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Have you ever wondered about the secret inner workings of modern lenses? If you’re like me, you have but are way too incompetent to ever want to actually take one apart yourself. In fact, camera brands and lens manufacturers are often quite secretive about what goes on ‘under the hood’ so to speak.
In this video, Gordon Laing from Camera Labs was lucky enough to be invited to film a Canon engineer stripping down an RF 28mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens.
From April to August 2020, our small co-operative of photographers decided to apply our documentary photography skills to tell a story about what seemed to be coming together as one of the most unique summers in recent memory. We started out with the intention of documenting an account of life under the shadow of an emerging pandemic, along with the adjustments required to prevent its spread. We looked at the consequences of lockdown, social isolation, supply shortages, and a permeating sense of unease towards the status quo.
So, we’ve got another old lens to show you. This one looks rather cool, too. It’s the Vivitar 28mm f/1.9. Back in the 70s, when this was made, it was one of the fastest 28mm out there. Voigtlander did have their Ultron 28mm f/1.9 which costed significantly more, though. More recently, Nikon, Canon, and Sigma have released their own flavours of 28mm f/1.8 lenses, with Zeiss offering a f/1.4.
But this old Vivitar is quite highly sought after. And when you look at the example images, you quickly see why. When it was new, it cost the equivalent of around $1,000 (so you can imagine how much the Voigtlander was). These days, they still command a rather good price (up to around $250). Mathieu Stern managed to pick one up for a mere €20 in a French street market. And in this video, he takes us on a tour of Stockholm, Sweden, through the eye of his Vivitar 28mm f/1.9.
What is the best lens for street photography? There are many articles and discussions on this topic, and every photographer has their own suggestion and a personal favorite. In the new Kai Wong’s video (a.k.a. Digital rev Kai) , you can see all three of these lenses compared in the streets of Hong Kong. So, what’s the judgement?
Joining Sony’s system of over 60 lenses are the ZEISS Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA wide angle lens, an FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS lens, an FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS hi-magnification zoom lens and an FE 28mm F2 wide angle prime lens.
The lenses are all currently listed as “New Arrival” shipping within 7-14 business days at B&H, but that is most likely a mistake as they should be available in April, July, March (in two weeks time, so this one is correct) and May, respectively.
The new α E-mount lenses are accompanied by two sets of ultra-wide and fisheye converters, one for the newly announced 28mm lens and the other for existing APS-C E-mount lenses.
Sony has also released a software update for several FE full-frame E-mount lenses that will shorten start up time.
Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.
John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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