Samyang Adds To XP Lens Line

South Korean lens maker Samyang has added a third lens to its XP line of high-performance primes for Canon eF mount full-35mm D-SlRs. The new XP 50mm f1.2 joins the existing XP 14mm f2.4 and XP 85mm f1.2.

The XP lenses – the initials represent “excellence In Performance – are claimed to have sufficient resolution for sensors of 50 megapixels or higher and for recording 8K video. The new 50mm f1.2 lens has an all-glass optical construction comprising 11 elements in eight groups of which two are special types – one aspherical to correct for distortion and one made from high refractive index glass to minimise chromatic aberrations. Samyang’s new ‘ultra multi Coating’ (umC) is applied to minimise ghosting and flare.

like the other XP models, focusing is manual and the 50mm’s minimum focusing distance is 45 centimetres. It has a minimum aperture of f16 and a nine-blade diaphragm to give smoother out-of-focus effects. An indication of this lens’s sturdy build quality is its substantial weight of 1.2 kilograms. It measures 117.5 millimetres in length and has screwthread filter fitting of 86 millimetres.

The new XP 50mm f1.2 is priced at $1399 and will be available in Australia at the end of march. Samyang lenses are distributed in Australia by maxxum Pty ltd. Visit www.maxxum.com.au or www.samyanglensglobal.com