario PZ 45-175mm/F4.0-5.6 ASPH Power O.I.S.

To accompany the new Sony alpha NEX-7 and NEX-5n cameras, Sony is rolling out a trio of new E-mount optics: a Zeiss Sonnar T* E24mm f/1.8 semi wide, a Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS portrait lens and a Sony E 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS tele-zoom.

Back in the early days of photography, panoramic photographs, which by definition are wide-field, unbroken sweeps of scenery, were captured using cameras with pivoting lens turrets that “painted” the image across a wide sheet of film as the lens rotated from left to right (or vice versa).

Ricoh’s GXR module camera system, one of the more “curious” camera systems to come down the pike in quite some time, curiously enough, just might become the next “it” camera with the announcement of its long-awaited M-mount module.

It’s interesting to note how many photographers, even advanced shooters, are mistakenly under the impression that the depth of field (DOF) of a variable-aperture zoom lens changes in relation to the effective aperture of the lens as you zoom toward the telephoto end of the optic’s zoom range.

In the movie Jaws, there’s a scene in which actor Roy Scheider, playing Martin Brody, the Chief of Police of the fictitious Cape Cod town of Amity, first spots the central character of the movie: a Great White (mechanical) shark, now on display at the Aadlen Brothers U-Pick Parts in California.

Nikon has expanded its already expansive lineup of Micro-NIKKOR optics with the introduction of the Nikon AF-S DX Micro-NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G. Although it’s been designed and priced as an entry-level macro lens for use with Nikon DX-format DSLRs, the new 40mm Micro-NIKKOR sports a number of features you’d expect to find on Nikon’s pricier Micro-NIKKOR offerings.

In addition to the new E-P3 Digital Pen, Olympus has also introduced a pair of fast prime lenses that should appeal to low-light and street photographers alike. On the wide side, Olympus has unveiled a new M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2.0, which offers the equivalent AOV of a 24mm lens on a full-frame 35mm DSLR.

As a working photographer, the center of the universe is your camera bag and its contents. Your cameras and lenses are the tools of your trade. As you may have noted, both are mentioned in plural because just as you wouldn’t jump out of an airplane without a backup parachute, you shouldn’t attempt to photograph an emotionally spiked, non-repeatable event armed with only one camera.

If you own a Panasonic G-series Lumix camera and have been waiting for a fast, world-class normal lens to round out your lens arsenal, your wait is over.  

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