The 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens is the first from the outfit to feature Hybrid IS.  The lens compensates for both angle and shift camera shakes up to four shutter speed steps, and it’s fully compatible with all EOS cameras.  This lens is perfect for close-ups and portrait, and telephoto shots.  But all these great features come at a cost.  Come late September, if you want to get your hands on this baby, you will have to shell out the $1,049 big ones.

For some of you this might be a great deal, but for others, not so much.

Source: HotHardware

The mount’s grip improves the stability of the phone thereby reducing camera shake. It also includes a 37mm camcorder lens and a front facing Monster microphone which plugs into the microphone jack of your phone. There is a hotshot on the front which will allow for many other accessories such as lighting and shotgun mics.

Future models will use the dock connector for stereo sound, they will support wireless microphones, and even provide power for the iPhone.

According to CrunchGear, OWLE plans to have a limited production run completed by August which will be mainly distributed to press. A full production run should be completed by Christmas and will be sold at at pricepoint around $30-50.

Source:  OWLE

A little while ago we have purchased a Nikon D90 camera that came with 18-105mm lens and it has been great, but we needed something that can handle low light shooting a little better.  After a few months of being out of stock, we have finally got our hands on the Nikons’ new AF-S Nikkor 35mm F1.8G DX latest lens that has been announced in February.  This is a 35mm lens with a built-in autofocus motor, and specifically designed for use on DX format bodies, and isn’t fully compatible with Nikon FX format cameras.  

According to Nikon, this has allowed them to build this lens smaller and lighter and thus making it very affordable in price.  Supposedly he lens is primarily targeting the users of the entry-level DSLR cameras like (D40 / D40X /D60) series of DSLRs.

The lens is a 35mm focal length but because of the DX form factor it is equivalent to 50mm on an FX camera, and because this is a non zoom, it is a  classified as a standard lens.  This lens is very fast with F1.8 maximum aperture which allows it to pass much more light then the kit AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens, which is extremely useful for shooting in low light.  The great feature about the lens is the very fast silent motor, and the ability to autofocus on the subject as well as to manually tweak the focus as needed. 

Because this is a non zoom lens, it take a little time to get used to it because now you have to start moving your legs rather then your zoom, which is okay because it allows you to frame your subject with a much better precision.  

Some of the main features of the lens are:

• 35mm focal length; fast F1.8 maximum aperture
• Silent Wave Motor allows autofocusing on all Nikon DSLRs
• Full-time manual focus override
• For DX format cameras

From the short amount of time that we have played with the lens, we can honestly say that the performance is great.  The images that produced with this lens are very detailed  through the entire range of apertures, the focus is quick and precise, and because of the very light weight it handles great.  We have definitely noticed that it produces sharper images then our Nikon AF-S 18-105mm F3.5-5.6 lens.  

Because of the fast aperture, this allowed us to take many pictures with out a tripod in very low light and to avoid blur from subject motion. I personally do not like to use flash too much unless its absolutely necessary, so this works out great.  The only one minor con that I can think of is a slightly soft contrast in wide open, but this problem is so minor that it is not even worth mentioning.  Overall we are very pleased with the lens, the quality and overall value of the package that you get for the price.

Here are  some sample photos:

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