Samyang just sent me the press release to announce the new 8mm for the NEX and NX system. Samyang is a highly regarded company and makes some amazing lenses and I am sure this fisheye is a great lens, but they would have probably sold tons of lenses if that would have been a f/1.4 prime lens instead of this. Is there really a bog need of fisheyes?
Here is the press release and some more images of the lens:
“Samyang 8mm 1:2.8 UMC Fish-eye is currently the smallest and the brightest Fish-eye lens compatible with compact cameras featuring APS-C sensor. It perfectly combines high optical value, impressive lens speed and exceptionally compact sizes.
Its sophisticated optical construction relies on the system of 10 lenses arranged in 8 groups. They include, among others, one aspherical (AS) lens and two lenses made of extra low dispersion glass (ED). This provides perfect sharpness for the entire field of view and maximum aperture of f/2.8. Obviously all surfaces of the lenses were covered with multi-layered UMC anti-reflective coatings adding to the high contrast and splendid light transmission.
Samyang 8mm 1:2.8 UMC Fish-eye will be marketed with Sony E (NEX) and Samsung NX mount. In both cases its maximum angle of view will amount to 180 degree, with the minimum focusing distance of 0.3 meters.
Release date and the expected price will be separately announced on a later date.“
7 Responses
I thought this had been available for a long time, there was a review of it almost half a year ago:http://www.thephoblographer.com/2012/02/13/review-rokinon-8mm-f2-8-fisheye-sony-nex/ .
Why would you want an f/1.4 fisheye? The whole point of these lenses is to have enormous DoF and be sharp throughout the frame (because there’s no need to control distortions).
What Samyang need to do is design more specific mirrorless lenses. Adding a m4/3 mount on the end of their gigantic, designed-for-FF 35mm f/1.4 is just silly.
It isn’t silly as it really doesn’t cost them anything, they just put a different rear piece on the lens to match to the flange distance of the mount. This new fish eye is actually designed for shorter flange distance cameras.
I think Samyang will do more of these lenses if this one is popular, hopefully they do, as a 35 f/1.4 designed for a short flange distance would be nice! The 35mm f/1.4 as you mention is great for a D700 or something, but I don’t want to carry that on my Sony NEX or Samsung NX.
yeah, the rokinon (also samyang) 8mm fisheyes have been out for along time for NEX and NX