Samyang celebrates its 50th anniversary with an updated AF 50mm F1.4 FE II

Samyang has today announced the release of its newest autofocus lens, the Samyang AF 50mm F1.4 FE II. It’s an update to the first autofocus lens Samyang ever produced. So, this will be what Samyang meant by “RE:BORN of the 1st” in its teaser a few weeks ago.

According to the press release, The Samyang AF 50mm F1.4 FE II is the smallest and lightest amongst large aperture 50mm lenses with the Sony FE mount, coming in at 88.9mm long and weighing 420g. It features a faster and quieter autofocus system with linear stepper motors and has a 9-blade aperture for smooth bokeh.

The original Samyang AF 50mm F1.4 FE was Samyang’s first autofocus lens, introduced back in 2016. Its refresh marks Samyang’s 50th anniversary as a lens manufacturer, who had focused solely on manual focus lenses prior to that release. The Mark II update, Samyang says, is the result of “5 years in-depth research and communication with customers”.

Focal Length	50mm
Maximum Aperture	f/1.4
Minimum Aperture	f/16
Lens Mount	Sony FE
Format Compatibility	Full-Frame
Angle of View	45.7° (31.1° APS-C)
Maximum Magnification	0.16x
Minimum Focus Distance	40cm
Optical Design	11 Elements in 8 Groups
Diaphragm Blades	9
Focus Type	Autofocus
Image Stabilization	No
Filter Size	72mm
Dimensions	80.1 x 88.9 mm
Weight	492g (320g without lens cap & hood)

As one would expect from such a lens, the Samyang AF 50mm F1.4 FE II is weather-sealed and provides you with a switch on the lens itself to easily bounce between manual and autofocus as required. And that rubber focus ring is “micro-patterned” for maximum grip when operating in cold, wet, windy, snowy and dusty weather.

The Samyang AF 50mm F1.4 FE II is available to pre-order now for $749 from the Samyang website. The UK price will be around £599. I expect it’ll come to other retailers soon, but shipping is expected to begin in December. Here are some image samples from photographers Jay Gilmour and Nic Taylor.