dSLR Dad

Popular Photography Magazine has published their review of the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens:

The first DX Nikkor with the classic advantages of a high-speed “normal” lens…

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Popular Photography Magazine has published their lens test report of the Sigma APO 50-150mm F2.8 II EX DC HSM:

Rest on its laurels? Not Sigma. Just look at the updated version of its bright 50–150mm f/2.8 digital-only (DC) zoom ($675, street), part of the company’s top-drawer EX family of glass. Its predecessor performed admirably in the Pop Photo Lab just two years ago (January 2007). Since then, the company’s engineers have twisted, squeezed, and tweaked its design in an attempt (we’re guessing) to catch up to the optical superiority of Tokina’s remarkable 50–135mm f/2.8.

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Imaging Resource has published their review of the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens:

The 35mm ƒ/1.8G DX fills an obvious hole in Nikon’s lineup, and with its very reasonable price point Nikon may have found a way to ride out the recession. In our tests, the lens performs very well, with good results for sharpness at ƒ/1.8, becoming excellent at ƒ/2.8. Chromatic aberration is visible but not overly objectionable and light falloff is nicely controlled. Distortion is a little high for our tastes, especially if the lens is to be marketed as a ‘’standard” lens. But for the money you can’t beat it, especially if what you’ve had to work with has been an 18-55mm kit zoom.

You can read the complete review at SLR Gear.  As always, you can find more news and reviews at the dSLR Dad Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens Resource Guide.

Photozone has published their review of the Sony SAL-70400G 70-400mm f4-5.6G Lens:

TheSony 70-400mm f/4-5.6 SSM G is an impressive piece of engineering. The resolution figures are very good across the zoom range. Lateral CAs, vignetting and distortions are generally very well controlled and not field relevant.

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Digital Photography Review has published their review of the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens:

The AF-S Nikkor 35mm F1.8G DX is a lens which certainly caused a degree of dismay on its release, with many Nikon fans disappointed by the decision to make it compatible with the DX format only. However the main benefit of that decision is plain for all to see – even at its introductory price the lens costs rather less than the venerable AF-Nikkor 35mm F2.0D, despite the addition of an AF-S motor to allow autofocusing on Nikon’s entry-level D40 / D40X / D60 bodies. It’s also less than half the price of the few other DX format standard primes currently on the market (such as the Pentax 35mm F2.8 Macro, Tokina 35mm F2.8 Macro and Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM), so Nikon has managed with this lens to produce the first genuinely inexpensive (sub-$200) fast standard prime designed specifically for digital SLRs.

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The Imaging Resource has published their review of the Sony SAL-70400G 70-400mm f4-5.6G Lens:

Sony has produced an exceptional lens with the 70-400mm ƒ/4-5.6. Sharpness is very good when used wide open, and only improves when stopped down, offering tack-sharp results even at ƒ/5.6. Image quality is little less amazing when used in the 300-400mm range, but considering what Sony’s previous telephoto zooms have offered at 300mm, Sony has come a long way. Chromatic aberration is very low, light falloff is minimal (except when used on the A900, wide open) and distortion is very well-controlled. Combined with the excellent build quality and focusing options, the 70-400mm is definitely built to perform, and perhaps make other camera brand owners slightly jealous.

You can read the entire review at SLR Gear.

Imaging Resource has published their review of the Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC Macro AF Lens:

As the Tamron 18-270mm and the ”name-brand” competition are all floating around the same price point, the decision of whether to buy this lens or a Nikon / Canon equivalent comes down to how badly you need the extra 70mm of distance. Image quality is fairly consistent between these lenses, with perhaps a nod towards the Tamron, but autofocus speed and quality is better with the competition. For what it’s trying to be though, the Tamron produces good results, an excellent alternative to carting around several lenses.

You can read the entire review at SLR Gear.

Popular Photography Magazine as published their review of the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilized (IS) Zoom Lens:

In the past two years, the 11X IS superzoom has become the ideal general-purpose lens — certainly for shooters whose cameras don’t have on-board shake reduction. This Canon fits the mold. Very light and compact, it’s a gracious and adaptable traveling companion. Impressively sharp, it’s also an obvious choice for handheld low-light pictures, including event and theater work. Its real fortes, however, are close-up macro subjects, distant wildlife, and almost everything in between. Sports? Go for it!

You can read the entire review at PopPhoto.com.  You can also find more reviews at the dSLR Dad Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens Resource Page.  Of particular note, for those of you who may be interested in this lens, there is a $50 instant rebate on this lens through January 17, 2009.

Something for you Sony dSLR Dads. Photozone.de has added a review of the Sony SAL-50F14 50mm f/1.4 Lens (available at Amazon and B&H Photo):

The Sony 50mm f/1.4 Lens is a typical representative of the standard lenses that were designed back in the 70s to 80s. The max. aperture (f/1.4) should be generally avoided due to weak contrast, poor borders and a significant amount of longitudinal chromatic aberrations (LoCA). The image quality is already vastly improved at f/2 including a technically better (smoother) bokeh. The truly excellent peak performance is reached around f/4. As to be expected neither distortions nor vignetting are real issues but lateral CAs could be lower for a fix-focal length lens.
The build quality is pretty decent and the conventional screw-driven AF is very fast although somewhat dated regarding Sony’s SSM (supersonic motor) ambitions. At around 320€/US$ the lens is priced at the upper end compared to the other major brands – maybe some food for thought over at Sony.

You can read the entire Sony SAL-5014 50mm f/1.4 Lens Test Report here .

Jeff Revell has posted his review of Nikon’s AF-S VR NIKKOR 200mm f/2G IF-E lens. This review may also be of interest to you Canon dSLR Dads who are wondering the uses of a 200mm f/2 prime.

This is one magnificent lens! It is undoubtedly one of the sharpest lenses I have ever used. The excellent color rendition and saturation instantly improves your images without further processing. The bokeh is incredibly smooth and the shallow depth of field allows for some amazing isolation of your subject. As one reviewer on the B&H site noted, “objects transition from in-focus to out-of-focus in such a smooth and natural manner that it is almost imperceptible and makes viewing the images effortless.”

You can read more about it here.