After briefly teasing its existence and expected release on their official website, Samyang has made their super wide-angle plans for Sony NEX and Samsung NX cameras official, announcing the 180 degree field of view, 8mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC Fisheye Lens.
With a focal length of approximately 12mm at a 35mm equivalency, this new manual focus only lens contains 10 elements arranged in 8 groups, packing one aspherical and two ED elements for the reduction of chromatic aberrations and color fringing. Additionally, it contains the latest-gen “multilayer anti–reflection ultra multi-coating” (UMC) to reduce ghosting and flaring. More Specifications can be found below:
| Manufacturer | Samyang Optics |
| Model | Samyang 8mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC Fisheye |
| Lens type | full frame diagonal fisheye (for APS-C) |
| Focal length | 8mm (12mm 35mm Eqv.) |
| Maximum aperture | f/2.8 |
| Min aperture | f/22 |
| Angle of view | 180 degrees on 1.5x crop APS-C |
| Min focusing distance | 0.3m |
| No. of diaphragm blades | 6 |
| Focus type | MF (Manual Focus only) |
| Lens construction | 10 elements / 8 Groups (1 Aspherical, 2 ED) |
| Dimensions | 60mm x 55.8mm(Sony) x 48.3mm (Samsung NX) |
| Weight | 217g (Sony), 203g (Samsung NX) |
| Available mounts | Sony E-mount (NEX), Samsung NX |
The 8mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC Fisheye will be available in either silver or the black model shown above in Sony E and Samsung NX mounts for the price tag of £279.99 (€349.99) – no U.S. price-points have been announced as of yet. More information can be found in Samyang’s official press release below:
Press Release:
United Kingdom, June 11th 2012 – Samyang Optics is delighted to announce the latest addition to the popular range of manual focus lenses, the 8mm 1:2.8 UMC Fish-eye lens designed specifically for Sony NEX and Samsung NX cameras.
Complimenting the existing fisheye lenses available in other mounts, the Samyang 8mm 1:2.8 UMC Fisheye is currently the smallest and the brightest Fisheye lens, available in Sony NEX and Samsung NX mounts. It perfectly combines superior optics and a fast aperture within an exceptionally compact size.
Its sophisticated optical construction relies on a system of 10 lenses arranged in 8 groups. They include one aspherical (AS) lens and two lenses made of extra low dispersion glass (ED). These provide outstanding sharpness for the entire field of view and a maximum aperture of f/2.8. The lens surfaces are covered with multi-layered UMC anti-reflective coatings enhancing light transmission and maximising contrast.
Samyang 8mm 1:2.8 UMC Fish-eye is a manual lens that will be marketed with Sony E (NEX) and Samsung NX mounts. In both cases its maximum angle of view will amount to 180 degrees, with a minimum focusing distance of 0.3 metres.
Due for release early July 2012. Expected street price will be £279.99 / Euros 349.99.
This looks like a very good fisheye option for NEX users – I currently have the 16mm pancake with the ultra-wide adapter, but I’ve yet to buy the fisheye adapter. I’m extremely curious about the optical quality of this vs Sony’s setup!