PRESS RELEASE
NEW: SLR Magic expands its Toy Lens lineup with three more lenses
Hong Kong, China (March 5, 2012) – SLR Magic introduces three more Toy Lenses.
The SLR Magic x Toy Lens Pinhole lens is the first wide-angle pinhole lens that is compatible with all micro four third mount cameras. The field of view of this Pinhole Lens corresponds to a 24mm pinhole lens in 35mm format. It is the first pinhole lens to offer a protective glass to keep dust and moisture away from the digital sensor.
The SLR Magic x Toy Lens 11mm f/1.4 is a standard focal length lens that is compatible with all Q mount cameras. The field of view corresponds to a 60mm lens in 35mm format. The fast aperture combined with the close minimum focus distance of this lens allows for pleasing shallow depth of field effect and is a joy to use.
The SLR Magic x Toy Lens Bokehmorphic allows for creative bokeh effects. The lens is compatible with all E mount cameras. The field of view corresponds to a 42mm lens in 35mm format. It is great for creative bokeh or light painting for impressionistic photography.
All three Toy Lens models will be available from authorized SLR Magic dealers by April 2012.
Andrew Chan
Product Manager
(From Steve: I had a chance to shoot with the pinhole lens in Los Angeles and it was an amazingly very well made little lens. VERY cool.)
Not holding out hope for a Leica Diana, I take it, ‘SJ’? Me neither — I pretty much agree with you; and were I in the market for an M-lens at that exclusive price level, the name SLR Magic would give me pause, as well. It’s one thing to invest the big bucks in durable goods which you can confidently expect to have a comparatively predictable and fluctuation-resistant retained value; it’s quite another when you just cannot be all that certain what percentage of your initial investment is headed for an economic black hole. Noted philosopher and sage Andre Agassi once famously declared, “Image is Everything.” He didn’t say THE image is everything.
Leica Diana? lol, not holding my breath..
IMO, this is bad marketing. There is no real advantage of carrying the brand name “SLR Magic” for the 50mm T0.95 lens if they are also developing these toy lenses. They should instead establish a completely different brand targeted for the high-end and leave the “SLR Magic” brand to the low-end budget lenses. I don’t see any advantage from the business point of view of putting the full spectrum under the same brand.
The low end is Toy Lens for SLR magic. Canon make cheap calculators too under Canon. Leica makes my office holepuncher as well. It is the Leitz like Leitz glass
You are comparing apples to oranges.
Calculators and camera lenses are in different markets.
If you are talking about cheaper Canon lenses vs. Canon L lenses, then sure. But Canon also denotes “L” along with the red ring as higher quality, do they not? Why do you think that is? It’s their way to segragating their products based on target markets… This is called marketing.
Personally speaking, I think they need to decide which market they want to play in.
Quality of the new 50mm T/0.95 and its target market does not ring too well with these toy lenses.
I believe the quality of the 50mm lens and what it represents can be tarnished by these toy lenses.
IMO, they should focus on either one (hopefully the high quality ones that can compete against Leica M lenses) and leave the others… or at least brand them separately so that people don’t relate the two.
What’s the difference? Photography is supposed to fun.
Do we think less of Carl Zeiss because they make microscopes?
Just because they broke the record for the fastest lens currently in production they are not allowed to break the record for the slowest lens in production too?
Pinhole is not about speed. It is about art and history of photography. Its about softness and beautiful vignette. If you look at the reviews the images are so simple yet beautiful.
http://www.artsdoc.com/Izumi's%20Diary%20Pages/izumis_diary_page_44.html
I’m not referring to speed.
Figuratively speaking, this is like selling Guess bags and Louis Vuitton bags at the same store.
This is one of the reasons why some automotive companies have different brands for different target markets. Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, etc.
Canon sell L lens and regular kit lens under Canon. Nikon and Sgma sell their premium brands under the same brand too. Nothing wrong. I think it is Hyperprime for SLR Magic.
To each his own. It’s about marketing, and I’m just stating my opinion based on what I know.
I know it is each to his own, but I do have to ask a very simple question: why?
Well, for Mr. Chan, there’s always the Bill Clinton excuse: “I did it because I could.” Capitalism meets the American urge to dump “disposable income” at the slightest provocation. Why save when there’s plastic? Aren’t we somehow entitled to our teenagers’ $1050/year cell phone contracts (+ the $2 “ring tones” on demand to annoy the hell out of everyone else); yet another miracle diet or “cleansing routine”; Boeing 737 emulating automobile cockpits; a daily Cardiac-Incident-in-a-Really-Big-Cup at Starbucks or Mickey D’s; a toxic metal dump of obsolete/broken electronic gizmos in our drawers; Harley-D. V-twin powered hedge clippers… and, of course, all the Thighmasters and Ronco amazements we can stuff into our closets & basement nether regions?
But frankly, I think camera G.A.S. is comparatively sane. That’s my excuse, anyway. BTW, how much IS that pinhole thing-y…?
SLR Magic have been selling Toy lenses for quite a while now, these are their newest products, which are usually quite affordable and produce cool results. I think the pinhole is under $50, maybe under $40.
I hope their $5,000 50mm M Mount lens comes in the same packging! 😮
Lol
I like it how it comes with coloured rubber rings to make the lens more of a toy than it already is
There is something so pure about that pinhole lens. Excellent!
Sample images please!