Four new and enhanced lenses from Rokinon, Ricoh and Panasonic drop this June and July, and are definitely worth a second look.

Rokinon New Series II Lenses

Rokinon just announced enhanced versions of its manual focus 14mm f/2.8 and 85mm f/1.4 prime lenses. New features for both full frame Series II lenses include weather-sealing, an aperture de-click switch for video, improved follow focus behavior, a rubberized and textured focusing grip and a nine blade circular aperture for optimal bokeh.

A focus lock feature on the 14mm lens is perfect for astrophotographers who need to maintain precise focus at infinity.

Available in Canon EF, Canon M, Nikon F, Sony E, Fujifilm X and MFT mounts and the Rokinon SII 14mm f/1.8 and Rokinon SII 85mm f/1.4 lenses are expected to ship this June for an affordable $499 and $399, respectively.

rokinon.com

[Read: Week in Review: ADobe Photoshop, Animoto Beta 3 Video Builder and More]

Ricoh Announces HD PENTAX-D FA★85mm F1.4ED SDM AW for K-mount Digital SLR Cameras

Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation just announced the HD PENTAX-D FA★85mm F1.4ED SDM AW lens, the second fixed focal-length lens in the new- generation PENTAX Star (★) lens series. Designed for use with PENTAX K-mount digital SLR cameras, Star-series lenses, says the company, boast the highest imaging performance of all PENTAX lens lineups.

PENTAX developed a new, ring-type SDM (Supersonic Direct-drive Motor) exclusively for this new lens to enable high-speed autofocus operation, with an exterior design that assures a firm grip for manual-focus operation.

The new lens incorporates three Super ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass optical elements to effectively minimize chromatic aberration, and a glass-molded aspherical optical element to effectively compensate for spherical and chromatic aberrations and field curvature to deliver extra- clear, high-contrast images with edge-to-edge sharpness, even at open aperture. This design also reduces distortion to nearly zero at a focusing distance of four meters to deliver well-defined, distortion-free images over the entire focusing range, from the minimum focusing distance to infinity.

The lens also boasts an f/1.4 maximum aperture, useful with many different subjects in a range of applications, including portraiture with an effectively defocused background, handheld shooting of indoor scenes and scenic photography.

The HD PENTAX-D FA★85mm F1.4ED SDM AW lens will be available in mid-June for $1,899.95.
us.ricoh-imaging.com

Panasonic Launches New L-Mount Lens

New from Panasonic, the full-frame LUMIX S Series 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens is designed for both still and video capture. The latter benefits from a mechanism that suppresses focus breathing.

The LUMIX S 20-60mm lens features a 9-blade circular aperture and is dust- and splash-resistant, with a fluorine coating to repel water and oil.

[Read: Lumix S Pro 70-200mm f/2.8 O.I.S.: First Impressions]

This lightweight, 12.3 ounce lens, will be available at the end of July for $600.

panasonic.com