14 DAY TRIAL // You might be familiar with the Yongnuo name, as this Chinese company offers cheaper third-party alternatives to that highly-expensive photo gear you have been dreaming of since like forever.
Until now, they’ve been offering customers on the budget lighting equipment solutions and other accessories, but things are expanding at a fast rate.
Yongnuo goes into the lens market
Yongnuo has bigger plans for the future, as it is looking to expand in a market that offers a lot more possibilities, that of lenses.
So with this in mind, the Chinese accessory maker has rolled out the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.4. As you can see for yourselves, it is highly obvious from the picture that this is actually a perfect replica of the Canon 50mm f/1.4 (as seen at Canon Watch).
If you compare the two products, you’ll see that the only difference between the two seems to be the paint job and the distinctive companies’ logo.
True, if you took a look at them from a distance, we’re not sure if you’d be able to tell them apart. However, this is just a physical level, because there are a few other subtle differences to take into account.
For starters, the Yongnuo lens will be a tad lighter than Canon’s, weighing 239g / 0.52 lbs, versus the 290g / 0.63 lbs of the latter. It will also be a lot cheaper.
The Canon model is a little more advanced
There’s an area where the Yongnuo falls short of replicating: the Canon model comes with an ultrasonic motor that brings about fast and quiet focusing, but the Chinese version only takes advantage of a traditional DC-motor driven focusing system.
Apart from these details, the two lenses have the same aperture blades (8), minimum aperture (f/22), elements and groups (7/6), minimum focusing distance (45cm), maximum magnification (0.15x), and filter diameter (58mm).
The lenses should appeal to bokeh enthusiasts and are said to support both auto focus and manual focus more. It’s also compatible with full-frame and APS-C format cameras.
Yongnuo claims that their new product is the first “China-made large aperture autofocus lens” to be made available on the market. But even if the accessory might not be as fast or quiet as the Canon, it brings about an important aspect – it won’t empty your bank account.
While pricing specifications haven’t officially been made available yet, the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.4 lens is expected to arrive on the market with a $200 / €158 price tag, which is half the rate the Canon sells for.
