Two new autofocus FE primes (50/1.4; 14/2.8) from ... Samyang.
- Thread starter DLD
- Start date
Samuel H
Major Contributor
Let's see how prices and optical performance end up, but this sounds like great news.
The choice of focal lengths is very interesting. The 14mm doesn't have much competition. And if I had to buy a high end photography system today, it would be an a7R II with both 25mm and 85mm Batis lenses, but I'd have a problem with the "normal" prime because the 55mm f/1.8 is optically outstanding but prone to mechanical failure, and the 50mm f/1.8 is probably not good enough for my taste. Samyang lenses are not the most durable either, but if I can get the performance of the good one at the price of the cheap one I won't complain as much...
Now, the thing is: the 14mm definitely looks like a mirrorless-specific design, and if it is as good as their mirrorless-specific 12mm f/2.0 APS-C, it will be very popular. But the 50mm? I'm not so sure. It looks too big for a mirrorless 50mm f/1.4. The one they sell with Canon mount is "9 elements in 6 groups", let's see if this one is different.
Edit: size of the 50mm, and AF test: http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/firs...focus-test-with-the-new-samyang-50mm-fe-lens/
The choice of focal lengths is very interesting. The 14mm doesn't have much competition. And if I had to buy a high end photography system today, it would be an a7R II with both 25mm and 85mm Batis lenses, but I'd have a problem with the "normal" prime because the 55mm f/1.8 is optically outstanding but prone to mechanical failure, and the 50mm f/1.8 is probably not good enough for my taste. Samyang lenses are not the most durable either, but if I can get the performance of the good one at the price of the cheap one I won't complain as much...
Now, the thing is: the 14mm definitely looks like a mirrorless-specific design, and if it is as good as their mirrorless-specific 12mm f/2.0 APS-C, it will be very popular. But the 50mm? I'm not so sure. It looks too big for a mirrorless 50mm f/1.4. The one they sell with Canon mount is "9 elements in 6 groups", let's see if this one is different.
Edit: size of the 50mm, and AF test: http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/firs...focus-test-with-the-new-samyang-50mm-fe-lens/
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awelgraven
Well-known member
Any guesses on price for the 50mm 1.4? Was thinking of grabbing the Sony FE 50mm 1.8 that just started shipping today, but would love the F1.4 if price was comparable...
Even though, this has a full frame coverage, I suspect it's made with A6300 in mind and similar range 4K mirrorless cameras Sony might put out (A7III should have 4K in FF, whenever it's released). Samyang will likely take the lowest rung of all the Sony E-mount lenses. I figure it's going to be Samyang; then Sony's own more affordable series; then Zeiss Movus, Loxia and Batis; Sigma with E-mount adapters, then Sony GM. Considering that the lack of lens selection was long deemed a major obstacle to the Sony camera popularity, third party licensing made a lot of sense for the company.
Consumers would have benefited from Sigma's zooms being made for the E-mount but Sony must have felt it had to protect its own zoom line too. Thus, the licensed adapter for the EF mount only.
Allegedly, not as little as I had thought, kind of half-price of Zeiss line.
I suppose, if this is XEEN quality with AF, it's reasonable.
Samuel H
Major Contributor
- sonyalpharumors says price will be between $400 and $600: http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-samyang-50mm-f1-4-fe-autofocus-lens-will-cost-less-than-600/
- I think this was made with stills in mind. The same sar source says AF in video mode is far from stellar.
- I think was made with FF in mind. For APS-C, they already have a manual focus 50mm f/1.2 that is much smaller and weights 30% less.
Edit: it seems the FE 50mm f/1.4 has 9 elements in 8 groups, vs 9 elements in 6 groups for the EF version. So, something must have changed, even if it seems a bit too big to be designed for mirrorless.
- I think this was made with stills in mind. The same sar source says AF in video mode is far from stellar.
- I think was made with FF in mind. For APS-C, they already have a manual focus 50mm f/1.2 that is much smaller and weights 30% less.
Edit: it seems the FE 50mm f/1.4 has 9 elements in 8 groups, vs 9 elements in 6 groups for the EF version. So, something must have changed, even if it seems a bit too big to be designed for mirrorless.
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The early video tests of the 50mm auto focus are pretty bad but I reckon it will be tweaked to a suitable level. Or it'd better be tweaked to a suitable level, with that suitable level being A6300 and (presumed) A7III rather than A6000.
(yes, my opinion stays the same ... Zeiss and Sony GM are for the A7SII/RII and for the FS5, FS7 and their replacement. These aim lower but not A6000 low.
(yes, my opinion stays the same ... Zeiss and Sony GM are for the A7SII/RII and for the FS5, FS7 and their replacement. These aim lower but not A6000 low.
lovecameras
Carbonite Member
Be nice to see a zoom sometime in the next decade from Samyang....
Isn't my "low" lower than your "low" by about $500?Make that "a7II low" and we agree
In any case, I think we're in basic agreement. These lenses, if they perform to expectations, will be quite useful for those who don't have either the funds or desire to spring for the Zeiss (Loxia, Milvus, Batis) line of primes.
Samuel H
Major Contributor
Well, your "low" is lower than mine by 55% of the sensor area. If they were thinking about APS-C, I believe they would have gone with their 50mm f/1.2 mirrorless design (it's both faster and smaller).
Eagerly awaiting the first reviews. A Samyang lens set would make an a7R II photography kit A LOT cheaper.
(I'm thinking about a second-hand a7R II in 2017, so it's still kind of low end)
Eagerly awaiting the first reviews. A Samyang lens set would make an a7R II photography kit A LOT cheaper.
(I'm thinking about a second-hand a7R II in 2017, so it's still kind of low end)
One wold think that a more affordable full frame camera is on Sony's to-do list. They want to push a lot more full frame cameras onto the market and thus produce lenses with the full frame coverage (ditto for Zeiss). A $1,500 4K A7III with D500 specs would appeal to a lot of budget conscious shooters.
BTW, I was watching that NAB Newshooter discussion with their DP's table - Geoff Boyle, Rodney Charters and two others - and one of the "others" said, ~ "Modern lenses can be made perfect. Everything is done on computers these days. In the past, the engineers needed slide rules and, at some point, the law of diminishing returns set in. And, due to that, lenses had imperfections. They had character. Now, they're perfect. And void of distinguishing characteristics too".
In other round table, they had folks from Zeiss, Cook, Canon, Duclos (in Duclos himself). Zeiss product development manager said, "We're going for full frame". Then someone accused him of Zeiss lenses being too perfect (it may have been from a previous discussion too).
I kind of think it's too much ado about the imperfections. The modifiers are now applied outside of the lens itself. If one thinks Zeiss looks too hard, put a Tiffen Pro Mist or something in that vein, stop worrying and call it a day.
Samuel H
Major Contributor
I love it when I'm the pessimist one and then I'm proved wrong: both the 50mm f/1.4 and the 14mm f/2.8 seem to be mirrorless-specific designs.
I thought the 50mm wouldn't be, because it was big and somewhat similar to their canon-mount 50mm f/1.4, but now we have the diagram of the optical formula here, and details saying it has 9 elements in 6 groups, with 3 aspherical elements, whereas the Canon version has 9 elements in 8 groups with one aspherical element and one hybrid aspherical element.
OTOH, remember that first testers of the beta versions said AF is not great in video mode.
I thought the 50mm wouldn't be, because it was big and somewhat similar to their canon-mount 50mm f/1.4, but now we have the diagram of the optical formula here, and details saying it has 9 elements in 6 groups, with 3 aspherical elements, whereas the Canon version has 9 elements in 8 groups with one aspherical element and one hybrid aspherical element.
OTOH, remember that first testers of the beta versions said AF is not great in video mode.