3rd Party Lens Extravaganza

This is The Digital Story Podcast #947, May 14, 2024. Today's theme is "3rd Party Lens Extravaganza." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

The floodgates have opened and we're now seeing a wave of 3rd party lenses washing ashore for Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, and yes, even Canon. This week I'm going to share with you my current favorites for this swell of great optics for mirrorless cameras. All of this and more, on today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Digital Photography Podcast 947

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Here's a list of my current list of favorite 3rd party lenses:

Tamron developing 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD for Canon RF mount - Tamron has announced it's developing a version of its 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD fast wide-angle zoom lens for Canon RF-mount APS-C cameras. The 11-20mm F2.8, which is already available for Sony E-mount, will offer an 18-32mm equivalent range on Canon's 1.6x crop cameras. The company says the 11-20mm will be available before the end of 2024. No details of pricing have been given. DPReview.com

TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8 Lens (Sony E) - A lightweight prime ideal for portraiture, the AF 56mm f/1.8 Lens from TTArtisan is designed for use with APS-C Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras and provides a portrait-length full-frame equivalency of 84mm. Capturing images in low-light conditions is no issue with this lens's bright maximum f/1.8 aperture. A minimum focusing distance of 19.7" is available. Driving the autofocus is a stepping motor, which helps enable quiet and speedy performance. One extra-low dispersion (ED) element is incorporated to reduce color fringing and chromatic aberrations in order to achieve greater clarity and color accuracy. $158 B&H Photo. (There's also a version for Fujifilm coming.)

7Artisans releases 50mm F1.4 Tilt lens - 7Artisans has released a new manual focus 50mm F1.4 Tilt lens, compatible with Sony and Fujifilm APS-C cameras, as well as Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras. At the front of the lens is a numbered aperture ring, with the depth of field scale and distance scale focus ring sitting just behind. Users can rotate the lens a full 360-degrees and the tilt axis moves left to right. The company has yet to confirm how many degrees the lens can tilt on either side.
Although photographers commonly use tilt lenses for architecture photography and to experiment with depth of field, 7Artisans claims the 50mm F1.4 offers enough clarity for portraiture, claiming distortion of only 1.9%. DPReview.com
Available now on Amazon for $226.

Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 XF Lens (FUJIFILM X and Nikon Z) - A compact portrait-length prime lens designed for FUJIFILM X-mount and Nikon Z-Mount mirrorless cameras, the Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.7 XF Lens provides a full-frame equivalent of 85mm, making it ideal for portraiture. Its focal length paired with its bright f/1.7 maximum aperture provides excellent control over depth of field and allows reliable shooting in low-light conditions. The lens design includes four extra-low dispersion elements and three high refractive index elements to reduce optical aberrations and improve overall image quality. Additionally, the lens's lightweight design makes it an optimal choice for traveling. $139 B&H Photo

Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Lens (Sony E) - The lightest in its class and the brightest in Sigma's 50mm prime lineup, the 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Lens for Sony E-mount cameras is a well-designed lens for everyday use. Driven by Sigma's dual HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) motors, this lens delivers quiet and high-speed performance. Simultaneously, this focusing system allows for a more compact design, helping make this lens lighter than its counterparts. This classic focal length paired with an extremely wide f/1.2 maximum aperture allows users to effortlessly capture a variety of subject matter. Also, there are physical function buttons and switches that improve the lens's overall ease of use as well as its reliability in the field. To reduce ghosting and improve contrast, a super multilayer coating is used on the glass elements. $1,399 B&H Photo

Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 Lens (Nikon Z) - A large-aperture high-resolution prime, the Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 Z offers outstanding edge-to-edge sharpness with soft and natural bokeh. Engineered for photo and video applications, this robust and lightweight lens is equally adept for photographers and videographers alike. 4 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) and 3 aspherical elements combine to achieve outstanding sharpness, while also reducing sagital coma flare, which distorts the shapes of stars. The optical design also minimizes ghosting and flare when shooting starry skies and long exposure night scenes. Sophisticated LCD screen displays important shooting information including object distance, Fn icons, and aperture identification. $549 B&H Photo.

A little something tempting for everyone!

The Inner Circle Membership Drive - Spring 2024

I've been enjoying our Inner Circle experience so much this year, I just can't help thinking that you would too. But I know how that is... there are certain things we just never get around to doing.

So I thought I could help with that. And I think you're really going to like this. For the next two weeks, we're having the Inner Circle Membership Drive.

If you haven't joined us yet, all you have to do is click on this link to go to our Patreon page, scroll to Choose Your Membership, click on Pay Annually, then click on the Join button. The annual membership is $54 a year.

The extra incentive is, once I see that you've joined the Inner Circle for a year, I'll send you a coupon code that will allow you to sign up for free, your choice of the Infrared Workshop in June, or the Printing Workshop in August. That's a $145 value!

This promotion is for annual memberships only. One coupon code for one online workshop per paid membership.

Plus, you will still receive all of the Inner Circle benefits including access to our exclusive space on DerrickStoryOnline and discounts for future online and in-person workshops. And you're helping to support our online community.

If you're an existing Inner Circle Member, you can still benefit from the membership drive. All you have to do is switch from monthly payments to the annual payment of $54, and you will also receive a coupon code for either online workshop. If you've left the Inner Circle and want to rejoin us, the same offer applies.

The Inner Circle Membership Drive runs from May 7, 2024 through May 22, 2024. Join us today and experience one of our online workshops... for free.

Apple Says Destructive iPad Ad 'Missed the Mark'

You can read the entire story on NYtimes.com

It looks like Panasonic's "completely new kind" of camera is coming next week

You can read the entire article on DigitalCameraWorld.com

Virtual Camera Club News

The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.

TDS Workshops! - You can sign up for available workshops by visiting The Nimble Photographer. Inner Circle Members receive a 10-percent discount on all events.

Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.

Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.

If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.

The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.

Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.

Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.

See you next week!

You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.