Two Teased Lenses Each Promise Something Special for Photographers

Two Chinese lens companies are teasing new, very different lenses. 7Artisans is teasing what appears to be an ultra-wide full-frame prime lens, while SG-image is gearing up to launch a fast standard prime for APS-C cameras.

Starting first with 7Artisans, the company has teased its second Max-series lens in China. As shared by Sony Alpha Rumors, the teaser is straightforward, showing a lens against a starry night sky.

There are two very reasonable conclusions to draw from this teaser image. First, the lens is going to be a good choice for night sky photography. And secondly, the lens is shaped like an ultra-wide-angle lens. The silhouette shows a bulbous front element with a built-in petal-shaped lens hood, trademarks of ultra-wide lenses.

Thus far, 7Artisans has only released one Max-series lens, the Max AF 135mm f/1.8. It arrived on Nikon Z-mount in May, instantly becoming the most affordable 135mm f/1.8 autofocus-equipped lens for Nikon owners at just $689.

Since then, 7Artisans announced the 135mm f/1.8 Max for E-mount and L-Mount, each priced at the same aggressive $689 price point.

The smart money is that the next Max lens will, in fact, be an ultra-wide lens. If the 7Artisans AF Max 135mm f/1.8 is any indication, the new lens will be quite aggressively priced, too. That’s great news for E, L, and Z-mount owners looking for a new lens for their night sky and landscape photography.

While there are a lot of ultra-wide lenses on E-mount, and some on L-Mount, Nikon’s choices are pretty scarce beyond Nikon’s pair of zoom lenses, the Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S and Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4. There’s also the Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 lens, although it looks like 7Artisans is targeting something even wider than that. Then, of course, there’s the brand-new Tamron 12-20mm f/2.8 arriving late next month, although it’s $1,799.

As for the SG-image teaser, it’s much different. As reported by Asobinet, SG-image released a short teaser in China that honestly gives much of the game away. It’s a 35mm f/1.4 lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras, including E, Z, and X-mount bodies. The lens will come in pure black, silver, and a black version with a silver ring.

A 35mm f/1.4 lens, equivalent to a 52.5mm prime after the APS-C crop factor, is quite rare, as Asobinet reports. While Fujifilm has one, the popular but very old XF 35mm f/1.4 R, most other options are specialized manual-focus primes. SG-image is known for autofocus lenses, so it’s expected this new prime will be an AF offering.

The only 35mm f/1.4 APS-C lens with autofocus, aside from Fujifilm’s XF 35mm f/1.4 R, is the 7Artisans 35mm f/1.4 AF for X-mount. This will be a unique option on APS-C E- and Z-mount cameras. Obviously photographers can put a full-frame 35mm f/1.4 lens on an APS-C camera, but SG-image is clearly targeting

Ultimately, that’s the theme of these two teasers. Despite the lenses being very different from each other, they are both promising to fill a void in the market at affordable prices, and that’s great news for photographers.

Image credits7Artisans, SG-image