Sigma have announced a a version of their 18-200mm that is compatible with the Nikon D40 and D40x, both of which lack an auto focus motor in the body. This lens has been announced shortly after Tamron announced its D40 friendly 18-250mm - obviously both companies have realised the D40 users make up a good proportion of their target market and should act to cash in on Nikon’s (shall I say?!) shortcomings. The lens incorporates an internal auto focus motor to cater for the D40’s issue and has meant the Optical Stabilization (OS) feature has been dropped for the 18-200 mm in the 2008 Sigma lens range. The switch from the OS to the internal AF motor has shed 24mm off the length and made the lens a whole 215g lighter. Press release below, further information is available from the Sigma Website. Pricing and availability coming soon.
Sigma’s Press Release:
11.1x high zoom ratio lens with a built-in AF motor allowing autofocus with all Nikon APS-C DSLR cameras.
18-200 F3.5-6.3 DC lens for Nikon
Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC for Nikon. This high zoom ratio lens, designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras, covers wide angle to telephoto focal lengths. The built-in motor is capable of autofocusing with all Nikon DSLR cameras*. Two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) lenses and two Aspherical glass elements provide excellent correction for all types of aberration. Sigma’s super multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting and provides high image quality throughout the zoom range. Read the rest of this entry »
Sigma has announced two new fast telephoto zoom lenses. The APO 50-150mm F2.8 II EX DC HSM designed for APS-C sized cameras, has 18 elements in 14 groups, four of which are SLD elements to minimize aberrations and HSM. The APO 70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM is sutable for all sensor sizes and has improved closup performance at a magnification ratio of 1:3.5 due to a change in the layout of the lens. Press release and specifications below.
Sigma’s press release:
Large aperture telephoto zoom lens designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras and reveals its strength in close-up photography
APO 50-150mm F2.8 II EX DC HSM
The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new APO 50-150mm F2.8 II EX DC HSM lens.
This large aperture telephoto zoom lens is designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras with APS-C size sensors and its compact, lightweight body provides freedom of movement and versatility. The minimum focusing distance of 100cm/39.4in. and the high-resolution power layout have improved the strength of the lens in close-up photography. This lens offers a large aperture of F2.8 and its large depth of field offers greater freedom of creative expression. It has a maximum aperture of F2.8. Four SLD glass elements are used for maximum correction of chromatic aberrations. The super multi-layer lens coating reduce flare and ghosting and ensure sharp images throughout the entire zoom range. The lens design incorporates an inner focusing and inner zooming system. As the overall length of the lens does not change during focusing and zooming, convenient handling is ensured. The HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) system allows quiet and high-speed auto focusing with full time manual focus override by just rotating the focusing ring. The addition of the optional 1.4x EX DG APO or 2x EX DG APO Tele Converters produce a 70-210mm F4 AF tele-zoom lens and a 100-300mm F5.6 AF ultra-telephoto zoom lens respectively.
*Vignetting will occur if the lens is used with digital cameras with image sensors larger than APS-C size or 35mm SLR cameras. Read the rest of this entry »
It has been over a year since Sigma announced their revolutionary DP1 at Photokina 2006. It features an APS-C sized sensor which is a first for a camera of its size and means many people are keen to get their hands on one. Sigma has more recently showed some redesigned engineering samples at PMA in March 2007 but there has been no news since.
Sigma has recently released a statement apologizing for the lack of information and admitting that there has been a hold up in production due to the image processing pipeline needing ‘major revisions to it’.
‘…we found it was difficult to achieve image quality as good as in our other SD cameras. The images looked okay, but they clearly did not have the special image qualities that we see in our SD cameras: delicate, refined and 3-dimensional images rendered in fine detail.’
The good news is that alpha testing of the final design has begun this November but unfortunately there is still no definite release date. Sigma has assured its prospective users that the DP1 will be well worth the wait.
Read Sigma’s official statement here.
Sigma DP1 official site.
Sigma has announced a new diagonal fisheye lens that is sure to make ripples in the market and will have APS-C users reaching for their wallets. If this prime lens lives up to the name that Sigma has made for itself with their other APS-C lenses it sure to be a solid seller. Sigma has some tough competition however as Tokina have recently announced their 11-16mm f/2.8 zoom which will take a little glory away from Sigma’s prized 10-20mm f/4-5.6. More information on the new 10mm 2.8 fisheye can be found on Sigma’s Website.
Sigma’s Press Release:
Fisheye lens with close up ability designed exclusively for use
with APS-C size digital SLR cameras
10mm F2.8 EX DC FISHEYE HSM
- Fisheye lens designed specifically for APS-C digital SLR cameras
- 13.5cm minimum focusing distance and 1:3.3 maximum magnification allows close up
photography
- Equipped with HSM allowing full-time manual focus override
- Equisolid angle projection system is possible for art and scientific use
The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new 10mm F2.8 EX DC FISHEYE HSM lens. Read the rest of this entry »
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