Zhong Yi Optics is a Chinese manufacturer known not only for its adapters but also its Speedmaster lens series. Their latest addition, the 50mm f/0.95 for the Sony full-frame system in particular, has generated lots of curiosity because of its ultra fast aperture and very affordable price. At Photokina this year we met with the ZY Optics team to have a first look at the new 24mm and 42.5mm lenses announced in September. They also kindly sent two samples for us to review over the course of a week.
Third-Party Lens Reviews
Photokina 2014: The Mitakon Speedmaster “Dark Knight” Pro 50mm f/0.95 and Samyang 50mm f/1.4 on the Sony A7s
If you’ve been following our Photokina reportage, you’ll know that we were very impressed with the two Zeiss Loxia lenses, but we mustn’t forget about the other interesting manual focus lenses for the Sony full frame system on display as well. Two of these lenses, the Mitakon Speedmaster “Dark Knight” Pro 50mm f/0.95 and Samyang 50mm f/1.4, were recently announced and available to try at Photokina.
Photokina 2014: First impressions of the Zeiss Loxia lenses for Sony E-mount
One of the most enjoyable moments spent at Photokina was at the Zeiss booth. After our interview with Mr. Christophe Casenave, product manager for all manual focus lenses, we had the opportunity to shoot with both Loxia lenses (35mm and 50mm) using a sample Sony A7r and our Sony A7s. We extend our thanks to Mr. Casenave for giving us this opportunity!
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Hands-On with the Kowa Micro Four Thirds lenses at TPS
In February 2014, the Japanese brand Kowa announced the development of three MFT manual focus lenses: an 8.5mm f/2.8, a 12mm f/1.8 and a 25mm f/1.8. I had the chance to try two of them at The Photography Show in Birmingham. The lenses I tried had an older exterior design but the optical design inside is exactly the same as that in the definitive versions.
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An Unlikely Trio: The Olympus Pen E-P5 meets the Nokton 50mm f/1.1 & Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5
Since buying the Sony A7, Mat has been spending all his spare time trying out different manual lenses designed for the Leica system. The first two he tried were the Summilux 35mm and 50mm in Lyon. Then, as soon as we crossed back over the Italian border, he rented the Voigtlander Super Wide Heliar 15mm f/4.5 and the Nokton 50mm f/1.1, two lenses about which we’d heard nothing but great things. At the same time, we also picked up a Novoflex Leica to MFT adapter, which was lying sadly amongst the shelves upon shelves of Leica glass. It seemed wrong to deny it some shooting time on the Olympus Pen E-P5. 🙂