12 lenses of Christmas: Nikon redesigns a classic, while Sigma, Laowa and Viltrox work on world-first lenses

For each of the 12 days of Christmas, I’m revisiting a month’s worth of lenses that we covered on DCW. Today it's August 2025… check out the other 12 lenses of Christmas!

August is one of the biggest getaway and jetaway months of the year but, if you’re going on a family holiday or even traveling alone, you might not have space for a bunch of different lenses.

That’s the main selling point of ‘travel zooms’ or superzooms, like the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD. Previously a popular all-in-one lens choice for APS-C format Sony E and Fujifilm X cameras, Tamron made news again by adding Nikon Z DX and Canon RF-S mount options to its hit list, for the competitive price of $629 / £529 / AU$1,149.

We also billed the TTArtisan AF 40mm f/2 as a new ‘travel prime’, thanks to it being super-compact, lightweight and affordable, at $200 / £150 / AU$300. Again, it’s a really travel-friendly option for Nikon Z and Sony E cameras (full-frame, this time) with a very natural viewing angle.

It’s a particularly good option if you’ve spent most of your money on a big trip and don’t have much left in the kitty for a travel lens. Other cut-price options for the same full-frame Nikon and Sony cameras launched in the form of the new 7Artisans and Brightin Star 35mm f/1.8 autofocus lenses for around $249 / £190 / AU$385.

And now for something rather special… We were very much impressed with the original Nikon Z 24-70mm trinity standard zoom, but the new Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II that was announced in August looked like it would be an absolute belter.

Completely redesigned, it offered superior image quality in a more lightweight package, with a fully internal zoom mechanism and a new autofocus system that’s no less than five times faster.

And speaking of speed, rumor had it that one of our favorite Chinese lens manufacturers was working on the Viltrox 35-50mm f/1.4, which would be the world’s fastest zoom lens.

And at the very top end of the market, the Swedish specialist unleased the Hasselblad XCD 35-100E – a trinity zoom claiming to replace no less than seven prime lenses, for the princely sum of $4,599 / £4,100 / AU$7,199.

As they say, "Go big or go home." As the antithesis of a travel lens, the mighty Sigma 200mm f/2 DG OS Sports was announced as the world’s first powerful 200mm telephoto prime with a fast f/2 aperture for mirrorless cameras.

Featuring super-high-speed autofocus, highly effective optical stabilization and pro-grade handling, it looked set to become an instant hit with Sony E and L-mount sports and wildlife photographers, with a cost of $3,299 / £2,999.

But hold the front page! Venus Optics gatecrashed Sigma’s party with rumors of its own Laowa AF 200mm f/2 lens, this time for Sony E and Nikon Z mount cameras, as well as for Canon DSLRs (probably with an eye on circumventing the RF lockout with an EF-EOS R mount adapter). There would be further news in October…

Going from telephoto to wide-angle primes, Sigma led the way again with its new Sigma f/1.4 DC Contemporary. It’s designed for APS-C format Sony E and Fujifilm X cameras, complete with adedicated aperture ring, and there’s a Canon RF-S version with a customizable control ring.

Billed as the widest ever APS-C format prime with such a fast aperture, the lens went on sale at $629 / £519 / AU$1,080.

There was also a budget-friendly, full-frame compatible TTArtisan 14mm f/2.8 that solved the problem of using filters with ultra-wide lenses, courtesy of a filter adapter being supplied in the box.

And if you wanted to go wider still, the Laowa 8–15mm f/2.8 FF Zoom Fisheye became available in Fujifilm GFX and Hasselblad medium format versions, while the AstrHori 6mm f/2.8 circular fisheye brought an astonishing 220° viewing angle.

Last but not least, macro lenses were back in the news with the Mitakon 55mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro lens delivering near-microscopic levels of magnification, available in a bunch of mount options from APS-C to medium format, and from DSLRs to mirrorless cameras, for $399 / £295 / AU$610 a pop.

And if moving pictures are more your thing, there was also the 7Artisans Infinte 65mm T2.9 2x Macro cine lens in full-frame Nikon Z, Canon RF, and Sony E mounts, for $499 / £479.

There was no getting away from Sigma in August, even after relocating from the news desk to the test lab. We had the pleasure of reviewing the epic new Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS Sports zoom, saying ‘It’s an absolute dream for action, sports and wildlife photography’.

It rewrites the telephoto rule book along the way but is naturally a pricey beast at $6,599 / £5,899 / AU$12,995. Even so, that’s less than half the price of the other big gun that we reviewed that month. The mighty Canon RF 600mm f/4L IS USM is a monster lens with a monster price tag of $13,999 / £14,180 / AU$22,799.

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Looking for more best-in-class glass? Take a look at the best Canon RF lenses, the best Nikon Z lenses, the best Sony lenses all for full-frame and APS-C bodies. For crop sensor cameras, check out the best Fujifilm lenses and the best Micro Four Thirds lenses. And for medium format, these are the best Fujifilm GF lenses and the best Hasselblad lenses.