CES featured plenty of new cameras, but there were also several exciting lens announcements from some of our favorite lens makers, Nikon and Sigma. Nikon's new 85mm f/1.8 lens is refreshingly small for what it does, while Sigma a new line of lenses for Micro 4/3 and Sony NEX – called DN for Digital Neo, plus an impressive 180mm f/2.8 Macro lens for Nikon & Canon DSLRs...

Sigma 180mm f/2.8 Macro HSM OS lens: For long lens fans who enjoy using their lenses for telephoto portraits, the Nikon 180mm f/2.8 has been a long time favorite. Now Sigma has one-upped the Nikon lens by building one which is capable of a 1:1 reproduction ratio – e.g. a true 180mm f/2.8 macro lens. It is stabilized, making it practical for many hand-held situations. It isn’t small, by any means, but balances well on pro and prosumer bodies. It looks like the lens won’t ship until June, so it’ll be awhile before we can do a real field trial with a production version, but as someone who enjoys both macro and telephoto, I’m looking forward to trying one out!  In the meantime you can see all the specs on the Sigma site.

Sigma also launched a line of “DN” (Digital Neo) lenses for Micro 4/3 and Sony NEX (mirrorless) cameras. They include the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN lens (60mm equivalent on Micro 4/3, 45mm equivalent on Sony NEX), and the Sigma 19mm f/2.8 DN lens (38mm & 30mm equivalent). Both the lenses seem well built, and feature newly designed linear AF motors for quiet operation – especially important for video recording. The lenses should be shipping soon, pricing is to be announced.

One of the cutest lenses I’ve seen in a longtime, Nikon was showing off the new Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-S G lens. I used it on a Nikon D4 DSLR that they had at the show and it was quick to focus (even in the low light) and a remarkably small size for an 85mm f/1.8 lens – partially due to the lack of a focus ring, indicated by the “G” designation. Continuing with their stubborn pattern of not providing stabilization on their fast lenses, the lens does not feature any type of vibration reduction. Obviously with the high-ISO capability of modern cameras combined with an f/1.8 maximum aperture, VR isn’t essential, but there are times when stopping down and using a low ISO are preferred, which in this case mandates a tripod. All in all though, it is a nifty lens at the very attractive price of $499.95 from B&H, where it is available for pre-order.