Samyang FE 35mm f/1.4 AF : Specifications and Opinions

Reviews

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The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

Simone Pioli

sent on 27 Luglio 2024

Pros: Bokeh, usability, used price

Cons: Weight

Opinion: For me a very good lens, as 35 I really like it, AF quite fast and accurate, slightly saturated colors (but I don't mind) and really good blur. I had already had it but lost it due to theft, and I ended up taking it back, unbeatable in value for money. Great for portrait and street photography; however, in the second case the weight becomes quite important... Its 700 grams are not exactly comfortable. I had had the Sony 35 1.4 G, on A-mount, which had a lower weight and smaller dimensions and for this photographic genre it was better... however, the performance and sharpness of the Sammy is much superior.

CarloBarbieriPh

sent on 11 Agosto 2022

Pros: Price, bokeh, af

Cons: Noisy for video

Opinion: Bought on Amazon for € 339 just released version II. Tried both sigma 1.4 and Sammy. I chose the sammy! Small chromatic aberrations but nothing transcendental up to about F2. But it does not bother me by rarely photographing at that aperture and in any case I repeat, very limited Af very fast, color that I sincerely like very much tending to yellow (typical of Samyang) beautiful bokeh, precision and speed in focusing. For now they are the only photos to which I struggle to change the color because I find it already really right for my needs. The 1.4 leads to be used in dark situations where the flash could be annoying (church, weddings, baptisms etc etc). Super happy with the purchase.

Alessio Palazzolo

sent on 12 Febbraio 2022

Pros: Bargain price, exceptional image quality from f2.8 to f8, well balanced in hand

Cons: A little soft and with chromatic aberrations up to f2, light yellow cast color, autofocus a little noisy and not always very precise, sometimes blurred nervous, update only via Lens station.

Opinion: I have been using this lens for a few years and it has always allowed me to take home good photos, portrait and not. It can be used for portrait already at f1.4 but at full aperture it does not shine in absolute terms for sharpness and contrast. From f2, however, it improves decisively, becoming excellent from f2.8 onwards. Let's say it behaves more like a "classic" lens rather than a modern lens. It can also be an advantage in the portrait: at f1.4 there is very little work to be done on the skin. The build quality is good; it is almost all aluminum. It is quite heavy but in the hand it is well balanced. Also tested simultaneously with the brand new Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG DN, this Samyang has a higher transmittance value (with the same shutter speed, the image is brighter than that of the Sigma). Where the Sigma wins is in terms of sharpness from f1.4 to f2.8, as well as in the blurred (softer in the Sigma). The colors of Samyang are conspicuously warmer than those of Sigma, which resemble the colors of Sony lenses. This Samyang gives the best of itself between f4 and f8, where it seemed to me even sharper than sigma. It has had a considerable devaluation, both on the new and on the used. The release of the 35mm 1.8 always from Samyang has reduced the market of this lens to the flicker. The release of the second version of the lens then, did the rest. It is therefore easy to make good deals for those looking for second-hand goods. For what you pay for, it is worth a lot and gives great satisfaction.

Immaginidiluca

sent on 01 Ottobre 2020

Pros: It costs 200 euros less than sigma Art and its quality is only 5% lower

Cons: Nobody

Opinion: Here's how I tested this lens: I bought it together with the A7iii body in 2018 and kept it on the car 1 whole year! Result? A show. Already at 1.4 it is very sharp and defined, it has a pleasant vignette that you can delete in posts, for videos is phenomenal. Compared to the Sigma 35 1.4 it loses a very small part of definition at the edges and a resolution of 4/5 megapixels but you only notice it if you have an A7r3 or r4. I did a full review with examples here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK1jRa3btlM

Temporale99

sent on 14 Dicembre 2018

Pros: Value for money, bokeh, sharpness (not exaggerated, but great), microcontrast, reliable and fast enough AF.

Cons: AF noisy for videos, update only via special lens station.

Opinion: I update this review after 9 months of use and the first summer holidays, where I made quite intense use of it. Paid 370 th of luck on Amazon's warehouse, a real deal. Specific that was my first lens for the Sony A7III, since the lens kit I mounted once and then I closed it in the drawer forever. Now I have expanded the optical fleet with a 28-75mm f/2.8 Tamron. For the price, I could not really ask for more: - Excellent sharpness - but not exaggerated as in Sigma Art - already at full opening - Convincing construction (style in line with the Sony A7III and is metal), although the speech is related to the band in which it is placed. - Weight and size in line with the category - taking into account that it is an f/1.4 and is built of metal (and it is also ecomcomic). Hard to expect more. - Feeling personally pleasant with the wide focus dial (WARNING: many of you may find it too soft, but personally I prefer this solution). Contrast and microcontrast. - Contained distortion and very small vignette, even at full opening. - AF really very good: I realize only now since I could compare it with the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 (updated to the latest firmware version) with the eye AF of the Sony A7III then it is a joy - even in situations where brightness is scarce. - Colors returned warm and "convincing" compared to rivals, which in my opinion marry better for portraits (it is however a very personal discourse). Bokeh is difficult to assess as objectively as possible, as the assessment is very personal. I find it personally great, it makes me want to always keep the diaphragm at f/1.4 and to enjoy the blur. Chromatic aberrations present in the most complex situations, but nothing excessive given the band (I saw do much worse from the Zeiss 55mm f/1.8, although it is a "premium" lens), so I do not place this as a merit nor as a defect, but as a "normal" feature that you would expect from such a lens. The only defects, in relation to price, that I would like to point out are: - AF-C during videos and noise of the AF engine. I'm not a video maker, but let's say this lens is not a choice to consider if you want to focus on the videos. - Update only via lens station. Ok, I'm "only 60", but having to buy a Samyang lens station to update a lens that stands as a "cheap alternative" to rivals Sigma, Sony&Co, does not seem personally a noteworthy cunning. In conclusion, this is a great lens for those who, like me, found themselves a little short of budget, having to invest not a little money in the machine body and starting from 0 for the slow kit - without giving up the optical quality anyway. I'm glad I found it on offer and to have it in my hands, I consider myself more than satisfied.

Themau

sent on 08 Maggio 2018

Pros: brightness, high-sharpness at TA, contrast, color, properly reactive AF

Cons: Weight, slightly noisy AF

Opinion: I recently purchased the lens, which I use on Sony A7ii. I got it after reading the various reviews and comparisons with the most emblazoned (and expensive) Sony 35 1.4. I state that as a term of comparison in the Sony house I currently only have the 28 F2. For a while I also had the Sony 35 2.8 But for my needs it was too dark and I sold it just to catch the Sammy. Construction: Aesthetically I really like it, but I understand it's subjective. From a feeling of remarkable quality and sturdiness. Weight and footprint: It's great little to say. Even more with the hood mounted. and weighs. But on the A7 body it marries well and in a balanced way. Sharpness: The sharpness is without doubt its best quality, truly remarkable! At 1.4 is already strongly defined even at the edges (taken several landscapes at TA to test it, I was really surprised, I did not believe). I struggle, not looking at the EXIF, to distinguish between shots at 1.4 and those at 5.6!!! It seems that he has also been fortunate as a specimen, failing to find differences in yield between one extreme and the other of the frame. Bokeh: Unfocused predictably a little nervous for the purists of the bokeh. Contrast and colors: very contrasty and with saturated and warm colors (which I prefer). AF: Precise that I do not have great needs for the type of shots that I usually do, however in AF-S I thought it was fast enough, even in the functions of recognition of the face and low light. In AF-C I did not notice big hesitations. I hardly ever use the eye-f so I can't pronounce it. The autofocus is no doubt noisier than the Sony 28 F2 and the 35 2.8, but not making videos for me is not a problem. MF: In manual, the ring nut did not seem to me as excellent as the feeling in the hand, certainly softer and gradual than the Sony. In conclusion, I am hyper satisfied with the purchase, at a price well below 600 euros (on the German Amazon) I have a 35 (the focal that I prefer) bright and with AF, which gives me shots of very high quality and with characteristics coincident to those Which I usually try to get in PP. Saw the experiment went to fruition, as the 35 smaller lens for the less demanding outputs will surely orient me on the 35 2.8 of the Samyang, especially given the cost content.