Interview with Mr. Lee - Director of Sales & Marekting Samyang Optics
1. Interview with Mr. Lee - Director of Sales & Marekting Samyang Optics
 Ben Kim (right) - Manager of Sales & Marketing and Gold Lee (left) - Director of Sales & Marekting |
LensTip.com: Do you plan to introduce lenses with the 4/3 mount?
Mr. Lee: We are currently adding this mount to 85mm and 8mm products. They will be released in 1st quarter of 2010. 4/3 mount will be available for all future products.
LensTip.com: Zeiss has recently released a new mount, which has a Nikon bayonet and additional contacts to transfer information about the aperture and for support EXIF format. What do you think about this solution? Are you planning to introduce similiar concepts?
Mr. Lee: Although we have not yet tested Zeiss Nikon lens, our 85 mm f/1.4 with the electronic contact will have similar functions that support EXIF format we assume. It will be released in the first half of 2010 as Nikon format.
LensTip.com: Will we be able to control the aperture from the body ?
Mr. Lee: Yes.
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LensTip.com: When can we expect Samyang lenses with autofocus? Will it be build-in motor or the well-known "screwdriver"? If you get an AF build-in motor, will it be based on an ultrasound? What about the lenses with build-in image stabilisation?
Mr. Lee: We are approching this project as a long term plan. There is nothing more we could describe the details at this moment due to internal and external conditions we are currently facing.
LensTip.com: You have a lot of lenses and some spotting scopes to offer. What about the binoculars and astronomical telescopes? There is a place on the market for such high quality instruments. Samyang with its perfect optic quality and great antireflection coatings, could offer a wide range of binoculars with a reasonable price.
Mr. Lee: According to our past experiences, binoculars and telescopes market is much difficult to compete with. Unless there is bigger demands on midium-high price level market, this market is not our concern for stepping into.
LensTip.com: Our review of the 85 mm f/1.4 proved great ability of the light transmission. Could you tell something about the antireflection coatings used? Are you working on it on your own, or with some external companies?
Mr. Lee: In order to enable optimization of optical performance and light transmission, we used our own coating designing and processing which is accumulated technology through over 35 years.
LensTip.com: There are rumors, that the next lens released will be 35mm f/1.2 or 35 mm f/1.4. Could you tell us about it?
Mr. Lee: 35 mm f/1.4 will be released in the second half of 2010.
LensTip.com: Can we have some news about your new releasing? Are you planning any zoom lenses or you just focus on the lenses with fixed focal lenght?
Mr. Lee: It is true that we are focusing fixed focal lenses at this moment but we also expect to expand production line in the future by adding zoom lenses.
LensTip.com: How big is your company? How many employees you have?
Mr. Lee: 110. (230 including internal spin off company’s employees)
LensTip.com: Do you make a glass used for lenses on your own, or you just buy it from an external supplier?
Mr. Lee: Our own processing and producing.
LensTip.com: Your UV filters have been tested by us. And the results were very impressive. Do you plan to provide other photographic filters like: polarizing, gradual or grey? Close-up lenses maybe?
Mr. Lee: CPL and ND filters will be introduced by the first half of 2010.
LensTip.com: At the moment you provide inexpencive but good quality lenses. Are you maybe thinking about more expencive and even better lenses? Can we expect in the future any telephoto lenses as fast as f/4 and with the focal lenght of 300-500 mm?
Mr. Lee: Our brand is not popular and strong as other manufacturers’ in this feild. We are trying our best to keep very attractive price level to end users and also keep the high quality level at the same time. If this full efforts can appeal consumers affirmatively, there will be more opportunities for us to approach to the more expensive lens group.
LensTip.com: Our review of Samyang 14 mm f/2.8 has indicated some faults: poor image quality and complicated distortion on the edges of the full frame sensor, the lens has a problems when used agains the bright light and it is vignetting significantly on FF. Which one of these faults makes you to redisign this lens? Is it possible to eliminate all of this defects?
Mr. Lee: All problems stated in the above are being considered to be improved but the most difficulty is how to improve them with maintaining under the limited same price level.
LensTip.com: Please explain us, what is the difference between the Samyang 8mm fisheye and Vivitar 7mm fisheye. They are both your make, dont they?
Mr. Lee: Bringing up other brand issue is not pertinent to this interview.
LensTip.com: Are the lenses designed by you, or are you cooperating with some external research institutes or technology centers? Who is the main designer or constructor of the Samyang 85 mm 1.4 and the latest wide angle lenses?
Mr. Lee: All the products are designed by Samyang R&D department.
LensTip.com: What countries you are selling most lenses to? Could you compare Poland with other countries?
Mr. Lee: USA but it is also outstanding result in Polish market this year as Poland is much less populated country than US.
LensTip.com: This times are global crisis times. You offer a good quality lenses at good prices. And the consumer are looking for an inexpencive products. Are you profit by the crisis?
Mr. Lee: Our directivity is customer-oriented. It is an inevitable conclusion to overcome such a difficult economic crisis if we continuously provide with excellent products at competitive prices.
