Just wanna chime in and say that your reviews are incredibly useful. I'll be buying this lens and your video here was the final deciding factor. Good stuff dude!
Exceptional review. You leave no stone unturned with your short and crisp reviews. The lens seems extraordinary for the price. Definitely on my to-buy list. Thanks!
I got this for my R8. Manual focusing with the aid of focus peaking makes it more usable than with a dslr. The adapter adds a bit of length but still feels well balanced in my hands. If you were to use it with a mirrorless with IBIS, even better. I absolutely love this lens, some of my favorite pictures I've ever taken come from it. Beautiful rendering, perfectly sharp. Manual focusing is a challenge, but I'm an amateur photographer and if miss a shot the only collateral is my mood... Now, when I get the shot... oh man, this beauty delivers world class image quality for reasonable price.
I remember watching this video a couple years back and I was so excited. I learned on an old Nikon FG and I am used to and love manual focusing. I have gotten my money's worth many times over. For those afraid of using manual focus, I would suggest getting a focusing screen for your camera. That said, I still use my old manual focus lenses and practice A LOT using my little girls as subjects to practice fast action. Thank you for all your efforts Chris.
I absolutely agree with these comments- your videos come in clutch for decision making, education and comparison. Thank you for your consistency, dedication and informative posts!
Going to buy this for my A7s, I already own the 24 and 85, and there is no problem at all without autofocus, thanks to the focus peaking feature, it's even more accurate with this, you can really place the focus where you want.
Chris you should make a guide on how to focus accurately with manual lenses (viewfinder/live view/magnification tools...). After you have finished getting married, of course :)
The contrast on the lens looks amazing. I like that you photograph that 'flat' i think you call it, with the red bricks and wood door for every lens review as the differences in lenses are apparent. Even the corners look lovely, wide open too on full frame no less, Samyang really makes some nice manual focus lenses, this will definitely go on my list.
Thanks for an excellent review. Based on this (and others) I purchased this lens, and I've been blown away. It is everything you said, and more. This lens is truly a game changer for portraiture.
What on earth do Samyang build their lenses from?! They're cheaper than most 1st party lenses and much sharper, if only they'd make autofocus lenses, then they would bankrupt other companies!
+hasso0n Thing is though, if they made them with autofocus, they'd be a lot more expensive, and you'd probably only see them for Canon and Nikon. As it is, they can easily release a single lens design for pretty much every system out there by just attaching different mounts, no worries about software or electronics. This gives them a huge potential customer base at low development costs, and consequently very affordable lenses.
+StraightOuttaJarhois if you ask me auto focus is just a gimmick anyway i mean its nice and all but realy its not needed and takes some of the fun away i own two samyang lenses and a number of nikon ones i seem to always go back to the samyang they are just awesome to use i have the 14mm and 85mm im going to now get this 135mm looks to be even sharper than my 85mm thats hard to believe that things so dam sharp oO
Will John Yeah, and they're priced very high for Samyang. That's not unexpected, but early reviews of the 50/1.4 seem to indicate that the optical quality isn't up to par, being quite soft even in the center at f/1.4. Perhaps they had to compromise the design to accommodate for the AF mechanism. Either way, Samyang seems to have lost some of what makes it great in the move to AF.
Hi, how are you sir, because of your review of this fantastic lens, I have decided to purchase and add this to my arsenal. The built and the quality that this lens is producing is great. Indeed this lens is very affordable and the sharpness is truly amazing. Without auto focus is not a big deal, the quality of the images and the ultra sharpness it produce is what matters most. I don't know but this lens is unreal and for the price, truly wicked. Thank you very much sir for your fantastic review.
I want one!! I've seen this used for Astrophotography, and its performance can only be described as incredible. Especially when you consider that stars can be the most punishing test of any optics.
@@pattech3960 Actually, ive just taken delivery of another Samyang (my 4th in 5 years)...lol.. (early xmas pres from me to me) I've been out of action for nearly a year, and I got another of these because they are so "set up and walk away". I dont have much free time, so I have to make the most of whatever time I get under the stars, and this is the *only* way. There are a few astro lenses now that try to boast of a "flat field" - but in all honesty... nothing comes close to the Samyang 135 (IF you get a good one).
Realy great review - thank you so much. I just bought it, but havn't received yet. So I know from this video which picture I wish to take first and I am not afraid from manual focus now. Many thanks again!
I've had this lense for nearly a year or more . I use it mainly with my 5DSR . Don't get me wrong it's a great lense but you really have to check the pics after taken them , As the live screen on the 5DSR doesn't really show what your image will be like unlike it shows a false impression unlike with my other camera 90D . As for using it for Astro / night .. 3sec anymore streaks will appear when used without a tracker
When I am shooting with my Canon gear, I shy away from manual focus lenses but, with my Sony gear (focus assist and focus peaking) I jump right in with two feet! I presently use a 135mm f/2.8 Meyer Optik Orestor which is a neat lens from the 1950's. I definitely want to try this Samyang lens on my Sony cameras...
These lenses are incredible, autofocus is no big deal you get used to manual focus very quickly, the quality from these lenses is worth every penny , much prefer these to canon and nikon lenses.
Great video Christopher. I have this lens plus a few others from Samyang and I can confirm that it is just as good as you say in the video. I also have the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR2 lens (one of Nikon's "Holy Trinity" of Pro. lenses which cost approx. £1600) and this Samyang lens seems just as sharp. FYI....if you use this with most modern Nikon DSLR cameras you can set the aperture (but not the focus) with the camera controls although with other brands of camera I believe you have to set it with the lens ring. Focus confirmation in the viewfinder still works (at least with most Nikon bodies like my Nikon D300s) even though the actual focusing is done manually.
The shot of the house at f2 is shocking, there are many lenses that need to step down to f4/5.6 to get even close to that in the center, let alone the corners. I was planning to get the Samyang 14mm for astrophotography, looks like I may need to order this one as well. By the way, all Samyang lenses are very well regarded for astrophotography due to fast aperture and lack of coma. I wonder how this 135mm would perform from that point of view.
+白海塔 The problem with a 135 mm lens for astrophotography would be star trails. You could only expose for something 3 or 4 seconds, and at f2 that's just not going to be enough light to expose for the stars
DrummingSpain he probably means with a tracker, I have a tracker and this lens is no doubt going to be my next purchase. That amount of light collection is incredible when you consider that my fastest telescope is f/5.9, which is quite fast for a refractor. Not to mention the pin sharp stars corner to corner.
Just bought the Nikon variant for astro, for use with both my NIkon D610 and my Canon 600D astro-modified (with the Nikon to Canon adapter of course) on a EQ6. Can't wait!!!
Sinner Customs those expensive MF lens you are writing about are cine lenses they are much different in build or they all have standard size without focus breathing. MF in photography especially portraits is challenging
Thank you for the great review Christopher. I have the Sony Zeiss 135mm f1.8, but as I almost always shot in manual anyway, I thing this review just sold me on the Samyang version, this way I can get a native E mount for my a7rii and get rid of the adaptor and bulk. cheers
Greart review Chris. I was out with a couple of old friends last weekend and it transpired that one of them is your step sister! Kinda odd as I've been watching your uploads for a long time on RUclips. Enjoy married life.
Christopher Frost Photography Great review. Ya know to save you some money after you get married, you could get a 750D since it has 24MP sensor, many people would be wanting to know how it performs on it also.
I can definitely see a difference in sharpness between this and Canon's 135mm f2, but not its 100mm f2. I'm very happy with my Samyang 24mm f1.4, but truth be told, I am way more in love with my Canon 100mm f2. That lens is a true dark horse. DxoMark, if you care about those ratings, has it rated extremely highly on a 6D, and I can attest to that. From your tests as well, you don't seem to sell the 100mm too highly, but in the zoom-ins, it does remarkably well. Dxo and your reviews convinced me. Sure, you won't get the same bokeh due to the difference in focal length, but 100mm is also significantly easier to shoot. Think twice before pulling the trigger on this manual lens when you can get a lens with AF that's nearly, or just as sharp with a 35mm difference. $100 cheaper, too. I'm also anxious to see Sigma's take on 135mm. How they've been going, I'm sure it'll blow everything out of the water.
The lack of LoCA makes this Samyang impossible to beat for video in its focal range, not even the Zeiss is comparable. This Samyang lens also packs in the most microcontrast possible to get out of glass. And it has no coma smearing, making it incredible for astrophotography. Some of the lesser known aspects of this 135mm are simply mindbogglingly miraculous.
I have 3 Samyang lenses the 85mm F1.4 - 35mm F1.4 and now this one. They are great for astrophotography as do not need the auto focus. Great lenes and fast. Best astrophotography lenses.
Fabrizio Cimò The 135mm lens is noticeably sharper. Yes, the cine version will work fine. It doesn't have a darker aperture though. The T number is slightly different from an f/stop number, and is normally a little darker.
9 лет назад+2
+Christopher Frost Photography thank you very much!
9 лет назад+1
Christopher Frost Photography I do have the 70-200 2.8 IS mark I, but I was wondering a manual lens, do you think this 135mm F2 win over my canon on sharpnes and general render or do I waste my money on similar performances?
Hi Chris! This lens literally blows my mind away, superb contrast and color rendering. I usually like to isolate the subject in my photos, but you can understand how often this is using an 18-55 canon kit lens. Being even found of macro photography, would you recommend going with this 135mm f/2, using extension tubes and taking advantage of the general performances on the lens, or instead the proper samyang 100mm f/2.8 macro?
Davide Baldanti Personally, I'd probably go with the extension tubes, although for a 135mm lens, you will need a lot of them. Find a cheap set of them on eBay, and stack them all together :-)
I have been shooting Manual Settings for a few month on my d750 with the Samyang 35mm and 24mm, so far I'm getting impressive results shooting stills. I cannot say when is the last time I use other settings such as Aperture/TV Shutter on my camera.
Seems to be a great lens at a great price. The only thing that will stop me buying this lens is the lack of auto focus which I deem as essential for portraiture.....Pity !
That is one impressive lens! It makes me wish we could fuse Canon's 6D full frame sensor with the OVF of the Fuji that would make manual focusing much easier :)
Good review as always! By the way have you tried using this lens with a teleconverter? I just ordered this lens from Amazon France (the lens hasn't arrived yet) and I did notice I still have the 1.4x and 2x Tamron teleconverters lying around from my old film shooting days! :) With the converters you'd get (almost) 200mm f2.8 and 270mm f4 lenses. Those could be handy in bird photography, at least if the subject is large enough (say a swan). Obviously the converters ARE going to degrade the image quality some but how much exactly? I tried searching for info in the net but my inquiries have yielded little to nothing of any substantial knowledge!!!
Might be better off getting and old russian MF 250mm f3.5 for about $100. With this lens the quality of the TC is probably more important than the lens.
Hasn't Samyang/Rokinon offered body-controlled aperture for the K-mount for a while now? I thought for at least 10 years. I have been wanting an 85 1.4 for portrait-ing, but I'm wondering if the 100 or 135 wouldn't make a better single choice by offering some macro-ability.
What do you think of this lens on my Panasonic GX8 ? it will become 270 mm 2.0.. a fast prime like this will cost a fortune. I will give it a try for sure.
Hey Chris, I'm in love with this lens after watching your review, but I'm a little confused by the companies. There's one on amazon.de that's called Walimex Pro 135mm f2 and looks to be exactly the same lens as the Samyang or Rokinon only slightly cheaper and with electrical contacts for Exif data. Can I assume that the quality will be identical?
Janco van der Westhuizen: Samyang lenses are also branded as Falcon, Rokinon, Walimex, Bower, Opteka, Bell and Howell, Polar, and Pro-Optic but they are all made by Samyang in South Korea.
I would be curious to know how this compares to the Minolta 300mm f4 HS. I am looking for a lens for my Gigapan robotic panorama head. When I compared the Minolta 80-200mm f2.8 HS lens against the Samyang 85mm f1.4 I found that there was actually more detail from the same distance with the Samyang then the Minolta at 200mm, and the Minolta is a fairly sharp lens. The Minolta 300mm f4 is just a hair more expensive than the Samyang 135mm f2 and is just over double the focal length and half the aperture. Of course the Minolta 300mm f4 has blazing fast AF for almost the same price but I don't need that for Gigapans.
Lens looks amazing. Tell me do you think the cine version would have better bokeh because of its rounder aperture blades? Thinking I might get that one ti take photos
Hi Christopher, very good review. I have never bought a Manual lens but I do have enough experience with manual focusing. Before purchasing this lens I had a couple of questions. It's with regards to no chip being in the lens. (1) Does this mean that Aperture cannot be controlled/changed from the Body ? (2) Does it mean that the body would not have exposure reading ?
1. No, it can't be controlled from the body. In the review you can see the aperture ring. 2. Your camera body should be fine to properly expose. I use mine in Av mode
if you're a nikon shooter, then the camera will be able to meter with the lens, provided the body you use has an aperture feeler, like the D7xxx series or any of their full frame cameras. and I'm 60% sure when i was messing around with one in store, i changed the aperture via the body, not the lens... but it was a while ago, and after getting a used 80-200 f/2.8D instead for a wee bit less... i've been trying very hard to stay away and forget about the 135, lest i cave and pick one up as well... aside from a focus ring on the stiff side, it was a really nice lens...
9 лет назад
Dear christopher, i own a 14 mm samyang lens, i like it. have you ever stopped the aperture between the klicks ? what do you think, is going to broke the lens ?
Hi thanks for great review on so many good Samyang Lens, have you ever thought of comparing the 85mm to 135mm for outdoor portraits image and bokeh quality. It will help lots of new beginner photographers like me to select one for there use. I will look foreword to seeing your comparison video soon. Thanks
I'm holding my breath on Helios 40-2 and Samyang 85mm f1.4, but i like the image quality on Samyang 135mm it looks so great. I'll wait to see how they perform indoor studio and outdoor portrait shots in your test. thanks
love your reviews! I am considering this lens and the Venus Laowa 105mm f/2 (t/3.2), is the extra $300 worth it for the Laowa? They both look like fantastic lenses but the bokeh on the Laowa 105mm looks too good to pass up! Thanks again for your awesome reviews Christopher!!
Hi, can you please do a review and demo on Mitakon 135mm F-2.8? I'd like to try it, but can't find any informative video on that Mitakon lens. It would be very helpful if you could do a video on the same. Thank You.
Nice! If you don't need autofocus, a zoom range or image stabilisation, this is a great lens for portraits! If you do want all of the above (and weather sealing), then the Canon EF 70-200 f4 IS L is an alternative at near the same price. You can get it second-hand for £500 if you're lucky. Mind you, the aperture is much smaller, but it's a great lens. PS: Congratulations on getting married!
Christopher, thank you for your nice reviews. A pleasure to watch as usual. I have a question: How does this compare to the 100mm F/2.8 MACRO for precisely, Macro photography?
Great review, and I recently bought mine after your advice. How does the lens hood fit? Mine somehow remains loose and does not "click" into place. It just sort of remains pretty loose, and would fall off, if allowed to do so. Does the hood on your copy of the lens remain tight?
Samyang 135mm f/2 ED or Canon 200mm f/2.8 USM L for astrophotography??? I like a closer reach of 200mm, but if this Samyang is crazy sharp then I can just crop the end image, right.
It's fine on APS-C although the angle of view really will be quite tight. As a portrait lens I would prefer the 85mm f/1.4 on an APS-C camera. The manual focusing will take a little getting used to but it's not that hard really.
Would you recommend this lens for concert photography? Or what lenses would you recommend for concert photography! Really need some good advice....Thanks :)
+Christopher Frost Photography This is correct, and even with a chip the focus confirmation is not nearly as precise as AF would be. I've tried this with the Samyang 85/1.4 and it was a pain. Basically I had to fine-tune focus manually and burst five to ten times as many exposures with a 10% keep rate. It was a disaster.
This seems to be a great lens. But there is not even focus confirmation, right? The flaring looks exactly the same as on the Zeiss Planar 50mm (which you said is worst ever seen).
Hey Chris, I have the 70D and the 50 1.4, and I am considering to sell it and get this one. (Im not happy with the sharpness of the 50...) The only problem is, that on an aps-c camera, this would be like a 200 on FF. What do you think?
Just wanna chime in and say that your reviews are incredibly useful. I'll be buying this lens and your video here was the final deciding factor. Good stuff dude!
+BeyondSlowMotion nice seeing you around here, Darren! Haha same here, this review made me decide to buy it...now I just have to save the money :P
Exceptional review. You leave no stone unturned with your short and crisp reviews. The lens seems extraordinary for the price. Definitely on my to-buy list. Thanks!
I got this for my R8. Manual focusing with the aid of focus peaking makes it more usable than with a dslr. The adapter adds a bit of length but still feels well balanced in my hands. If you were to use it with a mirrorless with IBIS, even better.
I absolutely love this lens, some of my favorite pictures I've ever taken come from it. Beautiful rendering, perfectly sharp.
Manual focusing is a challenge, but I'm an amateur photographer and if miss a shot the only collateral is my mood... Now, when I get the shot... oh man, this beauty delivers world class image quality for reasonable price.
The image quality of this 135mm f2.0 is really sharp!!!
I remember watching this video a couple years back and I was so excited. I learned on an old Nikon FG and I am used to and love manual focusing. I have gotten my money's worth many times over. For those afraid of using manual focus, I would suggest getting a focusing screen for your camera. That said, I still use my old manual focus lenses and practice A LOT using my little girls as subjects to practice fast action.
Thank you for all your efforts Chris.
Agreed. An amazing piece of glass. I was floored by it's wide-open performance. At f/2 it is simply unbelievable.
your reviews are always the best; straight forward and good sample photos throughout the lens range!
This lens + 5dsR = Incredible photos
This review encouraged me to purchase this lens for my Sony α6000 and I'm extremely pleased with the image quality and build. Thanks!
Do you still have it?
I absolutely agree with these comments- your videos come in clutch for decision making, education and comparison. Thank you for your consistency, dedication and informative posts!
Not just sharp but the Color this lens produces is amazingly beautiful
Going to buy this for my A7s, I already own the 24 and 85, and there is no problem at all without autofocus, thanks to the focus peaking feature, it's even more accurate with this, you can really place the focus where you want.
Great for astrophotography too!
Thank you Christopher - You are the most trustworthy reviewer!
Chris you should make a guide on how to focus accurately with manual lenses (viewfinder/live view/magnification tools...). After you have finished getting married, of course :)
Exactly what I would like to see too~
Oh dear, that snappy aperture sound, it sounds so good!
Is this made for full frame meaning that it's actually more than 135mm on a APS-C camera?
If you're using an APS-C camera then you /always/ multiply by 1.6x. So this is the equivalent of 216mm
That's interesting, it means that I might be able to use it for nature and wildlife photography since I use APS-C.
The contrast on the lens looks amazing. I like that you photograph that 'flat' i think you call it, with the red bricks and wood door for every lens review as the differences in lenses are apparent. Even the corners look lovely, wide open too on full frame no less, Samyang really makes some nice manual focus lenses, this will definitely go on my list.
+Mark Acevedo It really is an astonishing lens - the contrast really is fantastic, as you say
Thanks for an excellent review. Based on this (and others) I purchased this lens, and I've been blown away. It is everything you said, and more. This lens is truly a game changer for portraiture.
What on earth do Samyang build their lenses from?! They're cheaper than most 1st party lenses and much sharper, if only they'd make autofocus lenses, then they would bankrupt other companies!
my next lens is going to be a samyang
+hasso0n Thing is though, if they made them with autofocus, they'd be a lot more expensive, and you'd probably only see them for Canon and Nikon. As it is, they can easily release a single lens design for pretty much every system out there by just attaching different mounts, no worries about software or electronics. This gives them a huge potential customer base at low development costs, and consequently very affordable lenses.
+StraightOuttaJarhois if you ask me auto focus is just a gimmick anyway i mean its nice and all but realy its not needed and takes some of the fun away i own two samyang lenses and a number of nikon ones i seem to always go back to the samyang they are just awesome to use i have the 14mm and 85mm im going to now get this 135mm looks to be even sharper than my 85mm thats hard to believe that things so dam sharp oO
They have recently announced 2 AF lenses for Sony e mount, so we may see more to come.
Will John Yeah, and they're priced very high for Samyang. That's not unexpected, but early reviews of the 50/1.4 seem to indicate that the optical quality isn't up to par, being quite soft even in the center at f/1.4. Perhaps they had to compromise the design to accommodate for the AF mechanism. Either way, Samyang seems to have lost some of what makes it great in the move to AF.
Hi, how are you sir, because of your review of this fantastic lens, I have decided to purchase and add this to my arsenal. The built and the quality that this lens is producing is great. Indeed this lens is very affordable and the sharpness is truly amazing. Without auto focus is not a big deal, the quality of the images and the ultra sharpness it produce is what matters most. I don't know but this lens is unreal and for the price, truly wicked. Thank you very much sir for your fantastic review.
You really can't go wrong with Samyang/Rokinon. I have many and I've never received a bad copy. I always buy with confidence.
samyang and rokinon is good lense ?
I want one!!
I've seen this used for Astrophotography, and its performance can only be described as incredible. Especially when you consider that stars can be the most punishing test of any optics.
Planning on getting one aswell,
I know this is 5 Years Ago but then I can ask you
Hows AP going for you? :)
@@pattech3960 Actually, ive just taken delivery of another Samyang (my 4th in 5 years)...lol.. (early xmas pres from me to me) I've been out of action for nearly a year, and I got another of these because they are so "set up and walk away". I dont have much free time, so I have to make the most of whatever time I get under the stars, and this is the *only* way.
There are a few astro lenses now that try to boast of a "flat field" - but in all honesty... nothing comes close to the Samyang 135 (IF you get a good one).
Thanks Christopher. Another superb review of an incredible lens! These images are stunning...
Realy great review - thank you so much. I just bought it, but havn't received yet. So I know from this video which picture I wish to take first and I am not afraid from manual focus now. Many thanks again!
I can't thank you enough for this review. It may be a while, but I can't wait to let you know when I have this lens.
Holy! If it had auto focus I would consider using for portraits and even sports photography :D nice lens
I've had this lense for nearly a year or more . I use it mainly with my 5DSR . Don't get me wrong it's a great lense but you really have to check the pics after taken them , As the live screen on the 5DSR doesn't really show what your image will be like unlike it shows a false impression unlike with my other camera 90D .
As for using it for Astro / night .. 3sec anymore streaks will appear
when used without a tracker
When I am shooting with my Canon gear, I shy away from manual focus lenses but, with my Sony gear (focus assist and focus peaking) I jump right in with two feet!
I presently use a 135mm f/2.8 Meyer Optik Orestor which is a neat lens from the 1950's. I definitely want to try this Samyang lens on my Sony cameras...
These lenses are incredible, autofocus is no big deal you get used to manual focus very quickly, the quality from these lenses is worth every penny , much prefer these to canon and nikon lenses.
Thank you for this lovely review, I just got it from e-bay and the lens is fantastic together with my A6400. Thanks.
Great video Christopher. I have this lens plus a few others from Samyang and I can confirm that it is just as good as you say in the video. I also have the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR2 lens (one of Nikon's "Holy Trinity" of Pro. lenses which cost approx. £1600) and this Samyang lens seems just as sharp. FYI....if you use this with most modern Nikon DSLR cameras you can set the aperture (but not the focus) with the camera controls although with other brands of camera I believe you have to set it with the lens ring. Focus confirmation in the viewfinder still works (at least with most Nikon bodies like my Nikon D300s) even though the actual focusing is done manually.
Your Review encouraged me to buy this lens.... :)
Thanks a lot sir. :) I always love your reviews....
Hi there - I'm considering this lens. How is the experience of manually focus? How do you focus, live view or view finder? Thanks!
The shot of the house at f2 is shocking, there are many lenses that need to step down to f4/5.6 to get even close to that in the center, let alone the corners. I was planning to get the Samyang 14mm for astrophotography, looks like I may need to order this one as well. By the way, all Samyang lenses are very well regarded for astrophotography due to fast aperture and lack of coma. I wonder how this 135mm would perform from that point of view.
+白海塔 The problem with a 135 mm lens for astrophotography would be star trails. You could only expose for something 3 or 4 seconds, and at f2 that's just not going to be enough light to expose for the stars
DrummingSpain he probably means with a tracker, I have a tracker and this lens is no doubt going to be my next purchase. That amount of light collection is incredible when you consider that my fastest telescope is f/5.9, which is quite fast for a refractor. Not to mention the pin sharp stars corner to corner.
Just bought the Nikon variant for astro, for use with both my NIkon D610 and my Canon 600D astro-modified (with the Nikon to Canon adapter of course) on a EQ6. Can't wait!!!
What a great lens indeed. Even more so considering its pricetag and size/weight. Thanks for your review.
Time for a re-testing of this spectacular performer on a modern sensor? Its 6-year anniversary just passed and there's still nothing like it!
Wow this lens is seriously impressive :O just a shame the lack of autofocus will put many people off. Thanks for a great review anyway :)
Sinner Customs those expensive MF lens you are writing about are cine lenses they are much different in build or they all have standard size without focus breathing. MF in photography especially portraits is challenging
Thank you for the great review Christopher. I have the Sony Zeiss 135mm f1.8, but as I almost always shot in manual anyway, I thing this review just sold me on the Samyang version, this way I can get a native E mount for my a7rii and get rid of the adaptor and bulk. cheers
Greart review Chris. I was out with a couple of old friends last weekend and it transpired that one of them is your step sister! Kinda odd as I've been watching your uploads for a long time on RUclips. Enjoy married life.
You're basically the only person I see on RUclips that has this much reviews. But, could you add the Sigma 70-200 2.8 EX DG OS HSM?
Christopher Frost Photography Great review. Ya know to save you some money after you get married, you could get a 750D since it has 24MP sensor, many people would be wanting to know how it performs on it also.
Hey Chris, please do a review on the Oshiro 135mm f2.8
I can definitely see a difference in sharpness between this and Canon's 135mm f2, but not its 100mm f2. I'm very happy with my Samyang 24mm f1.4, but truth be told, I am way more in love with my Canon 100mm f2. That lens is a true dark horse. DxoMark, if you care about those ratings, has it rated extremely highly on a 6D, and I can attest to that. From your tests as well, you don't seem to sell the 100mm too highly, but in the zoom-ins, it does remarkably well. Dxo and your reviews convinced me.
Sure, you won't get the same bokeh due to the difference in focal length, but 100mm is also significantly easier to shoot.
Think twice before pulling the trigger on this manual lens when you can get a lens with AF that's nearly, or just as sharp with a 35mm difference. $100 cheaper, too.
I'm also anxious to see Sigma's take on 135mm. How they've been going, I'm sure it'll blow everything out of the water.
The lack of LoCA makes this Samyang impossible to beat for video in its focal range, not even the Zeiss is comparable. This Samyang lens also packs in the most microcontrast possible to get out of glass. And it has no coma smearing, making it incredible for astrophotography. Some of the lesser known aspects of this 135mm are simply mindbogglingly miraculous.
I have 3 Samyang lenses the 85mm F1.4 - 35mm F1.4 and now this one. They are great for astrophotography as do not need the auto focus. Great lenes and fast. Best astrophotography lenses.
could you give a review on the 35mm F1.4 on the stars perfomance? maybe some image sample throuhout the aperture?
Nice review. The lack of CA at f/2 makes this lens look promising for astrophotography.
Excellent review, as always! As a fan of your work, I have a very important request - Any chance you could review the Samyang 24mm Tilt-Shift?
+Iam Calderon I'd love to one day! So, maybe.
which is sharper? this 135mm f2 or samyang 85 f1.4?
also can I mount cine version on my canon 6D? and... why Cine version has less aperture?
Fabrizio Cimò The 135mm lens is noticeably sharper. Yes, the cine version will work fine. It doesn't have a darker aperture though. The T number is slightly different from an f/stop number, and is normally a little darker.
+Christopher Frost Photography thank you very much!
Christopher Frost Photography I do have the 70-200 2.8 IS mark I, but I was wondering a manual lens, do you think this 135mm F2 win over my canon on sharpnes and general render or do I waste my money on similar performances?
+Fabrizio Cimò The Samyang should be quite noticeably sharper than the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS Mark I. Not a HUGE amount sharper, but quite noticeable
+Christopher Frost Photography Thanks! I'm quite interested on this monster!
After watching several of your reviews it seems Samyang lenses are well worth the buy.
This lens really looks great!
Really want you to give the 135mm f/1.8 a shot.
Hi Chris! This lens literally blows my mind away, superb contrast and color rendering.
I usually like to isolate the subject in my photos, but you can understand how often this is using an 18-55 canon kit lens.
Being even found of macro photography, would you recommend going with this 135mm f/2, using extension tubes and taking advantage of the general performances on the lens, or instead the proper samyang 100mm f/2.8 macro?
Davide Baldanti Personally, I'd probably go with the extension tubes, although for a 135mm lens, you will need a lot of them. Find a cheap set of them on eBay, and stack them all together :-)
It's about time for Samyang to reinvent these stellar optics for RF mount with proper AF.
Nikon F mount comes with cpu so you get focus confirmation and aperture control in you camera.
Dyeless please link to this cpu lens!
there's the new f1.8 AF version of this lens out now. hope you'll test that too soon!!
7:25 no. professional portrait photography with a manual lens is a clear NO for obvious reasons. recreational photography is a different thing.
I just placed an order on this lens, what a great lens!
I have been shooting Manual Settings for a few month on my d750 with the Samyang 35mm and 24mm, so far I'm getting impressive results shooting stills. I cannot say when is the last time I use other settings such as Aperture/TV Shutter on my camera.
Samyang 135 or Nikkor 135 2.8 for F mount?
Seems to be a great lens at a great price. The only thing that will stop me buying this lens is the lack of auto focus which I deem as essential for portraiture.....Pity !
I will buy this lens next week , thx for video impressive .
Did you end up buying the lens? How are manual focusing? View finder or live view?
That is one impressive lens! It makes me wish we could fuse Canon's 6D full frame sensor with the OVF of the Fuji that would make manual focusing much easier :)
This lens is available on Fuji though? I use it on an X-T1 (I might superglue it stuck too xD )
Good review as always! By the way have you tried using this lens with a teleconverter? I just ordered this lens from Amazon France (the lens hasn't arrived yet) and I did notice I still have the 1.4x and 2x Tamron teleconverters lying around from my old film shooting days! :) With the converters you'd get (almost) 200mm f2.8 and 270mm f4 lenses. Those could be handy in bird photography, at least if the subject is large enough (say a swan).
Obviously the converters ARE going to degrade the image quality some but how much exactly? I tried searching for info in the net but my inquiries have yielded little to nothing of any substantial knowledge!!!
Might be better off getting and old russian MF 250mm f3.5 for about $100. With this lens the quality of the TC is probably more important than the lens.
Excellent lens super sharp at F2 and F4
Since you recently got an a7rii, could you please test this on the 42 mpx sensor? gracias
Would you recommend this in 2022? Also would like to know if there is crop in non full frame cameras
Hasn't Samyang/Rokinon offered body-controlled aperture for the K-mount for a while now? I thought for at least 10 years. I have been wanting an 85 1.4 for portrait-ing, but I'm wondering if the 100 or 135 wouldn't make a better single choice by offering some macro-ability.
Thank you for a wonderful review. I love Samyang lenses, they are best quality for money out there.
What do you think of this lens on my Panasonic GX8 ? it will become 270 mm 2.0.. a fast prime like this will cost a fortune. I will give it a try for sure.
Hey Chris,
I'm in love with this lens after watching your review, but I'm a little confused by the companies. There's one on amazon.de that's called Walimex Pro 135mm f2 and looks to be exactly the same lens as the Samyang or Rokinon only slightly cheaper and with electrical contacts for Exif data. Can I assume that the quality will be identical?
Samyang make the lenses, but in some territories they are distributed under different names, such as Rokinon and Walimex
@@christopherfrost gotcha. Thank you!
Janco van der Westhuizen: Samyang lenses are also branded as Falcon, Rokinon, Walimex, Bower, Opteka, Bell and Howell, Polar, and Pro-Optic but they are all made by Samyang in South Korea.
Highly recommended
I would be curious to know how this compares to the Minolta 300mm f4 HS. I am looking for a lens for my Gigapan robotic panorama head. When I compared the Minolta 80-200mm f2.8 HS lens against the Samyang 85mm f1.4 I found that there was actually more detail from the same distance with the Samyang then the Minolta at 200mm, and the Minolta is a fairly sharp lens. The Minolta 300mm f4 is just a hair more expensive than the Samyang 135mm f2 and is just over double the focal length and half the aperture. Of course the Minolta 300mm f4 has blazing fast AF for almost the same price but I don't need that for Gigapans.
Good review! P.S. nice books at 7:03
Lens looks amazing. Tell me do you think the cine version would have better bokeh because of its rounder aperture blades? Thinking I might get that one ti take photos
+GOAT McGregor I'm not sure the cine versions have rounder aperture blades (they might do, but I don't think so)
Hi Christopher, very good review. I have never bought a Manual lens but I do have enough experience with manual focusing.
Before purchasing this lens I had a couple of questions.
It's with regards to no chip being in the lens.
(1) Does this mean that Aperture cannot be controlled/changed from the Body ?
(2) Does it mean that the body would not have exposure reading ?
1. No, it can't be controlled from the body. In the review you can see the aperture ring.
2. Your camera body should be fine to properly expose. I use mine in Av mode
if you're a nikon shooter, then the camera will be able to meter with the lens, provided the body you use has an aperture feeler, like the D7xxx series or any of their full frame cameras. and I'm 60% sure when i was messing around with one in store, i changed the aperture via the body, not the lens...
but it was a while ago, and after getting a used 80-200 f/2.8D instead for a wee bit less... i've been trying very hard to stay away and forget about the 135, lest i cave and pick one up as well... aside from a focus ring on the stiff side, it was a really nice lens...
Dear christopher,
i own a 14 mm samyang lens, i like it.
have you ever stopped the aperture between the klicks ?
what do you think, is going to broke the lens ?
+András Rácz No, it won't break the lens
Hi thanks for great review on so many good Samyang Lens, have you ever thought of comparing the 85mm to 135mm for outdoor portraits image and bokeh quality. It will help lots of new beginner photographers like me to select one for there use. I will look foreword to seeing your comparison video soon. Thanks
I'm thinking about it
I'm holding my breath on Helios 40-2 and Samyang 85mm f1.4, but i like the image quality on Samyang 135mm it looks so great. I'll wait to see how they perform indoor studio and outdoor portrait shots in your test.
thanks
love your reviews! I am considering this lens and the Venus Laowa 105mm f/2 (t/3.2), is the extra $300 worth it for the Laowa? They both look like fantastic lenses but the bokeh on the Laowa 105mm looks too good to pass up! Thanks again for your awesome reviews Christopher!!
Hmm that's a hard question. If I were you I'd decide on what focal length you want.
Don't let the manual focusing scare you away. It's a great, affordable lens.
Can you review the Samyang 10mm f/2.8 ultra wide angle lens please and compare it to other options (10-18, 10-22,11-16 and others)...
i can listen to you all day :)
Hi, can you please do a review and demo on Mitakon 135mm F-2.8?
I'd like to try it, but can't find any informative video on that Mitakon lens. It would be very helpful if you could do a video on the same. Thank You.
Great review. But why did you use your 60D and not the 70D?
Oh. Thanks.
If I asked which one would be better... Samyang 135mm f/2 or Tamron 70-210 f/4 for portraits at the zoomed in length?
I would personally prefer the Samyang although both would be great.
Nice! If you don't need autofocus, a zoom range or image stabilisation, this is a great lens for portraits! If you do want all of the above (and weather sealing), then the Canon EF 70-200 f4 IS L is an alternative at near the same price. You can get it second-hand for £500 if you're lucky. Mind you, the aperture is much smaller, but it's a great lens.
PS: Congratulations on getting married!
Christopher, thank you for your nice reviews. A pleasure to watch as usual. I have a question: How does this compare to the 100mm F/2.8 MACRO for precisely, Macro photography?
If you watch the review, you'll see me testing this lens (and the Samyang macro lens) at close distances
you just sold me this lens. thanks :)
Great review, and I recently bought mine after your advice. How does the lens hood fit? Mine somehow remains loose and does not "click" into place. It just sort of remains pretty loose, and would fall off, if allowed to do so. Does the hood on your copy of the lens remain tight?
Mine is slightly wobbly but not bad at all
+Christopher Frost Photography Thanks. Mine is very loose. I might have my first outing with this lens tomorrow. Quite excited.
Super sharp! :)
Can i use it on olympus?
Samyang 135mm f/2 ED or Canon 200mm f/2.8 USM L for astrophotography??? I like a closer reach of 200mm, but if this Samyang is crazy sharp then I can just crop the end image, right.
Is it worth to buy it on APS-C camera? And how hard it is to use manual focus if I'd like to travel with it (hand-held-shooting)?
It's fine on APS-C although the angle of view really will be quite tight. As a portrait lens I would prefer the 85mm f/1.4 on an APS-C camera. The manual focusing will take a little getting used to but it's not that hard really.
I'd get a 90mm instead as that will give the same field of view, you can get a 90mm macro (macros are typically very sharp) for about the same price.
Would you recommend this lens for concert photography? Or what lenses would you recommend for concert photography! Really need some good advice....Thanks :)
You can turn on af and use focus confirmation while focusing manually, right? I seem to remember that one can do that. Please confirm. Thanks!
+Norman Zealand Malana Nope, you need a special chip in the lens to do that (I think you can add them on but I'm not sure)
+Christopher Frost Photography oh ok, thanks!
+Christopher Frost Photography This is correct, and even with a chip the focus confirmation is not nearly as precise as AF would be. I've tried this with the Samyang 85/1.4 and it was a pain. Basically I had to fine-tune focus manually and burst five to ten times as many exposures with a 10% keep rate. It was a disaster.
and im still waiting for samyang to make an autofocus lens for this absolute lens
I would love to see that :-)
This seems to be a great lens. But there is not even focus confirmation, right?
The flaring looks exactly the same as on the Zeiss Planar 50mm (which you said is worst ever seen).
The flaring looks a lot different to the Zeiss lens if you ask me
man , can ı use thıs lenses on my Sony fx-30 body ?
Hi, I am using the nikon d300s and want to take samyang 135 mm manual focus for outdoor shooting. What do you think about the lens?
Watch the review, and you'll find out!
Can we use samyang 135mm on canon slr like 70d,80d without any converter or adapter???
Yup
Hi there. Thank you for your lovely review. May I ask you if this lens would work with nikon cropped sensor d7100.
thanks in advance
Yes. If you buy the Nikon mount version.
Hey Chris,
I have the 70D and the 50 1.4, and I am considering to sell it and get this one. (Im not happy with the sharpness of the 50...) The only problem is, that on an aps-c camera, this would be like a 200 on FF. What do you think?
GD Productions It'll be 216mm, so yes, pretty long.
But would it be good? I mean, for FF 200mm is a great, or is it?
GD Productions Do you mean, is it sharp? Well, watch this video, and you'll see :-)
samyang give a chip for canon? for autofocus ..?