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SLR Magic APO HyperPrime mini review

Last I heard, the 32mm was supposed to be December, and we're right smack dab in the middle of December, so who knows.

Right on. I heard rumors of the 18 as well.

I've been on the Sigma Cine train for awhile, but these are kind of disrupting my mindset right now. I'd love to be able to rent them, but I can't find anything to rent online.
 
Totally agree Paul!
I hate ring bokeh created by aspherical elements!
It's ugly!
On the K35s for example it's something that really holds them back (for me at least)...

Once you've seen them you can't unsee them :)

Last I heard, the 32mm was supposed to be December, and we're right smack dab in the middle of December, so who knows.

Last communication i had with them they said some information coming out beginning of 2018, that's just direct from marketing. I don't have any connections there to know more. Perhaps John has more detail, although maybe he's NDA'd or something.

From what i've been able to piece together, there's a 32mm (and perhaps that's what she mentioned above). Then talk of a 135mm and an 18mm. There was a question ages ago about whether the 18 should be same speed but smaller image circle or slower with larger image circle. Clearly a larger image circle is preferable.

I'm not so fussed about a 135mm because there are other good choices right now (the 135 APO Zeiss). But i really really want that 18mm...

I suspect if anyone who is interested drops them a line (support@slrmagic.com) and expresses an interest then maybe we can push the priority up a bit, so that there is demand.

For the cost i think these are no brainers for us Red users.

cheers
Paul
 
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From the BMC User thread on the SLR Magic lenses -

Kosmokrator wrote: "
The 32mm APO cine lens from SLR Magic is in its final prototype phase.
It features the same form factor from the lens set. Focus gear position etc. are the same.
It will be available at the end of the year, Andrew said "around christmas time".
Price will be the same as the others.
I had the chance to make some testshots with it:
There is virtually no focus breathing!
I am totally impressed by this lens, i highly recommend it.

The next lens in this set will be a 18mm. But it is still in the design phase.
"
 
The 32mm is the next lens and I believe it's nearly "done"

And after that they're looking at an 18mm and a 135mm.

I would encourage anyone that's thinking of buying them to get in touch with SLR Magic and let them know your preference for focal lengths.

jb
 
Nice to see the 32mm is almost done. The 18 is what I'm most interested in...if they can somehow keep it at T2.1 that would be a crazy accomplishment.
 
An 18mm - T2.1, APO lens with Full Frame coverage at a similar size/weight and price point without using aspheric and floating elements? That is simply impossible.
Even Zeiss' CP.2/CP.3 line is T2.9 for the wide end (15mm, 18mm, 21mm) as opposed to a T2.1 stop for focal lengths past 25mm.

Back in 2015 when the 50mm T2.1 came out, SLR Magic ran a poll asking about what focal lengths should be next and the widest option was "21mm at T3.1"

The only way we are getting an 18mm at T2.1 is if it only covers S35 or if they use some sort of removable tele adapter (T2.1 for S35, T2.9-T3 for FF - a 1.4x tele adapter would work as it gives a 43.96mm diagonal (44mm is around what is needed for FF coverage, and I came up with the 43.96mm number by adding 31.4 (coverage needed for S35) x 1.4 (adapter magnification factor with one stop loss).
 
what about sigma 14mm f1.8 and 20mm f1.4? full frame retrofocal designs- even more difficult to achieve. Done and cheap at that...
Granted they use aspheric and floating elements. that's the way to do it...
 
I am not a lens expert such as yourself, but to my amateur eye, the 20mm seems like a highly complex lens design: 15 element / 11 group design with 2 FLD elements (very expensive) and 5 SLD elements and 2 aspherical elements.

Sigma most likely can produce this lens at an affordable price due to a high volume of production/sales and use of aspherical and FLD/SLD elements in most of their other ART lenses (which would drive down costs on multiple fronts). I do not think that SLR Magic have that same privilege but I might be wrong (hope so).
 
You are absolutely correct. All I'm saying is that it's been done and that the economies of scale play a huge part in camera lens tech- make the impossible- possible:-)
 
An 18mm - T2.1, APO lens with Full Frame coverage at a similar size/weight and price point without using aspheric and floating elements? That is simply impossible.
Even Zeiss' CP.2/CP.3 line is T2.9 for the wide end (15mm, 18mm, 21mm) as opposed to a T2.1 stop for focal lengths past 25mm.

Back in 2015 when the 50mm T2.1 came out, SLR Magic ran a poll asking about what focal lengths should be next and the widest option was "21mm at T3.1"

The only way we are getting an 18mm at T2.1 is if it only covers S35 or if they use some sort of removable tele adapter (T2.1 for S35, T2.9-T3 for FF - a 1.4x tele adapter would work as it gives a 43.96mm diagonal (44mm is around what is needed for FF coverage, and I came up with the 43.96mm number by adding 31.4 (coverage needed for S35) x 1.4 (adapter magnification factor with one stop loss).


I have no idea what's involved with designing an APO lens and retaining speed or look. But on an 18mm, T2.1 isn't necessary so i do understand.

I have a small full frame Contax 18mm here, f4. I have Leica M glass faster and smaller (so like PL, the rear element of M glass can be closer than most mass produced 'sigma' style SLR stills photo designs). I have a full frame 12mm voightlander lens which is actually pretty exceptional. A f1.8 21mm and so on. Zeiss have a fairly light weight f2.8 18mm these days, as well as quite a heavy 15mm. Irix have a really nice 15mm full frame. And Laowa quite an amazing f2.8 12mm. Now i can't speak for all the various internal designs and what is and isn't aspherical (the contax isn't for sure, and not sure the voightlanders are, the older ones) but i'd love to know more.

So i can't say what the trade offs are for these SLR Magic ones. But ideally i want something that matches the aesthetic at 18mm, ideally with an appropriate full frame image circle. I don't really care if it's a bit bigger, heavier or if it's slower. The MFD isn't a huge issue because if you EF mount them then you can use tubes if you really need macro like. But whatever pixie dust Andrew is using to create that render (and if that's no asphericals, fine), then i want that...

The 18mm summicron from Leica is nice and not a dissimilar size. Is that aspherical? (no idea here...)

cheers
Paul
 
I'm quite surprised by the Sigma 24-35. Being a zoom, the Bokeh is quite nice and soft; and lack a hard ring around it. It seems a bit warmer vs. the SLRs

Yes, it is. I can't speak for the other Sigma primes though (had the 50 a while back but got rid of it) but from experience with the Sony ZA zooms i always found them more pleasing that the primes and also the focus dropped off faster on them too. So maybe that's something with modern zooms. I believe the last range of Leica R zooms also had some great qualities.

I do like the 24-35, it's just an utter pain to focus because of the travel and it doesn't feel good to focus either plus on a personal subjective level it's not quite there in look. But it was better than the contax/leica primes i think.

cheers
Paul
 
You are absolutely correct. All I'm saying is that it's been done and that the economies of scale play a huge part in camera lens tech- make the impossible- possible:-)

Fair enough.

The 18mm summicron from Leica is nice and not a dissimilar size. Is that aspherical? (no idea here...)

Paul

"The use of exotic aspherical elements in each Leica Summilux-C lens creates a telecentric path of light from the rear element to the sensor. Telecentricity and aspheric correction not only reduce chromatic aberrations and color fringing, but also create a more even illumination across the entire field. "


Also, they only cover a bit past S35 (36mm) so not really relevant.
 

That is also fair enough, i didn't know the coverage was only S35 (says min 33mm). Of course then the summicrons have the original buttery smooth OOF so it can't strictly be aspherics that prevent this - perhaps just 'cheap' moulded aspherics...

So anyone knows how you go about designing an APO lens (i believe all RGB colours hit the focus plane at the same time)

cheers
Paul
 

You know there’s two Leica lenses being discussed here ?

The summicrons are the T2 and summilux are the faster lenses (also heavier and more expensive)

JB
 
So anyone knows how you go about designing an APO lens (i believe all RGB colours hit the focus plane at the same time)

cheers
Paul
All single sensor, photo film lenses are single plane focusing. It's like saying "gluten free potatoes" - just a marketing phrase...
 
...
So anyone knows how you go about designing an APO lens (i believe all RGB colours hit the focus plane at the same time...
- Paul, you probably meant "at the same plane", not time? As for APO design, here I have nothing to say except we all know like it needs complex design, abnormal glass and aspherics.

All single
sensor, photo film lenses are single plane focusing...
Generally speaking, yes they are.
Precisely put, it it is not: ordinary lens, of achromatic correction, focuses only two colors at one plane; top lenses like apochromatic ones, focus three basic colors at the same plane. All that by the way does not mean achro and apo are such for the whole image area (usually it is only the central region which has that level of correction).
[All above is written not for Jacek who knows that, but for the educative reasons and to keep the forum level up]
 
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