Dear mr Abbot. I'm very curious about your opinion about this lens, I own the firefly version for a year now. I mainly bought it for astro time lapsing as a replacement for the 14mm Samyang (UMC). I use a Nikon D800 / 750 combo. The stiff focussing also applies for the Firefly. Optically it's quite useable wide open for astro, there is some coma in the corners. If you want to get coma free corners it should be stopped down at f/3.2 or 3.5. The lens is clearly designed for far distances > 5m , not for close ups. Quite some vignetting! It can produce a nice sun or moonstar. But the lens shows a lot of reflections. It is better and there is less sample variation than the Samyang 14mm f2.8 . My 15 year old Sigma EX Fisheye is better concerning flaring, sunstars but a bit worse in the corners when fully opened. For me the front filter is a must concerning the over night time lapsing. The filters from Irix are quite nice as well concerning their prize. Your reviews are very informing! [ lenses I use Irix 15mm, Nikkor 20mm f1.8 , Sigma EX fe 15mm, Sigma Art 35mm + 50mm , 30 year old tokina ATX 90mm f2.5 macro (not only nice bokeh and sharpness in close ups but also as an astroperformer! Highly recommended ) Bjorn
Thanks, Dustin. I requested this review when the lens came to market, and I look forward to your complete review. I bought the lens sans your seal of approval and am pleased with the product. But your well-considered opinion is always welcomed!
Really looking forward to your detailed test Dustin, I have had this lens since it came out some eighteen months ago and use it on a Nikon D810 and find it superb, exceptionally sharp from 2.4 right to f13/16. Strangely as you go to f11/f13 their seems to be very little diffraction, even tested alongside it's Zeiss equivalent it holds it's own and is even sharper wide open.
There's an occasional screeching background noise towards the end of the video. The first time I heard it (at 13:47) was while you were talking about the focus ring and turning it, so just for a moment I suspected the noise to come from the focus ring, and I thought, OW, that does sound tight!
Very nice review, and I look forward to part II with some comparisons. I actually already own both the 15mm & 11mm Irix Blackstone lens and really really love them. One quick note on the packaging.. Irix gives you a second/extra back lens cap :) Things i love about the lenses.. Focus Lock (BAM - fantastic), Infinity Click, Hyperfocal marks, the distance markings, the loooong focus rotation, the ability to be able to use a CP AND still use you lens cap & hood without having to remove the CP filter. I can understand you point about the focus stiffness, but i actually am ok with it - i've experienced some loosey-goosey focus rings in the past. Again.. very good review.. can't wait for the next part.
Helo my friend can be used with sigma adapter or need special adapter for sony a7ii. Thank you. I whant to bay one later on its looks like batis ste. I need for on ronin gimble . Thank u
Would it be possible to put the mount type in the title of future reviews? While its true one can mount any lens to a Sony, with an adaptor. Some of us prefer only native E mounts.
That’s tough here, as the lens actually comes in multiple mounts. I do need to be more specific in the intro of videos as to what mount I’m reviewing a lens on.
Thank you Dustinn. Other lens that i will love to have. The irix made their own gelatin gel filter for the rear end... they come in different ND's. I think i will prefer to have the 11mm... it will blow my mind to have such a huge wide angle (rectilinear). Please check the coma performance...
I have tested the coma, and will share that in the image quality segment. I’ll have to have them send me the gel filters to test when I cover the 11mm.
you can check my astro time lapses from the Pyrenees eg ' Boucharo Dark Lights ' I made last year. Mostly applied the fire fly 15mm wide open. It does well for its price better than the Smayang UMC 14mm f2.8.
I asked Samyang "are you guys manufacturing Irix lenses?" directly(yes I'm Korean), but they haven't answered me back. Samyang is planning to release their first EF mount 85mm F1.4 AF lens with weather sealing, and Irix lenses are weather sealed... I can see some conspiracies. I hope Irix release some new lens es. 15mm or 11mm is too wide for my taste, but their build quality and optical quality is quite appealing.
Dustin Abbott www.ephotozine.com/article/samyang-af-85mm-f-1-4-ef-review-32432 The early review of that lens is actually there. The sharpness( LW/PH) is not as good as Sigma or Canon and lateral CA is quite severe, but it is light weight and weather sealed. Actually it is available in Korea(about $650), and I'll wait for the adapted performance report. I hope Samyang to make 135mm F2 AF as well, their 135mm F2 MF was so good.
I have the Firefly version and I love it for astrophotography! The only problem is it’s a little too wide for all other types of photography for my taste, so I don’t get to use it often.
Beautiful designed lens, but i am wondering, why such a huge fiterthread, when the front element isn't that huge....thanks for the review, Dustin, i've had this lens on my radar the past 1.5-2 years or so....since it was being announced. More from this quality previews & reviews, please. Keep it going. :-)
This is a good question, and the answer has to do with vignette. While the front element doesn’t look large, per se, it is a curved front element rather than flat, so it takes in far more angle of view than if it were flat. 95mm is the narrowest filter thread size Irix could employ without vignette. Most wide angle lenses allow NO flat filters at all.
Thanks David, i thought to myself, it *might* does have something to-do with vignetting, as most UWA lenses doesn't imply an filterthread (like the Canon 11-24 F4L for example), because the front element is very "bulb"ous like, and therefore heavy rounded, and sits too close into the front, to make attachment of a filterthread, which is a flat surface, impossible. Thanks for the clearance about this topic, your reply is appreciated. (edited) i wrote by mistake 11-14 F4L, but meant 11-24 F4L, it was a typo
The Firefly as well as the Blackstone are both properly weather sealed and can be used in quite adverese conditions. In this long exposure with the camera sitting on a stone right near the mini waterfall it got splashed quite heavily: www.flickr.com/photos/mike-mkvip/37067258605/in/album-72157687170047476/ :-)
I use the lens a lot around water (and actually being IN the water) and never had a problem. In the example above it was soaking wet - look at the stone to the right to get an idea of the amount of water involved...
moo : > You are completely wrong with this claim. So you are saying my practical experiences with the lens - instead of some marketing claim or your theoretical explanations - don't prove the weather sealing is viable??!?
Eh this is likely just a Samyang lens all around, registered in Switzerland as another company. Their Samyang Spanish facebook page was renamed to Irix when the "company" came out and announced these.
I'm not sure, as there are design elements that I've never seen on a Samyang lens. I'm not saying that Samyang isn't doing the production, but there are some proprietary elements that no Samyang has.
![Yeat & Quavo - 5BRAZY [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4XxnTAwyxus/mqdefault.jpg)
Dear mr Abbot. I'm very curious about your opinion about this lens, I own the firefly version for a year now. I mainly bought it for astro time lapsing as a replacement for the 14mm Samyang (UMC). I use a Nikon D800 / 750 combo. The stiff focussing also applies for the Firefly. Optically it's quite useable wide open for astro, there is some coma in the corners. If you want to get coma free corners it should be stopped down at f/3.2 or 3.5. The lens is clearly designed for far distances > 5m , not for close ups. Quite some vignetting! It can produce a nice sun or moonstar. But the lens shows a lot of reflections. It is better and there is less sample variation than the Samyang 14mm f2.8 . My 15 year old Sigma EX Fisheye is better concerning flaring, sunstars but a bit worse in the corners when fully opened. For me the front filter is a must concerning the over night time lapsing. The filters from Irix are quite nice as well concerning their prize. Your reviews are very informing! [ lenses I use Irix 15mm, Nikkor 20mm f1.8 , Sigma EX fe 15mm, Sigma Art 35mm + 50mm , 30 year old tokina ATX 90mm f2.5 macro (not only nice bokeh and sharpness in close ups but also as an astroperformer! Highly recommended ) Bjorn
It sounds like your findings are fairly similar to mine.
Thanks, Dustin. I requested this review when the lens came to market, and I look forward to your complete review. I bought the lens sans your seal of approval and am pleased with the product. But your well-considered opinion is always welcomed!
At the time I had no connection to Irix, but I’ve gotten on their radar since.
Thank you Mr Abbott
Really looking forward to your detailed test Dustin, I have had this lens since it came out some eighteen months ago and use it on a Nikon D810 and find it superb, exceptionally sharp from 2.4 right to f13/16. Strangely as you go to f11/f13 their seems to be very little diffraction, even tested alongside it's Zeiss equivalent it holds it's own and is even sharper wide open.
Interesting, as diffraction is typically something more influenced by the body.
There's an occasional screeching background noise towards the end of the video. The first time I heard it (at 13:47) was while you were talking about the focus ring and turning it, so just for a moment I suspected the noise to come from the focus ring, and I thought, OW, that does sound tight!
That's a crow, I believe :)
Great well thought lense with cool innovative ideas!
... and very informative review by the way 😉
There definitely is some clever design here, and thanks for the nice feedback
Very nice review, and I look forward to part II with some comparisons. I actually already own both the 15mm & 11mm Irix Blackstone lens and really really love them. One quick note on the packaging.. Irix gives you a second/extra back lens cap :) Things i love about the lenses.. Focus Lock (BAM - fantastic), Infinity Click, Hyperfocal marks, the distance markings, the loooong focus rotation, the ability to be able to use a CP AND still use you lens cap & hood without having to remove the CP filter. I can understand you point about the focus stiffness, but i actually am ok with it - i've experienced some loosey-goosey focus rings in the past. Again.. very good review.. can't wait for the next part.
The Infinity Click is perhaps my favorite feature.
Helo my friend can be used with sigma adapter or need special adapter for sony a7ii. Thank you. I whant to bay one later on its looks like batis ste. I need for on ronin gimble . Thank u
It works just fine with the Sigma MC-11. It's a nice option, there.
Would it be possible to put the mount type in the title of future reviews? While its true one can mount any lens to a Sony, with an adaptor. Some of us prefer only native E mounts.
That’s tough here, as the lens actually comes in multiple mounts. I do need to be more specific in the intro of videos as to what mount I’m reviewing a lens on.
Thank you Dustinn. Other lens that i will love to have. The irix made their own gelatin gel filter for the rear end... they come in different ND's. I think i will prefer to have the 11mm... it will blow my mind to have such a huge wide angle (rectilinear). Please check the coma performance...
I have tested the coma, and will share that in the image quality segment. I’ll have to have them send me the gel filters to test when I cover the 11mm.
Dustin Abbott that mean that you will review the 11mm?
you can check my astro time lapses from the Pyrenees eg ' Boucharo Dark Lights ' I made last year. Mostly applied the fire fly 15mm wide open. It does well for its price better than the Smayang UMC 14mm f2.8.
I asked Samyang "are you guys manufacturing Irix lenses?" directly(yes I'm Korean), but they haven't answered me back.
Samyang is planning to release their first EF mount 85mm F1.4 AF lens with weather sealing, and Irix lenses are weather sealed... I can see some conspiracies.
I hope Irix release some new lens es. 15mm or 11mm is too wide for my taste, but their build quality and optical quality is quite appealing.
That’s interesting. The 85mm AF lens sounds interesting, and I’m glad to hear they are kicking up the weather sealing in their designs.
Dustin Abbott
www.ephotozine.com/article/samyang-af-85mm-f-1-4-ef-review-32432
The early review of that lens is actually there. The sharpness( LW/PH) is not as good as Sigma or Canon and lateral CA is quite severe, but it is light weight and weather sealed. Actually it is available in Korea(about $650), and I'll wait for the adapted performance report. I hope Samyang to make 135mm F2 AF as well, their 135mm F2 MF was so good.
I have the Firefly version and I love it for astrophotography! The only problem is it’s a little too wide for all other types of photography for my taste, so I don’t get to use it often.
Very wide angle lenses like this require a unique eye for composition, to be sure, but are capable of producing really unique and dramatic images.
Hello Mr Abbott. Could you please review the coma performance as well? Thank you in advance
That’s definitely in the image quality segment.
Beautiful designed lens, but i am wondering, why such a huge fiterthread, when the front element isn't that huge....thanks for the review, Dustin, i've had this lens on my radar the past 1.5-2 years or so....since it was being announced. More from this quality previews & reviews, please. Keep it going. :-)
This is a good question, and the answer has to do with vignette. While the front element doesn’t look large, per se, it is a curved front element rather than flat, so it takes in far more angle of view than if it were flat. 95mm is the narrowest filter thread size Irix could employ without vignette. Most wide angle lenses allow NO flat filters at all.
Thanks David, i thought to myself, it *might* does have something to-do with vignetting, as most UWA lenses doesn't imply an filterthread (like the Canon 11-24 F4L for example), because the front element is very "bulb"ous like, and therefore heavy rounded, and sits too close into the front, to make attachment of a filterthread, which is a flat surface, impossible. Thanks for the clearance about this topic, your reply is appreciated.
(edited) i wrote by mistake 11-14 F4L, but meant 11-24 F4L, it was a typo
That magic eye shirt
Hien C Art of Moire ;)
it would be great If you would review optical quality.
bit.ly/irix15ig
i do not understand the term "has some weather sealing".....Either the lens is properly weather sealed or it is not, so which is it ?
The Firefly as well as the Blackstone are both properly weather sealed and can be used in quite adverese conditions. In this long exposure with the camera sitting on a stone right near the mini waterfall it got splashed quite heavily: www.flickr.com/photos/mike-mkvip/37067258605/in/album-72157687170047476/ :-)
I use the lens a lot around water (and actually being IN the water) and never had a problem. In the example above it was soaking wet - look at the stone to the right to get an idea of the amount of water involved...
pay attention........what are you talking about........
moo :
> You are completely wrong with this claim.
So you are saying my practical experiences with the lens - instead of some marketing claim or your theoretical explanations - don't prove the weather sealing is viable??!?
your very compulsive person.....you need to take a pill and calm down and get a handle on your issues.......
You're awesome!
Well thank you!
Eh this is likely just a Samyang lens all around, registered in Switzerland as another company. Their Samyang Spanish facebook page was renamed to Irix when the "company" came out and announced these.
I'm not sure, as there are design elements that I've never seen on a Samyang lens. I'm not saying that Samyang isn't doing the production, but there are some proprietary elements that no Samyang has.
This vs Laowa 15 f2
I own the Laowa, so I might compare them if I have time.
Yay. Thanks