There were nearly 200 new lenses released this year, many of which were iterations of an existing lens. Many of the lenses were also wholly new designs, whether first-party designs to pair with a new flagship camera or third-party innovations designed to fill the gaps in existing lineups.
With such a breadth of new lenses available in the past 12 months, we're narrowing things down to cover some of the highlights and most unique or exciting lenses that came out in 2024.
Canon's Hybrid Series
Canon made big news in the camera sector this year with the launch of the EOS R1 and EOS R5 Mark II. On the lens side, their main prerogative has been to continue developing their hybrid series of lenses—those that are designed to appeal equally to both photographers and filmmakers. This year saw the release of three new hybrid primes—the RF 24mm f/1.4 L VCM, RF 35mm f/1.4 L VCM, and RF 50mm f/1.4 L VCM—and a new hybrid zoom, the RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Z. These lenses are all design to limit focus breathing, offer smooth AF performance, and feature silent operation, including the option to de-click the manual aperture ring. On the photo end, they're just well-designed and fast lenses; a staple for photographers looking to control depth of field or work in low-light conditions.
Canon's other major lens releases this year include the compact RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM standard zoom, and the unique RF-S 3.9mm f/3.5 STM Dual Fisheye and RF-S 7.8mm f/4 STM Dual lenses, which are specifically built for VR content and spatial video creation.
FUJIFILM's Dueling 500mm Lenses
It's somewhat rare for a brand to launch two 500mm f/5.6 lenses in the same year, but that's exactly what FUJIFILM did in 2024, but the catch is that one is for the X system of APS-C cameras and the other for the GFX system of medium format cameras. The XF 500mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR is a super-telephoto prime—the longest for the X system besides the 150-600mm zoom. This lens has a full-frame equivalent of 762mm, making it choice optic for birders, wildlife, and other nature subjects, as well as for some distant sports applications. And for the medium format crowd, there's the GF 500mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR—a 396mm-equivalent prime that's also the longest of the system and an especially unique option for medium format. Interestingly, if you compare the lens design diagrams and specs of these two lenses, you'll find a lot of similarities between the two save for the lens mount and weight—it's a pretty impressive design feat for FUJIFILM to have an optical design that performs so well on both formats.
The other two lenses from FUJIFILM this year are also, coincidentally, very similar in focal length: the XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 R LM WR and the XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR II. Despite both being standard zooms, the former lens is a smaller, lighter option for everyday shooting while the f/2.8 version II lens is a flagship zoom for the X system.
Hasselblad Fills for X-System Gaps
In the middle of a refresh of sorts, Hasselblad spent 2024 nailing a couple more basic prime lenses and an ultra-wide zoom for their mirrorless medium format system. The wide prime is the XCD 25mm f/2.5 V, a 20mm-equivalent lens that's part of their V system that offers a dedicated focusing ring and manual focus clutch for better AF/MF switching. For the versatility of a zoom, there's the XCD 20-35mm f/3.2-4.5 E lens, a 16-27mm-equivalent that's bound to be a staple among architecture, cityscape, and interior applications. Finally, and most recently, Hasselblad came out with the XCD 75mm f/3.4 P, an especially compact 59mm-equivalent prime that's a well-rounded wide-portrait lens, perfect for isolating subjects from busy backgrounds and achieving a slightly more selective field of view compared to general wides and normal-length lenses.
Leica's New 70-200mm f/2.8
It was more of a camera year for Leica, with the release of the SL3, the Q3 43, and the M11-D as standout releases for the German brand. On the lens front, though, a fast telephoto Vario-Elmarit-SL 70-200mm f/2.8 ASPH. was released, joining the growing L-mount stable of lenses for the SL-series of cameras, adding versatility at the long end of the focal length spectrum.
Nikon's Compact f/1.4 Primes and a New Cine Lens in Development
With a more varied quartet of optics releases in 2024, Nikon had a little bit of something for everyone. The two primes they released—the NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.4 and the NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.4—are unique mainly due to how they compare to their older f/1.8 lenses. These new lenses are faster (f/1.4 vs f/1.8) but they're also more compact and lighter in weight. They are not S-series lenses, though, so those craving the finest details and sharpness are better off sticking to the f/1.8 or f/1.2 S lenses; but for someone looking for a more versatile option that's smaller for everyday carry, the new f/1.4s check off that box.
The next major release from Nikon was the NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR, an all-in-one in the truest sense of the term, covering wide-angle to super-telephoto in a single lens. Lenses like these are perfect for shooters who want to bring a single lens on their vacation while still having the ability to capture pictures of buildings and monuments along with wildlife and distant action.
Finally, the lens we'll be talking about more in more detail in 2025, Nikon also announced the development of their first true cine-dedicated lens, the NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ. Information is scarce at the moment, but we know it's a full-frame-compatible power zoom lens designed with video productions in mind. Look out for more on this one in the new year.
OM SYSTEM Adds a Couple New Zooms, a Fisheye Body Cap, and Several Re-Releases
As OM SYSTEM continues to distinguish itself from its Olympus-branded past, many of the brand's popular lenses are being re-released with the new branding. These new OM SYSTEM-branded lenses from 2024 include the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-100mm f/4 IS PRO, 12-45mm f/4 PRO, 45mm f/1.2 PRO, 25mm f/1.2 PRO, 12-45mm f/4 PRO, 8mm f/1.8 Fisheye PRO, 8-25mm f/4 PRO, 75mm f/1.8, 40-150mm f/4-5.6 R, and 75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II.
In addition to having all of those lenses with current branding, there were a few wholly new releases, too, including the M. Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm f/5-6.3 IS super-tele zoom and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm f/4-5.6 II ultra-wide zoom. These two lenses hit opposite ends of the focal length spectrum, with the super-tele being yet another excellent option for bird and wildlife shooters while the ultra-wide is enticing for landscape and architecture shooters. And, for the more casual photographer, OM SYSTEM also launched a fun Fisheye Body Cap 9mm f/8 that's an ultra-portable ultra-wide companion lens for everyday shooting.
Panasonic Focuses on Compact L-Mount Lenses
Panasonic's lens releases for 2024 revolved around growing their full-frame L-mount mirrorless system, with a specific focus on making lenses as compact and portable as possible. The standout lens for them was the Lumix S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3; a lens they claim to be the smallest and lightest full-frame zoom available. This wide-to-normal zoom, along with the even slimmer Lumix S 26mm f/8 pancake prime, are excellent complements to a camera like the Lumix S9, but also make great everyday carry options for their S5 platform. Additionally, Panasonic also released the Lumix S 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens; a common focal length for a macro lens but it, too, shares a slimmer-than-expected design, making this lens easier to carry and work with on a regular basis.
Sigma Went on a Tear with Six New Lenses
Sigma had a very productive year, releasing six all-new lenses plus adding six Canon RF-mount versions of some of their most popular APS-C lenses. In terms of new releases, Sigma covered a lot of ground, including three unique standard zooms: an upgraded and slimmed-down 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN II Art lens; an impressively fast 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art lens; and a supremely versatile 28-105mm f/2.8 DG DN Art lens. They also released the extremely bright 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art and the extremely wide 15mm f/1.4 Fisheye DG DN Art.
All of these lenses are great and certainly move the needle for many shooters but the standout lens from Sigma in 2024 might have to be the 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports. It's rarer to see super-telephoto options from third-party manufacturers and this lens is impressive thanks also to its miniscule, handholdable build, quick AF performance, and reliable image stabilization. It's a lens that fills holes in a handful of systems and is an approachable super-tele for the masses looking to get into birding or sports photography.
Sony's Trio of G Master Releases
Releasing five lenses in 2024, Sony had a very productive year on the optics front. They had two G lenses—the FE 16-25mm f/2.8 G and FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G—that are compact and very well-matched to a wide range of shooters, along with an update to everyone's favorite APS-C kit lens, the E PZ 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS II. What really caught our attention, though, was a pair of G Master lenses that are definitely aspirational in nature and really show off what Sony is capable of producing.
Latest first, Sony recently announced the FE 28-70mm f/2 GM; a standard zoom with an exceptional f/2 constant maximum aperture. Sony labels this as a zoom that can realistically replace three primes—it's a great option for studio, wedding/event, and portrait photographers. The other main GM release of the year, Sony also came out with a gen 2 of their most popular portrait prime, the FE 85mm f/1.4 GM II. This lens takes all of the good of the original and shrinks it down into a smaller, lighter package for easier all-day use. It also sees upgraded AF performance, new video-friendly functions, and improved bokeh quality.
The Most Interesting Third-Party Lenses of the Year
We already reviewed many of the third-party lenses of the year, but here we'll cover a handful of the more interesting ones from a variety of brands.
Viltrox
Viltrox is a manufacturer that's been on many people's radars over the past 12 months—they released a significant number of lenses this year and they are one brand that is interested in innovating their basic primes with more advanced optical designs and better focusing performance. One lens in particular is their AF 135mm f/1.8 LAB FE lens, a bright portrait-length prime with autofocus for Sony E cameras. Early reviews are pointing to this being a stellar release with impressive AF, which is a notable feat for a third-part lens-maker.
Rokinon
An all-in-one zoom that leans more into it being a star portrait and events lens, Rokinon's 35-150mm f/2-2.8 AF offers a very usable zoom range along with a fast design and autofocus. It's an interesting alternative to constant f/2.8 zooms, offering a narrower overall field of view that's suitable for group shots and mid-range isolated portraits.
Venus Optics
Perennially one of the most interesting lens manufacturers around, Venus Optics nearly outdid themselves this year with the Laowa 12-24mm f/5.6 Zoom Shift CF. It's a worlds'-first perspective control zoom, something that surely few have even considered. It's a lens that make sense and sounds fun, though; with an ultra-wide range and shifting control, it's a lens that's great for architectural shooters who are confined to shoot from a single vantage point but still need to perfect a composition.
Thypoch
For some vintage appeal, rangefinder lenses usually sate a traditionalist's palate and both Thypoch and Voigtlander have a couple interesting 50mm options. The Thypoch Eureka 50mm f/2 is a collapsible prime with a decidedly retro look. The lens has a nice focus tab, sleek dimensions, and a traditional image quality.
Voigtlander
Voigtlander, on the other hand, released the APO-Lanthar 50mm f/3.5 VM lens (available in a Type I or Type II design) that eschews speed for compactness and apochromatic rendering. It's a lens for the decisive rangefinder photographer.
Mitakon
Historically, it's rare for third-party manufacturers to produce medium format lenses thanks to the price and accessibility of the systems. With medium format going the mirrorless way, we're beginning to see a handful of third-party options for both Hasselblad and FUJIFILM systems. The Mitakon Zhongyi Speedmaster 80mm f/1.6 is one example; a lens that's faster than almost anything else available for extremely shallow depth of field effects. Similarly, their 200mm f/4 1x Macro is the longest macro lens currently available for any medium format system, offering a longer working distance than the ~100mm options.
Tamron
Speaking of macro, Tamron released a very classic take on a standard macro prime—the 90mm f/2.8 Di III VXD Macro. This 1:1 lens has a 9.1" minimum focusing distance and hits that sweet spot of working distance to magnification a lot of typical close-up shooting applications require.
What are your thoughts on the lens releases from 2024? Do you have a favorite? Did we miss anything important? And what are you hoping to see lens-wise in 2025? Let us know in the Comments section.
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