Samyang 8mm f/2.8 UMC fisheye II lens officially announced

Samyang has concluded its day by refreshing two 8mm fisheye lenses in its line-up, while extending the mount availability of other existing optics, such as the 24m f/1.4 and 35mm f/1.4.

After announcing two new lenses with very wide angles of view, Samyang is back with yet an even wider focal length.

The 8mm f/2.8 UMC fisheye II and the 8mm T3.1 UMC fisheye II cine optics have become official to serve as replacements for their older siblings of identical focal lengths and apertures.

So what’s changed from the previous versions?

Rokinon /Samyang 8mm f/2.8 UMC fisheye II lens has become official alongside its T3.1 cine lens counterpart as replacements for the current models which have been on the market for quite a long time.

Well, the short answer would be not much. The longer answer would be an ED (Extra-Low Dispersion) element in order to take the total up to three.

In the older models there was only one aspherical element, while the new Samyang 8mm f/2.8 UMC fisheye II lens and Samyang 8mm T3.1 UMC fisheye II cine lens come packed with a couple of aspherical elements.

What else can you expect from the new Samyang 8mm fisheye lenses?

Samyang says that its lenses feature UMC coating that offer protection against internal reflections that would add nasty optical defects in the photos or videos.

Although the fisheye models have been replaced, it is unclear why the company has not made the switch to the newer and better nano-crystal anti-reflection coating system found in the 10mm f/2.8 and 12mm f/2 lenses.

Finally, the minimum focusing distance of the 8mm f/2.8 and 8mm T3.1 optics stands at 30 centimeters.

Samyang 8mm f/2.8 UMC fisheye II lens and 8mm T3.1 UMC fisheye II cine availability details

Samyang 8mm T3.1 UMC fisheye II cine lens will offer a 35mm equivalent of 12mm, just like the photography-bound f/2.8 version.

The two lenses will be released for Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X-mount, Sony E-mount, and Samsung NX-mount mirrorless cameras. They will provide a 35mm equivalent of 12mm.

Samyang 8mm f/2.8 UMC fisheye II lens will become available for $349, while its T3.1 cine counterpart will cost about $399.

The pair is scheduled to be pushed on the market as of March 25 for the aforementioned prices.

It is worth noting that the optics may be sold under the Rokinon brand in some markets, so do not worry as they are the same products.

Samyang ports older lenses to even more cameras

One of the company’s main goal is to expand its offer and to provide solutions for as many mounts as possible.

As a result, both the f/1.4 24mm and 35mm optics have been ported to handle Sony E-mount and Micro Four Thirds systems for $549 and $499, respectively.

Furthermore, the T1.5 24mm and 35mm cine optics are now available for MFT cameras for $749 and $549, respectively.

Last but not least, the 14mm T3.1 has also been released for MFT shooters for a price of $449, while the 85mm T1.5 gains m4/3 support for $349.