Our website is a catalog of photographic systems. A system is a collection of cameras, as well as lenses, flashes and other accessories designed for them. Each system or lens has its own page on our website. The "Systems" section contains systems sorted by the status of production. You can also select a system using the "Timeline" section - the systems are sorted there by the date of their introduction to the market. You can filter systems by format, camera type and other characteristics.
If search for lenses by systems does not suit you for some reason, you can always use the "Advanced search" section, which provides wider and more convenient options for finding lenses.
If you would like to to find suitable lenses for your camera by a particular genre of photography, use the "Genres" menu item.
Collections are also available - these are thematic lists of lenses based on some feature (for example, ultra-fast or anniversary lenses).
As with any website, we have a search bar. However, the search is carried out only among lenses and only by their names, focal length and speed. Don't try to search for any phrases from lens descriptions - nothing will be found.
There are no separate pages dedicated to cameras on our website, but basic information about them can be obtained by clicking on camera names on a system page, as well as on other pages where the list of cameras is given.
We do not maintain a catalog of flashes, bellows, extension rings, protective caps and other small accessories.
Finally, the website has a section with articles, as well as a small blog dedicated to the website itself.
On our website, lens names are recorded in the database as they appear on the lens barrel. The only exception we make is for focal length (range) and speed. In whatever form they appear on the lens barrel, we always bring them to the following format: XXmm F/x.x, where "XX" is the focal length in mm, and "x.x" is the speed. For example, 50mm F/1.4 or 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6. Wherein we always omit trailing zeros after the decimal point. For example, Canon Lens EF 50mm 1:1.0 L Ultrasonic is recorded in our database as 50mm F/1L (also note that there is no space between 1 and L).
For autofocus lenses, we do not include the anti-reflective coating marking in the name. For example, Fujinon lens Super EBC XF 90mm 1:2 R LM WR is recorded as Fujifilm Fujinon XF 90mm F/2 R LM WR in our database. The only exception we make is for Pentax autofocus lenses: the smc or HD marking is always present in their names, because it has developed historically.
We also reserve the right to exclude words that have no significant meaning when recording lenses in the database. For example, Sigma High-Speed Wide 28mm 1:1.8 Multi-Coated Aspherical lens is recorded as Sigma 28mm F/1.8 Aspherical ZEN in our database: the words "High-Speed" and "Wide" are excluded as redundant, the words "Multi-Coated" are excluded, since all autofocus lenses are multi-coated, and the acronym "ZEN" is included because it was used with this lens in Sigma catalogs.
As you visit the website, you will have to deal with lists of lenses. Here is a short description of them.
In the "Model history" list, lenses are displayed in chronological order: the higher a lens is in the list, the later it was released. The lens you are at is highlighted in blue. For example:
| Cosina Voigtlander Ultron 40mm F/2 Aspherical SL II S | A | 6 - 5 | 0.25m | E52 | 2017 ● | ||
| Cosina Voigtlander Ultron 40mm F/2 Aspherical SL II N • Pancake lens | A | 6 - 5 | 0.38m | E52 | 2012 ● | ||
| Cosina Voigtlander Ultron 40mm F/2 Aspherical SL II • Pancake lens | A | 6 - 5 | 0.38m | E52 | 2007 ● | ||
| Cosina Voigtlander Ultron 40mm F/2 Aspherical SL | A | 6 - 5 | 0.4m | E52 | 2002 ● | ||
Immediately after the column with the lens name, there is a column that indicates the type of diaphragm, then the optical formula (number of elements - number of groups), the closest focusing distance in meters, the type and size of filters, and, finally, the year when the lens was announced.
Diaphragm types:
| M | Manual | P | Preset |
| S | Semi-automatic | A | Automatic |
| -- | Fixed | ||
Filter types (where xx is a filter size):
| Exx | Screw-type | (Exx) | Rear screw-type |
| Bxx | Bayonet-type | (Bxx) | Rear/internal bayonet-type |
| Axx | Clip-on | (xx) | Rear drop-in |
| Sxx | Series | (G) | Rear gelatin |
| Built-in | Built-in | -- | Not available |
The higher a lens is on this list, the better it is in its class.
Please note that the lens format (APS-C, 35mm full frame, medium format), the lens category, and the mount are taken into account when determining whether a lens is one of the best in its class.
In addition, if the same model is produced for several systems (this applies to Sigma, Tamron, Tokina lenses, as well as some others), then it can be one of the best in its class in one system (for example, Nikon F), but not in another (for example, Canon EOS).
A comparison feature is available for autofocus and current manual focus lenses: click on the "Compare" link and the website will display a list of advantages and disadvantages of a lens from the list compared to the lens you are at. The comparison is done automatically and based on the lens specification. Next to "Compare" are columns with the number of advantages (green) and disadvantages (red).
Best-in-class lenses are labeled "Best" on system pages.
Lenses in this list are always sorted by manufacturer name. Small-batch production lenses are displayed separately in the list. As with the best-in-class lenses, a comparison feature is available.
Production status:
| ● | Recently announced | ● | In production | ● | Discontinued |
The ones that are highlighted in blue are the recommended lenses in the list of lenses with similar focal length (range) and speed, as well at the "Genres" page.
| Sony FE 50mm F/2.5 G (SEL50F25G) | Best | 2021 ● |
Lenses from manufacturers who do not provide adequate quality control are crossed out. We do not recommend purchasing such lenses. However, they are recorded in the website database and you can get information about them in the same way as about any other lenses.
| Samyang AF 35mm F/1.8 FE (Rokinon) | 2020 ● | ||
| Irix Dragonfly 45mm F/1.4 | 2020 ● | ||
The "Pro" mark indicates that the lens is a professional model.
When generating a list of best-in-class lenses, the website's inference engine uses the following lens classification:
Mirror/reflex lenses and lenses designed for use with bellows are excluded from the list as they are specialized lenses that cannot be compared to conventional lenses.
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