Take 5! Canon had already launched four VCM (Voice Coil Motor) autofocus lenses for hybrid shooters, and here came another one. Yes, the RF 20mm, 24mm, 35mm and 50mm f/1.4L VCM lenses were to be joined by an eagerly anticipated Canon RF 85mm f/1.4L VCM, typically engineered for both stills and video capture. It promised to be a lot more compact, lightweight and affordable than the more stills-focused Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM, which was good news all round.
Then there was a dynamic duo from Nikon. Much like buses, you wait ages for a new Z DX lens to come along, then two turn up at once. We broke the news that a Nikon 35mm f/1.7 Macro and 16-50mm f/2.8 zoom were in the pipeline for APS-C format Z system cameras. With only one Z DX prime lens previously on offer and no fast zooms, it was a very welcome announcement, and a reinforcement that the Z DX system was to be taken seriously.
A quick look through the back-catalog of legendary prime lenses for DSLRs will reveal the Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4. Like its 50mm sibling, this lens made news with a mirrorless makeover, the new versions coming in Canon RF, Nikon Z, and Sony FE mount options. It’s worth noting however that like the original 85mm lens, the new version is manual-focus and doesn’t come cheap, with a listed launch price of $2,999 / £2,350.
If the Zeiss 85mm is too rich for your taste (and your wallet), you might well be more interested in the new 7Artisans 75mm f/1.4 at a fraction of the price. That’ll be $189 to be exact. It was launched simultaneously with the 7Artisans 14mm f/2.8 ultra-wide-angle prime, at $299. Like the Zeiss, the 7Artisans lenses are manual-focus, this time for Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon RF and L-mount cameras. Meanwhile, a new APS-C format TTArtisans 23mm f/1.8 autofocus lens for Sony E-mount cameras hit the streets for $127 / £139 / AU$249, expanding the previous range of Fujifilm X and Nikon Z options.
Wide in viewing angle but not is size, the new featherweight APS-C format Viltrox AF 15mm f/1.7 Air launched in Fujifilm X, Nikon Z and Sony E mount options. With an ‘effective’ 22.5mm focal length in full-frame terms, you can certainly cram a lot into the frame, and you can just about squeeze the lens itself into a spare pocket. Again, it’s an autofocus lens and is great value, coming in at a list price of $239 / £229. Viltrox also set out to scale new heights with its first DJI-mount lens for drones, the Viltrox AF 90mm f/3.5 DL.
In a similar but more techy vein to the 14mm and 75mm primes we mentioned earlier, a pair of comparatively all-singing, all-dancing autofocus lenses joined the Prima range for Sony mirrorless cameras, launching as the LK Samyang 85mm f/1.8 P FE and AF 16mm f/2.8 P FE primes. It added to the Prima 35mm already on the market (see below), again badged as ‘Rokinon’ in the USA. And speaking of 35mm lenses, the Meike 35mm f/1.8 Pro was launched at $379 / £279 / AU$573 for Sony E, Nikon Z and L-mount cameras.
So where were all the zoom lenses? As it turned out, there was only one launched this month. Tamron completed its Generation 2 trinity of zooms with the ultra-wide Tamron 16-30mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 for Sony and Nikon full-frame mirrorless cameras. Relatively fast as well as wide, the constant-aperture f/2.8 zoom lens launched at $929 / £850, south of a 4-figure price tag.
It was LK Samyang all the way, or Rokinon if you’re on the west side of the pond, in our July review schedule. We tested a trio of Prima primes for Sony full-frame cameras, comprising the LK Samyang AF 16mm f/2.8 P FE, LK Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 P FE and LK Samyang AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE, plus the LK Samyang AF 12mm f/2 RF-S APS-C format lens for Canon EOS R-system cameras.
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