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If you’ve never heard of Skyllaney, you’re not alone. The company is an up-and-coming lens manufacturer based in England that has announced its first product, a 50mm Sonnar lens for Leica M-mount camera systems that’s due out by 2021.
The Skyllaney 50mm F2 Bertele, as it’s being called, is specified as a ‘limited edition’ lens made in the British Isles. The ‘Bertele’ nickname is given to the lens as a tribute to German optics constructor, Dr. Ludwig Bertele, whose original 50mm F2 Sonnar design inspired the construction of this lens.
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Currently, Skyllaney is working on producing the first 20 units, which will be pre-release prototype units that will be used for photographers to provide feedback on the design and overall experience. Once ‘everyone involved is happy, we will then finalise the design and begin the production manufacturing runs,’ according to Skyllaney.
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As it stands though, the lens will be constructed of glass elements with anti-reflective (AR) coatings, feature a rounded nine-blade aperture diaphragm and will have an aperture range between F2 and F22. It will also have 6-bit coding for transferring EXIF data to M-mount cameras, offer a minimum focusing distance of 70cm (27.5in) and have engraved lettering on the front ring that Skyllaney says can be customized.
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The lens will be offered in black (anodized aluminum) and silver (chrome-plated brass), and will be limited to 150 units for the first production run, with the potential for another 100 units if there’s enough interest.
You can read up more information on the lens design and sign up to be informed of further updates via the form on the bottom of Skyllaney’s blog post.