Samyang XP 10mm f/3.5: a wide-angle for full frame Canon and Nikon DSLRs

Samyang continues to design lenses that defy conventions, and the new XP 10mm f/3.5 is a lens to include in that category. If the claims made by the company are met, the high price seems justified.

One of the lenses included in the announced 2019 Spring Collection from Samyang, the new XP 10mm f/3.5, presented at Photokina 2018, will soon be available, according to the company, with a suggested price, in Europe, of € 1099. No price announced, yet, for North America.

The lens, presented as the world’s widest prime lens-‘distortion-free’, not considering fish-eye lens, represents another “extreme” solution from Samyang in terms of wide-angle lens, a segment where the company has continued tried to create less conventional solutions. The XP 10mm F3.5 fits the bill, as it provides, as the company says, “ultimate ultra-wide-angle coverage up to 130° angle of view with crystal image quality.”

Samyang: entering the high-end club

It’s a lot of money for a Samyang, is a claim you’ll find online, as many are used to the low price of many Samyng solutions. In fact, it does look like a lot of money, but if the technical specifications available and the demo images really reflect what the lens is capable of doing, then the price will be adequate, for those who need/want/desire a lens like this. After all, it is not just a ultra wide angle, but the world’s widest prime lens-‘distortion-free’.

The XP 10mm f/3.5 may be Samyang’s entry ticket to the club of what some will call “expensive gear”, and others will refer to as “not affordable”. In a world where premium lenses and high-end cameras (with high-end prices) are becoming normal, the XP 10mm f/3.5 (or XP 10mm F3.5, if you rather see it written this way) is another tool able to elevate the quality of images.

One of eight lenses promised by Samyang

Samyang says that the lens will provide users of high megapixel full frame cameras with distortion free images of either landscapes or architecture shots. The lens will also opens new horizons to any cinematographer aspiring to explore the potential of such a wide angle of view.

This lens features, inside its metal body, a total of 18 lenses in 11 groups, with seven special optic lenses maximizing the image quality from corner to center in vivid colours: three aspherical lenses, one high-refractive lens, and three extra-low dispersion lenses minimize distortion and other various aberrations. Flare ghost effects are also well-controlled by ultra-multi-coating technology from Samyang.

The XP 10mm f/3.5 is the first of the eight lenses Samyang promise to deliver during the first months of 2019, as part of its Spring Collection, promising  a new perspective. It surely starts with a powerful solution for full frame DSLR users from both Canon and Nikon.