Rokinon AF 50mm f/1.4 FE: Preorders

By Louis Ferreira | Published: July 22, 2016

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Preorder
B&H Photo
Amazon

Reviews
ePhotozine

Performance
Focal Length50mm
ApertureMaximum: f/1.4
Minimum: f/16
Camera Mount TypeSony E (Full-Frame)
Format Compatibility35mm Film / Full-Frame Digital Sensor
Angle of View47°
Minimum Focus Distance1.48′ (45 cm)
Magnification0.15x
Elements/Groups9/8
Diaphragm Blades9, Rounded
Features
AutofocusYes
Physical
Filter ThreadFront: 67 mm
Dimensions (DxL)Approx. 2.89 x 3.85″ (73.5 x 97.7 mm)
Weight1.29 lb (585 g)
Posted in 3rd Party Lens| Tagged | 3 Comments

Double DXO: The Sony a68 and RX10 III Scored

By Louis Ferreira | Published: July 22, 2016

a68RX10IIIDXO
DXO scored the Sony SLT Alpha 68 and Sony Cybershot DSC-RX10 III favorably against their competitors. The Sony a68 has all the best features from the Sony a77 II with a lower price point, but lags at high ISO, while the Sony RX10 III outclasses its peers. You can read more details for the Sony a68 (DXO) here and Sony RX10 III (DXO) here.

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First Rokinon (AF) Lens: Available Next Month

By Louis Ferreira | Published: July 20, 2016

 

First-Rokinon-autofocus-AF-lens-for-Sony-E-mount
Photorumors received a tip from a reader about a full frame 50mm Rokinon autofocus lens coming this August for $699. We reported the Samyang version in early May. There are no further details at this time, but I find it interesting that Rokinon jumped on rebranding this lens so quickly.

Via Photorumors

Posted in 3rd Party Lens| Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Official Odin II TTL Flash Trigger for Sony Announcement

By Louis Ferreira | Published: July 19, 2016

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Official Press Release:

Now, Anything Goes for Sony Users
North White Plains, NY – July 19, 2016

Introducing the Odin II TTL Flash Trigger for Sony
“This was totally worth the wait. Combined with my Mitros+ flashes for Sony and my Indra360 and Indra500 TTL lights, I now have a perfectly reliable, consistent and awesome lighting system.” – Miguel Quiles, Sony Artisan

Take Complete Control from the Top of Your Sony
Known across the globe for their intuitive and reliable lighting ecosystem, Phottix is expanding its product line to include Sony users. The Odin II TTL Wireless Flash Trigger for Sony now allows the ever-growing number of Sony users to take complete control over their lighting workflow in TTL or Manual, directly from the top of their Sony camera. Offering a wireless range of up to 332 ft (100m), the Odin II also features High-Speed Sync and Second-Curtain Sync, which eliminates any sacrifices when using this solution to control off-camera lighting. Read More »

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The 50mm Zeiss Planar Tops The Zeiss Otus

By Louis Ferreira | Published: July 18, 2016
Planar vs Otus
image courtesy of Lensrentals

Lens rentals tested the new Sony FE Planar T* 50mm f/1.4 ZA and came up with some very impressive results that include the 50mm Zeiss Planar having lower lens variation than the Sony 55mm F1.8 Sonnar T* FE ZA. The Planar is also better than the Otus in the center, while only falling a little behind the Otus around halfway to the center, which they provide an answer for

“One note about that ‘halfway sag’ for both of you who actually read the articles and don’t just look at the graphs. This may be an artifact of sensor cover glass. We are limited to a full mm cover glass increments when testing, so for Sony lenses we use 2mm, which is close, but not exactly the same optical thickness as what covers the sensor. (It’s probably about 0.25 thicker). We generally don’t think of a 0.25mm difference as significant for SLRs, but that may not be absolutely true with the short back-focus distance of the FE mount. In other words, the Sony lens may actually be a bit better than what we see here. Or they may not, we aren’t certain yet.” 

It looks like Sony has released their first lens to punch way above its price point. I can’t wait to see how it compares to my Sumilux.

Via Lensrentals

Posted in Sony lenses| Tagged , | 4 Comments

Samyang Announcement XEEN 135mm T2.2

By Louis Ferreira | Published: July 18, 2016

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July 18th, 2016, Seoul, Korea

The global optics brand, Samyang Optics (http://www.samyanglens global.com) announced the release of XEEN 135mm T2.2. Along with the existing five lenses of 14mm T3.1, 24mm T1.5, 35mm T1.5, 50mm T1.5 and 85mm T1.5, XEEN 135mm T2.2 offers outstanding image quality from resolving power for 4K+ production for filming video and cinema.

XEEN is a specialized brand in professional video-cine lens launched by Samyang Optics in 2015. The XEEN lenses are designed with Samyang Optics’ know-how and have outstanding optical performance for 4K+ with the X-Coating Technology, ensuring maximum image quality to create a cinematic look.

The 24mm x 36mm negative size allows XEEN to not only work with full frame cameras, but also with Super 35, APS-C and APS-H cameras. The lenses are available in five different mounts – PL, EF, F, E, and MFT and two different focus scales – metric and imperial units. Also, the aluminium metal housing is known for its reliability in various shooting conditions.

The new XEEN 135mm adds telephoto angle to the existing XEEN set, enabling to capture the sincere emotions and details of characters in films and videos. Also the bright T2.2 offers high quality footage with clear contrast and impressive colors, even under less-than-optimal lighting conditions. The large aperture also creates a pleasing bokeh effect for a cinematic look.

Moreover, Samyang has announced to release a total of five lenses throughout five weeks as a 2016 Summer Samyang Blockbuster campaign starting from XEEN 135mm. The other four lenses will be announced on every Monday from July 25th to August 15th.

Via Samyang

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