The brand Samyang has introduced a new type of autofocus lens that delivers something truly new for the photographer’s toolkit.
The device is the world’s first optical exchange autofocus lens and it lets photographers replace the internal optical system of their cameras with one of several variants available for the new optical exchange lens.
Through this mechanism, you can quickly switch among different prime focal lengths with a single optical device attached to your camera.
The Samyang lens is called the Remaster Slim and due to its design, it doesn’t even really look like any typical camera lens. Instead, the device is a sort of round housing system with electrical and physical parts for its optical elements to be quickly inserted into.
Samyang has introduced three such optical systems so far. They’re available in 21mm, 28mm and 32mm variants. All three focal optical inserts offer the same f/2.8 maximum aperture.
These optics, according to the company, were specifically selected because they were inspired “by legendary point-and-shoot film cameras of the past,”
Samyang further explains, “These lenses have been reborn with designs optimized for digital sensors while maintaining their unique characteristics,”
Samyang elaborates on this “Remaster Slim provides a genuine analog sensibility that is distinctly different from smartphone images created with digital technology. And “This lens creates warm and profound images that cannot be imitated by the digital world, giving photos a natural and soft tone. It retains the detail and texture of classic optical systems while meeting modern photography demands. Through this, users can experience a unique connection between the past and the present.”
Samyang has also invested effort in making the Remaster Slim genuinely and exceptionally slim and light. The entire lens device is no more than 2cm or roughly 0.8 inches thick and weighs just 80 grams or 2.8 ounces.
This also means a very narrow manual focus ring for the Remaster Slim, but the lens does include a custom AF/MF switch. Samyang however notes that minimum focusing distance shortens during manual focus.
If you’re interested in getting your hands on such a unique device, there are just a couple of drawbacks for the moment: The Remaster Slim is currently only available through Samyang in South Korea.
Also, for now at least, it only works with the Sony E-mount format.
Samyang is selling the Remaster Slim for a pretty reasonable price of roughly $230, or 308,000 South Korean won.
