The Taiwanese lens maker Machang Optics has announced the Kamlan 50mm f/1.1 Mark II lens, a follow-up to the popular first version of the lens that provided photographers with an affordable option for achieving an ultra shallow depth of field and beautiful bokeh.

Machang Optics says its primary goal is “providing cost-effective large aperture lenses with high quality for every shutterbug and letting everyone enjoy the fantasy of large aperture lenses.”

Inside the new lens is an 11-bladed circular aperture that produces “beautifully creamy backgrounds.”
The new optical design of the lens “ensures great sharpness from wide open to stopped down.”
Machang says that unlike other ultra-fast lenses, the new Kamlan avoids “too much color cast” and features a high degree of color accuracy and richness.

The lens is designed for APS-C mirrorless cameras. On Sony and Fuji cameras it’s equivalent (in 35mm terms) to a 75mm lens. On Canon M it’s equivalent to an 80mm, and on Micro Four Thirds it’s equivalent to a 100mm.

The Kamlan 50mm f/1.1 Mark II is being launched through a Kickstarter campaign that has already blown well past its original $20,000 goal. If Machang succeeds in bringing the lens to market (with an estimated ship date of August 2019), backers will be able to receive an early lens for Sony E, Fuji X, Micro Four Thirds, or EOS-M for just $199 (or $50 off the retail price of $249).