Lens Review Diary

One of the new things we are introducing with the rebooting of the Orange blog is the "Lens Review Diary". This will become a reference of the latest lens reviews, presented in reverse chronological order. Add it to your bookmarks with the permalink or add it to your delicious bookmarks.


November 2
Canon time! Now coming in is the review of the Canon 100mm f2.8 hybrid IS macro lens, the first lens showing Canon's new hybrid IS technology. The review is out at SLR Gear.

We continue lens-review-Monday with Photo Review of Australia, as they have posted their review of the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS, a "digital" lens for their APS-C lenses. This came in conjunction with their EOS 7D camera review.

Pancake time! Hold the syrup though! Photo Zone has published their findings after spending some quality time with the Olympus 17mm pancake lens. This is of course a Micro Four Thirds lens. The "base" of the tests was none other than the Panasonic GF1 [reviews].


October 29
It's Tamron-time at PhotoZone, where they review the Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 Di II, which as the name suggests (Di II) it is a "digital lens", or more technically accurate, a cropped-sensor-lens. Doing the 1.5x math, this is around a 15-36mm wide-zoom. Their review was of the Nikon flavor. As usual, no spoilers here. Their sample pictures include the D300 and DX-mode pictures with the flaghship D3x.


October 27
It's lens review day today! Now SLRGear.com joins the party with a review of the Sigma 50-200mm f4-5.6 DC OS. As you can surmise form the coding, it is an APS-C lens (DC) with optical image stabilization (OS). The review unit was of the Canon flavor, mounted on the 20D.

Photo Review has just published their take on the Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG OS, a 35mmFF lens available in different flavors. The review unit was of the Canon flavor, used at full frame with the Canon 5D.

Focus Numerique reviews the Nikon 35mm f1.8 DX lens that offers DX-Nikonians with an affordable normal prime lens.

It's Leica time at LensTips.com where they review the Summicron-M 50mm an f-two lense. Yes, it's Leica M-time and the review was made with the Leica M9! Full-size samples on the last page along with conclusions.

October 25
Photo Zone has just posted their test of the 20mm pancake. Yes, that's the Panasonic Micro Four Thirds lens that came out with the GF1! Conclusions are on the last page, and as usual, we won't spill the beans here.

Another one of them Canon EF-S IS lenses is getting the review treatment, also at PhotoZone. This time it is the EF-S 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS, which gives APS-C shooters a versatile zooming range. The samples for review were shot with the Canon 7D. You can see them along with the conclusions on the last page of the review.

And at PhotoPlus Expo, Photography Bay has posted a hands-on review of the Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG OS lense using the Canon-mount edition.

This is in a print magazine for those who subscribe or are near France. The latest issue of Le Monde de la Photo will have a review of the promising new Tamron 60mm f2 Di-II lens. A recap of the latest magazine issue at their website.


October 24
Prime time at Neutral Day as they check out the Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG lens on their 5DMk2 and post plenty of sample pictures.


October 22
LensTip has "ported" another one of their reviews, this time it is the non-hybrid IS older version of the Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro lens. The 20D was used as the "carrier" of the test. As usual, no spoilers here, but if you are in a hurry, conclusions and full-size samples are on the last page (page #11).


October 21
LensTip.com has translated their review of the Sigma 120-400mm f4.5-5.6 APO DG OS HSM for the english-speaking crowd to read. Check it out! The review used the Canon copy, which was mounted on the Canon EOS 20D.

David Lee Tong has a guest-review of the Sigma 105mm f2.8 EX DG Macro lens. The review unit was the Pentax flavor, with the K10D and K100D-Super used as the "base" camera.


October 20
Dpreview.com has just posted their take on the mysterious Pana-Leica 45mm f2.8 Micro Four Thirds lens. We feature this review at the front page of the main blog.


October 19
Four Thirds may have gotten rather quiet in terms of new camera announcements, but there are waves of new Four Thirds lens reviews! The latest one is the Olympus 70-300mm f4-5.6 ED at SLRGear, the review arm of Imaging Resource. They used the Olympus E510 as the "Base camera".

One more Pentax lens review is in the internet archives now, PhotoZone has just posted their evaluation of the Pentax 15mm f4 DA lens. The K10d [reviews] was used as the basis for the review.


October 18
We have the first review of Canon's new mid-range EF-S zoom lens, the 18-135mm EF-S IS. The review is posted at critically-acclaimed PhotoZone.de, using the Canon 50D as the base for the test.


>October 16
Bigma time! The ALC has posted a review of the Sigma 150-500mm lens, written by Mark Lent. Football with helmets is the subject of this lens review. The review uses the Nikon-flavor of the lens. Check it out.

ALC has posted back to back hands-on reports of two Panasonic Micro Four Thirds lenses, the wide-zoom 7-14mm along with the superzoom 14-140mm, which is the lens bundled with the GH1.

LensTip.com has translated their old Polish-language review of the Pentax 18-55mm DA II on their website. If you can't read Polish, this is a new review to you (and me) :)


October 15
Photozone has posted a double-review of the new Canon 100mm f2.8L lens that features their new hybrid IS technology that claims improvements for macro users. The review is discussed on the front page of the main blog!


October 13
Award-winning photographer Cliff Mautner has posted his early look at the new Nikon 70-200 lens. We feature this at the main blog.

And a newly translated review is out of the Olympus 50-200mm (100-400mm eq) f2.8-3.5 SWD at LensTip. The original review appeared at optyczne, a polish-speaking site. But over time, they are translating their lens reviews to english so they can be read by a larger audience.


October 12
SLR Gear has just posted their findings on the brand new Sony 18-55mm kit lens, the one that came out earlier this year with the new consumer-friendly Alpha DSLRs. So how did it do?


October 9
In progress it is, the review of the Canon 100mm macro lens with the new hybrid IS technology, at The Digital Picture it is. The lens is currently shipping at its opening price of $1050 from a couple of retailers. For more on the stock-status, look for its entry at the Canon 7D matrix.


October 8
Everybody loves a good prime! So, what about the Nikon 35mm f1.8 DX? Focus Numerique has put it through the paces in their brand new review. The review is in French, but it includes plenty of sample pictures and charts and comparisons!


October 7
Via FotoActualidad we learn of some Zeiss action, DigitalCamaraLens has posted their take on the Zeiss 21mm f2.8 for the Canon world (ZE = Z-EOS), using the 1Ds Mark III as the test base.

October 6
What about us say Samyang lenses? Let us get some love! LensTip.com has just posted a review of the new Samyang 14mm f2.8 ED MC lens. Their usual 11-page review includes samples and verdict on the last page. The version they tested was the Nikon one, using the D3X as the "base".


October 5
Shiguma time again! SLR Gear reviews the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 EX DG HSM, a 35mm full-frame lens. The lens was tested both on an APS-C and a 35mmFF DSLR (20D and 5D of the Canon variety). I can see blur from my house? (and they are not singing!) :)


October 3
Four Thirds fans should build a statue for PhotoZone, as unlike some other sites, they continue to pay close attention to Four Thirds! This time, they have posted their review of the Panasonic 14-150mm superzoom lens. As usual, their full-size samples and verdict are on the last page of the review. The "base" for their testing was the cult-favorite Panasonic L10. And the lens is currently shipping at Amazon.com for $1700 - or if you can wait for another 8-10 days, it will ship from Adorama for $1600.


October 2
LensTip has a new review translated from their optyczne.pl site. So if you cannot read Polish, this review is new to you :) The review is for the Nikon 16-85mm f3.5-5.6 VR lens. As usual, this is an 11-page review, with the samples and conclusions on the last page. No spoilers here! The Nikon D200 was the "enabler" of the tests.

PhotoZone needs to add dates to their lens reviews :) Speaking of which, they posted a review of the Olympus 40-150mm f4-5.6 lens, an ED lens, of the Four Thirds persuasion. As this is Four Thirds, it is 80-300mm "equivalent". As usual, conclusions and full-size samples are on the last page. The "enabler" of the test is the Panasonic L10, quite possibly the last Panasonic 4/3rds camera made!


October 1
Japanese mega-site DC Watch Impress has posted a comparative shootout between four superzoom lenses that fit the Nikon DX mount. Using the D300 DSLR as the basis, they square off Nikon, Tamron, Tokina and Shiguma competitors. The text is in computer-translated Japanese, but the pictures speak for themselves. You can see a full-size JPEG of each picture simply by clicking on it (or open in new tab/window for the multi-taskers out there).

The "Good Design Awards" were just handed out in Japan, and one lens won an award, it is the Canon TS-E 17mm f4L. Everybody loves a tilt-shift lens these days! More in the Good Design Awards roundup.


September 30
Yes lensaholic fans. Today is officially a lens review day, with multiple reviews coming out!

We start with the "Big Iron" lenses, the 24-70mm f2.8G ED of the Nikon variety. This is a 35mm full-frame lens, and it has been reviewed at critically-acclaimed Photo Zone. This is their standard 3-pager, with full-size real-world samples and conclusions on the last page. The "enabler" for the review is the Nikon D3 [reviews] body. This is nearly a $2000 lens, so the things you may forgive a kit lens, you cannot forgive here. So, how did it do??? No spoilers here :)

We stay at PhotoZone, where they have gone small, not quite pancake-small, but MicroZuiko small. The Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm, the kit lens of the E-P1 is the latest subject of their review. The E-P1 [reviews] was used as the enabler body for the review. As usual, conclusions on the third-page. No spoilers :)

Staying with the Micro Four Thirds theme, SLR-Gear, the non-camera review arm of Imaging Recourse has posted their take on the Panasonic 20mm pancake. An adorable little lens, that already got a glowing review from dpreview (see Sept-25 below).

And we close today's lensaholic-a-thon with a "Big Iron" review, the Sigma 50-150mm f2.8 EX II HSM DC getting tested out by Don Chick for Professional Photographer magazine. The review unit was the Canon EOS flavor, and the "enabler" for the review was the Canon 40D [reviews].


September 29
The f2.8 party continues at LensTip, this time they are reviewing the Canon 16-35mm f2.8 II, another L-USM lens. This is their standard 11-page review-format, with conclusions and full-size samples on the last page. The Canon 20D served as the baseline for the testing.


September 28
Wedding photographer Ryan Brenizer has just posted his review of the Nikon 35mm f1.8 DX lens, a "digital prime" created for APS-C ("cropped sensor") Nikon DSLRs.


September 25
dpreview is serving pancakes! Hold the syrup though as it may damage the lens! They have just posted their detailed findings on the 20mm f1.7 Micro Four Thirds. The conclusions and the rating on the last page.


September 22
It is Pentax-time at LensTip, where they review the Pentax 77mm f1.8 limited. You heard me, f1.8! This is an 11-page review, with conclusions on the last page, along with plenty of sample pictures taken using the K20D as the "enabler".


September 21
The Tamron 60mm f2 Di-II lens is, as you can expect, generating a lot of curiosity attention. It's not of the that we get an f2 zoom like that at a down-to-earth price. The latest to check out this lens is PDN Gear Guide.


September 18
Japanese website DC-Watch has posted full-size pictures and a computer-translated review of the Nikon 18-200mm DX VR II lens. We talk about the review at this impact review update at the main blog.


September 17
We have an on-going contest going on! The winner will receive a FREE one-week rental of the lens of their choice courtesy of BorrowLenses.com. The entry deadline is 6pm eastern time on Monday September 21! It's very easy enter, and you have a very good chance of winning! Check it out!

One more Four Thirds lens review, this time back at PhotoZone, where they review the 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 ED Digital Zuiko. Full-size samples on the last page! The camera used for the test was the Panasonic L10.


September 16
In what appears to be turning into a lens-review-week, we have more! Via this dpreview forum thread, we discover a detailed user-review of the Olympus 14-35mm f2 SWD by photographer Brandon Eu. This review includes DXoMark charts to please the technically-inclined :)

And another Four Thirds lens review! This time it is Photography Blog reviewing the Olympus 50mm f2 macro lens. Hey, that's not bad, three lens reviews in three days for FourThirds!

And some more action! Japanese website DC-Watch has posted their adventures with the Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 XR Di-II VC, an "APS-C lens". They post lots and lots of full-size JPEG images. Their review unit was the Nikon flavor, and they used the D300 for their tests. Including is a brick-wall series. Not because they love brick walls, but to please the lensaholics :)


September 15
Via Foto Actualidad, we learn of a review (quite possibly the first one world-wide) of the new Nikon 18-200mm DX VR II lens. The review is coming from Czech Nikon-fan website NikonClub.cz. Lots of sample pictures, both real-world and technical! Click on each picture to see its full-size version, but please drink their bandwidth responsibly :)

Another day, another f2.8 lens review! This time it is the Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 II EX APO DG Macro HSM reviewed at LensTip.com. The review uses their customary 11-page format, with conclusions and full size samples on the last page. The review unit was the Nikon-mount mounted on the D200.


September 14
PhotoZone.de dove into the world of Four Thirds and reviewed the versatile Olympus 12-60mm f2.8-4 lens, which gives 4/3rds users a nice "equivalent" range of 24-120mm. The camera used to "host" the review was the cult-favorite Panasonic L10.

It's Shiguma time at SLRGear, as this time they are kicking the lens-tires of the Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 EX DC HSM. Their review unit was with the Canon 20D, which, due to old age, had a "shutter accident", so the sample pictures are coming later on, after the shutter is fixed.


September 9
Another day, another f2.8 zoom review! This time SLR Gear puts on their EOS gloves and takes a close look at the Canon 70-200mm f2.8L USM. This is not a stabilized lens; Canon has an IS version for nearly $2000. This one costs under $1300, and nearly twice as much as the third-party equivalents (Shiguma, Tamron).


September 8: 50 million
Nikon has reached a new milestone, 50 million Nikkor lenses since the beginning of time. Beginning of Nikkor-time that is :)

It looks like everyone was paying attention to Leica, as we had very few new lens reviews this week!


September 4
And we have a discount for you! You can save 5% off your next rental at BorrowLenses.com. Simply use coupon code 1001NC (all uppercase) when you place your next rental order.


September 3
Every K-mount user is crazy about a sharp-dressed lens! And SLRGear has put the Pentax 60-250mm f4 SDM through the paces in their review. This is a "digital" lens, or more technically accurate, a lens designed for APS-C DSLRs, so when mounted in those Pentax and Samsung models, it has the "equivalent" of 90-375mm, essentially a "digital homage" to the 100-400mm lens. With specs like that, you can obviously expect to pay four figures. Even Pentax's thriftiness could not make a lens like this under four figures :)


September 2
A lens that will surely pique the interest of APS-C shooters is the Tamron 60mm f2 Di-II. Yes, it is not a typo, it is an F-TWO lens! And Photocrati tested it out and posted their findings! Will this "90mm equivalent" be a worthy addition to your LBA arsenal?


August 28
Not a "pure" lens, but a lens it is none-the-less, the Imaging Insider features a review of the LensBaby Composer!


August 27
Leica time! Steve Huff had one week to check out the Leica 21mm Summilux f1.4 and he is sharing his findings and impressions after mounting it on his trusty M8. As you can expect, f1.4 is low-light shooting bait :)


August 25
Zeiss time at Lens Tip where they take the Sony-flavored CZ Vario Sonnar T* 16-80mm f3.5-4.5 DT and test it out. Please note this review is a translation of their December 2007 review, however, if you cannot read Polish, then this review is new to you :)


August 22
It is Leica-time again, as Steve Huff reviews the Summilux 24mm f1.4 lens after spending one week with it and running it with the Leica M8 digital body.


August 21
The Canon 70-400mm f4L IS gets retested at PhotoZone at the higher resolution of 15mp. Their previous test was using an 8mp Digital Rebel. This time the test camera was the Canon 50d.


August 20
Super-zoom this! LensTip takes a look at the Tamron 18-250mm lens, which is of course a Di-II, a "digital" lens that works on DSLRs with APS-C type sensors. Their test unit was the Canon flavor, tested on the 20D.

Curiosity takes you to the bookstore! The September 2009 issue of Pop Photo has a review of the Leica f0.95 lens. Because the review is not posted online yet, we won't say anything about it. It is mentioned in our magazine unboxing :-)


August 19
It's power to the people day at Photography Review where one of reader's reviews of the Sigma 30mm f1.4 DC EX (Nikon) is promoted to the main page. This is an APS-C lens as the "DC" designates in all Shiguma lenses.


August 17
Pentax is getting some review-love at SLR-Gear, where their DA 17-70mm f4 lens gets reviewed. This is also a lens they used in their impact review of the heavily debates Pentax K-7. The SLRGear website has one of our pet-peeves on web-design, never have two vertical scrollers on a single-page. It's too annoying for the reader, especially now that most screens are bigger and wider. Back to the lenses now :)


August 16
I'll match your 24mm TS-E lens (see August 13) with a 17mm TS-E lens says Luminous Landscape which posts their take on the aforementioned new Canon lens. This is an exotic type of a lens, made exotic not just by the technology but by the price as well :)


August 15
Serious Compacts rounds up a couple of sources for Tamron 60mm f2 Di-II samples. It's not often that we see a lens of this type, so it is an intriguing lens to follow!


August 14
An "L" review at LensTip came out! They put the Canon 85mm f2L II through the paces and they are sharing their findings with the rest of us. The 1Ds Mark III was used for the purposes of the review.


August 13
This is not a lens you buy or sell everyday, but it certainly has its niche following. We are talking about the Canon TS-E 24mm tilt-shift lens reviewed at The Digital Picture which covers all things Canon.


August 11
It's Shiguma time at Photo Review, where they put the Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 EX DC lens under the microscope. Imatest data as usual is provided for technical analysis.


August 10
So, how about the Canon 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM? Inspired by the recent world-wide photo-walk, Canon Blogger decided to give this lens a try and post their findings.


August 9
PhotoClub Alpha posted their review of the Sigma 18-250mm DC OS lens on a sensor-shift body, so we turned that into an impact review discussed at the main blog.


August 8
One of the special Four Thirds lenses has been translated to an english-review by LensTip.com. We are talking of course about the Olympus 150mm f2. Yes, two point zero! This of course "translates" to 300mm in 35mm equivalency and offers 4/3rds users something exciting. So, were the reviewers excited about it? Read on to find out! (Conclusions are on page #11, but no spoilers here)


August 7
Next up, PhotoZone takes a look at the Nikon 14-24mm f2.8, a full-frame lens for all generations of Nikonian (D)SLRs! The price tag of course is high, so does it "earn" it in the review? Conclusions on page #3.


August 5
Viva Zeiss! Not Zeiss-Zeiss, but Sony-Zeiss in this case. LensTip has posted the english edition of their mid-June review of the Sony 16-35mm f2.8 T* SSM lens. A lens with a name this long must surely command a high price :) It was tested of course on the Alpha A900. The reviewers put it through the paces and even compare on how it stacks up against the Nikon 14-24mm which was received a couple of days after at PZone.


August 4
Speaking of tests and reviews, LensTip explains their testing procedures in this two-page article.


August 3
Is it worth four thirds its price or not? One way to find out is to check the review of the Olympus 14-42mm Micro 4/3rds lens at SLRGear. This is the lens that comes with one of the configurations of the Olympus E-P1. So how did the lens perform and especially considering its price and size?

And how about a "power to the people" review? Photography Review features a user-review of the Canon EF 28-300 f3.5-5.6 L-IS-USM. As you can expect with that kind of a name, this is an expensive lens. And the reviewer has a tip for those interested in the lens and it involves ...the gym!


July 31
The dpreview review of the Pentax 55mm f1.4 DA* SDM lens set off a firestorm in the Pentaxian world, and we posted a review-update at the main blog covering both the review and the reactions.


July 29
I'm sure most photographers would love to have every major DSLR and every major and serious lens at their disposal, unfortunately most of us live in the real world which is full of compromises, so a 3rd-party lens that costs 1/3rd to 1/2 of a Canon/Nikon is always an intriguing alternative. One such lens is the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 Di LD, reviewed by LensTip. They used the Canon-flavor for their review.

And remember, every time you skip flossing or brushing your teeth, a dentist gets a new Leica!


July 28
You will be seeing red after you read this next post ;-) Photofocus has posted their long-term results after using the Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR macro lens.


July 27
Can't a kit lens get some love? Well today it can! CanonBlogger has posted his take on the Canon 18-55mm EF-S lens. This the Digital Rebel kit lens, before the newer IS version came out in response to sensor-shift stabilization offered in almost all DSLRs by Sony, Pentax and Olympus.


July 26
It's not often that we see a review of the same lens at two different sites within four days, but such an occurrence has occurred in the review-space occupied by the Nikon 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 DX lens, an occupational lens for the wide-zoom Nikonians. This review is by SLR Gear.


July 23
PhotoZone, the critically-acclaimed lens-review site has posted their take on the Nikon 10-24mm DX, an f3.5-4.5G lens that needs blue pills, offering an alternative wide-angle zoom. The review follows their standard format, with the verdict at the bottom of page #3.


July 22
Everybody and their grandmother are looking for this lens, but very few can find it at $200. We are talking of course about the surprise Nikon 35mm f1.8 DX price, which Neekon launched at a reasonable price of $200. So, how does it perform? Photography Review checks it out! Conclusions are on page #3 of the review for those who can't wait to find out what they found out.

Not a review, but of interest to lensaholics, Canon has issued a development notice, stating that they have now developed a hybrid lens-based stabilization system. Read more via Galbraith et al.


July 21
Canon users, what do you think about the 55-250mm f4-5.6 EF-S IS lens? Well, we don't have to ask LensTip.com what they think, because they posted their review of the lens. This is a translation of their Polish review from 2008. But if you can't read Polish, then it's new-to-you :)


July 20
SAM I am! One of the new SAM Sony DT lenses that were launched together with the A230/A330/A380 DSLR trio is the 55-200 f4-5.6 DT SAM, and that lens just got tested out by SLR Gear. So, what did they think of the lens and of Sony's move to these new SAM (AF-motor) lenses? (Please note that unlike Nikon, Sony has NOT removed the autofocusing-capability from the DSLR bodies. It looks like the remaining Minoltans were able to fight off the Sony electronics geeks ;-)


July 19
Not a full-review, but sample shots for now for the Sigma 18-50mm DC OS f2.8-4.5 HSM lens. This particular lens was the Nikon flava, mounted on the D200 body at LensTip.com.

And one of the "must have pro" lenses got its workout, this time it was the Canon 70-200mm f2.8L IS at Sublime Light.


July 18
Alpha Mount World has posted their review of the Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 Di, a "full-frame" lens but digitally optimized (thus the "Di" but not "Di II"). They obviously tested the Sonolta version. They pushed the lens to its limits by mounting it on the Alpha A900. So, did it pass the test?


July 17
Professional and award-winning photographer Ryan Brenizer opines on the Nikon 24-70mm f2.8G lens. No brick walls included, but over 140 real world pictures.


July 15
dpreview has posted their take on the $2200 Canon 24mm TS-E lens, version II, which costs over $1000 more than version I. Read more about it in our main blog coverage of the review.


July 14
It's a 7-14mm f4 duel, 43M43-style, as Japanese website DC-Watch squares off those two lenses with two M43rds lenses and takes dozens of pictures.


July 10
On July 3rd, the Sigma 24-70 got some love. Now it is time for the 70-200 f2.8 EX DG HSM II to get some attention. Photo Club Alpha tests it out, and I'll leave it to you to guess which mount they used for the testing :-) Conclusions are at the bottom, but no spoilers here.


July 9
The first review of the Olympus 17mm f2.8 Micro Four Thirds M-Zuiko lens is in the books! LensTip.com posted their findings earlier today. Eleven easy-to-read pages, with the conclusions on the last page! As usual, we won't spoil the fun here!


July 8
Not directly related to lenses per say, but of great interest to fans of different forms of image stabilization, Imaging Resource has posted their testing of the image stabilization system of the Olympus E520 and their (perhaps surprising) findings generated some busy discussions.

Not every photographer is lucky enough to get their hands on the Incredible Hulk. But Imaging Insider points out, Juza Nature Photography got their hands on one, and they have posted their findings. Oh, what's the "Incredible Hulk"? The Sigma 200-500mm f2.8 EX DG! The big green MONSTER which sells for $29,000.


July 7
It's a lens that was needed to be made, but it is not made fast enough! The Nikon 35mm f1.8 DX is hard to find, but Neutral Day has posted their findings after testing out the lens alongside the Nikon D90. Plenty of full-size samples are included!

The Nikon 18-105mm DX VR lens is getting the review treatment at LensTip.com. If you can read Polish, you may have already seen the reviews at the Polish-language version of their website, optyczne.pl. They have been busy translating their reviews to english. For english-speakers, they are new to you :-)


July 5: blast from the past
You may want to read this twice or thrice, but it's still true! SLR Gear has just reviewed the Olympus OM 50mm f1.4 lens. Yes, you heaaaard me as the star of the "House of Payne" often exclaims. They reviewed the classic OM 50mm f1.8 lens! And which camera did they use you ask? Why, the Olympus E-P1! An interesting marriage to say the least!

DigitalReview.ca took the Nikon 10-24mm DX lens for a spin, and shares some of their samples and findings so far.


July 3
PDN Pulse channels PJ Harvey as they ask whether the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 is an object of desire, especially when considering prices and the similar versions from the camera makers themselves.


July 2: Prime day
Bright and prime and f1.4! That is the Sony 35mm f1.4 lens that got the review translation at Lens Tip. This is a "G thang" lens, or as the more serious people like to call it, "G". But the reviewer is not exactly singing its praises. Why? What's wrong with the lens?


June 29
Brand new review coming from SLRGear! They have given the new Sony 50mm f1.8 SAM DT lens a test and share their findings. This is one of the new SAM (with focus motor) lenses that came with the trio of new Alpha DSLRs in May 2009 (A230, A330, A380).

Hot off the e-presses is a brand new review of the Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens at critically-acclaimed review site PhotoZone.de. The review follows their standard 3-page format, with samples and conclusions on the last page. As usual, we won't reveal their conclusions here!

The Nikon prime was not the only lens reviewed today, Photo Review has posted their take on the Panasonic 14-140mm lens, the M43rds lens that goes hand in hand with the Panasonic GH1. While the lens is not available on its own just yet, it is not exactly an affordable lens either!

But wait, there's more! LensTip.com has posted their findings on the Tamron 10-24mm Di II lens. This is a "digital-only" lens and the Nikon version was tested. Lots of JPEG samples at full-size are available at the last page of the review, which also holds the pros/cons and the conclusions.


June 25
Zoom this, and zoom that is what you get with the Sigma 18-250mm DC OS HSM lens. Although not the biggest zoom ratio (there is a 18-270mm), this lens offers versatility. But at what price? One answer to that question comes from the Professional Photography magazine review, which is posted online.

The price or the specs alone should not make or break a lens, because there are many other factors involved when deciding first which lens to buy and then which lens to take with you. So keep that in mind as you read the review of the Tamron 70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD lens at Alpha Mount World. Guess which mount they reviewed, and win fabulous prizes :-)

Even though the Japanese makers have taken over the market, the Zeiss and Leica are still well-respected around the world, which is why everybody wants to have their seal of approval (aka sticker) on their lenses. In this case, Lens Tip has translated an earlier review from their Polish site of the Zeiss T* 35mm f2 ZF lens. The lens reviewed was the Nikon edition.


June 24
Japanese website DC-Watch has posted a hands-on review of the Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM. This is a big lens, which, when mounted on a DSLR, has the "equivalent" of 225-750mm on most DSLRs, and slightly more for Canon EOS EF-S DSLRs.


June 23
What about that Sigma 18-250mm superzoom with OS and HSM? The non-camera-review arm of Imaging Resource has just posted their take on it. As usual, we won't reveal their findings here!

It is often a good idea to listen to "other voices". No, I'm not talking about going crazy or hallucinating, but reading what other people have to say about lenses, not just the regular reviews. Which is part of the reason why Photography Review is spotlighting a user review of the Tokina 12-24mm f4 ATX lens (Nikon flava).


June 22
Canon users may justifiably complain that Canon has fallen behind Nikon in the way they release EF-S/APS-C lenses, but of course we can only use what is made, which is what makes the Canon EF-S 60mm f2.8 an interesting review to read at Lens Tip.


June 19
You may recall a dpreview review of the Nikon 50mm f1.4 last year, but that was the "old" lens. Now they have posted their take on the new DX-friendly G-thang version. The review, as usual by Andy Westlake.


June 18
Japanese site DC.Watch.Impress has posted a comparison between the two EF-S IS kit lenses and the 18-200mm Canon superzoom. More details on this via the main blog.


June 16
A good prime is like a good wine, but a $2 wine may be a good wine too for the price ;-) So with that mind, here is a review of the Sigma 50mm f1.4 lens by Lens Tip, which is the english-speaking version of the critically-acclaimed Polish website optyczne.pl. Conclusions and samples (full-size JPEG) are on the last page of the review. The lens tested was the Canon-mount edition.


June 15
Go wide young photographer! And don't break the bank, look beyond the "boutique" lenses ;-) With that as a preface, here is a review of the Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 EX DG at SLRGear.com. Being a "DG" lens, it can be used on all types of SLRs and DSLRs, and it can star in its own musical too ;-)

You may have missed this, buried in a sea of press releases, CameraTown occasionaly posts
gear reviews, and one such review was posted of the Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 II lens. Unlike a lot of lab-reviews, in this instance, the reviewer used the lens, mounted on his Canon DSLRs (5D Mark II and friends) to shoot actual real-world projects, such as weddings!

Ken Rockwell reviewed (?) the renaissance Vivitar 85mm f1.4 AI lens that was released after the convoluted transaction that got someone else the naming rights of Vivitar. Or something like that.


June 13
An alternative to the major brand lenses, the Sigma 150mm f2.8 EX DG lens offers photographers some macro-versatility. But how does it perform? Let's Go Digital goes and gives us their opinion.


June 10
Everybody loves a good Leica story, so it is with interest that we check the review of the Leica 25mm f1.4 Four Thirds lens. Summary and sample pictures on the last page. The camera used for the review was the Olympus E3, which is the most advanced 43rds and M43rds camera at the moment. Although some E1 fans will make the case that the E1 is more advanced in certain regards than the E3. But that's a story for another place and time!

Also at 25mm and also at Four Thirds, but a totally different lens, LensTip also reviewed the juicy Olympus 25mm pancake using the Olympus E3 as the base unit.


June 9
A new SLRGear.com review is out, this time the Nikon 105mm f2 AF DC. DC is not for digital lens (it's not Sigma), but for "Defocus Control".


June 3
Imaging Resource's lens review arm, SLR Gear, has posted their review of the Micro Four Thirds lens Panasonic 14-140mm. As usual, no spoilers here! Check the review to find out what they found out!

A duo of Nikon DX lens mini-reviews are posted at the website of Professional Photographer - the magazine. The lenses are the hard to find Nikon 35mm f1.8 and the 10-24mm. Both of the DX variety.


May 28
A not-very-well-known lens received a surprise review at dpreview today! Andy Westlake has posted his findings on the Hartblei Superrotator Macro 120mm F4 TS. What is this? Read the review to find out :-)


May 27
Boy, have the gadget blogs grown beyond the unboxing cerenomies. Camera-review sites, you better watch it! The Imaging Insider spotlights a review of the Sigma 18-250mm DC OS HSM lens (Canon flavor), using the new T1i/500D DSLR at Gimzodo.


May 26
Peter K. Burian is back at it again, this time he has posted a review of the Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 Di-II at the new Photocrati blog, a promising new collective of photographers blogging together in their various areas of interest and expertise.


May 25: Bigma review!
SLRGear.com has just posted their review of the BIGMA, the Sigma 50-500mm lens, using the Nikon D3X/D200 as their test-DSLR base, which makes it safe to assume this was the Nikon-mount tested :)

Posted today also is an interesting meta-post on lens reviews and reviewers at the blog of the lens rentals service LensRentals.com.


May 24
And now it is time for a $2000+ Club lens review. It is the Olympus 14-35mm f2 SWD lens, of the Four Thirds variety, posted at Photography Blog. And this appears to be the first lens review posted at Photography Blog, as it joins the group of camera-review sites expanding into lens-reviews. There are plenty of pictures and sharpness discussions, but there are no technical graphs and other pixel-peepiential information.

The best price among the reputable retailers we track on a regular basis is $1935, sold and shipped by Amazon itself, not by any of the multiple third-party sellers that congregate there.


May 22
We usually don't post sample pictures here, unless it is from a hot lens or a lens that is not complete dissected yet. Which is the case today with a 40-pack of RAW and JPEG samples of the Panasonic 7-14mm Micro Four Thirds lens posted by Four Thirds User and taken during the European introduction of the Panasonic GH1.


May 21
The brand new Sony 50mm f1.8 SAM DT lens was just recently announced, however, it has a review posted on it already at LensTip.com, which is the english-language version of the Polish website Optyczne.pl.


May 20
Digital Camera Review shows their TimeLord skills by planning their just-published review of the Pentax 15mm f4 DA AL lens to coincide with the announcement of the Pentax K7 DSLR.

And now an organic lens comparison, at the Camera Work forums, between the hot and hard to find new Nikon 35mm f1.8 DX and the established 35mm f2 full-frame lens. As always, we won't spoil the findings here. It also includes full-res samples available for download, as well as the f1.8 DX on the D700 using the D700 "DX mode".


May 19
The Imaging Insider spotlights a new review of the Sigma 50mm f1.4, the Nikon flavor, posted by Nikon-guru Thom Hogan.

And another superzoom review, this one by Photo Review, taking a look at the Sigma 18-250mm DC OS HSM lens. Imatest and lots of other technical data are included to please the most demanding pixel-peepeurs out there. The review was for the Canon flavor.


May 18: Panasonic 7-14mm Micro 4/3rds lens
Hot review alert at SLR Gear, the non-camera review arm of Imaging Resource, where they review the new Panasonic 7-14mm Micro 4/3rds lens. We better get out of the habit of calling it "M 4/3rds" because that may cause some confusion with the Leica M series. The conclusions are at the bottom of the page, altough, without a price for the lens, it's hard to frame the conclusions properly :)

More lens reviews! The Online Photographer notices us that subscription-based website Reid Reviews has posted their review of the Zeiss 35mm f2. The review unit was of the Nikon flavor.


May 17
How about them superzoom lenses? Jack Neubart has posted his review of the Nikon 18-200mm DX VR lens at Photocrati, a new multi-photographer collaborative website.


May 16
Ken Rockwell has (I think) posted (what he calls) a review of the Nikon 10-24mm DX lens on his website. There we learn that the serial number on the packaging wrapper matches the serial number on the lens ;-)


May 15
PhotoZone strikes back with a new review! This time they take a trip in EOSLand and review the Canon 16-35mm f2.8 LISUSM. This is a full-frame lens, and it's by no means an "affordable" lens. The price of this at B&H Photo is $1400.


May 13
Apart from the review-site reviews, we will also be featuring photographer-reviews of lenses in this diary. The reason is that by offering a more diverse set of opinions, potential buyers can get a more well-rounded view of a particular lens.

With that as a preface, we present to you a review of the Nikon 105mm f2.5 at the DSLR-Video blog. A number of real-world sample pictures are included in the review.

Photography Review is spotlighting a user-review of the Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 DG lens. The reviewer used the Nikon flavor.

And there's a bite-size review of the Olympus 150mm f2 lens at Shutterbug. Yes, f2! But it is a Four Thirds lens.


May 12
The June 2009 edition of Popular Photography and Imaging has two new lens reviews, the hot Nikon 35mm f1.8 DX, and the Canon EF 16-35mm f2.8 II USM. Both reviews written by Julia Silber. The reviews will eventually find their way to their website, at their lens review page.


May 10
All of a sudden things got quiet in the world of lens reviewing, but Imaging Resource comes to the rescue with a review of the Nikon 50mm f1.8D at SLRGear.com.


May 5
The Digital Picture revisits their review of the Canon 24-70 f2.8L lens, one of the workhorse lenses in EOS-Land.

Time for a Four Thirds lens review, posted at Photo Review, of the Digital Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6, the kit lens. Real-world sample pictures and Imatest tests are included.


May 4: Nikon 35mm f1.8 DX
Yes, this promising little lens got another major review today, this one at SLRGear.com. We had an impact review update of review at the main blog.


May 3
A lens doesn't have to be a super-star to earn a review! Kit lenses are lenses too and they have feelings! So Alpha Mount World has posted an in-forum review of the old-school Minolta 28-80mm D f3.5-5.6.


April 30: Sony CZ 16-35mm f2.8
Yum for the Sonoltas? There is a new review out, of the Sony CZ 16-35mm f2.8 lens at Alpha Mount World, a website that specializes in all things Sony, Alpha and Minolta. The verdict and explanation, along with a strong opinion can be found on page #2. This of course is not an affordable lens, it goes for around $1900.


April 29: Sony 70-400mm f4-5.6 and Nikon kit lenses
Zoom! Zoom! It's G-thang day at PhotoZone where they review the Sony 70-400mm f4-5.6 lens, an SSM G zoom lens. As you can tell from the specs (lack of "DT") this is a 35mm full frame lens, so you can use it on your A900, film SLRs but also your other Alpha and Minolta APS-C DSLRs. When mounted there, you will get the "equivalent" of 105-600mm. This is not a perfect lens, despite its $1600 price point, so it is up to you to decide whether the plus outweigh the minuses and the price.

How about kit lenses reviews? Photo Review has put the Nikkon 18-55 DX VR and the Nikkor 55-200 DX VR lenses through the paces and posted their findings, which include both real-world sample pictures and Imatest graphs and other pixel-peepiential data.


April 28: Canon 70-200mm f4 LISUSM
It's L week at PhotoZone! This time around they are reviewing the Canon 70-200mm f4, another LISUSM lens. As you can tell from the magic words in the lens name, this is an expensive lens. Is it worth the price of admission? Read the review to find out!

In terms of price, the best price we found as of the time of writing was $1100 at various reputable online retailers, some of which you can see via Amazon.com.

April 27: Canon 135mm f2, Sigma and Nikon 50mm f1.4
It's an L-thing in the Canon world, and reputable lens review site PhotoZone.de has just posted their findings on Canon's 135mm f2 LISUSM. LISUSM? Sounds latin? But it is not, it is L + IS + USM. It's faster to type the whole word, although it takes longer to explain it :) As usual we do not reveal the findings of reviews here, but P-Zone makes a definite statement about this lens in their conclusions :)

Prime Wars! Thom Hogan has posted two back-to-back reviews of two 50mm f1.4 lenses, the Nikon and Sigma models. Discussion of these has picked up in the dpreview forums. Is it me or did the Sigma lens get a better grade than the Nikon lens? Oh my!!!


April 24, 2009: Pentax 15mm DA Ltd
We launch the "Lens Review Diary" with a review of the Pentax 15mm DA Limited lens at SLRGear.com, the non-camera review spin-off from Imaging Resource. After putting the lens through the paces, the reviewer discusses six different alternatives as well. Conclusions follow the comparison, and it is interesting to compare them with those of the very recent dpreview review of the same lens.


Starting the Lens Review Diary
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