Category: Kit/Equipment

Nikon announce AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

From Nikon’s press release:

"Nikon Corporation has launched the AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED, the world’s first macro lens equipped with Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM) and Vibration Reduction (VR) systems.

"The new lens offers a host of Nikon’s advanced optical features and technologies such as Nano Crystal Coat, Extra Low Dispersion (ED) glass and Internal Focusing (IF) . The AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED is engineered for use with both Nikon DX format digital and 35mm film SLR cameras."

Specs

Focal length: 105mm (Picture angle, when used with Nikon DX format digital SLRs is equivalent to a 157.5mm on a 35mm format SLR)
Maximum aperture: f/2.8
Minimum aperture: f/32
Lens construction: 14 elements in 12 groups (with 1 ED glass element and 1 Nano Crystal Coat-deposited lens element)
Picture angle: 23 degrees 20′ [15 degrees 20′ with Nikon DX format]
Attachment size: 62mm
Dimensions: (approx.) 83 x 116mm (3.3 x 4.5 in.)
Weight: (approx.) 790g (27.9 oz.)
Included accessories: 62mm Snap-on front lens cap (LC-62), Rear lens cap (LF-1), Bayonet hood (HB-38), Flexible lens pouch (CL-1020)

More poop here at Nikon Digital (sorry, you have to select the lens with their Flash thingie).

It will be available in March 2006 for "estimated selling price of approximately
US$799.00".

About frikkin’ time somebody came out with a macro lens with a stabiliser!

Canon update EF 85mm f/1.2 L lens to Mark II

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From Canon’s press release:

"Canon today releases its latest professional L-series prime lens: the exceptionally fast EF 85mm f/1.2 II USM. With the widest aperture of any lens in the current EF range, the new model becomes Canon’s definitive portraiture lens, offering extremely fine control over depth of field and consummate low light performance. With vastly improved auto focus speed, the lens replaces the popular EF 85mm f/1.2L USM. As with all L-series lenses, the EF 85mm f/1.2 II USM incorporates the very finest standards of precision optics.

EF 85mm f/1.2 II USM – €2,049

Features

  • Canon’s finest standards of image quality
  • Latest Ultrasonic Motor (USM) for fast and near silent auto focus
  • Full-time electronic manual focus override
  • Super Spectra coatings and optimised lens element shaping to suppress flare and ghosting
  • Large circular aperture diaphragm for good background bokeh and ‘removal’ of distracting backgrounds
  • Distance information passed back to the new E-TTL II flash algorithm of all current model digital EOS cameras
  • Lens hood and pouch included in the box

(end quote)

Check out sample images and complete press release & specs on dpreview.com.

Another quasi-update on the new Zeiss lenses

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Zeiss’ Camera/Cine Lenses page says that they’re releasing new lenses for SLRs (see previous posts 1 and 2). After a few hints over the last few weeks, it now says, "The solution will be revealed on 01/18/06. Until then, you will find out a little more each week from our images.".

So far, they’ve said "ZF", so they’re likely in Nikon F mount, and there’s now a picture of a lens labeled "Planar 1.4/50".

Digitally refocusable photographs: light field photography with a hand-held plenoptic camera

Nicolai Grossman 2 Comments

Plenoptic Camera Sample

Ren Ng, a Ph.D student in the Computer Science department at Stanford says, “For my dissertation I’ve been working on ways of capturing more information about the light inside a camera for enhanced digital photography. My work has spanned both practical and theoretical elements of the problem. On the practical side, we’ve written a paper about a camera that samples the full 4D light field inside the camera in a single photographic exposure. We show that you can use such data to refocus the acquired photograph at different depths after the exposure. The images above, which are focused at different depths, were computed from a single exposure of a prototype camera that we built. We’ve used the prototype to shoot hundreds of light fields. My collaborators on this project were Mathieu Brédif, Gene Duval, and Professors Marc Levoy, Mark Horowitz and Pat Hanrahan.”

Read their paper and see more sample images at the project home page. Don’t miss his paper on Fourier Slice Photography, either!