German-Chinese co-op Handevision announces super-fast Ibelux 40mm f/0.85 lens
posted Monday, December 16, 2013 at 12:31 PM EDT
Handevision, a German-Chinese co-op between IB/E Optics and Shanghai Transvision, has announced the fastest current production lens for mirrorless cameras: the Ibelux 40mm f/0.85. The lens, which sports 10 elements in 8 groups, will come in early 2014 with a choice of Sony E-mount, Fujifilm X-mount, Canon EF-M mount and Micro Four Thirds mount. Due to this complex optical construction and an all-metal body, the lens has a length of 5 in or 12.8 cm, a width of 2.9 in or 74 mm, and weighs in at 1.2 kg or 2.65 lbs. Price-wise, it is also no slouch: with an MSRP of US-$ 2,080, it's definitely not for everyone.
In addition to the Ibelux 40mm f/0.85, Handevision is also working on prime lenses for full-frame mirrorless cameras such as Sony's new Alpha 7 and Alpha 7R models. Currently, the company working on a high-speed telephoto APO mirror lens, a tilt-shift lens and a compact fixed focal length lens for 2014.
In the press release, Handevision also clarifies the origins of its name: "Han" is the Chinese word for China, while "de" stands for Germany--just like the top-level domain ".de" that German websites use. More information including MTF charts and first sample images taken with the lens on various cameras can be found here.
(via Mirrorless Rumors)