ZY Optics releases new and improved 35mm f/0.95 mirrorless lens
posted Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 6:57 AM EDT
Yesterday in Shenyang, China, lens manufacturer Zhongyi Optics (ZY Optics) announced the release of their new Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95 Mark II mirrorless lens.
This Mark II lens claims a "drastic improvement" with regards to sharpness, reduced chromatic aberrations, and overall form factor. The lens comes in Fuji X, Sony E, and EOS-M mounts and is compatible with sensors up to APS-C size.
On an APS-C camera, this lens provides a focal length of around 53mm and is a very fast "normal" lens. The lens utilizes a new optical design, which incorporates eleven elements in eight groups, including one extra-low dispersion element, two extra-high refractive index elements, and three high refractive index elements. Compared to the original 35mm f/0.95 lens, the Mark II has 30% improved resolution across the frame.
Despite its large number of elements and improved optical design, the new lens is much lighter and more compact, with its weight decreasing from 24 ounces (680 grams) to just over 16 ounces (460 grams). This manual focus lens also features a "click-less, silent aperture ring" to make it suitable for video recording.
The Mitakon Speedmaster 35mm f/0.95 Mark II is available now for $799 USD at authorized resellers and on ZY Optics' website. You can order yours now in X and E mounts at Adorama.
Update on February 17th: Thanks to our friends at The Digital Picture for alerting us that sample images published by ZY Optics have been sharpened and had other adjustments applied to them during post-processing, so take the images below with a grain of salt.
