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.
If you can’t wait that long, the original Samyang AF 50mm F1.4 FE is currently on a massively discounted sale at B&H, reduced from $699 to $399.
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