Korean lens manufacturer Samyang Optics has announced four new lenses under its XEEN brand. The new products include one anamorphic lens and three new prime lenses.
Anamorphic lens
The Samyang XEEN 50mm lens is a 2x anamorphic lens designed for high-end cinematography. It has a fast T2.3 maximum aperture. It also comes with a PL mount and is compatible with full-frame sensors. Samyang claims that the lens is suitable for camera resolutions up to 8K. If you use a 35mm full-frame sensor, the lens’s 2x anamorphic factor will give you footage with a 2.55:1 aspect ratio once desqueezed.
Geared focus ring
The Samyang XEEN 50mm anamorphic lens has a minimum focus distance of 3.3 feet. The geared focus ring has a 300-degree throw, so you can smoothly and accurately adjust focus. In addition, the lens has focus and aperture markings on both sides of the lens for ease of reading. The markings are also printed in a font that glows in the dark to aid visibility in low-lit environments.
Carbon Fiber
Samyang has used carbon fiber for the body of the lens, which keeps it lightweight. The lens also has a standard 114 mm front diameter, which means it’s compatible with a 4×5 matte box.
XEEN Meister
The Samyang XEEN Meister lenses are a new range of full-frame cine prime lenses covering focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm and 85mm. All the lenses have a high-speed maximum aperture of T1.3 and the 13-bladed design should give attractive bokeh. In addition, the lenses have Samyang’s unique X-coating technology to control internal light reflections and are suitable for camera resolutions up to 8K.
Titanium
The Samyang XEEN Meister lenses have titanium applied to the front barrel for added durability. The lenses also have a 114 mm front diameter and the same positions for aperture and focus rings. This makes it easy to swap between lenses when using a matte box or follow focus. As with the 50 mm anamorphic lens, the Meister primes have a 300-degree focus throw and glow in the dark markings.
Lens mount options
All the Meister prime lenses are available in PL, Canon EF and Sony E mount options. In addition, the PL mount supports the /i Technology protocol, which enables cameras to automatically record lens metadata.
Samyang has yet to announce pricing details or a release date for the new lenses.
