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By Matthew Richards published 25 December 21
It's the 12 lenses of Christmas! For the next 12 days we look back at all the big lens launches of 2021, starting with January...
In a ‘12 days of Christmas’ kind of way, we’re taking a stroll back through 2021, revisiting the new lenses that sprang up along the way and picking out a star attraction for each of the 12 months. Here’s what came in from the cold in January.
• Best camera lenses to get • Best Canon lenses • Best Nikon lenses • Best Sony lenses
Lighting the fuse for new-year fireworks, Sony sparkled with the launch of its FE 35mm F1.4 G Master, inheriting all of the customary optical finesse and handling refinements of its G Master siblings. Coupling a classic, moderately wide field of view with a fast f/1.4 aperture, it was set to become an instant favorite, also earning a 5-star review and gold award from us.
Proving that full-frame isn’t the only new-year’s party in town, Fujifilm’s January announcements included two new X-mount lenses in the diminutive shape of the Fujinon XF27mmF2.8 R WR pancake prime and the larger Fujinon XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR, giving fairly standard and super-telephoto perspectives respectively, thanks to the system’s APS-C crop factor. The company also announced its fastest medium-format lens to date for the GFX system, the Fujinon GF80mmF1.7 R WR. Not to be outdone, Irix served up the super-speedy 45mm f/1.4 Dragonfly, claiming top spot as the world’s fastest GFX lens, even if it lacks autofocus.
Bearing price tags more akin to ‘January sales’, announcements came thick and fast from 7Artisans. Impressively engineered manual-focus offerings included the 7.5mm f/2.8 II fisheye, the 55mm f/1.4 II portrait-friendly lens and the 60mm f/2.8 II macro, all designed for APS-C and Micro Four Thirds crop-sensor cameras. For full-frame mirrorless cameras, there was also the 7Artisans 10mm f/2.8 fisheye, in Canon RF, Nikon Z and Leica L flavors.
Firing up the afterburners, Venus Optics served up four ultra-fast new trailblazing manual lenses for crop-sensor cameras, including the Laowa 25mm f/0.95 in MFT mount, the Laowa 33mm f/0.95 in Fujifilm X mount and the Laowa 35mm f/0.95 and 45mm f/0.95 for APS-C format Sony E-mount cameras. The company also gave a sneak preview of its full-frame Laowa 35mm f/0.95, equally adept at stills and video capture.
For a truly cinematic experience, announcements included the budget-friendly Samyang 14mm T3.1 VDSLR Mk2, the mid-range Tokina Cinema Vista 65mm T/1.5 and the up-market Fujinon Premista 19-45mm T/2.9.
Our test lab had a similarly hectic start to the new year, with several lenses being put through their paces. First up was the newly launched Sony FE 35mm F1.4 G Master, followed by a pair of Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN Contemporary and 65mm F2 DG DN Contemporary lenses, available in both Sony full-frame E-mount and Leica L-mount. Hot on their heels were the compact and lightweight Nikon Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 standard zoom and two Fujifilm X-mount wide-angle and standard zooms, namely the Fujinon XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS WR and Fujinon XF 16-80mm F4 R OIS WR. All in all, quite a month and a hefty kick-off for the new year!
• Best Nikon Z lenses • Best Canon RF lenses • Best Fujifilm lenses • Best Olympus lenses • Best L-mount lenses
Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners!
His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related.
In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.
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