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Leica launches their new 24-70mm f/2.8 L and it looks like a rehoused Sigma Art lens

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Leica has now officially unveiled the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH lens and, well… it looks like it’s basically the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art lens in a different housing. The specs of the two lenses are virtually identical, except the one with Leica written on it is more than two and a half times the price at $2,795.

The number of elements, groups, minimum focus distance, magnification factor, everything is basically the same. The only real difference seems to be that the Leica uses a metal housing instead of Sigma’s carbon-composite housing.  What other changes there may be internally are unknown. But it almost certainly seems to be using Sigma’s optics.

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Laowa has now (definitely) officially announced their APS-C Argus 33mm f/0.95 lens

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This whole Laowa Argus lens lineup thing’s been a bit of a ride. The first indication that they were coming was back in January last year. In March, rumours appeared of six new lenses coming, to be expected in 2021. In December, an image of a 35mm f/0.95 was leaked. And in January this year, it looked like the whole lineup might have been announced. Nope, it was just confirmation they were coming.

Now, though, the first Laowa’s Argus line is absolutely, 100% guaranteed, officially announced. The Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO is now a real thing, and it’s even on the Laowa website. Hold back your excitement a little, though. This isn’t one of the full-frame Argus lenses many have been anticipating. It’s for APS-C.

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New Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM lens delayed because of exceeded expectations

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About a month ago, Sony introduced the 50mm f/1.2 G Master lens and got many Sony shooters excited. So excited, in fact, that the company now claims it can’t manage all the demand. So you’ve guessed it right – you’re going to have to wait a little longer to have your 50mm f/1.2 delivered.

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Sigma has now officially launched their new 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art series lens for L & E mount mirrorless

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Sigma has now officially announced the totally-already-leaked Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art series lens for Sigma/Panasonic/Leica L mount and Sony E mount mirrorless cameras. Essentially replacing the 9-year-old Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, Sigma says that the new lens has been redesigned from the ground up, optimised for today’s mirrorless systems.

Of course, at the moment that’s only two mirrorless systems. L and E mounts. There’s no word on when or if we can expect this lens to come to Z and RF mounts at some point. Sigma says that the new 35mm f/1.4 DG DN offers “exceptional optical performance”, a fast quiet autofocus motor and a “professional feature-set”.

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Samyang’s first wide-angle AF prime for APS-C is the 12mm f/2 for Sony astrophotographers

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Samyang has today announced their first autofocus super-wide-angle prime lens for APS-C. Specifically, for Sony APS-C E mount. It’s the Samyang AF 12mm F2E and offers a field of view equivalent to that of an 18mm lens on full-frame with a wide f/2 maximum aperture, which is fantastic for subjects like astrophotography or interiors where it’s fairly dark when you want a wide angle of view.

It contains 12 elements in 10 groups, with three extra-low dispersion and two aspherical elements to minimise chromatic aberration and distortion, and increase sharpness. Ultra Multi Coating (UMC) has been applied to the elements to minimise ghosting, reflections and flare for what Samyang describes as “more contrast-rich imagery”.

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Tamron announces a fast ultra-wide 11-20mm f/2.8 zoom lens for APS-C Sony E Mount

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Tamron’s doubling down today. As well as the new 150-500mm f/5-6.7 full-frame lens we posted about earlier, Tamron has also announced their new 11-20mm f/2.8 Di III-A RXD ultra-wide zoom lens. It’s designed for Sony APS-C E mount cameras, and proclaims to be the world’s first ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for Sony E mount APS-C cameras with an f/2.8 aperture.

Despite that wide aperture, though, it’s a pretty small and lightweight lens, coming in at a mere 350g – significantly lighter than the 11-16mm f/2.8 APS-C lens that Tokina released last year for Nikon and Canon DSLRs.

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Tamron has launched a 150-500mm super telephoto zoom lens for Sony E mount

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Tamron has today announced their new 150-500mm f/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD lens for full-frame Sony E mount mirrorless cameras. This is the company’s first ultra-telephoto zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras that reaches a 500mm focal length.

As the name suggests, it features Tamron’s Voice-coil eXtreme-torque Drive (VXD) linear motor for “excellent quietness and agile performance” as well as Tamron’s Vibration Compensation (VC) for “high-level image stabilisation” when shooting handheld.

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Sony launches the ultra-wide 14mm f/1.8 G Master lens

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Sony has now officially announced its hotly anticipated ultra-wide, large aperture 14mm f/1.8 G Master lens. This compact little lump of plastic, glass and electronics weighs a mere 460g and measures only 83mm x 99.8mm. Sony says it “sets the standard for 14mm primes, by delivering extraordinary corner-to-corner resolution”.

They also boast its autofocus capabilities and a compact design “that has never before been realized in this focal length”. Sony does like to be dramatic, huh? Well, it seems they may have a right to in this case. On paper, the Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM is an impressive looking lens.

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Mitakon announces 17mm, 24mm and 35mm T1.0 Cine lenses for Micro Four Thirds

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ZY Optics, the company behind Mitakon lenses, has released a new range of T1.0 Speedmaster Cine lenses. All three of the lenses at focal lengths of 17mm, 25mm and 35mm are available for Micro Four Thirds. The 35mm is also available in Fujifilm X, Canon RF and Sony E mount as well. Of course, it can only fill the sensor on the two latter brands if it’s Super 35mm or APS-C.

The new lenses are essentially cinema housings for their 17mm f/0.95, 25mm f/0.95 and 35mm f/0.95 photography lenses, with the features one would expect from a cine lens, like a stepless silent geared aperture ring and a smooth geared focus ring with a longer throw and precise scale markings.

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Mitakon has finally released the Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95 II for Micro Four Thirds

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Micro Four Thirds shooters have been waiting a long time for this one. This APS-C format lens was initially released way back in 2016 for Fuji X, Sony E and Canon EF-M mounts, but notably lacking was MFT. Well, that’s all changed now, as ZY Optics has launched the Mitakon 35mm f/0.95 Mark II with a Micro Four Thirds mount… In Japan.

On a Micro Four Thirds camera, the lens offers a field of view equivalent of a 70mm focal length on a full-frame body, but with a nice wide f/0.95 aperture for shooting in low light conditions and getting that shallow depth of field. It features the same construction as its APS-C brethren, with 11 elements in 8 groups and a 55mm front filter thread.

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