As of lately a long list of camera lenses have come out - of which some are intriguing and kind of exciting. But at the same time confusing... when tech and wallet issues take over creativity. The industry really knows how to seduce people, and keeping them into an endless stream of cocooning. Sort of keeping the vast majority on a lower level. For other people it is other stuff. From beauty products and make-up to cars, motorbikes, and football. And millions of other things.

You know what i mean. Sometimes it becomes exhausting. Kind of almost boring and predictable. Perhaps that is when the veil of deception starts to thinnen... and you sort of sense that something is off. Because the whole thing of constantly being in a stream of products and expectations and chasing fore more exciting things... never ends.

Imagine that. You do the same think like you where 25 years old. And then 40 years later, still hanging on the same tree branch. On and on and on.

OK. So, what lenses were interesting ?

Canon EF 200/2 L IS (2008)
Now two new 200/2 lenses are suddenly released

After I shot portraits at the Stockholm PRIDE 2025 with the white whopper lens, the Canon EF 200/2 L IS. Since it is a rather unique lens - all of the sudden, right after - TWO new 200mm ƒ 2.0 lenses where announced: The Sigma ART 200/2 and the Laowa 200/2. Intriguing to say the least.

Both cheaper and lighter than the original Canon equivalent.

The price tag is lower than what the Canon EF 200/2 L IS once cost (55.000 SEK in 2008, while in Germany you could get it for 45.000 SEK [special price] or 5000 € at that time of SEK/Euro currency conversation. In the US it was $6000 when Canon announced it. I personally bought it from Germany... and saved 10.000 SEK.

In today's prices it would be like buying a lens with a 7200 € price tag in 2025. Strange to think like that *huh* A lot of money for s very specialized lens, indeed it was. Actually it was the most expensive lens I've ever bought in my life. But the value isn't anything so special anymore, given how high white Canon lenses are today, easily eclipsed by a multi-fold.

Later, when Canon switched over to mirrorless RF mount cameras in 2017 i think it was - abandoning the EF mount - the second hand prices on that 200/2.0 L IS lens soared to its original €6000 price level - because Canon has never released a RF 200/2 L IS lens this far.

To my surprise, the second hand prices have fallen as of year 2025. You can get a Canon EF 200/2 L IS for $3500 today. The now new 200mmƒ 2.0 lenses from Sigma and Laowa will likely push second hand prices even further. In just a year or so, Canon stops serving the EF 200/2 L IS, i believe.

Sharpness at ƒ2 (Canon EF)

Notice that while optical performance is fantastic at ƒ2 - but isn't like hyper-razor sharp at 100% I have noticed. You need set the sharpening slider it bit stronger than normal - then all the finest details come out brilliantly (without over sharpened artifacts). So, everything is still there... you just have to sharpen it more than usual. The Sigma will by default be slightly sharper at ƒ2. But in the end results with digital sharpening on the Canon - they are the same.

The brand new Sigma ART 200/2 AF will cost $3500 - around 40.000 SEK in Sweden. Which is actually a very well placed price for a brand new lens of that kind in year 2025 !

The Laowa is cheaper then that, but the exact price hasn't been released yet. They provide it also (among other mounts) in the Canon EF mount, and via adapter you can get AF.

For the Sigma 200/2 however, there is no way to adapt it to either Canon EF or Canon RF mount. Sorry, so to speak.

Notice also that the sigma is a half kilo lighter, and the Laowa 200/2 a whopping kilo lighter than the 2.8 kilo Canon EF 200/2 L IS.

Canon's proprietary RF mount issues

it is an endless shame that Canon doesn't open up its RF mount to companies like Sigma. Especially sigma, who comes out with such awesome lenses. But you can't use them with Canon cameras. Sigma has stopped with the Canon EF mount based lenses.

Pity. Brilliant lenses like Sigma 300-600mm ƒ 4 - are astonishing. Or the latest Sigma ART 135mm ƒ 1.4 lens (!) - which is like the bigger brother to the Sigma ART 105mm ƒ 1.4 lens. Curiously; the 135mm ƒ1.4 is lighter than the 1.65 kilo Sigma ART 105/1.4 lens.

OM Systems / "Olympus"

just released a M.Zuiko ED 50-200mm ƒ2.8 IS PRO lens - which is equivalent to a 100-400mm ƒ2.8 lens (!) White lens, with all the whistles and bells, absolutely superb optical quality and 7 stop stabilization. But the price in Sweden is a whopping 40.000 SEK 25% tax / 3600 € 19% German tax - which is just totally over the top in my opinion. 31.000 SEK / 2.900 Euro would have been adequate at the most.

But that's me.

The earlier M.Zuiko ED 40-150/2.8 PRO - i got for something like 1050 € including the 1.4x teleconverter. So, quite a difference. And perhaps not truly that much different in real life. Sure the new white zoom is shiny and state of the art, and everything... but with an almost 4 times higher price tag.

So. There is that.

Not for me. I also do not do landscapes too often, don't travel much anymore - and therefore the original 40-150/2.8 PRO is truly more than perfect.

There are many other lenses.

Canon just released the Canon RF 85/1.4 L VCM lens, so now there are 20mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm VCM lenses. But most of them in Sweden cost now close to 20.000 SEK each. We are (almost) at a level at Canon, where Leica stood in 2006, for their entrance Leica M lenses. But hey, that was almost 20 years ago... So, there is that. But still, it is a bit spooky to think like that.

A thought behind money, value and inflation

Perhaps it is the story parasitic elites hidden politics together with the public politician puppets; printing money like monopoly money, resulting into the faster degradation of currencies and value of money.

After all, they increased the amount of money printed, by almost 9x (both US as well Europe, and Sweden who is a non-Euro country, but not so far behind either in that regard). That leads and has lead over time to disaster (which are partially still hidden from exposure to the people. It creates a failure of currencies, increased inflation, and steep price hikes. The worth of money as we know it - goes down the drain.

There - we are now. With it we see a lot of higher prices on many, many things.

Photography especially. Especially analogue photography where film, chemicals etc - have become obscenely expensive.

Sad so say.