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01/19/2006 10:11:09 AM · #1 |
Hey,
I haven't been in the photography "game" all that long, and was curious about something. From what I've seen so far, seems like manufacturers come out with new camera bodies fairly frequently...once a year? Once every two years? Something like that...
But, how often do they come out with NEW lenses? In other words, not a change from "we used to have a 70-200mm f2.8 and now we have a BETTER 70-200mm f2.8", but something like "we never used to have a 80-120mm f2.0 but now we do" kind of thing. Is that a fairly rare occurance? Or do they do that sort of thing about once a year or two also? While I think I have seen that a time or two from the various manufacturers, I don't think I've seen it as much as the cameras themselves...
Curious...
Doug
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01/19/2006 10:32:24 AM · #2 |
I am not sure of the frequency but it is not every couple years like the cameras. Some of the lenses Canon sells have been around for over 10 years with no replacement. Lenses dont need upgrades like cameras do.
June
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01/19/2006 12:11:18 PM · #3 |
Canon makes dozens of lenses that fairly well cover the range of what's possible and what people want. They relatively rarely come out with a completely "new" lens; one that JUST arrived is the 24-105mm L zoom, which is getting fine reviews. Recent additions to the arsenal also include the 10-22mm super WA EFS lens, for 1.6 crop cams like the rebel and the 20D and the 60mm EFS macro for the same bodies.
It's worth noting that these "fairly frequent" new bodies you refer to are usually just incremental upgrades of current bodies; 20D was a 10D upgrade, 350xt is a 300D upgrade, etc. An exception is the new 5D, which is completely new in Canon's lineup.
R. |
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01/19/2006 12:36:27 PM · #4 |
I think Bears statement about the new Canon 10-22 for crop cameras brings up the point that we are seeing more new lenses now that in the past. This is due to the fact taht cropped DSLR's are popualar and they can make new leses specifically for them that are lighter and cheaper.
Nikon, Canon, Tamoron and Sigma are all doing it. I just got a new travel lens from Nikon that is 18-200 VR that we would have never seen from them in the past because or this.
Moral of th story is I think we will see a higher frequesncy of new leses that in the past but they will be for cropped camreas only. |
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01/19/2006 12:39:51 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
It's worth noting that these "fairly frequent" new bodies you refer to are usually just incremental upgrades of current bodies; 20D was a 10D upgrade, 350xt is a 300D upgrade, etc. An exception is the new 5D, which is completely new in Canon's lineup.
R. |
Marketing wise they are upgrades, but in physical properties they are all new. The 350XT proabably shares 2% of it's parts with the 300D. New body, brain, sensor, battery. New camera. Same for 10D to 20D upgrade too.
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01/19/2006 12:40:24 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by jbsmithana:
...Moral of th story is I think we will see a higher frequency of new lenses than in the past but they will be for cropped camreas only. |
...or new versions of FF lenses that are optimized for digital or just improved in design and quality.
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01/19/2006 12:58:44 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by Prof_Fate:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
It's worth noting that these "fairly frequent" new bodies you refer to are usually just incremental upgrades of current bodies; 20D was a 10D upgrade, 350xt is a 300D upgrade, etc. An exception is the new 5D, which is completely new in Canon's lineup.
R. |
Marketing wise they are upgrades, but in physical properties they are all new. The 350XT proabably shares 2% of it's parts with the 300D. New body, brain, sensor, battery. New camera. Same for 10D to 20D upgrade too. |
Yes, of course, but the OP was asking about entirely new lenses in the lineup and I took this to mean "lenses of a range or type that did not previously exist in the lineup". The 20D, in that sense, is not "new" because it is an APS-C sensor camera, which the 10D also was. It's a greatly improved version of the same thing. The 5D, on the other hand, is a new thing, so to speak.
I may be drawing too fine a line here...
R.
Message edited by author 2006-01-19 13:00:01. |
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01/19/2006 01:06:58 PM · #8 |
The 10-22 is a new lens, we can all agree.
the 60 macro EF-s...it is all new but since there is a 50 macro what is the 60 then? new, a replacement or some hybrid combo?
There are lots of new lenses in the past 2 years - the 18-200 class of lens, the 10-22/12-24/11-18 class of lenses.
Lots of updates with coatings and such.
Lenses to get discontinuted - I have a tamron 70-210 2.8 that they no longer make but have not replaced.
If they do, then it will be all new but also an upgrade, right?
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01/19/2006 01:08:07 PM · #9 |
| New lense designs for digital....? Olympus has done quite well recently. |
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01/19/2006 01:10:52 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by Prof_Fate:
The 10-22 is a new lens, we can all agree.
the 60 macro EF-s...it is all new but since there is a 50 macro what is the 60 then? new, a replacement or some hybrid combo? |
It's all new, a different focal length and designed for APS-C sensors.
R. |
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01/19/2006 01:22:10 PM · #11 |
What about the 70-300 IS? By its spec's, its a significant improvement over the 75-300 IS that it replaces. Should this be considered a new lens? And what about the 70-300 DO IS?
How about the 70-200 f/4, f/2.8 and f/2.8 IS? Are each of these new lenses? They are each quite different, if you look at the number of elements and groups (f/4 has 16/13 elements/groups, f/2.8 has 18/15 and f/2.8 IS has 23/18) Plus they have different dimensions.
If Canon were to come out with a (say) 70-230 f/2.8 IS or a 70-200 f/2.4 IS, would that be a new lens?
Perhaps "new lens" should refer to a compleat redesign that includes some different glass (number of elements and groups, or adding UD or APO or flourite or other special element, or adding a wider aperature, etc) as is seen in the 70-200 L series as opposed to just adding a coating or two to some element.
A better term for what the OP asked could be "new focal length" or "new zoom range" or "new significant feature" or ...
dswebb, looking back at your original post, you may have been asking the question "do I put my money into the best body I can buy or into the lens?". If this is the case, buy the best lens and the cheapest body, then later buy a better body. Canon seems to upgrade every 18 months, so in 3 1/2 years the 350D replacement may be better than the 20D. The 20D will probably be replaced by 3 generations and will be much better. If you buy an L lens now, it may last you for decades.
Message edited by author 2006-01-19 13:31:30. |
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01/19/2006 02:32:14 PM · #12 |
Wasn't really looking at what to buy next, lens or body. Was just wondering if the lens "market" had as much "new" activity as the camera market seems to have. I hadn't noticed it. Seems I missed a lot. :-)
From the posts, it seems the lens market has significantly more "movement" than I had noticed. Even tho some of it is debatable as to whether it is new or just modified/upgraded.
From my personal viewpoint of the original question (not being an expert on any of this stuff), the 20D is indeed a "new" camera. As it has a different set of features and capablities and looks different than other things that were out there at the time. And by the same token, as one other poster put it, to ME a new lens would be indicated by a new focal lenght/zoom range, or new aperature, or new major feature like IS.
To me just a new set of elements/groups or coatings does not make a "new" lens. Just like a simple substitution of some new electronic gizmo inside a 20D would not make a new camera. Which by the way I bet happens, they use some new PCB or transistor or coding or some such and still package/label it as a 20D. Those kinds of things that are "transparent to the user" I don't think of as a truely "new" product.
But that's just my original personal thoughts when posting.
Interesting to hear of all the recent developements in the lens area. Thanks for the info guys!
Doug |
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