Buyers’ guide
Optical allusion
Buyers’ guide
As any keen photographer knows, lenses and filters can have as much bearing on your images as the camera and sensor. Here is our pick of potential candidates for your kitbag
photographers – as well as those that want to dabble with close-up photography while avoiding spending big on a macro lens. Some filter sets can be stacked to boost their creative potential further and maximise “CLOSE-UP FILTERS COULD BE HANDY FOR NOVICES – OR THOSE AVOIDING SPENDING BIG ON A MACRO LENS”
their effect. But, compatibility aside, the choice should be based on our intended application, which will further narrow the search. As regards lenses, leaving out clear examples from the big camera brands themselves, our guide here instead takes in the industry’s key names for the manufacture and provision of third-party optics. Many listed provide the same lens in a variety of fits for different cameras, or the filter in a choice of sizes. Ultimately, these brands want to sell their products by providing something for everyone. So we hope you find an example here that piques your interest – and fuels your creative urge.
of creative subjects and tasks, divided further into zooms and primes. The same is true of filters. We might be buying one just as added protection for our lens, so something relatively inexpensive will do; or for an almost endless variety of creative effects, whereby quality counts. Just a few specialist examples include night pollution and night light filters, which suppress the emissions generated by artificial lighting that can mask or obscure stars in the night sky, neutral density (ND) filters that reduce the overall intensity of the light hitting our camera and allow for the use of slower shutter speeds, or even close-up filters, which are handy gadgets for novice
Put simply, camera lenses and filters go hand in hand, so it makes sense to group both in our buyers’ guide. While it’s obvious that we’ll be seeking to select a lens that’s directly compatible with our specific camera system and mount size, we likewise need to ensure the filter size or filter set we’re choosing is an exact match for the lens we’re intending to affix it to – though holders and adapters can add flexibility. These are some of the first things we’ll need to confirm before making our decision. Compatibility aside, what we actually want to do with the lens or filter counts. There’s a broad range of lenses available to suit a wide variety
WORDS BY GAVIN STOKER
PHOTOGRAPHY IS LIGHT, runs the well-worn adage. To gather as much light and detail as possible and form an intricate image, we need a decent lens, preferably a prime, on the front of our camera. While, to control the flow of light and avoid losing highlight detail, allow for a slower shutter speed or deliver more saturated colours, an accessory filter is a must. Filters are even advisable for protecting our lens. Far better, and less expensive, that this bears the brunt of an accidental knock than the expensive glass behind it.
Lenses
Irix › irixlens.com
Samyang › samyanglens.com
Irix’s USP is lenses for photographers with cine optical properties. While focusing on moviemakers, it provides full-frame DSLR lenses for Canon, Nikon and Pentax users, too. Like others in our round-up, it has added Fujifilm X Mount optics to its offering recently. Worth singling out is the Irix 30mm f/1.4, available in Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax K mounts. The entire optical structure is claimed to be identical in cine and photographic versions, but Irix has placed emphasis on the vividness of the image. An 11-bladed aperture with rounded edges ensures pleasant background blur. Other lenses in its line-up include the 11mm f/4.0, 15mm f/2.4, 21mm f/1.4, 45mm f/1.4, 150mm f/2.8 Macro 1:1 and 45mm f/1.4 GFX.
This South Korean producer of high-quality third-party lenses recently introduced what it’s calling the smallest and lightest autofocus telephoto lens for X Mount cameras. Also small-ish is the cost, at a suggested £474. The lightweight telephoto Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 X prime for Fujifilm mirrorless owners offers a full-frame equivalent focal length of around 112.5mm. Weighing 257g, it is claimed to be more than two times lighter than market alternatives. Promising refined bokeh, AF performance is pitched as great for video. Preset Aperture Control lets users control depth-of-field smoothly and without noise or vibration when recording videos in AF. Recent releases include support for Sony full-frame FE-mount. Its AF 35-150mm f/2-2.8 FE is a fast all-rounder, and the AF 85mm f/1.4 FE II the lightest among all the large-aperture 85mm lenses compatible with this mount.
Tamron › tamron.eu
One of the most prolific third-party manufacturers with a wide range of mirrorless-compatible options has increased its X Mount support. The Tamron 11- 20mm f/2.8 Di III-A1 RXD is the fourth of its Fujifilm APS-C-compatible zooms, joining an existing trio of the 17-70mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD, 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD and 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD. A fast, ultra wide-angle optic, the 11-20mm f/2.8 delivers a 35mm equivalent focal range of 16.5-30mm, minimum focus distance of 15cm at the maximum wide-angle setting, plus a silent RXD drive for AF performance, said to make it ideal for stills or video. At 86.5mm long and 335g, construction comprises 12 elements in ten groups and has two GM elements for edge-to-edge detail, one XLD and two LD elements to prevent optical aberrations. Its lens coating reduces ghosting and flare. Suggested retail price is £799.99.
Issue 108 | Photography News 29
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