Samyang Announces 2 Auto-Focus Lenses for Sony FE Mount!

Photocredit (http://www.syopt.com)Samyang (Also branded Rokinon, Vivitar, Bower etc) are a brand that we really like, they've been delivering optically fantastic lenses at incredible prices with one large tradeoff - they've always been manual focus.The current 14mm is our pick for "Best Budget Lens for Stars"  see our review hereNow Samyang has announced two Full Frame Sony E Mount lenses - an Ultra Wide-Angle 14mm F2.8 and a 50mm F1.4.We're very excited about these lenses, if they've managed to produce lenses that have good auto-focus on Sony bodies, with the existing high level of optical quality AND keep the prices reasonable - these are going fly off the shelves.Below is the full press release - we of course are hopign to get our hands on one to test for you.Press Release from Samyang's website"May 3rd, 2016, Seoul, Korea – The global optics brand, Samyang Optics (http://www.samyanglensglobal.com) today announced the long-awaited launch of two autofocus lenses: 14mm F2.8 and 50mm F1.4 lenses for Sony E mount Mirrorless cameras with full frame sensor size. The new 14mm and 50mm are the widest and brightest lenses in their classand offer superb quality images to photographers. This launching expands the boundaries of Samyang Optics photo lens line-up from manual focus only, to now include autofocus lenses. Optimised Optical Design as Full Frame Mirrorless Camera LensBoth 14mm F2.8 ED AS IF UMC and 50mm F1.4 AS IF UMC are specifically designed to work in harmony with full frame mirrorless cameras in Sony E mount. The flow of light is devised based on the uniqueness of the distance from glass to sensor in mirrorless cameras to create optimal performance. Along with portability of mirrorless lenses, the 14mm F2.8 and 50mm F1.4 are compatible with full frame sensors to deliver the wideness and sharpnessof image to photographers.The 67mm filter diameter brings the maximum amount of light into the lens to create the best work of light in photography. The 14mm F2.8 is the widest angle available in the market and the F1.4 of 50mm and F2.8 of 14mm apertures are by far the brightest of full frame mirrorless lenses, offeringa beautiful bokeh effect and the best quality images under various exposure conditions.Based on Samyang Optics’ exceptional optical technology, aspherical lenses have been included in both lenses to minimise aberration and unnecessary light dispersion, delivering high resolution from the centre to the corners of the image.AF Performance and Ergonomic Design Based on Class-Leading TechnologyThese new products will be the first autofocus lenses in over 40 years of Samyang’s class-leading core optics technologies. Samyang has captured the essence of world leading image technology with their manual focus lenses and reinterpreted it into autofocus lenses. Photographers now can enjoy the prime manual lens image quality and autofocus lens. These new 14mm F2.8 and 50mm F1.4 are compatible with both phase detect and contrast detect sensors to operate fast and accurate focus detection.The 67mm filter diameter is also the result of years of R&D for best handling, by adding stability to the photo-taking experience. Also the minimal and sleek design and metal-housing solidify the build quality with the internal focus system.These two new autofocus lenses from Samyang Optics will be exhibited at the Photo & Imaging 2016Show in Seoul, South Korea. The lenses will be globally available from July 2016. Further details, pricing and availability will follow.More information will be released soon onSamyang Optics official website (http://www.samyanglensglobal.com), Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/samyanglensglobal) andInstagram (http://www.instagram.com /samyanglensglobal)."

Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens

UPDATE: Now Shipping - Mine will be here tomorrow (Friday May 21) Follow on Facebook & Instagram for updates, first look and review.BUY from B&H Photo 50mm f/1.8 STM or Amazon 50mm f/1.8 STM $125Rumored last week and discussed on our weekly podcast, now officially announced. This is a successor to the incredibly popular 50mm f/1.8 often called the nifty-fifty or plastic fantastic because of it's cheap plastic mount.  The new STM version offers a metal mount in a slightly smaller size and 7 aperture blades for smoother bokeh in the background.   All while keeping the cost the same as the current 50mm f/1.8.  I preordered mine from B&H and will have lots more to share when they start shipping May 21st. I do expect it to be noticeably sharper, especially when shooting at the wider apertures.canon50mmSTMCanon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Standard Telephoto Prime Lens Specifications Summary

  • Compact, lightweight, fixed focal length standard lens for EOS cameras
  • Large f/1.8 maximum aperture
  • 80mm effective focal length when attached to EOS cameras with APS-C sensors
  • Canon STM gear type stepping motor technology provides quiet autofocusing to support Canon’s EOS Movie Servo AF function
  • Improved exterior design including new focus ring placement makes it the most compact Canon EF 50mm lens ever
  • New metal mount for stability and ruggedness
  • Super Spectra Coating for minimized ghosting and flaring
  • Circular 7 blade aperture (The current 50mm f/1.8 has just 5 blades and as a result the bokeh is often shaped like small fuzzy pentagons.)
  • 14-inch minimum focusing distance
  • 0.21x maximum magnification

BUY from B&H Photo 50mm f/1.8 STM or Amazon 50mm f/1.8 STMYour use of my links helps support this site and the work I do.They have a lens hood for the news lens too and B&H has the cheapest price at $26.95 Honestly for the more recessed design of this lens, a lens hood is not critical but if you would like to provide more protection and decrease your chance of sun flares you should buy.   Canon is selling a UV filter too. I will just remind you that I rarely recommend UV filters for protection and I certainly wouldn't spend the time or money to put one on a $125 lens.  Read more about filters you should have here.The new STM lens will be better than the current f/1.8, I am 100% sure of that. The real question is how will this lens compare to the Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM.  The 50mm f/1.4 is not exceptionally sharp wide open and needs to be stopped down to f/1.8 or f/2 to get better results putting these two lenses on similar footing.  USM focusing system is different but not really better than STM though USM does provide a more direct manual focusing system experience.   For easy autofocus during video the new STM version is going to be best.  I am struggling to come up with a strong argument for many to pay $200 more for the USM version. I will be testing the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and the new Canon 50mm STM along with the Canon 50mm f/1.4 soon. Subscribe to my newsletter, of stay up to date with Photorec.tv announcements on the Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram.  I also suggest you Subscribe to my Youtube channel.

Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 Lens aka the Nifty-Fifty Knock-off

Screenshot 2014-12-17 11.41.00Yongnuo, the company that makes some of my favorite flashes for Canon and Nikon, has recently released their own version of Canon's 50mm f/1.8.  Costing just $30, less than a 1/3 the price of  Canon's already cheap 50mm intrigued reader John Witkowski. Here are his thoughts and some comparisons versus the Canon 40mm f/2.8. YONGNUO 50mm f/1.8 lens for Canon cameras. Initial thoughts so far; it seems to be built just a tad bit better than canons 50mm 1.8, not by much. Mount uses screws instead of canons plastic lock tabs. Quick test shots seem to have accurate color and contrast. Not as sharp as the 40mm 2.8 it is very soft at 1.8 and gets better around f4 - f5. Ok bokeh. Motor noise is similar to the canon 50 1.8. Focusing is ok not to bad to get locked in. With that said It does not work in liveview with my t5i. It has trouble focusing and when it finally does come in focus the camera will not shoot. I noticed if it is in live view with the lens on AF it will not fire. If I change the lens to MF in live view it works. Using the viewfinder the lens works fine. So far for $30 bucks its not bad but not great.  See John's Flickr Photos at https://www.flickr.com/photos/limesaresweet/sets/72157649727835016

Here are the test shots. I started with canons 40mm stm at 2.8 and the Yongnuo 50mm at 1.8

Canon 40mm f/2.8 at f/2.8https://www.flickr.com/photos/limesaresweet/15414584774/in/set-72157649727835016Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 at f/1.8https://www.flickr.com/photos/limesaresweet/16036156502/in/set-72157649727835016/Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 at f/2.8https://www.flickr.com/photos/limesaresweet/15849416238/in/set-72157649727835016/100% comp 40mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8 vs Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 @ f/2.8Yongnuo40vs50 More samples on his Flickr Page -https://www.flickr.com/photos/limesaresweet/sets/72157649727835016You can order the lens via Ebay (price seems to have gone up slightly) Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 Canon Lens or Amazon (price is higher) My quick thoughts - at $30-$40 if offers a workable alternative to Canon's own prime but you are probably better off saving a little more and grabbing the Canon version, especially when you consider the focusing issues John mentioned along with the serious softness at f/1.8.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART lens - Availability and Pricing

Sigma 50mm f_1.4 DG HSM | B&H Photo VideoSigma 50mm f_1.4 DG HSM Lens for Canon EF 311101 B&H Photo VideoThe Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART lens has finally been given a price $949. We briefly discuss this lens and how it might compare to the Canon 50mm f/1.2 in two recent podcasts.Podcast Episode #14 - Setting Photography Goals (Click to skip to 35:15 for the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 discussion)Podcast Episode #15 - More discussion about the Sigma 50mm f/1.4Early reviews are VERY positive. At $949 you may consider this expensive but compared to the Canon 50mm f/1.2 at $1619 it offers some significant savings at what may not be any sacrifice. Yes, I recognize that you lose some light but only a little and if it is much sharper... I will have a review soon. Subscribe to my Youtube channel to be notified of the review.Pre-order on B&HAmazonAdorama