Tamron f/4 17-50mm zoom lens for a full frame Sony digital camera
Toronto. In years gone by, extreme wide angle lenses were very special. A lens was attached to a camera to capture a specific angle of view. In many cases, the lens was stopped down to avoid unintentional vignetting. Specialty wide angle lenses merited special usage instructions like holding the camera high in a corner of a room.
Around the 1950s, zoom lenses first came on market. Distortion, weight, slow speed, narrow focal length range, and a hefty price tag limited the potential retail market.
By late in the century, zoom lenses became practical. In fact as we entered the digital era, zoom lenses were the norm and so called ‘prime focal length’ lenses became pricy specialty items.
Today, Tamron has a 17mm to 50mm zoom lens that fits a ‘full frame’ Sony camera and is even offering one for free, Rita Godlevskis, editor of PhotoEd reminded us of Tamron’s ‘give-a-way’ offer in her recent email.
I will mention once again that these lenses may well become sought after historical items in 50 to 100 years just like we lust after old brass lenses like the mid 1800s Pantoscope and its brethren. Remember, you heard about it in 2024 …
