A new image has surfaced showing a new Samyang lens – and some believe that it could be the elusive Samyang 24mm f/1.8 FE lens. Believed to be designed for mirrorless cameras, this piece of glass is rumored to include autofocus and a wide maximum aperture of f/1.8.
While the lens in this leaked photo doesn't have any markings or numbers to help us identify which specific piece of glass it will be, the latest rumors from Sony Alpha Rumors potentially point to it being a 24mm f/1.8.
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Samyang has become known for producing good quality manual focus lenses, including the Samyang 135mm f/2.0, which offers fantastic image quality at an affordable price point. However, Samyang has recently started to produce autofocus lenses as well – and these lenses are quickly becoming popular.
The Samyang AF 24mm f/2.8 FE lens is currently the only 24mm lens that Samyang offers with autofocus. With its tiny form factor, lightweight design and great image quality, this piece of glass offers great features for an affordable price. The only downside is that the maximum aperture could be wider - so an f/1.8 version of this focal length could be fantastic.
It will be interesting to see what the minimum focusing distance will be for this new potential lens. With companies such as Viltrox also producing good quality and affordable 24mm f/1.8 lenses, one of the best ways that Samyang could potentially blow the competition out of the water is with a 20cm minimum close focusing distance (rather than Viltrox's 30cm). This could give photographers and videographers plenty of flexibility for getting up close to their subjects.
Either way, the extra competition in the market can only be a good thing for consumers. However, with no official announcement in sight, it seems we'll have to wait for some concrete confirmation.
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