Digital Camera News and Reviews

Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-50mm f/3.8-5.6

Photozone.de has started reviewing lenses for the Four-Thirds system again and their first review is of the Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-50mm f/3.8-5.6 Mega OIS lens. This is the kit lens for the DSLR Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10.
Unlike other kit lenses this lens has a pretty high quality and photozone gives the Leica lens a good verdict due to the good image quality and a very good build quality.

Read the full review here and their other reviews of Four-Thirds lenses here.

Sony DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6

Photozone.de has reviewed the only ultra-wide angle lens from Sony, the Sony DT 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 SAL-1118. Although it says Sony on the lens it is really a modified Tamron 11-18mm lens.
Photozone.de give the lens a pretty poor review as the lens suffer from heavy distortion at 11mm and recommends looking at the alternatives from Sigma if you are interested in an ultra-wide lens for Sony DSLRs.

Read the full review here.

Zeiss ZA Planar T* 85mm f/1.4

The German photo website photozone.de has reviewed the lens Zeiss ZA Planar T* 85mm f/1.4, Sony SAL-85F14 for Sony Alpha mount. This Zeiss lens is great for low light portraits and to get a very shallow depth of field (DOF).

Photozone ends up giving the Zeiss ZA Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 lens a “Highly Recommended” grade due to the lens’ excellent sharpness even from f/1.4 and great contrast. The only drawback is a some tiny problems with the focus ring and the high price (but good optics come at a high price).
Read the full review here.

Olympus Zuiko Digital 25mm f2.8 pancake lens

In addition to the Olympus E-420 Olympus also announced a new lens. The Zuiko Digital 25mm f2.8 is a so called pancake lens and is very compact. The lens has an overall length of 23.5 mm and when combined with E-410 or E-420, the total length including the camera body and lens is only 76.5 mm.
With its relatively fast f2.8 and compact size it is a strong competitor to the Leica 25mm f1.4 prime lens that a considerably higher price tag.

Olympus Zuiko Digital 25mm f2.8 pancake lens will be released in mid April in Japan and early May in USA.


Press release:
Olympus Imaging Corporation (President: Masaharu Okubo) today announced the upcoming launch of the ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm f2.8, a thin, lightweight single-focus standard pancake-type lens fully compliant with the Four Thirds System standard for digital SLR cameras and scheduled for release in the middle of April, 2008.
Main Features

1. Thin, lightweight pancake-type lens with an overall length of 23.5 mm and weight of 95 grams
2. Digital-dedicated, high-image-quality design
3. Excellent close-up shooting capability
4. Screw-in aluminium lens cap, and lens hood (optional)

ZUIKO DIGITAL is a series of interchangeable lenses designed especially for use with digital SLR cameras. Featuring compliance with the Four Thirds System standard, these dedicated lenses maximize the potential of the high-performance image sensors used in digital SLRs.

The newly developed ZUIKO DIGITAL 25mm f2.8 is a thin, lightweight single-focus standard pancake-type lens with a focal distance equivalent to 50 mm on a 35 mm camera lens. It offers both excellent portability thanks to the compact and lightweight advantages of the Four Thirds System and very sharp, clear imaging performance.

The lens has an overall length of 23.5 mm. When combined with the already released E-410 or the upcoming E-420 digital SLR camera, the total length including the camera body and lens is only 76.5 mm. The result is an easy-to-store, easy-to-carry camera system with go-anywhere portability. And when the lens with E-420 is used, “AF Live View” function, which makes Live View shooting easier and more convenient than ever, is available.

With a focal distance equivalent to 50 mm on a 35 mm film camera lens, this standard pancake-type lens provides an image angle very close to that of the naked eye. The result is a near-natural visual field that makes this an ideal standard lens for daily use, whether for simple snapshots or for more sophisticated portrait and landscape shooting.