Image courtesy: Lensrentals

Roger Cicala from Lensrentals got their hands on the new Samyang/Rokinon Xeen 85mm T1.5 lens. As you know Cine Lenses are quite expensive so it’s good to get a much cheaper alternative like the new XEEN series.

So what’s the verdict on build quality? Overall, it’s very good, especially given that it’s selling for about half of what other cinema lenses sell for. I do have some very real concerns about how the focus system will hold up over time and with hard use, but the compromises made seem very reasonable overall. Put another way, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one based on what I saw today, but I’d be make sure my focus puller was gentle and didn’t ‘slam’ focus. Over time hard use, especially hard focusing use, will take a toll on this lens I think.

The new XEEN Cine lenses are now available on preorder at BHphoto and at Adorama too.

Let’s catch up with some GX8 news:

European readers can now preorder the camera at Amazon Germany (Click here) and Amazon UK (Click here).

Imaging Resource posted some high res images shot on the new GX8. Panasonic GX8 Sample Gallery + downloadable full-size RAW at Cameras.Reviewed. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 added to studio scene comparison on Dpreview. And Focus Numerique posted the full GX8 test.

Richard: “I’ve finally got the GX8 v1.0 firmware from Panasonic and also the required lens firmware update so I’ve tested the Dual I.S. performance. Took almost 1000 photos and also compared with the EM5 II, pretty impressive! Also did a 5EV test to test the GX8’s RAW/sensor output and compare with the GX7..  again, looks pretty good all of them + a few smaller bits are in my updated (again!) GX8 review..http://photobyrichard.com/reviewbyrichard/panasonic-lumix-gx8-review/”

Preorders:
Black GX8 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto and Panasonic. In Eu at Amazon DE, Amazon UK, WexUK.
Silver GX8 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto and Panasonic. In Eu at Amazon DE, Amazon UK, WexUK.
FZ300 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto and Panasonic.

Image courtesy: ePhotozine

We have two brand new reviews of the new Nokton 10,5mm f/0.95 MFT lens:

Dpreview says:

In truth it never gets critically sharp, and at all apertures there is a significant difference between center and edge definition. If you are buying for shooting movies this may not matter too much, as even in 4K picture quality looks nice, but stills workers hoping to blow up big will have to fashion their expectations.

Lenstip says:

We hereby inform that an experiment entitled “ultra fast ultra wide-angle lens” ended with a failure.

ePhotozine says:

Overall this is another fine, fast lens from Voigtlander for Micro Four Thirds. Those shooting video will appreciate the option for a stepless aperture and many will enjoy exploiting the fast maximum aperture and ability to isolate a subject from their surroundings with shallow depth of field.
Sharpness delivered by this lens is excellent, with acceptable distortion and falloff. It’s a shame CA levels are a little on the high side, but then that is probably unavoidable on a lens as wide and as fast as this. Build quality harks back to a bygone era of brass lenses with a silky-smooth focusing action. As a result, it is sure to win over many fans.

You get the lens in many stores like BHphoto (Click here), [shoplink 53940 ebay]CameraQuest (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 54016 ebay]Photovillage (Click here)[/shoplink]. In Europe at [shoplink 53816 ebay]FotoMundus (Click here)[/shoplink] in Asia at [shoplink 53614 ebay]Taku (Click here)[/shoplink].

Photographyblog posted the full GX8 review:

In summary, the Lumix DMC-GX8 is another great compact system camera from Panasonic, but the new sensor and dual image stabilisation system aren’t quite as revolutionary as advertised, and the larger design and crucially higher price-point also detract from what is otherwise an excellent, but not exceptional, camera.

Richard: “I’ve updated my GX8 full review to include more information about custom function buttons, shutter shock, and also a little video about why i think the GX8 is the best digital camera I’ve ever used for manual focusing: photobyrichard.com/reviewbyrichard/panasonic-lumix-gx8-review”

Soo: “I just wanted to share a little detail concerning the recently announced Panasonic GX8 and the kit lenses sold with it. I discovered on some french review websites that the GX8 will come with a refined version of the 12-35 f/2.8 with a matte black finish (as Panasonic did with the 14-42 II, 45-150 and 14-140mm) :
” Notez toutefois que si le zoom Lumix X Vario 12-35 mm f/2,8 ASPH (dont une version intégralement noire mate arrive très bientôt “
source : http://www.lesnumeriques.com/appareil-photo-numerique/panasonic-lumix-gx8-p27471/prise-en-main-lumix-gx8-premieres-photos-en-conditions-reelles-n44105.html
Maybe a matte black version of the 35-100mm on the way too ? I don’t know but it can be expected :)”

Preorders:
Black GX8 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto and Panasonic. In Eu at WexUK.
Silver GX8 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto and Panasonic. In Eu at WexUK.
FZ300 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto and Panasonic.

Photozone (Click here) published the full [shoplink 54790 ebay]Kowa 8.5mm MFT lens[/shoplink] review:

Now while the lens is certainly good, it stays somewhat short of this expectation at least. The center quality is great and the borders are also very sharp at mainstream settings. The extreme corners aren’t quite as convincing though. They are downright soft at f/2.8 and it’s a good idea to stop down to f/4, better f/5.6 where the results are decent. The vignetting is also higher than usual especially at f/2.8. A downright stellar performance is the lack of distortion – probably the best ever measured quality here and we are talking about the native characteristic and not about a digitally corrected result.

The Kowa Micro Four Thirds lenses on eBay:
8,5mm f/2.8 in on [shoplink 54790 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
12mm f/1.8 in [shoplink 50867 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 50868 ebay]Green (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 50869 ebay]Silver (Click here)[/shoplink].
25mm f/1.8 in [shoplink 50870 ebay]Black (Click here)[/shoplink], [shoplink 50871 ebay]Green (Click here)[/shoplink] and [shoplink 50872 ebay]Silver (Click here)[/shoplink].

Zak Forseman posted that worldwide first test video shot on the new SLR Magic HyperPrime 50mm T0.95 CINE for Micro Four Thirds. This are his first impressions:

Straight away I was struck by the detail in the images, but also the buttery smooth character it exhibited. When light enters the lens it can result in a pleasant low-contrast look that really appeals to me. I could say more but the images speaks for themselves. Skintones in particular render beautifully.

And here are two videos shot with the new lens: