Thypoch Teases New AF 24-50mm f/2.8 Zoom, a Bold Departure From its Manual Focus Primes
Thypoch, known for its classically-inspired manual focus prime lenses like the Simera 28mm f/1.4, Eureka 50mm f/2, and most recently, the Ksana 21mm f/3.5, has unveiled its next project: an autofocus-equipped 24-50mm f/2.8 zoom lens. This is a very bold new chapter for the upstart Chinese lens company.
Thypoch just unveiled a teaser on its Instagram page. “Yes, that’s true,” Thypoch writes. “Our first autofocus zoom lens is on its way.” The post is likely in part a reference to numerous leaks.
The company then asks photographers about their expectations for the new autofocus-equipped zoom lens. At the time of writing, nobody had directly answered Thypoch’s question, but one comment touches on how big a change this is for Thypoch.
“Aesthetically at least not on the same level as your manual primes,” writes photographer Chris Sovak (@vakphoto).
While the new lens looks perfectly fine, it is undoubtedly a significant departure from Thypoch’s typical style, which embraces decidedly vintage lens designs. The new 24-50mm f/2.8 lens, on the other hand, looks very modern. The most distinct feature of its outward appearance is the pronounced diagonal ridges on the zoom and focus rings.
Although Sovak’s comment, presumably delivered by a fan of Thypoch’s previous work, is a critique, from PetaPixel‘s perspective, the lens looks very modern and polished, at least in a vacuum. It’s not as classically beautiful as Thypoch’s vintage-inspired manual primes, but the AF 24-50mm f/2.8 looks like a well-made, modern, professional-grade zoom lens.
Unfortunately, there’s not much else to discuss besides the lens’s appearance and core specs, because Thypoch is playing things close to its vest for now, sharing only the short video above and saying the lens is “coming soon.”
It is nice to see that the lens has a manual aperture ring, which is always a welcome feature for photographers and videographers alike. It will be interesting to see if the aperture ring can be de-clicked. The switch visible at the very start of the video appears to be for swapping between AF and MF.
And although it is difficult to tell for sure from the video, the lens appears quite compact. It stands to reason that by removing 20mm on the long end, a 24-50mm f/2.8 zoom would be quite a bit lighter and smaller than a 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom. Sony is the only major maker to have already made a 24-50mm f/2.8, the FE 24-50mm f/2.8 G ($1,298). At first glance, the two lenses look fairly similar in size and shape. Sony’s lens is 92.3 millimeters (3.6 inches) long and weighs 440 grams (15.5 ounces). Asobinet reports the lens will launch for only E-mount, which would make the two zooms direct competitors.
While there remain many mysteries about Thypoch’s upcoming AF zoom lens, including its specs, price, and release date, perhaps the biggest concern is its performance. So far, Thypoch’s lenses have been excellent optical performers, but they have also been manual focus prime lenses built on old-school optical concepts.
As the company itself says: “Thypoch was born from a deep admiration for the timeless designs of the past. In an age driven by AI, we choose to craft products that carry the spirit of another era — because we believe that a tool with soul and character holds more meaning than mere technical perfection. While the imaging industry races toward speed and automation, we take a different path: merging modern optical innovation with the mechanical beauty of mid-20th-century craftsmanship.”
That’s all great, and photographers have generally responded well to Thypoch’s manual primes, but not only is a zoom lens significantly more complex than a prime, but autofocus is also very difficult to pull off. It will be fascinating to see how Thypoch handles these challenges.
Image credits: Thypoch, Sony
