Cheap-and-cheerful Chinese lens maker 7Artisans is rumored to be working on an updated version of its 10mm f/2.8 full-frame fisheye lens, according to rumor-monger photorumors.com (thanks for the heads-up!). The 7Artisan's 10mm f/2.8 II is said to be available in Sony E, Nikon Z, Canon R and Leica L mounts, and is set to retail for US$278 (other territories to be confirmed).
The lens is rumored to be an all-new design, which is primarily aimed at giving sharper images on cameras with higher-res 40Mp-plus sensors. It is claimed to have a wider field of view than the previous incarnation too, reaching 185 degrees as opposed to 178 degrees on the Mark I lens.
The lens markings are now fluorescent, making it easier to use in the dark, which alongside its ultra-wide 10mm angle of view and fast f/2.8 maximum aperture could help it compete with the best lenses for astrophotography on the market.
Like its predecessor, it's a fully manual lens with no built-in autofocus. However, there's a generously sized manual focus ring and focusing is internal, meaning it doesn't extend as you move through the focus range. It will focus from 0.15m to infinity.
An 11-bladed aperture should keep bokeh smooth, and the lens has 11 elements in eight groups, including two extra-low dispersion (ED) elements and one aspherical element. Being a fisheye lens with a bulbous front element, there's no filter thread for the attachment of filters.
The lens barrel has a metal construction, and a declicked aperture ring moves from f/2.8 through to f/16, with depth-of-field markers showing the degree of focus through the full-stop range.
The Sony E-mount version is said to measure 75x95mm and weight in at 602g, and other mounts are likely to vary slightly.
We have no news on a release date, and as this is an unverified rumor, it might not even see the light of day at all. In the meantime, we gave the original lens a five-star review, and it's a bargain!
