Omnar is a new lens manufacturer based in the United Kingdom that recently teased that it was producing a new lens using a custom design and repurposed Canon AF-10 optical elements. The lens can now be pre-ordered and will begin shipping in December.
Two self-described rangefinder lens geeks -- Hamish Gill and Chris Andreyo -- have teamed up to create a new lens manufacturer, Omnar Lenses. The company's first product is the Omnar CN26-6, a 26mm f/6 fixed-aperture M-mount lens which is constructed using repurposed Canon AF-10 optical elements.
Photographer, YouTuber, and weird lens connoisseur Mathieu Stern recently made one of his coolest finds yet. It's the Carl Zeiss 105mm f/1.9 Kipronar T, a cinema projector lens he describes as "one of the most amazing swirly bokeh lenses I ever tested"... and yet it only cost him $25.
Fujifilm has just released a new promo video for a very old lens. The video, published last week on the FUJIFILM X Series YouTube channel, features the much-beloved 8-year-old XF 35mm f/1.4R and seems to imply that Fuji doesn't plan to update this lens any time soon.
If you were to ask a photographer whether it’s better to invest in a camera or a lens, most would answer lens. After all, no amount of megapixels or camera features can save blurry or ill-rendered images. The lens is the eye of the camera, which is why photographers spend thousands of dollars on them. However, this doesn’t mean that you need an expensive lens to make compelling images.
I made a big purchasing decision a few months ago by investing in the new Fujifilm GFX 50R camera. It is a larger-than-full-frame ‘medium format’ sensor camera. The 50R was by far the most affordable medium format option in its class at the cost of $4,500.
My collection of lenses grows each month; so much so that I recently had to accept the fact that I didn’t buy a big enough cabinet to store them all. In an attempt to free up some room I decided to conduct a culling.
When beautiful vintage photographic technology meets state-of-the-art photo equipment, the results are almost always interesting. Case in point, check out this frankencamera created by graphic designer Arber Marra using his Sony a7S and a 19th century lens he found at a flea market.
The Jupiter 21M is the real deal... assuming you have the biceps to wield it. A 200mm f/4 lens from the Soviet era, it captures exquisite details and will only set you back between $30 and $100 on eBay.
What can I say? I’m a sucker for the underdog. My first real underdog came in the form of a 1973 VW Beetle that my Dad bought for me when I turned 15. After we pushed it up the driveway, he gave me a repair manual and told me I had a year to get it going if I wanted wheels.
Originally produced for the US military in WW2, the Kodak Aero Ektar 178mm f/2.5 is a large-format monster of a lens. Mounted in bombers, facing down at Europe, this lens was sold to the US government for the price of a family car. It found its way into military surplus after the war, and was widely used in journalism and by professional photographers.