Some time has passed since the last comment...I was looking for a 30-35 mm high f-stop lens for my Fuji camera and other than the 33 mm f1.4 WR lens, all the others have some issues, especially at the borders and corners. I almost gave up and waiting my time to buy the Fuji lens, although I found it quite expensive for my somewhat limited usage. ( I have an array of native Fuji lenses). Then I found the Rokinon/Samyang 35 mm f/1.2 lens. My hopes were not very high but I liked the design of the lens. (I am quite picky about the design of lenses..) Practically I couldn't find any reviews for this lens what was quite unusual since it has been in production since 2016. Maybe nobody buys it...Then I found your review. I consider your reviews one of the MOST reliable ones, so your opinion for me counts a lot! I didn't even finished to watch your review and I ordered the lens. Obviously, later on, I watched it 2 times. Thanks Chris for the great reviews you post! People don't necessarily realize great reviews result in sales...
Terrific review! So I bought one, and after cursory tests, I'll be shelving my Mitakon f0.95 lens for this f1.2 lens for the reasons you mention: improved image quality and all around very good quality. The lens hood doesn't sit true and wiggles, unlike Rokinon's 21mm, and the focus ring is a touch stiff - but for the effort I've put into manual focusing over the past year, this lens will be used daily. Thanks much!
I've had this lens for years, it's the single most underrated lens, the optical performance is almost perfect there's really nothing to complain about what so ever except for maybe, focus breathing and a very long minimum focus distance.
Old review,but i got one today..i am amazed of the quality over my Fujifilm lens 18-55.(already a very good lens).The quality is so amazing,like 3D.And Manual focus with focus peaking is so much fun..Thanks for this great review.
This is one of the best APS-C manual focus lenses alongside the 12mm F2. It has near perfect bokeh and it beats Mitakon for sharpness across the frame.
WOW! A sincere thank you for this; I had never heard of this lens until I went on a price comparison site this morning to list the 35mm options and your review blew me away. A bright lens like this f/1.2 giving decent sharpness even out in the corners is beyond comprehension at least at this price point! Having started using my first SLR back in 1980/81 such sharpness across the frame is just unbelievable. As you might understand I have no problem with manual focus and generally think manual focus can be faster if you just set your aperture to the hyperfocal distance; yes you guessed it; I'm not an action shooter more of a landscape worshiper and I have yet to see a mountain run out of focus for me. I was looking at the Voigtländer Nocton 35mm f/1.4 as I have heard a lot of good about it but this seems just as rock-solid and giving you an awful lot for just half of that unless you absolutely need AF and IS.
Awesome vid! was going thru your playlist yesterday and thought "where is the 35mm 1.2..." and got it today, lol, what a surprise! Totally a big fan of samyang, I love the build quality of the APC-C line even better than the fuji native lens, especially the focus ring!
Samyang’s mirrorless APS-C lenses are all excellent. Optically they don’t have the wild variations and also the softness wide open that their MF full frame lenses have. I don’t really need the 50mm, and especially not the 85mm, but if I see them for a good price I may pick them up just to have the whole series (and then find ways to take portraits).
This is impressive! I'd still go for the Sigma 30mm f1.4 DC DN. I have it and I think it's one of the best aps c lenses on the market. Thanks for sharing.
I agree with the IQ of this lens. Good performer and good built qaulity too. Although something about the rendering, like colors and contrast is not so exciting for me anymore after using a lot of Vintage glass, especially the S-M-C Takumar lenses. I compared this one and the Samyang 21mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.2 with the Takumar 28 3.5, 35 3.5, 50 1.4, 85 1.8. And I must say that those Takumars are in a different league... Sometimes even Sharper (on Aps-c and FF)! Especially in the center and around. And the beautiful Pop and colors they produce... Still I use those Samyang lenses occasionally on a Sony a6000. But mostly those Takumars on a A7II. Thanks for the Review Chris! You are definitely one of my favorite reviewers.
Takumars and Minoltas have that "je ne sais quoi"... Owning some Taks, I prefer the minoltas most of the time (depending which version of the lens), and there are some Yashicas (that I believe were made by Cosina) that are amazing too, and usually cheaper than other brands. Heck, I even use them professionally some times to do small pull focus takes.
@@diegorivera2711 Owners of legacy lenses always love the special "rendering". But they almost always fail in a blind test. I've done that with friends for a few times... I like my old Minoltas, too. But that special look simply isn't there. Or let's say, 90% of it is psychology.
@@mrbaiser4133 that's up to debate. Obviously you need certain type of image to identify some rendering pattern (one full of bokeh) but I was able to identify them a couple of times. Obviously brands I own and have seen before. On images at hyperfocal distances and/or apertures beyond f8 it's almost impossible, I agree.
From time to time I came to see this video again and again just to put my mind off on buying little light artisans/pergear etc 35mm 1.2 (for my Fuji) that sound great but... I do own this lens and it was one of my greatest investment in glass. If it wasn't as heavy as it is and probably focus a little closer - I do love compact light lenses and very scarce MFD - surely my mind wouldn't wander into those other lenses. I also have a vintage Carl Zeiss Flektogon 35mm 2.4, so no reason to buy another 35mm (and I also use some great vintage 50mmish lenses on a speedturbo which turn them almost into 35mm lenses with bright fast apertures... and also own a Konica 40mm 1.8 so enough is enough (trying to convince myself to fight GAS) 🙂 I guess in the end, this lens is sometimes too perfect for me 🙂I like working around the flaws of vintage lenses and modern lenses with a vintage performance.
Why are isn’t this a more popular/common lens? It feels like an obvious choice if you looking for a fast manual 35mm with good image quality on Sony (and other) cameras. The Mitakon and 7artisans sacrifice a lot of IQ for an f/0.95 aperture.
Hi Christopher, Thanks for a really great review of this lens and the comparison especially with the Fuji 34mm 1.4 at the end. I’ve been searching for the best 50mm f2 full frame equivalent manual focus lens for my Fuji camera some time. I think my choice is going to be between this and the Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 II VM lens. Any thoughts please? Many thanks, Christian.
That les is literally unfindable for mtf I have been looking al over the internet for over a year but can't seem to find it anywhere. Want it so baddd 😭😭😭
For me, I need to barely digitally zoom in to 1.3x on my a7III, but 1.2x comes close. I went back and forth between the a7III and the a7R III, and this lens makes me wish I’d gone with the R. But as you mention, the image circle on this lens is wide enough to comfortably get the equivalent of a 40-42mm lens on FF. I have the 12mm f/2, the 21mm f/1.4 and this 35mm, and these three lenses spend the most time on my Sony crop camera, so question. In the US they seem to be priced a little better than in Europe, especially if you wait for one of their many sales. I sort of think of this line as an APS-C Loxia competitor. It’s similar enough, while doing it at 1/4 the price. For the price of the Loxia 21mm you can buy three Samyang mirrorless APS-C lenses and an a6000. “Not bad!” as I hear Chris saying in my head.
@@nashsok so it depends on the focus throw. if you're focusing close up it's basically a full frame lens but focusing further it's a hard black on two corners (not all 4 weirdly). Also f/7.1 produces the least vignette. Above or below very noticeably increases. Overall I've captured many "special" images with it on holiday but sometimes you'll just wish it had autofocus or at least electronic contacts to make focusing easier (super thin depth of field). And handing over your camera to someone else to take a picture of you/friends, good luck trying to explain the procedure haha. definitely a great backup lens if you have the space
Hi Chris. Love your review for a long while, so clear and smooth. Could you do a review for the fe 12-24mm f4 and maybe compare to the fe 16-35mm f4 za? Thank you:)
YAY been waiting ages for this video. :D seems to be a lot better than their 50mm equivalent. Been wanting to pick up this lens for a wile now but its never in stock when I have the cash. Any chance you will be doing the 21mm F1.4?
@@dasaauto2024 Thanks yea I really hope to get the 21mm as well. I really hope Samyang makes a 16mm in this series. I have their 16mm F2 SLR lens for my Sony a6300 and its large and clunky on the tiny mirroless. Image quality on the 16mm is amazing though.
lazerman121 That one’s a little weird... It’s the only DSLR APS-C lens in this bunch-and it’s at a pretty important focal length. I don’t know if they’ll make a mirrorless version or not. The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 would be tough competition, but there’s something special to manual focus, and if Samyang made it an f/2, it could be sharper and smaller than the Sigma. But otherwise, the Sigma trio of f/1.4 lenses intermixes well with Samyang’s MF set. I’d like to get Sigma’s 16mm and 30mm lenses as well, and if I shot portraits, the Sigma 56mm would be a must-buy. It’s too bad Samyang (or “Elite Brands”) doesn’t market their APS-C mirrorless lenses more. A lot of enthusiast photographers either don’t know they exist, or don’t know how good they are-usually the latter. I also wish Samyang would be the first to release a truly high-end APS-C lens (other than those made by Fuji) to get people more excited APS-C cameras. Like a 14mm XP f/1.4 and an XP 28mm f/1.1 dual set of primes. Maybe add a 60mm f/1.4 and make it a trio. I know FF is all the rage right now, but there have got to be more people who love the high-end Zeiss manual focus ranges (Loxia, Milvus and Otus) but who don’t have (or don’t want) to spend $2K to $5K per lens, and who prefer the size of APS-C over FF. 🤷♂️
@@dasaauto2024 YES I would love to see premium APS-C lenses. APS-C is so underappreciated ATM. I would also love to see a line of small AF weather sealed Sony E lenses. I agree with you on the Sigma 16mm competition. The only thing holding me back from that lens is the size I do not need F1.4 enough to justify another clunky lens. But would love a tiny 16mm F2 weather it be AF or MF. If Samyang made one and it was sharp it would be my go to lens. It is definitely a gap in this lens series.
I was thinking about 28 mm lenses too when I was watching this video. I’ve been using the Vintage Pentax 28 mm which I believe is great value for money, given how sharp it is. But I’ve been wondering how it compares to newer lenses. The Kamlan 28 would be one I’d be interested in hearing about.
@@christopherfrost Hehe... actually, I have. ;) My conclusion is that if you want corner sharpness wide open and better results shooting into bright light you go with the Samyang, if you can live without these two things you can go with the Kamlan and you will get similar results. Is that more or less right? Thanks in advance!
Hey Chris, if you were to pick between the Samyang 35mm f/1.2 or the Mitakon 35mm f/0.95 which would you pick? I feel the Mitakon obviously has the shallower depth of field but with regards to getting a sharp picture you need to stop down to like f/4.
I'm in the middle of testing a 7artisans 35mm f/1.2 and its technical image quality is pretty terrible, although in the right hands it will still get some nice images (like any camera lens)
Hi Chris, This may sound crazy but is it possible if you can grab/rent a copy of Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM for a review? I'd like to know how good the corner to corner sharpness is, Sony press boasted about it apparently. Thanks in advance. Kenny
It's a lens designed for crop sensor cameras. So in use, on a crop sensor camera, the depth of field will look deeper than it does on full frame, therefore the depth of field will look about twice as deep
Why does he say that it is an equivalent depth of field of F2? Does F number change? I thought that aperture is a physical property of a lens that doesn't change... f/stop = focal length / aperture diameter
That's what the word 'equivalent' means - the images' depth of field will be the equivalent to those of f/2 on a full-frame camera (but the lens is actually f/1.2)
I know you can't necessarily include all lenses on the market for comparison but I am still a little surprised you did not mention the TTArtisan 35mm f1.4. I it in Fuji X mount and have been quite impressed with its quality especially at its price point. For comparison I also have used the Meike 50mm f1.7 in Z mount on my Z6II and am not impressed with it at all. Thanks for the great job BTW.
Hello Mr Christopher! May I ask if you had to manually change the focal length on your Fuji camera whilst using this Samyang lens? Or did you just stay with 35mm? Thank you in advanced! This video was very helpful.
0:55 wrong. You get the same amount of DOF AND light as a FF f/1.8 lens. Why? Because the focal length, depth of field and amount of light are all affected by the x1.5 crop factor.
@Samyang: Please make a FE AF 35mm f1.8!!! Everybody wants that lens, but Sony won't build it, because they would have to lower the ridiculous price of their 35mm f2.8 lens.
@@christopherfrost I've always thought getting Jared Polin on here would be a pretty hilarious juxtaposition from your usual calm and reserved demeanor!
"Hi, it's me" ?!
I'm fine with the new logo, but I'm missing the "Howdy everyone!" :)
If I said 'Howdy' every time it would lose its novelty hehe
Some time has passed since the last comment...I was looking for a 30-35 mm high f-stop lens for my Fuji camera and other than the 33 mm f1.4 WR lens, all the others have some issues, especially at the borders and corners. I almost gave up and waiting my time to buy the Fuji lens, although I found it quite expensive for my somewhat limited usage. ( I have an array of native Fuji lenses). Then I found the Rokinon/Samyang 35 mm f/1.2 lens. My hopes were not very high but I liked the design of the lens. (I am quite picky about the design of lenses..) Practically I couldn't find any reviews for this lens what was quite unusual since it has been in production since 2016. Maybe nobody buys it...Then I found your review. I consider your reviews one of the MOST reliable ones, so your opinion for me counts a lot! I didn't even finished to watch your review and I ordered the lens. Obviously, later on, I watched it 2 times. Thanks Chris for the great reviews you post! People don't necessarily realize great reviews result in sales...
Terrific review! So I bought one, and after cursory tests, I'll be shelving my Mitakon f0.95 lens for this f1.2 lens for the reasons you mention: improved image quality and all around very good quality. The lens hood doesn't sit true and wiggles, unlike Rokinon's 21mm, and the focus ring is a touch stiff - but for the effort I've put into manual focusing over the past year, this lens will be used daily. Thanks much!
I've had this lens for years, it's the single most underrated lens, the optical performance is almost perfect there's really nothing to complain about what so ever except for maybe, focus breathing and a very long minimum focus distance.
The comparison with other similar lenses at the end was very helpful so thank you for that!
yes, a great idea, please do it every time you can...
The ending summary was so good. Thank you for reviewing for us =]
Old review,but i got one today..i am amazed of the quality over my Fujifilm lens 18-55.(already a very good lens).The quality is so amazing,like 3D.And Manual focus with focus peaking is so much fun..Thanks for this great review.
Great review, as always. The comparison at the end was very helpful.
Great video. Looks like no point in stopping this one down. Good stuff coming down the pipe, Christopher!
"Hi, it's me" `sounds like my closest friend, I want to hear that everyday.
I'm agree :)
Great review, thanks!
Keep on going with the comparisons, it is very important.
I am waiting, for yout next video.
Best regards from Brazil!
This is one of the best APS-C manual focus lenses alongside the 12mm F2.
It has near perfect bokeh and it beats Mitakon for sharpness across the frame.
Show some sample footage.. That helps
WOW!
A sincere thank you for this; I had never heard of this lens until I went on a price comparison site this morning to list the 35mm options and your review blew me away. A bright lens like this f/1.2 giving decent sharpness even out in the corners is beyond comprehension at least at this price point!
Having started using my first SLR back in 1980/81 such sharpness across the frame is just unbelievable.
As you might understand I have no problem with manual focus and generally think manual focus can be faster if you just set your aperture to the hyperfocal distance; yes you guessed it; I'm not an action shooter more of a landscape worshiper and I have yet to see a mountain run out of focus for me.
I was looking at the Voigtländer Nocton 35mm f/1.4 as I have heard a lot of good about it but this seems just as rock-solid and giving you an awful lot for just half of that unless you absolutely need AF and IS.
Thanks for all your work Chris.
Awesome vid! was going thru your playlist yesterday and thought "where is the 35mm 1.2..." and got it today, lol, what a surprise! Totally a big fan of samyang, I love the build quality of the APC-C line even better than the fuji native lens, especially the focus ring!
Samyang’s mirrorless APS-C lenses are all excellent. Optically they don’t have the wild variations and also the softness wide open that their MF full frame lenses have. I don’t really need the 50mm, and especially not the 85mm, but if I see them for a good price I may pick them up just to have the whole series (and then find ways to take portraits).
@@dasaauto2024 Exactly!
This is impressive! I'd still go for the Sigma 30mm f1.4 DC DN.
I have it and I think it's one of the best aps c lenses on the market.
Thanks for sharing.
I'm interested how that one would work on Fuji 😁
@@westsenkovec Guess why Fuji isn't interested...
I agree with the IQ of this lens. Good performer and good built qaulity too. Although something about the rendering, like colors and contrast is not so exciting for me anymore after using a lot of Vintage glass, especially the S-M-C Takumar lenses. I compared this one and the Samyang 21mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.2 with the Takumar 28 3.5, 35 3.5, 50 1.4, 85 1.8.
And I must say that those Takumars are in a different league... Sometimes even Sharper (on Aps-c and FF)! Especially in the center and around. And the beautiful Pop and colors they produce...
Still I use those Samyang lenses occasionally on a Sony a6000. But mostly those Takumars on a A7II.
Thanks for the Review Chris! You are definitely one of my favorite reviewers.
Takumars and Minoltas have that "je ne sais quoi"... Owning some Taks, I prefer the minoltas most of the time (depending which version of the lens), and there are some Yashicas (that I believe were made by Cosina) that are amazing too, and usually cheaper than other brands. Heck, I even use them professionally some times to do small pull focus takes.
@@diegorivera2711 Owners of legacy lenses always love the special "rendering". But they almost always fail in a blind test. I've done that with friends for a few times... I like my old Minoltas, too. But that special look simply isn't there. Or let's say, 90% of it is psychology.
@@mrbaiser4133 that's up to debate. Obviously you need certain type of image to identify some rendering pattern (one full of bokeh) but I was able to identify them a couple of times. Obviously brands I own and have seen before. On images at hyperfocal distances and/or apertures beyond f8 it's almost impossible, I agree.
Those starbursts look fantastic. I think you should've included the Kamlan 28 1.4 to the comparison though.
Great image quality! I think I'll buy this to complement my fuji 35 f2 doing portraits or in very low light.
Thank you for the review.
"Hi, it's me" whenever I ring the doorbell of a friend's house
Just got this lens, I absolutely love it. Gonna sell my fuji f2
How about viltrox 33mm compares to this
@@TravelMap autofocus :) but resolution isnt that good. depends on what you need. I found joy in manual focusing.
@@ChristianThueringer manual focus is fine for me.. Contrast better I samyang?
Can you share some samples from that samyang?
@@mattstolzman sure, how?
What a tempting lens and I currently own the Fuji 35mm 1.4. I don't mind manual focus with 35mm focal length, decisions decisions...
I like the bokeh on 7artisans 35mm f1.2 more. That lens is way softer at f1.2 but the bokeh and colors seem to be more appealing to me.
Great review. Looking forward to using this on the M6ii
First Moment : Maybe the new lens for a Canon 6D2.
Then "Mirrorless only, APS-C".
Ok, next time ^^
Sorry! I've reviewed most the DSLR lenses available on Canon now so I'm catching up with mirrorless lenses for a while
@@christopherfrost hey, no Problem. Im just happy for every new Video und hoping there is something new to spend money ^^
Looking forward to the Sigma 30/1.4 review! Thanks!
Hello ... Great review, as always! How about the Samyang/Rokinon 21mm f:1.4 CS? I did not find any detailed review, at least not as yours :)
Wish this had electronic communication. Would be awesome with the APS-C Sony bodies. A great lens nonetheless. Thanks for the review
Thank you; I try and find a video from you of a lens before I buy it.
A new logo
Very nice...
For background music, this video much good.
I own this lens for my Canon M3 & M6. I always thought your review on the 50mm version was just the same as this 35mm one 😅
im a big fan of samyang/rokinon lenses
Thank you for this review! Is this lens made of plastic? Or is it metallic?
From time to time I came to see this video again and again just to put my mind off on buying little light artisans/pergear etc 35mm 1.2 (for my Fuji) that sound great but... I do own this lens and it was one of my greatest investment in glass. If it wasn't as heavy as it is and probably focus a little closer - I do love compact light lenses and very scarce MFD - surely my mind wouldn't wander into those other lenses. I also have a vintage Carl Zeiss Flektogon 35mm 2.4, so no reason to buy another 35mm (and I also use some great vintage 50mmish lenses on a speedturbo which turn them almost into 35mm lenses with bright fast apertures... and also own a Konica 40mm 1.8 so enough is enough (trying to convince myself to fight GAS) 🙂 I guess in the end, this lens is sometimes too perfect for me 🙂I like working around the flaws of vintage lenses and modern lenses with a vintage performance.
Why are isn’t this a more popular/common lens? It feels like an obvious choice if you looking for a fast manual 35mm with good image quality on Sony (and other) cameras. The Mitakon and 7artisans sacrifice a lot of IQ for an f/0.95 aperture.
Hi Christopher, Thanks for a really great review of this lens and the comparison especially with the Fuji 34mm 1.4 at the end. I’ve been searching for the best 50mm f2 full frame equivalent manual focus lens for my Fuji camera some time. I think my choice is going to be between this and the Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4 II VM lens. Any thoughts please? Many thanks, Christian.
That les is literally unfindable for mtf I have been looking al over the internet for over a year but can't seem to find it anywhere. Want it so baddd 😭😭😭
When I saw the titled I hoped it would be the 35mm f1.2 XP lens :D, I hope you get to that one soon. Also the 10mm XP lens is out as well
I will be testing the 10mm lens in due course. I don't think the XP 35mm lens is coming to Europe unfortunately
You should review the Zeiss 32mm f1.8 Touit for Aps-c, if you haven't done that already .
A review of that is scheduled to come out
Eagerly awaiting your review of the 85mm 1.4 Af Fe............😉
I have a final production copy in my office right now waiting to be tested. It's a thing of beauty
Looking forward to it Chris. Always look forward to your vids. I often see sample photos of my hometown aber. Keep up the great work.
I use this on the full frame a7, half of the time there's no vignetting. Otherwise a 1.2x crop makes this suitable for full fram
For me, I need to barely digitally zoom in to 1.3x on my a7III, but 1.2x comes close. I went back and forth between the a7III and the a7R III, and this lens makes me wish I’d gone with the R. But as you mention, the image circle on this lens is wide enough to comfortably get the equivalent of a 40-42mm lens on FF.
I have the 12mm f/2, the 21mm f/1.4 and this 35mm, and these three lenses spend the most time on my Sony crop camera, so question. In the US they seem to be priced a little better than in Europe, especially if you wait for one of their many sales.
I sort of think of this line as an APS-C Loxia competitor. It’s similar enough, while doing it at 1/4 the price. For the price of the Loxia 21mm you can buy three Samyang mirrorless APS-C lenses and an a6000. “Not bad!” as I hear Chris saying in my head.
I've been considering picking up a used copy for full frame, is the vignetting hard where the image goes full black or is it just really dark?
@@nashsok so it depends on the focus throw. if you're focusing close up it's basically a full frame lens but focusing further it's a hard black on two corners (not all 4 weirdly). Also f/7.1 produces the least vignette. Above or below very noticeably increases. Overall I've captured many "special" images with it on holiday but sometimes you'll just wish it had autofocus or at least electronic contacts to make focusing easier (super thin depth of field). And handing over your camera to someone else to take a picture of you/friends, good luck trying to explain the procedure haha. definitely a great backup lens if you have the space
My favorite Lens on A6000
Hi Chris, can you review the Venus Laowa 33mm F0.95 ?
Hi Chris. Love your review for a long while, so clear and smooth. Could you do a review for the fe 12-24mm f4 and maybe compare to the fe 16-35mm f4 za? Thank you:)
Maybe one day :-)
When you will do the review of the yognuo 35mm 1.4? Thanksss good video!
I'm torn between this lens and the XF 35 1.4.
Any inputs on that?
We need you to review the Rokinon 21mm f1.4 please
Nice review! Good lens and camera! Im interesting of the strap on your x-t20, can you tell me who is the producer?
hard graft
Howdy Christopher!
Dear Christopher
In comparaison between Samyang 35 f1.2 and Mitakon 35f0.95 what would be your preference for portrait pics ? best !
Probably the Mitakon lens although both will be excellent
YAY been waiting ages for this video. :D seems to be a lot better than their 50mm equivalent. Been wanting to pick up this lens for a wile now but its never in stock when I have the cash. Any chance you will be doing the 21mm F1.4?
The 21mm f/1.4 is a great lens. Probably my most used lens out of the 15 or so I have kicking around.
@@dasaauto2024 Thanks yea I really hope to get the 21mm as well. I really hope Samyang makes a 16mm in this series. I have their 16mm F2 SLR lens for my Sony a6300 and its large and clunky on the tiny mirroless. Image quality on the 16mm is amazing though.
lazerman121 That one’s a little weird... It’s the only DSLR APS-C lens in this bunch-and it’s at a pretty important focal length. I don’t know if they’ll make a mirrorless version or not. The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 would be tough competition, but there’s something special to manual focus, and if Samyang made it an f/2, it could be sharper and smaller than the Sigma. But otherwise, the Sigma trio of f/1.4 lenses intermixes well with Samyang’s MF set. I’d like to get Sigma’s 16mm and 30mm lenses as well, and if I shot portraits, the Sigma 56mm would be a must-buy.
It’s too bad Samyang (or “Elite Brands”) doesn’t market their APS-C mirrorless lenses more. A lot of enthusiast photographers either don’t know they exist, or don’t know how good they are-usually the latter.
I also wish Samyang would be the first to release a truly high-end APS-C lens (other than those made by Fuji) to get people more excited APS-C cameras. Like a 14mm XP f/1.4 and an XP 28mm f/1.1 dual set of primes. Maybe add a 60mm f/1.4 and make it a trio. I know FF is all the rage right now, but there have got to be more people who love the high-end Zeiss manual focus ranges (Loxia, Milvus and Otus) but who don’t have (or don’t want) to spend $2K to $5K per lens, and who prefer the size of APS-C over FF. 🤷♂️
@@dasaauto2024 YES I would love to see premium APS-C lenses. APS-C is so underappreciated ATM. I would also love to see a line of small AF weather sealed Sony E lenses. I agree with you on the Sigma 16mm competition. The only thing holding me back from that lens is the size I do not need F1.4 enough to justify another clunky lens. But would love a tiny 16mm F2 weather it be AF or MF. If Samyang made one and it was sharp it would be my go to lens. It is definitely a gap in this lens series.
Hey Christopher, thanks for the video! Can you say something to the Kamlan 28 F1.4 compared to the samyang? Thx in advance!
I was thinking about 28 mm lenses too when I was watching this video. I’ve been using the Vintage Pentax 28 mm which I believe is great value for money, given how sharp it is. But I’ve been wondering how it compares to newer lenses. The Kamlan 28 would be one I’d be interested in hearing about.
Take a look at my review of it :-)
@@christopherfrost Hehe... actually, I have. ;) My conclusion is that if you want corner sharpness wide open and better results shooting into bright light you go with the Samyang, if you can live without these two things you can go with the Kamlan and you will get similar results. Is that more or less right? Thanks in advance!
I recently picked up a Yongnuo 35mm f1.4 and honestly I was stunned how good it was at f1.4!
Hey Chris, if you were to pick between the Samyang 35mm f/1.2 or the Mitakon 35mm f/0.95 which would you pick? I feel the Mitakon obviously has the shallower depth of field but with regards to getting a sharp picture you need to stop down to like f/4.
Samyang is sharper, Mitakon is brighter
I wich you could compare it to the sigma 30mm f1.4 art. Great video as usual. Thanks
So it does fit on A7 II right?
Great at f1.2! Maybe its image circle is bigger than for apsc. See it in a ff cam.
It does mostly cover full-frame.
Ive been really spoiled with electronic aperture and auto focus built in lens. This lens could take some work to get used to.
Nice one, i have the full frame one
What a great lens. How about side by side comparison with 7artisans 35mm f1.2?
It's shit compared to the Samyang
@@westsenkovec absolutely for sure... But (for hobbyist) with its price per performance, I think it's competing.
The 7artisans is much cheaper. They aren't in the same class.
I'm in the middle of testing a 7artisans 35mm f/1.2 and its technical image quality is pretty terrible, although in the right hands it will still get some nice images (like any camera lens)
Meaning this will work manual focus in Sony a7 series as well or it will be auto-focus in full frame Sony cameras?
It will never be autofocus on any camera ever
Christopher, can you please please please review the sony telephoto lenses? (70-200/70-300)
A review of the 70-300 is in the works. It seems like a good lens but terribly overpriced
A human sized samyang 35? Yes plz!
I find myself watching your reviews even though i have no interest in the lenses
Hi Chris,
This may sound crazy but is it possible if you can grab/rent a copy of Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM for a review? I'd like to know how good the corner to corner sharpness is, Sony press boasted about it apparently.
Thanks in advance.
Kenny
One day I will, yes - it's on my list
Is this lens really sharper than the mitakon 35 f0.95 with same aperture??
Yup, in the corners
Hello cam i use this obiective for nikon fx d750?
No. This lens is for mirrorless cameras only
Could you review nikon/nikkor (old ones preferably) lenses too?
Nah, not really interested in older Nikon lenses, although perhaps in the future I'll borrow some of their new Z lenses for testing
How do you count that aperture equivalent and why?
It's a lens designed for crop sensor cameras. So in use, on a crop sensor camera, the depth of field will look deeper than it does on full frame, therefore the depth of field will look about twice as deep
Heya, Can you review the yongnuo 35mm 1.4? :)
I will at some point, yes
Hi, just wanna ask if this lens will work on fuji x-a5? Thank u
If you get the Fuji X version, yes
Thank you Sir.
Why does he say that it is an equivalent depth of field of F2? Does F number change? I thought that aperture is a physical property of a lens that doesn't change...
f/stop = focal length / aperture diameter
That's what the word 'equivalent' means - the images' depth of field will be the equivalent to those of f/2 on a full-frame camera (but the lens is actually f/1.2)
@@christopherfrost Thanks Chris
I know you can't necessarily include all lenses on the market for comparison but I am still a little surprised you did not mention the TTArtisan 35mm f1.4. I it in Fuji X mount and have been quite impressed with its quality especially at its price point. For comparison I also have used the Meike 50mm f1.7 in Z mount on my Z6II and am not impressed with it at all. Thanks for the great job BTW.
Is rokinon and samyang the same thing?
Yup - just a different brand for different territories
Hello Mr Christopher!
May I ask if you had to manually change the focal length on your Fuji camera whilst using this Samyang lens? Or did you just stay with 35mm?
Thank you in advanced! This video was very helpful.
It's a 35mm only lens
This len is a bit cheaper than Fuji 35mm F1.4. I need to do more home work to pick 1
"hi, it's me"
LMAO like yeah you know who i am ;9
cool lens. just bought the mitakon 35mm .95...
0:55 wrong. You get the same amount of DOF AND light as a FF f/1.8 lens. Why? Because the focal length, depth of field and amount of light are all affected by the x1.5 crop factor.
nope, Chris is right.
no.1
Samyang Rocks !!!
I will sell Fujinon 35mm f2 for this lens.
@Samyang: Please make a FE AF 35mm f1.8!!! Everybody wants that lens, but Sony won't build it, because they would have to lower the ridiculous price of their 35mm f2.8 lens.
How is comparable to Meike 35mms f 1.4
I didn't even know that one existed LOL! That's one more for the list I suppose
Not with Nikon bayonet? That's sad :/
I Don't care about vignetting sometimes it can have certain artistic value
The "F1.2" is somewhat misleading as it is not as bright as "F1.4" primes.
I think you're confused somewhere! This is a prime lens, and its maximum aperture is f/1.2, so it is brighter than f/1.4
I am talking about transmission. This lens is considerably dimmer wide-open than the Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN C. My Neewer 35mm F1.2 is even dimmer.
You use consistent lighting on your test chart? Check the exposure compared to some F1.4 lenses.
@@QuietOC On what basis are you saying that it's 'considerably dimmer' than the Sigma 1.4? That would be pretty surprising
“Hi. It’s me!”
Who else would it be?
Well, I've always hoped that Tony Northrup would voice one of my reviews one day, actually :-)
@@christopherfrost I've always thought getting Jared Polin on here would be a pretty hilarious juxtaposition from your usual calm and reserved demeanor!
Not first :-(
You are aging too fast...😁
@@carpediem5008 I'm eternally annoying. Or at least that's what I'm expecting to be. .
Howdy everyone?? :/
"hi its me" hi, dont give a shit. just review the lens.
Most impatient comment of the year hehe
^^