No existing 300mm tele prime lens goes beyond the f/2.8 aperture. But Canon is playing with the idea to break that barrier and patented a 300mm f/2.3 lens. The overall length of that lens would be close to 18cm (not bad) thanks to the Reflex. The trade off is surely a image quality drop compared to classic designed lenses. Still, I hope they will really make this lens!

via Asobinet

a crazy AI generated Z70 image

This year Nikon plans a ton of lens releases. Here is the list of camera/lenses rumor to come:

• Z70
• NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8
• NIKKOR Z 35mm F1.2
• NIKKOR Z 85mm F1.2 S
• NIKKOR Z 135mm S
• Z-DX 24mm
• NIKKOR Z 70-180mm F2.8
• Z200-600mm
• Z DX 12-28mm PZ

via Asobinet

In early February Sigma will announce this new 50mm f/1.4 GD DN lens for Sony E and Leica L mount. And here is the first leaked image!

50mm F1.4 DG DN｜Art specs:

• Lens construction: 14 elements in 11 groups
• Shortest shooting distance: 45cm
• Maximum magnification: 1:6.8
• Number of aperture blades: 11 (circular aperture)
• Filter diameter: 72mm
• Size: 78.2 x 109.5mm (L mount)
• Weight: 670g
• Lens hood: LH782-02
• Lens cap: LCF-72 III

Dpreview had a chat with Yosuke Yamane from Panasonic. I only give you the very compressed jey points:

1. Micro Four Thirds has a bright future among wildlife photographers and younger people that want to step up from smartphone photography
2. Video will be very important on mirrorless cameras
3. There is a demand for very compact Full Frame cameras
4. AI implementation has to go beyond the autofocus feature. Example: AI editing

Canon Japan said the new 135mm L lens will start shipping out on January 26. Because of the time zone difference it will be January 25 in the USA (see BHphoto).

Tokina Japan announced that it will start shipping out their new APS-C Reflex trio on February 3. Press text:

Tokina SZ PRO series reflex lens worldwide sales date announcement
Kenko Tokina Co., Ltd. is proud to announce the sales release of the Tokina SZ PRO series reflex lenses.

Sales will commence on February 3, 2023.

The SZ 300mmPRO Reflex F7.1 MF CF, SZ 600mmPRO Reflex F8 MF CF and SZ 900mmPRO Reflex F11 MF CF are fully manual lenses, which adopt a catadioptric-type optical design. These lenses come in 300mm, 600mm and 900mm focal lengths, and are exclusively designed for APS-C mirrorless cameras. They incorporate integrated mounts for Sony E, Canon EF-M, and Fujifilm X. SonyAlphaRumors

Thanks to a catadioptric optical design these lenses are very light weight and super compact. These products allow you to enjoy the world of super tele photography, and is a perfect option for users who are looking for affordable super tele photo lens.

Highlighted Features

• Ultralight and compact.
• Better suppression of chromatic aberrations.
• Low level flare and ghosting.
• Integrated mount.
• 270° focus rotation angle.
• Perfect round-shaped donut bokeh.
• 1:2.5 (0.4x) macro capabilities.

Preorders: Sony 20-70mm at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, FotoKoch, Fotoerhardt, Calumet, WexUK.

Today Sony announced two new lenses. The world’s first 20-70mm f/4.0 G lens and the 300mm f/2.8 GM. The 20-70mm is the first of it’s kind with a super wide 20mm starting point. This is a lens that many travelers will gladly buy! There was also a 300mm GM lens development announcement. Te bad news here is that this lens is set to be on the market by early 2024 only :(