Popular Photography - February 2015 USA

LAB *
LENS TEST
Thanks
SAMSUNG 50–150MM F/2.8 ED OIS S
UTILE ZOOM
ANOTHER OPTION
FOR SERIOUS
SHOOTERS
AS THE LARGE white-on-chrome S
on its barrel announces, the
50–150mm f/2.8 ED OIS S zoom
($1,600, street) belongs to
Samsung’s premier line of optics
for its NX ILCs. This 75–225mm
full-frame equivalent includes one
high-refractive index and four
extra-low dispersion glass
elements, a fast maximum
aperture, and extra weatherresistant
seals. Its front element
sports Samsung’s Hyper Shield
(SHS) coating, to our memory the
first claiming “to prevent lens
fogging caused by humidity
changes.” Its custom-settable
focusing ranges are also novel.
This handsome lens has a solid
feel, though it is 2 inches shorter
and a pound lighter than Sigma’s
comparable 50–150mm f/2.8 OS
for DSLRs. While it has no subject
distance scale, our NX300 test
camera’s LCD panel offered one.
We’ve said that Samsung’s
iFunction lens feature, which
controls certain camera settings
from the barrel, is a game changer,
and it’s particularly true for this
zoom. With each press of the
iFunction button, you toggle
through ISO, exposure, white
balance, and digital zoom controls.
This button, along with the other
three lens controls, sits right under
your left thumb.
SAMSUNG 50–150MM F/2.8 ED OIS S
WHAT’S HOT
Sharp, fast, quiet, and handles well
WHAT’S NOT
Expensive; awkward manual focus
WHO IT’S FOR
NX shooters who want a workhorse
70–200mm f/2.8 equivalent
to its well-designed
stepping motor, the lens’s autofocus
is among the quietest we’ve ever
heard. Its electronic manual focus,
however, is saddled with a way-toolong
700-degree turning arc. The MF
works nicely with focus peaking
engaged, though, and the manualfocus
distance scale on the NX300 is
one of the most precise out there.
On the optical bench in the Popular
Photography Test Lab, the Samsung
produced higher SQF scores than the
Sigma 50–150mm or the comparable
Fujifilm 55–200mm f/3.5–4.8 OIS.
However, in our distortion tests
using DxO Analyzer 5.3, the Samsung
slightly underperformed its peers.
Likewise, its subject magnifying
power (1:6.67) didn’t top the Fujifilm’s
(1:4.72) or the Sigma’s (1:5.31). Its lack
of edge falloff, though, tied the
Fujifilm zoom for best in class.
At a price about double or even
SPECIFICATIONS
50–150MM (51.30–149.98mm tested),
f/2.8 (f/2.81 tested), 20 elements in 13
groups. Focus ring turns 700 degrees. Zoom
ring turns 70 degrees. Focal length marked
at 50-, 60-, 85-, 100-, and 150mm.
DIAGONAL VIEW ANGLE: 31–10 degrees
WEIGHT: 2.02 lbs FILTER SIZE: 72mm
MOUNTS: Samsung NX
INCLUDED: Lenshood, tripod mount collar
STREET PRICE: $1,600
WEBSITE: samsung.com
TEST RESULTS
DISTORTION: At 50mm, 0.26% (Slight) barrel;
at 100mm, 0.04% (Imperceptible) barrel; at
150mm, 0.07% (Imperceptible) pincushion
LIGHT FALLOFF: At 50mm, none;
at 100mm, none; at 150mm, none
CLOSE-FOCUSING
DISTANCE: 29.93 inches
MAXIMUM MAGNIFICATION RATIO:
At 50mm, 1:8.83; at 100mm, 1:7.82;
at 150mm, 1:6.67
IMAGE STABILIZATION: 2.16 stops
6.04 in.
Internal
focusing and
zooming, the
lens barrel
neither
extends
nor rotates
in use—a
welcome
feature in a
large optic.
50
MM
100
MM
150
MM
0.55 in.
1.56 in.
3.18 in.
triple that of its rivals, this lens aims
high. Its sharpness and sealing are
both welcome, while its iFunction
and super-silent autofocus hint at
engineering brilliance. —Julia Silber
72 POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY FEBRUARY 2015 POPPHOTO.COM