Sigma has announced the 50-120mm F2.8 OS DC | Contemporary, a fast telezoom for APS-C mirrorless cameras. The lens delivers a 75-180mm equivalent range for Fujifilm X or Sony E mount cameras and an 80-192mm equiv range for Canon RF users.

The lens is a spiritual successor to the excellent APO 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC HSM from 2006, but manages to add stabilization and downsize considerably.

At just 67mm wide and 99mm long (3.90 x 2.63″) for the E-mount version, the lens is smaller than a standard can of Coke (both the 330ml and 12oz versions). Its length extends by 25% when zoomed to its full extreme but is still only a fraction longer (5mm/0.2″) than Canon’s RF 70-200mm F4 in its retracted form. It weighs 390g (13.8oz), which again is remarkably similar to the weight of a full can of Coke.

Richard Butler

The 50-120mm completes a trio of F2.8 zooms for APS-C mirrorless, alongside the existing 10-18mm F2.8 and 18-50mm F2.8 lenses. Despite its longer range and similarly bright aperture, it shares a 55mm filter thread with the 18-50mm. It’s the only member of the F2.8 DC set to have a dedicated aperture ring and image stabilizaton.

That stabilization is rated at 6.5 stops of correction at 50mm and 4.5 stops at the 120mm long end, per tests conducted to CIPA’s standard methodology.

Richard Butler

The new lens uses a “high response linear actuator” for autofocus and has seemed swift and reliable from our usage so far, though we’ve not been trying sports shooting with it just yet.

The optical design utilizes 18 elements in 13 groups, including one fluorite-like FLD element, three super-low dispersion elements and four aspherics. The company says it’s been designed to exhibit minimal focus breathing, to extend its usefulness to video. It features 11 rounded aperture blades to keep bokeh circular.

Richard Butler

The lens barrel features a zoom ring, focus ring and a dedicated aperture ring (on the Sony and Fujifilm versions, at least) with an ‘A’ position. The Canon RF version will have a smooth-rotating control ring instead of an aperture ring.

As part of the Contemporary series it’s been designed to be dust and splash resistant. Its presence in Sigma’s more affordable line also means it’s priced at a remarkably reasonable $799.

Shooting experience

I’ve been shooting with a Fujifilm mount version of the lens for a week or so and I’m still caught off-guard occasionally that I’m using a 70-180mm equivalent, rather than a standard zoom.

Richard Butler

The aperture ring, the first on one of Sigma’s DC zooms for mirrorless, works nicely with the X-T4 and X-H2 bodies I used it on, though I did wish the lens could be locked in or out of the A position, rather than it simply being spaced a little further beyond F22.

For the size and the price, I was willing to forgive some pretty major image quality issues but didn’t encounter too many.

Close focus isn’t this lens’s strength, with the corners getting extremely soft and swirly if you shoot a flat subject a 50mm. Things are a lot more predictable near minimum focus distance at the long end of the zoom.

The swirliness makes a reappearance in the bokeh at times, but not in a way I found objectionable. In general, I found the bokeh to be soft and attractive, without any fussiness, which isn’t always a given for a fast tele zoom.

Richard Butler

In general, sharpness seems impressive, despite the use of X-Trans sensors, which our standard lens processing doesn’t always show to its best effect. There appears to be a small degree of pincussion distortion being corrected at both ends of the zoom, but nothing dramatic (it doesn’t appear to account for the close-focus strangeness at short focal lengths).

Richard Butler

It’s hard for me to be completely dispassionate about a lens that I’ve been hoping someone would make, for years, but I’m genuinely stunned by how small and easy-to-carry Sigma has managed to make the 50-120mm F2.8 OS. I look forward to shooting it for longer, once RF-mount versions are available, to see how it behaves on the EOS R7, since that’s currently the highest-res Bayer APS-C sensor.

As always, we’ve included Raws for download in our gallery, including some close-focus examples and a couple of aperture comparisons, so you can make your own assessment.

Sigma has announced that it’s bringing its 16-300mm F3.5-6.7 DC OS (24-450mm equiv.) APS-C lens to Z-mount. While it may not be the most exciting addition to the lineup – Nikon APS-C shooters have already had access to a very similar option from Tamron – it’s representative of what may be an important shift: it’s the first zoom lens the company has been allowed to release for the mount.

The 16-300mm F3.5-6.7 has been around for a bit over a year for Sony E, Canon RF, Fujifilm X and even L-mount cameras, and this new version uses the same optical formula. It comprises 20 elements in 14 groups, with one FLD element, four SLD elements, one piece of high refractive index glass and four aspherical lenses.

It can focus on objects as close as 17cm (6.7″) at 24mm equiv., and 105cm (41.4″) at 450mm equiv. At 70mm, it can achieve 0.5x (1:2) magnification.

It uses linear motors for focusing, and Sigma says the optical stabilization is good for up to 6EV of correction at the wide end and 4.5EV at the long end. For Z-mount users, that’s definitely a nice-to-have, given that Nikon hasn’t made any APS-C cameras with in-body stabilization.

As you’d hope given that it’s made for a smaller sensor, the lens is relatively compact and lightweight, at around 125mm (4.9″) long and 630g (22oz). It can accept 67mm filters.

All of these specs make the lens an extremely close competitor to the Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD, which, beyond not being able to go quite as wide as the Sigma, offers essentially the same set of features in a body that’s within a few millimeters and grams. (The Tamron happens to be the first third-party autofocus zoom lens released for Nikon’s APS-C system.)

While there will certainly be those excited to have another all-in-one zoom option, perhaps more exciting is what this announcement may potentially mean. Sigma has offered Z-mount versions of a few of its APS-C prime lenses for a while now, though, notably, not the one that directly competes with one of Nikon’s offerings. However, none of its quite good zoom lenses were available for the mount. While the 16-300mm arriving for Nikon systems doesn’t come close to guaranteeing that we’ll get more exciting options like the 17-40mm F1.8 DC Art, the just-announced 50-120mm F2.8 DC Contemporary or the 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN, it does seem like a bit more of a possibility today than it did yesterday.

Like the other versions of the lens, the 16-300mm F3.5-6.7 DC OS for Z-mount will cost $769.

Tamron has announced that it will be bringing its full-frame 20-40mm F2.8 Di III VXD lens to Z-mount. The lens originally launched in 2022 for E-mount, but now it’ll be available for Nikon shooters.

Optically, the lens is unchanged, featuring a 12-element, 11-group construction with four low dispersion elements, two molded glass aspherics and one hybrid aspheric. It has a minimum focusing distance of 0.17m (6.7″), and allows for a maximum reproduction of 1:3.8 (around 0.26x) at its wide end. It has 9 aperture blades.

Tamron

One of the appeals of a zoom lens with a relatively limited focal range is its size and weight. The Z-mount version of the 20-40mm is 89mm (3.5″) long, and is 380g (13.4oz). There are very few lenses that you could consider direct competitors to this; other Z-mount ultrawide zooms will either start wider, and not go as tight, or start a bit tighter, and go further. Perhaps the closest analog is Sigma’s 20-60mm F2.8-4, which is around the same weight, but isn’t available for Z-mount and can only achieve F2.8 at its very widest setting.

Odd focal lengths have always been a staple of Tamron’s lineup though, and the company has lenses that you could use alongside it to go wider (the 12-20mm F2.8) or further (35-100mm F2.8 or 35-150mm F2-2.8) without leaving any gaps in coverage.

As the VXD in its name indicates, the lens uses linear motors for autofocus, which should make for smooth and fast focusing. That could be especially useful for video, as the lens’s focal range seems like a natural fit for vlogging. It’s threaded for 67mm filters, as are many other Tamron lenses, and the company says it’s sealed for dust and moisture resistance.

The Z-mount 20-40mm F2.8 Di III VXD costs a bit of a premium over the $699 E-mount version, retailing for $729. That is, however, still less than you’d pay to buy the version made for Sony cameras and an adapter, and may offer a more consistent experience. The lens will be available starting October 22nd.

Tamron 20-40mm F2.8 Di III VXD specifications

If you’re in the US and have been waiting for your chance to buy a Ricoh GR IV, this may be the moment. B&H Photo and Adorama currently have the three different versions in stock for their retail prices, something that hasn’t reliably been the case for the past few months, according to Gear Patrol staffer James Tirado, who has spent a while casting a jealous eye at the product page.

It’s hard to say how long they’ll stay in stock, so it’s probably worth acting fast if you’re sure you want it. And if you aren’t, perhaps check out our reviews; we have one for both the standard GR IV and its Monochrome variant, both of which are available at time of writing. The HDF version, which switches out an internal ND filter for a high diffusion one that creates a glow around highlights, is also in stock.

Of course, there is one reason you may potentially want to hold off: the company has already announced that an “x” variant, which swaps the 28mm equiv. lens for a 40mm one, is due out later this year. Of course, if the standard edition, and the former GR IIIx, are any indication, that one may also be quite hard to get a hold of, too.

Ricoh GR IV

Ricoh GR IV Monochrome

Ricoh GR IV HDF

If a standard GR IV is too pedestrian for your tastes, the company is also coming out with a limited-edition anniversary edition this month. There will only be 6000 available, so you’ll probably need to act fast to get your hands on one, too.

Amazon’s fall Prime Big Deal Days sale is officially underway, running through October 7. Similar to previous Amazon sales events, there’s a lot of marketing and hype, but once you cut through all that there are some good deals hidden in the noise, including all-time low prices on some cameras. However, let’s set expectations: not every deal here is the lowest price we’ve seen, and discounts often skew toward older models. We’ve tried to include only products whose prices represent a good deal relative to historical pricing, but even then, some have been cheaper in the past.

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days prices require a Prime membership, and prices can – and do – change mid-sale. The deals below were current as of the time of writing, but may sell out or expire before the sale ends on October 7. It’s also worth checking out competing retailers like B&H or Adorama, that often match some Prime Day prices.

Camera deals

Richard Butler

Camera discounts can be hit-or-miss during Amazon’s sales, but this is a good one if you shoot Nikon. The Z8 is at the lowest price we’ve seen, including body-only and with the 24-120mm F4 kit lens, and the Z6 II and Z5 match their all-time low prices. Those last two are previous generation models, but remain capable cameras if one appeals to you. Also worth noting: the Fujifilm X half is $100 cheaper than it was during Amazon’s Prime Day in June.

Nikon Z8 $3297 (was $4300)

Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm F4 S lens $4197 (was $5200)

Nikon Z6 II $1297 (was $1750)

Nikon Z6 II with Nikkor Z 24-70mm F4 S lens $1897 (was $2350)

Nikon Z5 $897 (was $1147)

Canon EOS R50 V with RF-S 14-30mm F4-6.3 IS STM PZ lens $749 (was $949)

Fujifilm X half $449 (was $650)

Panasonic Lumix S9 $1098 (was $1198)

Lens deals

Sony

The lens selection this time around is thin, but there are options for different budgets, particularly if you shoot Sony – its FE 50mm F1.4 GM is at the lowest price we’ve seen. Canon’s RF 800mm F11 IS STM matches its all-time low price, making it an inexpensive way to get a lot of reach on a Canon mirrorless camera.

Sony FE 50mm F1.4 GM $1198 (was $1398)

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM $1498 (was $1798)

Sony E 35mm F1.8 OSS $400 (was $600)

Canon RF 800mm F11 IS STM $899 (was $1198)

Action camera and drone deals

Amazon

Similar to Prime Day last June, some of the best discounts are on action cameras, vlogging cameras and drones – though the list of models is limited.

DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo $495 (was $629)

DJI Osmo Pocket 3 $395 at B&H (was $439)

GoPro Max2 $300 (was $500)

GoPro LIT Hero $180 (was $270)

DJI Neo $139 (was $199)

DJI Flip Fly More Combo with RC 2 $588 (was $779)

Memory card and storage deals

Amazon

The cost of memory has risen dramatically as demand by AI tools and data centers has spiked, so memory cards and storage cost much more than they have historically, even when on sale. A discount today is a discount relative to current pricing, not a return to what you would have paid a year or two ago. There are no bargains here that demand action, but if you need cards or SSDs now, these prices are lower than what we’ve seen recently.

Memory cards

Sony Tough CFexpress type A 160GB $330 (was$399)

Storage

SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD $210 (was $300)

SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD $360 (was $451)

SanDisk 4TB Extreme Portable SSD $715 (was $860)

Samsung T9 Portable SSD 2TB $350 (was $490)

WD 20TB Elements Desktop Hard Drive $550 (was $815)

Accessory deals

Rode

Rounding things out, there are some healthy discounts on gimbals, microphones and printers.

DJI RS 4 $369 (was $469)

DJI RS 4 Mini Combo $309 (was $459)

DJI RS 4 Mini $259 (was $369)

Røde Wireless ME $70 (was $106)

DJI Mic Mini (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case) $79 (was $99)

Shure MoveMic Two Wireless Lavalier Kit $279 (was $389)

Canon Pixma Pro-200S Professional 13″ Wireless Inkjet Photo Printer $479 (was $648)

Canon Selphy CP1500 with RP-108 ink and paper set $170 (was $200)

Canon Ivy 2 Mini Photo Printer $90 (was $120)

A new website called Camera Index has set itself an enormous task: cataloging every film camera ever made. The in-progress project comes from PPP Cameras founder and camera repairer Pierro Pozella, who has begun building a free, searchable database of film cameras, as Kosmo Foto reports.

Pozella is starting the database alphabetically with manufacturers under “A.” The site already includes entries for brands such as Agfa, Alpa, Ansco and Argus, with plans to expand steadily into a far broader record of camera makers, models and related gear.

Screenshot from Camera Index

In the mission statement on the site, Pozella explains that “Camera Index is a long-term project that will take several years to build. New cameras are being added every week, with major manufacturers and popular models being documented first before the archive gradually expands into the more obscure corners of photographic history.”

Pozella spoke with Kosmo Foto‘s Stephen Dowling, providing more insight into why he’s tackling this project. “As a camera repairer first and foremost, I’m aware of what happens when knowledge isn’t recorded – and the gaps that occur,” he said. “I therefore felt strongly that information should be compiled and made accessible, as this is what will fundamentally keep analog cameras alive well into the future.”

Here at DPReview, we have our own extensive product database, though ours is focused on digital cameras and lenses. We know firsthand how much of a challenge it can be to maintain such an archive, and creating a similarly comprehensive resource for film cameras could be an even messier challenge.

The pre-digital camera market was filled with short-lived manufacturers, regional brands, rebadged models, minor revisions and poorly documented products. Adding to the difficulties, much of that information remains distributed among collectors, print reference books, auction listings and scattered enthusiast sites.

Screenshot from Camera Index

Pozella’s project is not the first attempt to organize this history. There have also been a few websites that attempted to offer something similar, including Camera-wiki. Prior to those resources, McKeown’s Camera Encyclopedia & Price Guide was long considered a major collector reference. It was last published in 2004 (the 12th edition), though its website currently says a new version is coming in the summer of 2027. The site says the forthcoming work will contain three times more information than the last edition, and will be available online.

Camera Index is still early in its rollout, and its alphabetical progress underscores the scale of the undertaking. Plenty of information still needs to be filled in for models already on the site, too. Still, if it can grow into a dependable, well-sourced and easily searchable archive, it could become something film photography has long lacked: a DPReview-style reference point for the vast, unruly history of analog cameras.

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Nocs Provisions, an outdoor optics brand known for its compact and colorful binoculars and monoculars, is venturing into the camera market with the announcement of the Portal AFN7. The company says its first camera is “designed to remove the friction between experiencing a moment and capturing it.”

Like its existing optics lineup, the Portal AFN7 is made to be rugged. It offers an IP56 rating, making it usable even in harsh weather conditions or on adventures. It’s also compact and lightweight, weighing just 140g (4.9oz), making it easy to toss in a bag while hiking.

Nocs Provisions / Aubrey Janelle Photography

Nocs Provisions says the AFN7 uses a screenless design aimed at encouraging “people to trust their instincts, stay in the moment, and notice more.” There is a small OLED display on the back for adjusting settings, though it doesn’t support image playback.

While it lacks a display, the camera features a digital viewfinder to help with composing images. It also comes with the NocDoc alignment shroud, which allows users to easily connect Nocs Provisions binoculars and monoculars for magnified images.

Nocs Provisions

In terms of core specs, it features a Type 1/3.06 (16.6mm²) CMOS sensor that delivers 16MP photos. It’s also capable of 4K/30 video. The 22.5mm equivalent lens offers F2.2 aperture, and it supports up to 8x digital zoom. It offers six “film-inspired”presets, which include Kodachrome 64 and Kodak Gold 200, or users can opt for no filter. The camera also features an LED flash.

Nocs Provisions promises a battery life of up 30-35 minutes of 4K recording per charge. It requires a MicroSD card for use and comes with a 4GB card, but it supports cards up to 128GB. It comes in three colors: Galapagos Gray, Moonwalk White and Lassen Black.

Nocs Provisions

Nocs Provisions says that the Portal AFN7 is just the first in a new lineup of cameras, too. “We’re not detailing what’s next yet, but Portal was designed as a series from the start,” the company said in its press materials.

The Nocs Provisions Portal AFN7 is available for purchase today for $179 through the company’s website and REI.

Nocs Provisions

Nocs Provisions Portal AFN7

• $180 at Nocs Provisions
• $180 at REI

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Lomography has announced the Joseph Petzval Métamorphose 35mm F1.8 Art lens, a full-frame manual-focus prime for Canon RF, Nikon Z and Sony E cameras. The lens lets photographers and cinematographers adjust the intensity of its swirling bokeh and embraces flaws that modern lens designs aim to avoid.

Lomography

The Métamorphose 35mm F1.8 Art lens offers seven levels of bokeh, allowing photographers to customize the look of their images via a dial on the lens. Lomography says that with the effects turned down, the bokeh is similar to its previous Petzval Art lenses, with softer edges and soap-bubble bokeh.

With the bokeh level increased, Lomography says a much more dramatic change takes place. According to the company, the center stays sharp while the edges stretch and appear blurred. Lomography describes it as a “powerful hallucinatory effect around your subject.” It says the effect is best used to convey a disoriented state or when you want to create a sense of motion.

Lomography

The effect becomes even more pronounced at the lens’s 0.35m (1.1′) close focusing distance, where swirling bokeh and outward-stretched edges surround a sharp center. In the company’s sample images, only the very center of the frame remains sharp in these cases.

In addition to changing the look of the bokeh via the seven adjustments, the lens supports drop-in rear aperture plates to change the bokeh’s shape. It comes with five plates: a star, a sun, an oval, a heart and a snowflake.

Lomography

Lomography designed the Métamorphose for both photo and video work. It offers a 180-degree focus throw, Mod 0.8 gearing for standard follow-focus systems and a de-clicked aperture ring for smooth exposure adjustments. Its bokeh control can be adjusted without shifting focus, allowing users to alter the image’s rendering during a take. A built-in 1/4-inch mounting point can support the lens directly on a compatible camera rig, while a 67mm front thread accepts filters. The optical design comprises six elements in five groups.

The Métamorphose joins Lomography’s Petzval Art range of manual-focus, full-frame mirrorless lenses. The line is named for Joseph Petzval, who designed an influential portrait lens in 1840 that became known for its fast aperture, sharp central rendering and softer edges caused by field curvature. Lomography introduced its first modern Petzval lens in 2013 and has since expanded the series with 27mm, 35mm, 55mm, 80.5mm and 135mm models.

Unlike those more direct Petzval-derived designs, Lomography says the Métamorphose also draws on an early Gaussian optical formula developed by Carl Friedrich Gauss in 1817.

The Joseph Petzval Métamorphose 35mm F1.8 Art lens is available for pre-order now for $649 and will ship beginning in December.

Lomography

Lomography Joseph Petzval Métamorphose 35mm F1.8 Art

• $649 at Lomography

LK Samyang has started to tease the arrival of a 28-135mm F2.8 autofocus zoom for Sony E-mount, more than four months ahead of a February 2027 launch.

The company has only released close-up photos of the lens, so far, but has also published full specifications.

So we know it’ll be an extending zoom that expands from 151mm to 190mm long, as you zoom in (6.0-7.5″). We also know that it’ll weigh 854g (1.9lbs).

This makes it almost 30% longer than the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 G2 and around 60% heavier, so you definitely pay a price for the additional flexibility the Samyang should offer. It’s around 27% longer and 50% heavier than Tamron’s 35-100mm F2.8, that doesn’t offer either the wide-angle or telephoto capabilities that this will.

It will also take an 82mm filter, rather than the 67mm filter used by the two Tamrons.

As with other recent LK Samyang lenses, its autofocus will be driven by a voice coil motor, which should be quiet and fast.

And, although no mention of them is made, the preview images show control ring grips that match the company’s lenses co-developed with Schneider-Kreuznach.

Laowa has announced the Acris 35mm F2.8 1X AF Macro APO, which it says is the “world’s first full-frame autofocus 35mm lens with 1:1 macro magnification.” It’s also only the fifth autofocus lens we’ve seen from the company, though some of the lens mounts it’s being released for will get a manual focus-only version.

Laowa says the autofocus versions of the lens will be available for Sony E, Nikon Z and Canon EF mounts. L mount and Canon’s mirrorless RF mount, meanwhile, will only be getting a manual focus version.

The lens is made up of 13 elements in 10 groups, and while Laowa doesn’t call out any special glass it’s using, the company says the apochromatic design means you’ll get “zero color fringing” due to chromatic aberration. In manual focus mode, it has a minimum focusing distance of 18cm (7.1″). This means the front of the lens has to be around 49mm (1.9″) away from your subject to achieve the 1:1 lifesize reproduction that gives the lens its name.

Leslie Jie / Laowa

Like with Laowa’s 180mm F4.5 macro lens, the autofocus capabilities are quite limited in macro mode. From the minimum focusing distance to 0.5m (19.7″), you have to manually acquire focus, but the lens can make precise adjustments for focus stacking purposes. If the subject you’re shooting is more than 0.5m away, though, Laowa says it’ll work like any other AF lens, providing “fast, responsive, and accurate subject acquisition.”

Of course, this is assuming you have the version of the lens that comes with autofocus, rather than being manual focus only. Beyond the lack of motors, there are two interesting differences between the two lenses: the AF version has 9 aperture blades and is threaded for 72mm filters, while the manual focus version has 13 and uses 67mm filters. Both, however, zoom internally.

Laowa

The dimensions of the lens will vary substantially based on which mount you get it in; for instance, the Sony E-mount version is 114mm (4.5″) long, while the EF version is 87mm (3.4″) long. The lens’s weights are much closer, though, with the E-mount one coming in at 560g (19.8oz) and the EF at 530g (18.7oz). Laowa says the lens is sealed against dust and moisture.

In terms of features, the lens is relatively spartan. It has a USB-C port for firmware updates, and a function button that Laowa says “allows seamless switching between modes.”

The Acris 35mm F2.8 1X AF Macro APO will be available starting today and will cost $449 in the US, though regional pricing may vary.

Laowa Acris 35mm F2.8 1X AF Macro APO specifications