Samyang 85mm f/1.4 AF Sony FE Full Frame

Let me start by admitting I have owned the lens before - and hated it. To explain: I bought it direct before it was available in Europe let alone on Amazon! and at the time I was playing with a Sony A7 original and using an old NEX6 too. I had bought a Sony 34Zeiss34 35/2.8 that worked pretty well but was hardly exceptional in anything but size - and it was very expensive of course - so I returned it. I bought the Samyang as a replacement and although it was optically great it struggled to focus properly on both the A7 and NEX6, a real disappointment, so I disposed of it through that great auction site in the sky...and got back more than I paid for it -Fast forward to now I have abandoned the clunky A7 and NEX6 and settled on APS-C using a A6500. While looking for ... MoreLet me start by admitting I have owned the lens before - and hated it. To explain: I bought it direct before it was available in Europe let alone on Amazon! and at the time I was playing with a Sony A7 original and using an old NEX6 too. I had bought a Sony 34Zeiss34 35/2.8 that worked pretty well but was hardly exceptional in anything but size - and it was very expensive of course - so I returned it. I bought the Samyang as a replacement and although it was optically great it struggled to focus properly on both the A7 and NEX6, a real disappointment, so I disposed of it through that great auction site in the sky...and got back more than I paid for it -Fast forward to now I have abandoned the clunky A7 and NEX6 and settled on APS-C using a A6500. While looking for something else I stumbled across a recent review of the Samyang using a A6500 and it was so overwhelmingly positive I dug deeper and found that all the reviews were positive. When I discovered that Amazon sells it for a good price I knew it I had to go for it... again. Better luck this time, hopefully, I thought.And so it was. Theres no returning this one. Its absolutely brilliant in all regards on the A6500: eye-waveringly sharp at all apertures and corner to corner, lovely colours and general rendering, no hint of CA even wide open... and it focuses fast, silently and seems to be able to use any AF mode and all AF points just like a native Sony lens. Maybe my first, early copy has been updated, or perhaps the design just doesnt get on well with the older, clunkier Sony E-mount cameras who knows? But I can say with certainty that it works perfectly on a more modern camera like the A6500 - and just to prove it Ive attached three samples I shot this morning on my walk to the shops... the first outing for the lens.Is it perfect? Very nearly. The lens is near-perfect but the little 34hood34 is badly designed compared with its expensive Sony counterpart. On the Sony 34Zeiss.

Amazing Photo Quality

The lens is great for portrait photography. I had an 85mm f1.4 Samyang manual focus lens used with my lumix G7 but began shooting more subjects at a higher rate and didn’t have the time to rely on the manual focus anymore. After receiving this new lens along with a speed booster attachment I was able to Capture even better photos with less time! The only issue I have with this lens, which I assume is a result more so of the connection with the type of speed booster I purchased, has issues with the camera and the lens communicating from time to time. Auto focus would be working great then out of no where it stops focusing and won’t relocate the target no matter what. And when trying to operate the lens in manual focus mode while it’s having this issue is either ... MoreThe lens is great for portrait photography. I had an 85mm f1.4 Samyang manual focus lens used with my lumix G7 but began shooting more subjects at a higher rate and didn’t have the time to rely on the manual focus anymore. After receiving this new lens along with a speed booster attachment I was able to Capture even better photos with less time! The only issue I have with this lens, which I assume is a result more so of the connection with the type of speed booster I purchased, has issues with the camera and the lens communicating from time to time. Auto focus would be working great then out of no where it stops focusing and won’t relocate the target no matter what. And when trying to operate the lens in manual focus mode while it’s having this issue is either completely non responsive, or the focus always stretches further than you intend for no matter how subtle of a change you make. But I’ve found a quick remedy to the issue for the moment is simply to restart the camera and it should be working again, if not, just restart it till it does. I assumed a Metabones speed booster would have less communication issues but I was on a tight budget and couldn’t afford that at the time. But over all the lens is amazing.

Blown Away By The Performance!

I had just tried out the Sony 50mm G-Master f1.2 earlier in April. It was a fine lens but I just couldn't justify spending two grand and change on a single lens when I still needed to buy some other focal range Glass. After buying two other priority third party lenses with the same money, I still had a little cash left over. After seeing the glowing Dustin Abbot review of the Samyang, I decided to try it. Sure, it's no G-Master as far as options and build quality but the picture quality is right up there!On my Sony 60 MP sensor, I couldn't detect that much difference.Auto-Focus is perfect. What a lens! What a price!

Great Lens and Alternative to Canon RF 85 f/1.2

Let's get this out of the way right now, if you're expecting this lens to be the quality of L-glass, then you'll be disappointed. However, you can lose or bust this lens, replace it 5 times before you exceed the cost of the RF 85 f/1.2 Canon L, and 3 times before you exceed the cost of the EF variant. As long as you're not shooting optical-grading test-charts for a living, then you'll love the lens too.This is a budget friendly alternative and you can't do better than this lens, especially at the price point. You'll get great image quality, little to no distortion, and the quality of the bokeh is great - the depth of field fall off is as good as the more expensive lenses - it's smooth and not abrupt, and there's no busy/nervous bokeh either. Center sharpness is ... MoreLet's get this out of the way right now, if you're expecting this lens to be the quality of L-glass, then you'll be disappointed. However, you can lose or bust this lens, replace it 5 times before you exceed the cost of the RF 85 f/1.2 Canon L, and 3 times before you exceed the cost of the EF variant. As long as you're not shooting optical-grading test-charts for a living, then you'll love the lens too.This is a budget friendly alternative and you can't do better than this lens, especially at the price point. You'll get great image quality, little to no distortion, and the quality of the bokeh is great - the depth of field fall off is as good as the more expensive lenses - it's smooth and not abrupt, and there's no busy/nervous bokeh either. Center sharpness is good wide open, and even better when you stopped down to f/2, f/2.8 or more - I personally think this lens gives portraits a more natural feel - as it seems most manufacturers want razor sharp - see every single pore and grain of skin - that I'm not a fan of. Don't get me wrong, this lens is plenty sharp, and I think Samyang focused on real life image quality, over it grading perfect on tests and charts.Contrast is great wide open, but you'll have vignetting in the corners - which is typical of a large aperture lens. It's my editing style to add a vignette in post, but now I typically don't or don't have to as often. It's best described as noticeable, but it's not distracting. If you don't like it, it's also very easy to change in post too. A con of this lens is if you have to shoot directly into the sun or bright lighting, as there's flaring. However, how often are you shooting directly into the sun?The lens is built with good quality. Metal lens mount and weather sealing for dust and water resistance. The barrel does have a plastic feel, but it's not a cheap plastic feel - and there's some heft to the lens. You won't get the control ring that I never use anyway, and all you have on the lens body is the focus ring and MF/AF switch - that's it.The focus motor is quick and quiet, but it's not as fast as Canon's. However, for the portrait photographer, you won't have issues with acquiring focus with moving subjects unless they're sprinting around erratically. Under dim indoor environments, I've had no problems getting quick AF. While I'm not a fan of focus by wire, most new lenses are going this direction.Sure there are some compromises with this lens, but there's not $2000+ dollars worth. While I could afford the L version, I couldn't justify it, as the L-glass wouldn't make me any more money than this one would. To summarize, it's the best combination of image quality, build, and performance.

Huge upgrade from previous version

Whatever you've heard / experienced with the previous mark I of this lens, forget it. This lens is an incredible for the price, samyang really stepped up with the mark II.AF is now quick and reliable, compared to the constant slow hunting on the mark I. I work primarily in video, and I can't state how big of an upgrade it is in that department. Photo is even better. Tested side by side with Sony 50mm GM and couldn't spot the difference in AF. Not bad for less than half the price.Image quality is great as long as you stop down a bit (1.4 is a little soft for my liking, but I think it's still passable). 1.8 and up is tac sharp.Build quality on the lens is also much better. Metal, solid focus ring, not too heavy. Feels premium, big upgrade over the cheapI love ... MoreWhatever you've heard / experienced with the previous mark I of this lens, forget it. This lens is an incredible for the price, samyang really stepped up with the mark II.AF is now quick and reliable, compared to the constant slow hunting on the mark I. I work primarily in video, and I can't state how big of an upgrade it is in that department. Photo is even better. Tested side by side with Sony 50mm GM and couldn't spot the difference in AF. Not bad for less than half the price.Image quality is great as long as you stop down a bit (1.4 is a little soft for my liking, but I think it's still passable). 1.8 and up is tac sharp.Build quality on the lens is also much better. Metal, solid focus ring, not too heavy. Feels premium, big upgrade over the cheapI love this lens. If you're a 50mm shooter and are looking for a quality budget alternative to the GM, I think this is your lens.

Impressed: Great Value

I wanted to go with the Sigma 85mm 1.4, but couldn't pass up the deal on this Samyang for less than 1/2 the price. This lens is fantastic. I just want to keep shooting with it.AF is excellent with the A7IV, even shooting at 1.4.Bokeh is beautiful and soft and the lens is sharp.I don't like that the lens hood is flimsy when attached. It does not lock into place like higher end hoods and it will fall off if you've got your camera on your shoulder just walking around. I think this is common with these kinds of hoods so I can't fault Samyang so much.For this price, this is a killer deal. You won't be disappointed with the lens at all.

Lovely rendering and value!

I mainly got this lens due to the fact that it renders images a bit warmer which I like and the fact that it was around $500 on sale which is a really great price! Also it's overall rendering is really great.One con about this lens is that its AF-S focus accuracy is not that great but honestly if you are shooting portraits you should always be in AF-C anyway. Also it has a slight click sound that is barely noticeable honestly.This lens is really great at F/1.4 and comes really alive if you stop it down a little. Eye AF is spot on about 90-95%. You do need the samyang usb dock to make sure it has the latest firmware as they improved the AF accuracy with the latest version. I would not mess with the focus settings and leave it the way it is. If you watch Dustin ... MoreI mainly got this lens due to the fact that it renders images a bit warmer which I like and the fact that it was around $500 on sale which is a really great price! Also it's overall rendering is really great.One con about this lens is that its AF-S focus accuracy is not that great but honestly if you are shooting portraits you should always be in AF-C anyway. Also it has a slight click sound that is barely noticeable honestly.This lens is really great at F/1.4 and comes really alive if you stop it down a little. Eye AF is spot on about 90-95%. You do need the samyang usb dock to make sure it has the latest firmware as they improved the AF accuracy with the latest version. I would not mess with the focus settings and leave it the way it is. If you watch Dustin Abbot's review he summarizes the lens really well; because the lens is not so well corrected for aberrations it does other better in other aspects. I have also used the sony 85 1.4 GM which I really loved but for now I am happy with this. I do plan on getting the sony 85 1.4 GM lens in the future unless sony releases a newer version of it which has faster AF which the GM lens is not that great in along with an audible AF noise. The other 85mm AF 1.4 lens is the sigma which is a beast and way heavier than this. Since I already own the sigma 105 1.4 I don't really see a huge need to own another really heavy lens. This samyang 85 is much easier to handle and a joy to use. Highly recommended!

Okay for the price

I was looking for a 50mm F1.4 and this fit the bill. I looked at reviews and decided to take the plunge and buy it. Build quality is not bad, I just don't like to focus ring at all. It is extremely stiff.The other thing I'm not a fan of is the focus hunting. I have a variety of Sigma Art Lenses and Sony G lenses and none hunt has much as this.This is def going back. I'll just wait until Sigma releases a 50mm art lens or maybe a contemporary.

Sharp and Light

I have the Sony 24mm f1.4 lens and Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art DN lens for my Sony A7R4. Those lenses are superb. I wanted to get a 50mm f1.4 and read many reviews, watched youtube about different options. The Sony 50mmf1.2 is always out of stock, also not very light, which is the case for large aperture 50mm. This Samyang 50mm f1.4 is light. I watched a youtube review stating eye AF is not good, not consistent. I figured to give it a try and bought it. I immediately tested eye AF with my A7R4. Focus was spot on and fast, albeit my subject didn't move much. The images were quite sharp at F1.4, about the same as my sigma 85mmf1.4. I'll do more testing with fast moving subject to see if the eye AF is still good. But so far, I'm quite happy with its performance and light ... MoreI have the Sony 24mm f1.4 lens and Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art DN lens for my Sony A7R4. Those lenses are superb. I wanted to get a 50mm f1.4 and read many reviews, watched youtube about different options. The Sony 50mmf1.2 is always out of stock, also not very light, which is the case for large aperture 50mm. This Samyang 50mm f1.4 is light. I watched a youtube review stating eye AF is not good, not consistent. I figured to give it a try and bought it. I immediately tested eye AF with my A7R4. Focus was spot on and fast, albeit my subject didn't move much. The images were quite sharp at F1.4, about the same as my sigma 85mmf1.4. I'll do more testing with fast moving subject to see if the eye AF is still good. But so far, I'm quite happy with its performance and light weight. I don't see any more need to get the Sony 50mmf1.2. Traveling with 2 light F1.4 primes: the sony 24mm and this 50mm is great.

What are you waiting for? If you want an 85mm you will NOT find a better lens for twice the money.

I love it when people say it's not about the gear and then would stick their nose in the air when I ?settle? on this less expensive 1.4 While I do realize that you need to know your camera, and how to compose and when to apply the "rule of thirds" or not it largely relies on the GEAR people. I have watched videos on professional wildlife photographers, and they casually list off the camera and lenses they used for any given shot... and after I price out the GEAR they are using it adds up to my yearly income... I wonder how they can even keep a straight face when they say "it's not about the GEAR" It is not ?settling? to buy this it?s just being smart.I bring all that up because this lens, although not cheap, squares the playing field up a bit. Most any person can ... MoreI love it when people say it's not about the gear and then would stick their nose in the air when I ?settle? on this less expensive 1.4 While I do realize that you need to know your camera, and how to compose and when to apply the "rule of thirds" or not it largely relies on the GEAR people. I have watched videos on professional wildlife photographers, and they casually list off the camera and lenses they used for any given shot... and after I price out the GEAR they are using it adds up to my yearly income... I wonder how they can even keep a straight face when they say "it's not about the GEAR" It is not ?settling? to buy this it?s just being smart.I bring all that up because this lens, although not cheap, squares the playing field up a bit. Most any person can scrape up enough to buy this lens if they choose to. It proves my point from every angle. Sharp as most lenses at 4-5 times the cost, and the color is excellent. Fast focus grab, and that was my only complaint until I got the latest firmware update now its fantastic there as well. If I was a portrait photographer this is the only lens I would have. Period!I look for situations to use it and I find plenty. I also search for other Samyang lenses and will buy more. I think Rokinon is a sister company, and I can say all these things about them as well. See: Rokinon AF14/2.8FE it is amazing as well. Buy this Samyang 85 1.4 and you will not be disappointed in the least. If you are, you got a bad copy and send it back.