Not many individuals are nonetheless strolling round with a first-generation 2007 iPhone of their pockets – however digicam lens tech ages in another way. According to new information from Japan, photographers aren’t afraid to twist a 20-year-old lens onto their digicam.
The data comes from Minna Camera, a photograph gear shopping for and promoting app fashionable in Japan. The firm compiled a listing of all of the lenses nonetheless being bought on the platform which are no less than 15 years outdated with a view to discover the most well-liked retro lenses nonetheless getting used as we speak. The analysis makes use of information from the final seven months of gross sales.
The prime ten lenses on the record are almost all zooms, with simply two prime lenses in the top ten – hinting that photographers aren’t just after images with less modern sharpness but versatility too.
Two of the top three retro lenses, in fact, are superzooms that cover a wide-to-telephoto range without lens swaps. The Nikon AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR takes the number one spot, a lens that first launched in September 2010. While Nikon has a similar Z Mount lens, the DSLR lens’ average selling price on Minna Camera is less than a third of the cost of the Z mount 24-120mm.
A Canon all-in-one zoom takes the third-place spot: The EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. Launched in the fall of 2005, the lens is the oldest option on the top ten list. Like the top Nikon lens, the Canon 24-105mm has a mirrorless equivalent (but also an even a brighter f/2.8 option), but the average used price on Minna falls much lower.
A prime slots in between those two super zooms in second place, one of only two primes on the list: The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, released in October 2009. The lens is also the only specialty lens on the list with its macro designation for close-up shots.
Much of the list is dotted with so-called “workhorse lenses,” the 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 versatile bright zooms that typically come with a pro-level price. The full list of the top ten retro cameras over the last seven months, according to Minna Camera, includes:
- Nikon AF-S 24-120mm f/4G ED VR
- Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
- Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
- Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
- Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G
- Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR
- Nikon AF-S 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
- Panasonic Lumix G Vario 45-200mm f/4.0-5.6 Mega OIS
Only one mirrorless lens made the list, the Panasonic 45-200mm, a nod towards the Micro Four Thirds long history. That lens launched alongside the first commercially available mirrorless camera – the Panasonic Lumix G1 – released in October, 2008.
Interestingly, Minna Camera crafted a similar list of the most popular cameras that are at least 15 years old. On average, those cameras still tended to be newer than the list of lenses. I can easily see why this is – I think one of the best ways to get the retro look that’s popular right now, without giving up digital, is to adapt an older lens – I even adapted an old film SLR lens to work on my mirrorless camera.
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