Tamron 17-70mm E at BHphoto, Adorama, Focuscamera, Calumet Germany and Wex UK.

The lens got tested by Lenstip. The conclusion is:

Let’s discuss the price first. The tested Tamron is available in shops for about $800, the same as the Fujinon 16-80 mm f/4.0, by 1 EV slower. The Nikkor 16-80 mm f/2.8-4.0, a veteran lens on the market, is about $267 more expensive. The Sigma 17-70 mm is the best option from the financial point of view as it can be bought for a sum of $500. Still, taking into account unique parameters of the Tamron, the fact that you deal here with a novelty lens rivalled only by older instruments, present on the market for several years already, it seems the Tamron is priced very well. Of course it cannot be called cheap but, taking into account the current situation, you can say lenses of this class and with such parameters have similar price tags.

The constructors of the Tamron 17–70 mm f/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD faced a really difficult task. Every time a producer tries to offer something unique, a product no other manufacturer features, the bar is set very high, higher than usual. It’s nothing strange that slip-ups, like in this case are bound to happen because it is really difficult to guarantee low vignetting and good performance against bright light in a construction of such a type. Anyway the mistakes are present and you can complain as long as you like – you have very good reasons to do so.

However, this lens managed to achieve the most important task: despite a very large and very universal focal range combined with a good, fixed f/2.8 aperture fastness, it guarantees a very good image quality across the frame, no matter what focal length you employ. It seems the tested Tamron performs even a tad better than you would expect, and, as such, it fully deserves a very high final assessment it got.

Sony is number one in the USA. And Norhthrup thinks it matters.

Lens at BHphoto and Venuslens.net (worldwide shipment).

Opticallimits tested the Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 lens and concluded

The Laowa Argus 33mm f/0.95 CF APO is trying the seemingly impossible by providing shallow depth-of-field capabilities similar to full-format to APS-c class users. And, surprisingly, they succeeded in this quest – mostly at least. The optical performance is on a high level, even at maximum aperture. The broader center is sharp straight from f/0.95 and the borders can keep up nicely. Only the corners are a bit soft. The background contrast is slightly reduced at this setting but this can be boosted via an imaging tool. Stopping down to f/1.4 results in quite a lift in quality even in the corners, and the peak performance around f/2.8 is very impressive indeed. Image distortions are very low and nothing to worry about. As you might expect the vignetting is very high at large-aperture settings. Lateral and axial CAs are well controlled, although they aren’t entirely as absent as the “APO” designation may suggest. RSAs are also something to be aware of. The technical quality of the bokeh is a bit of a mixed bag. Depending on the camera that you use, out-of-focus highlights can suffer from an odd mechanical vignetting effect up to f/1.4 and there are imperfections in the general blur as well. However, this isn’t quite as obvious in real-life conditions simply because the lens can produce an immense amount of out-of-focus blur in the right conditions at least. Flare can also be a weak spot so better mount the lens hood when shooting.

The mechanical quality of the Argus lens is, again, impressive. The all-metal construction feels very reassuring and the dampened control rings are a joy to use. The internal focus mechanism is appreciated and we are also a fan of the new hood design. It’s not all glory, though, because there’s no electronic coupling thus also no AF and no weather sealing.

Unfortunately, the lack of AF will be a showstopper for many photographers. Thanks to focus magnification and peaking, the lens is certainly usable without but it is probably more aligned to video use. The clickless aperture ring is also pointing to this. Overall it’s a competent and affordable lens within its niche.

The camera mounted on the Sony Airpeak is the Sony FX3:

via Alphauniverse

A7IV at BHphoto. Amazon. Adorama. FocusCamera. BuyDig.

Here you have four new videos about the new Sony A7IV:

Sony a7 IV Setup Guide for Hybrid Users | a74 Photo & Video Menu Settings

Sony A7IV vs Sony A7R IV A – Hybrid vs High-res Special

Doing More with the Sony a7IV: Episode 2 Real Estate Photography with Full-Frame cameras & lenses

Sony A7 III vs A7 IV In-Depth Comparison – Part 1: Photography

Samyang 135mm f/1.8 FE preorder at BHphoto, Adorama. Calumet DE, FotoKochDE, WexUK.

SonyAlphaBlog tested the new lens and concluded:

The Samyang 135mm F1.8 AF and the Sony FE 135mm F1.8 GM are clearly ahead of the Sigma, Zeiss Batis and Samyang MF.
The Samyang is the best one in term of sharpness , level of CA, resistance to flare It delivers very crunchy images and beautiful background blur , bokeh and excellent color rendering. It has a very efficient AF , It is lighter and 2 times less expensive than the Sony. Its only weaknesses is the AF in burst mode for sports. Let’s note also a strange battery drain (50% more battery consumed than normal)
The Sony is also outstanding in term of sharpness but a tiny bit less sharp than the Samyang, It is the best one in term of AF for sports , it has a little bit better bokeh balls (more rounded as of F4) and a mure subtle and gentle color rendering
Between the 2, if money is not important, it is a matter of taste in term of rendering with more crunchy image with the Samyang , more subtle for portraits with the Sony and also a matter ofAF efficiency for Sports where the Sony is superior and the only one compatible with 20fps on A9 and 30fps on A1
For the money the Samyang 135mm F1.8 AF is unbeatable

End of 2021 Tokina announced these three new APS-C E lenses that are now in Stock at BHphoto. Opticallimits tested all three of them:

Tokina 23mm f/1.4 at Opticallimits:

The Tokina lens isn’t perfect but it combines the creative potential of a high-speed aperture and sane pricing.

Tokina 33mm f/1.4 at Opticallimits:

Overall, Tokina atx-m 33mm f/1.4 E is a very good value package with a few hiccups.

Tokina 56mm f/1.4 at Opticallimits:

The most difficult aspect around the Tokina lens is not its performance but the sheer amount of competition that it faces in E-mount.