Samyang releases the 8mm fisheye for NEX and NX systems.

Samyang just sent me the press release to announce the new 8mm for the NEX and NX system. Samyang is a highly regarded company and makes some amazing lenses and I am sure this fisheye is a great lens, but they would have probably sold tons of lenses if that would have been a f/1.4 prime lens instead of this. Is there really a bog need of fisheyes?

Here is the press release and some more images of the lens:
“Samyang 8mm 1:2.8 UMC Fish-eye is currently the smallest and the brightest Fish-eye lens compatible with compact cameras featuring APS-C sensor. It perfectly combines high optical value, impressive lens speed and exceptionally compact sizes.
Its sophisticated optical construction relies on the system of 10 lenses arranged in 8 groups. They include, among others, one aspherical (AS) lens and two lenses made of extra low dispersion glass (ED). This provides perfect sharpness for the entire field of view and maximum aperture of f/2.8. Obviously all surfaces of the lenses were covered with multi-layered UMC anti-reflective coatings adding to the high contrast and splendid light transmission.
Samyang 8mm 1:2.8 UMC Fish-eye will be marketed with Sony E (NEX) and Samsung NX mount. In both cases its maximum angle of view will amount to 180 degree, with the minimum focusing distance of 0.3 meters.
Release date and the expected price will be separately announced on a later date.“

New Samsung lens roadmap rumors…

One thing Samsung proved to do very well is…lenses. And this is the rumored list of new lenses coming in 2012-2013:

  • Samsung iFn 12-24mm f/4 OIS ED VCM

  • Samsung iFn 55mm f/1.8 pancake

  • Samsung iFn 30mm f/2 pancake (version II)

  • Samsung iFn 16-50mm f/2.8 OIS SSA

  • Samsung iFn 70-400mm f/4-5.6 OIS ED VCM

The premium prime NX lenses will be announced in 2013.

Via PR.

New Pentax APS-C mirrorless lens patent…

What you see here on top is a new patent from Pentax describing a zoom lens for a mirrorless APS-C camera. The interesting thing is that this doesn’t seem to be a lens for the K-01 but rather for a new (real) mirrorless system with short lens to sensor distance. This may confirm the long time rumor saying that a new APS-C mirrorless series will be announced this year by Pentax!

Source: Egami.

Fuji X PRO 1 RAW sensor tests and problems…

When Fuji launched the X PRO 1 in January the main excitement was for the new sensor. But any time you see some innovation you really need to test it to see if it delivers what it promises. Sandy McGuffog from Chromasoft wrote a couple of articles about the Fuji X PRO 1 sensor. Click here to read part one, part two and part three.

The conclusions are pretty surprising: “The hard truth is that any interpolation engine is going to have trouble with pixels that are spread out, not aligned, and unevenly spaced.” and “So my conclusion is, sorry to say, that the Fuji X-Pro1 X-Trans sensor doesn’t deliver the Fuji promise of outperforming similarly sized sensors. In fact, it underperforms similar DX sensored cameras – with the official SILKPIX raw developer, the underperformance is too slight to be noticeable under normal circumstances, but is still there if you look closely“

Also ReidReviews tested the X PRO 1 sensor. His article can be viewed only by subscribers but in sort he says that at High ISO the files are very clean but also have less color detail.

I am not posting this to denigrate Fuji. Quite the opposite. The Fuji X PRO 1 is a great camera but still…not perfect!

New X PRO 1 firmware (and double 35mm lens review).

Fuji (Click here) just released the new X PRO 1 firmware updated. It brings the following nw features/fixes:

  • New function for “FUJIFILM M mount adapter” is added to the shooting menu.

  • 2.The MENU name “FOCAL LENGTH SETTING” is changed into “MOUNT ADAPTER SETTING”, and new correction menu is added.
    DISTORTION CORRECTION,
    COLOR SHADING CORRECTION
    PERIPHERAL ILLUMINATION CORRECTION

  • 3.Even if “LENS 5” or “LENS 6” (adjustable focal length) is set, the Bright Frame can be displayed on OVF in accordance with focal length.
    (Recommended lens focal length for OVF to check the Bright Frame: from 18mm to 60mm)

  • 4.In MF (manual focus) mode, sharpness of live image at 10x magnified operation (by pressing the command dial) is set to high and focusing point can be much easily confirmed.

  • 5.When FUJIFILM M mount adapter is connected to the camera body, the following issues are effective.

    • (1)By pressing the function button of M mount adapter”, “MOUNT ADAPTER SETTING” menu is displayed quickly.

    • (2)”SHOOT WITHOUT LENS” is automatically set to “ON”

    • (3)”Distance indicator (Manual focus indicator)” in “Standard display” mode on EVF/OVF is automatically set to “OFF”

    • (4)3 types of correction menu (DISTORTION / COLOR SHADING / PERIPHERAL ILLUMINATION) are activated.

And we also have two new 35mm lens tests:

SLRgear (Click here) tested the Fuji 35mm f/1.4 X lens: “Very good performance, even when used wide open, and excellent performance when stopped down just a little. If you’re an X-Pro 1 user, this lens definitely deserves a place in your bag.“

Photoheadonline (Click here) compared the lens with the Zeiss 35mm f/2.0 lens: “The Fujinon however, is made so well that it is the winner of this test. It gets a High Value to Cost Ratio for its performance at a wide open aperture, as well as price, weight, compactness, and versatility. The Fujinon 35mm edges out the Zeiss 35mm lens in each of those categories, but by just a little.“

Sony announces the RX100 (for $649)

It is not a interchangeable lens system camera but it could be a nice alternative of some mirrorless camera. The Sony RX100 has been officially announced and can be preordered now at Amazon US (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (Click here).

First preview and image sample can be seen here at Dpreview. Another preview is available at Imaging Resource. Some thoughts by Carl Garrard. Press release at ThePhoBlographer.

UPDATE: There is a first full RX100 review at Techradar and rates it with 4.5 of 5 points: “If we were assessing the camera based solely on what it is capable of outputting, it would be easy to say that this camera is near-on perfect for the target market.“

UPDATED_2: Another Full review at Imaging Resource: “As with the low-contrast crops, the high-contrast crops show the Sony RX100 besting the S100 and Nikon J1“

New Samsung NX Photokina rumors.

The same source sent Photorumors and me an update about the NX system. There will be new NX cameras and new EX-2 substitute (no surprise) but the pre announced 16-80mm has been cancelled and there will be another advanced zoom lens instead. In total at least two (and maybe three) lenses will be announced at Photokina.

Samsung remains a bit of a mystery for me. They keep saying they want to become the number one in the mirrorless system. But they really have to invent some kind of magical products in order to archive that. To be technologically on par with the others isn’t enough. Jusy a weird idea, they should buy Leica and create a Samsung-Leice mirrorless EVF system :)