Samyang AF 35mm F1.4 Autofocus Lens for Sony FE

Product Information

This Korean-made lens is manual-focus only, but has electronic AI-P contacts to couple to every digital and autofocus Nikon for full Matrix metering, EXIF data and exposure controls. AS UMC is a manual focus lens, it still contains a focus chip on the lens that communicates with the focus system in your camera to assist in acquiring proper focus on your subject. Flick the Custom Switch to M2, and the focus ring takes control of the aperture setting from the camera. As part of the celebrations, ePHOTOzine is running a photo competition with the prize being the Samyang AF 85mm f/1. With its moderately wide view and large maximum aperture, this is a general-purpose lens that’s suitable for a wide range of subjects, especially when you require a shallow depth of field or need to shoot in low light.

and Sigma have linear gearing and a focus hold button which can be assigned other tasks in the camera menu. It behaves like the analogous buttons on many Sony lenses, which means its function can be re-assigned from the camera menu if you prefer.

saw the introduction of several cinematography/videography lenses, and this culminated by 2015 into the release of the highly acclaimed XEEN Professional Video-Cine Lens Brand. This is as expected for a third-party lens; Nikon plays a lot of tricks to keep spherical-aberration induced focus shift to a minimum. Even pointed directly into the sun (I have my blind neighbor do this for me), ghosts are still nearly nonexistent.

If it does become noticeable, for example in architectural photography, in-camera correction is available and the uniform nature of the distortion also makes it easy to correct manually. It has the potential to be intensely sharp, and creates nice environmental portraits for a relatively small budget. This isn't the case with all Samyang lenses though; its Nikon F-mount primes, for instance, come with electronics that enable the full range of PASM shooting modes. The ‘AE’ (Auto Exposure) edition of the lens for Canon and Nikon enables camera-based aperture control, as well as use of the lens in all PASM shooting modes. I hate it when junkier lenses make me have to spend time spotting-out all the dirt with which they arrive.While the optical performance is very similar the more reliable AF, much better manual focus and especially better longevity will make it the more attractive alternative in my eyes. It’s a bit sharper than Sony’s own option, though the Sony gives you a little better control of aberrations and better close up performance. This Nikon-mount version works great with every Nikon camera made since 1977, digital and 35mm, auto and manual focus. If you notice that your camera cannot recognize the lens, make sure that the aperture is set to the minimum aperture of f/22. Nikon' AF fine tune won't help you: it only adjusts AF, but since this is manual focus, sadly it doesn't apply.

FE lens, Samyang employed an iris diaphragm with nine rounded blades, which has resulted in very nice bokeh in our view. Aperture adjustments therefore have to be made using the control ring on the lens, rather than from the camera body, and no lens-based EXIF data is recorded with images. Videographers will be pleased to hear that focus breathing is, indeed, very low indeed, with barely any change in the angle of view on focusing. I highly recommend checking manual focus accuracy when you first receive your lens copy, so that you could exchange it for a different one, if needed. For the past 50 years, Korean lens manufacturer Samyang has been designing, developing and manufacturing an increasing range of fine photographic lenses.

Focus accuracy and repeatability is critical to consistently produce sharp shots especially with large aperture lenses. Enabling enhanced focusing accuracy, the Canon EF and Nikon F mount version of the lens features built-in electronics that activate the focus assist and confirmation lamps in the viewfinder. I was also happy to get well focused results when I triggered the camera remotely while doing a portrait session with my family.

Unsurprisingly, sharpness degrades noticeably towards the edges of the frame, but in real-world shooting the shallow depth of field at f/1. FE II employs an optical formula with 11 elements in 9 groups, including two aspherical elements and two made from high refractive index (HR) glass.Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Focusing is performed internally so the Samyang 35mm doesn't change length and the filter thread doesn't rotate, good news for filter users.