Mystic Lamps -- NEX-5N & Kodak Anastigmat 50mm f1.6 Cine Lens.
Today we are bombarded with product announcements from many companies in the photography business. The Nikon D800 got a lot of attention with the highest resolution sensor on a consumer DSLR; a whopping 36MP of it. This kind of resolution was strictly medium format back just couple years ago. It shows how far digital photography has gone. Anybody needs that 36MP is completely another business. Just imagine 70+ MB RAW files. Storage is cheap, but this is insanity.
But, I am more interested in the Canon lens announcements. The long waited 24-70mm f2.8L is a bit of a disappointment for many, as it lacks the image stabilization (IS). The more consumer friendly 28mm and 24mm f2.8 IS are far more interesting, in my opinion. This is the sign that Canon has finally started to revamp their consumer primes, at least for these two, which were introduced near the beginning of the EOS.
Frankly, these two lenses are a complete surprise for lots of people. In fact, I didn't read anything about them before they were announced. I would be completely happy with them, if the image quality holds up, which I have no doubt it would, until I saw the retail price of $800 for the 28mm and $850 for the 24mm. The currently selling price of them is $330 and $450 Can$ respectively. The addition of IS doubles the price of the existing lenses. Canon is getting a bit greedy here, don't you think?
I too was glad to see the 24mm and 28mm updated, although not sure how IS would be of use to me as I don't shoot video, but in any case should be better performers with digital sensors. Now having owned both of the original lenses during the film days, I thought they both were much better than their FD counterparts and since the new version are made for digital, IQ should be great. But the high price was a big disappointment. I would just pay the premium for the much faster L version of the 24mm. BTW, the new 24-70mm is also quite pricey!
ReplyDelete@Thomas: the price is indeed a shock. I was thinking about the same thing -- these prices are approaching L lens territory! I hope the price will come down soon. I really don't mind a 24mm f2.8 IS.
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