Is this quiet launch of the Samyang AF 24-70mm f/2.8 FE lens a clever marketing strategy, or just an error?
(Image credit: Samyang)
We're big fans of Samyang lenses (sold under the Rokinon brand in North America), which offer an affordable yet high quality alternative to buying a camera maker's own branded lenses. So we're always keen to see the latest glass they have to offer. This one, though, is a little weird.
With its very first zoom lens, the South Korean lens manufacturer Samyang Optics has dodged the normal fanfare and global launch, quietly releasing it online, for customers based in Thailand only.
Or perhaps not. Maybe it's just been listed in error. Either way, we only know about this because some bright spark at the Mirrorless Rumors blog noticed this online listing for the new lens on a site called Shoppee.
Here's what we know, anyway, from the listing there. It's titled "Samyang AF 24-70mm F2.8 FE Lens for Sony Cameras" and is available on the site for ฿32,900, the equivalent of around $990 / £722 / AU$ 1,336 (but you'd need an address in Thailand to ship it to).
It is a par-focal lens so can maintain focus even when zooming in or out – designed to appeal to videographers and film-makers who need a precision AF system when changing focal length. This feature is something only normally found in cinema lenses.
Optimized for the Sony A7C, Sony A7S III and Sony A1 cameras, the lens comes with a custom switch for moving between the focus ring and aperture ring, and a two-year warranty.
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It consists of up to seventeen lens elements divided into fourteen groups, including nine special lens elements featuring two ASP lenses, one HB lens, three HR lenses, and three ED lens elements. Plus it's got weather sealing to help prevent splashing and dust.
Well, that's what the blurb on the Thailand site says, anyway. We'll let you know, though, when we have something more official.
Tom May is a freelance writer and editor specializing in art, photography, design and travel. He has been editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. He has also worked for a wide range of mainstream titles including The Sun, Radio Times, NME, T3, Heat, Company and Bella.
