Last Updated on 02/21/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
The megapixels keep getting higher and higher, so lenses are being designed to match.
Samyang is and has always been known for their budget lens options; notably for their excellent image quality, if often held back by hit or miss build quality. In recent years the company has done a lot to improve upon that image, improving the overall build quality and stepping into AF lens territory with their Sony FE lenses. But today the company announced a new lens that harkens back to their bread and butter, quality manual focus primes with fast apertures; and that is exactly what the new XP 50mm F1.2 is.
The new Samyang XP 50mm F1.2 is a lens the company is touting as an affordable optic for today’s high-resolution imaging sensors. According to Samyang, the lens is capable of resolving 50MP of resolution and 8K video production; an impressive, though not unmatched, feat. The lens itself is made up of 11 glass elements, featuring one Aspherical and one High Refractive element, which are divided up into eight groupings. It also features non aperture blades and has a front filter thread size of 86mm.
This is a lens designed for portrait photographers who covet that creamy, dreamy bokeh that comes with an F1.2 aperture. Samyang says that it has optimized the lens for portrait conditions, focusing on being able to capture sharp details with pleasing transitions in skin tone and an ability to shoot in darker moodier environments thanks to the F1.2 aperture.
The Samyang XP 50mm F1.2 so far has only been officially announced for the Canon EF mount, but knowing Samyang, it would be a good bet to assume that at least a Nikon mount is also coming, but that most likely mounts for all the other major brands will be coming down the pipe as well. When, however, is still yet to be known. As well, unfortunately, no pricing or availability for this lens was announced yet – but stay tuned and we will update once that information becomes available. However, given Samyang’s history, and our experience with their previous prime lens releases (like the 50mm F1.2 and 35mm F1.2 for mirrorless) we can be fairly certain the price point on this will be very affordable compared to other F1.2 EF lenses.
You can find out more about this lens over on Samyang’s website.