Samyang is on a roll after teasing its summer road map for lens releases. One week ago, the South Korean lens manufacturer unveiled a photo and cinema version of its brand new 35mm f/1.2 lenses for mirrorless APS-C cameras. Now, it’s back at it again with the announcement of its 20mm f/1.8 ED AS UMC lens designed for full-frame cameras.
Like its 35mm counterpart, the 20mm f/1.8 ED AS UMC lens is a manual focus lens that comes in both photo and cinema varieties.
Inside both versions of the lens are 13 optical elements in 12 groups including three extra-low dispersion and two aspherical elements. These specialized elements are designed to reduce chromatic aberration and unnecessary light dispersion to keep the image sharp from edge to edge, according to Samyang.
To keep with the fast and furious theme of its other recently announced lenses Samyang included a seven-blade aperture diaphragm and a 0.2-meter (approximately eight inches) minimum focusing distance.
As with its other cinema lenses, the difference in the cinematic version of the 20mm f/1.8 ED AS UMC lens lies within its “de-clicked” aperture ring for smoother and quieter transitions during filming and a larger focusing ring with integrated gears for use with follow-focus rigs.
The lens will be available in Canon EOS, Nikon AE, Pentax K, Sony Alpha, Canon M, Fujifilm X, Sony E, Samsung NX, FT, and MFT mounts.
The 20mm f/1.8 ED AS UMC is set for a September arrival. The photo edition of the lens costs approximately $550, while the cinema edition is an additional $50.
Its lack of autofocus might be a downfall for some, but for photographers and cinematographers who want fast glass on a small budget, it’s not going to get much better than this, at least on paper.
