What Current Tech Will Make Lenses Better?

Danielle King walks through the advances that we’ve seen from major lens manufacturers in recent years, and peers into what we’ll want the most from the future.

In this bizarre video, King talks about technology that I’ve also come to love over the years. I agree with almost everything she’s saying. In general the market has opened up so that almost anybody can afford to get a detailed image. That also means that lens manufacturers need to compete on other issues — “When all lenses produce sufficiently sharp images, sharpness no longer becomes interesting.”

King isn’t a fortune teller, she’s looking at the innovations that could be worked upon. Olympus adopting a function button on the lens is a particularly interesting addition to what we’re used to. We’ve also seen potential from Canon to include a fingerprint sensor, showing that the idea has further promise.

Triplets: The M.Zuiko f/1.2 PRO lenses from Olympus.

I’m also interested in what Olympus is doing with their 17mm, 25mm and 45mm M.Zuiko f/1.2 PRO lenses. They’re all the same size, which makes them easier to carry and more predictable on a gimbal. This seems like a no brainer for a manufacturer to strive towards.

However I’m not certain about the future value in these ideas. Surely the different glass inside of Olympus’ lenses means that they’ll need to be re-balanced on a gimbal anyway? And while some lens options may have gotten lighter, Sigma’s Art range is generally heavier than the competition. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the trend leans towards lightweight lenses, and I’m not sure we'll want Sigma to make it's lightweight lenses more bulky in order to remain in check with the rest of the line.

What are your favorite features that you hope will be fleshed out and find further uses?

Stephen Kampff's picture

Working in broadcasting and digital media, Stephen Kampff brings key advice to shoots and works hard to stay on top of what's going to be important to the industry.

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