Since I use my AF lenses in different situations, I have additional input that some people might find useful.

The smooth manual focusing ring is a pleasure to use, with damping that is neither too stiff, not too light. Those who shoot video on a DSLR and tend to use manual focus, may find this lens ideal due to its very good manual focusing action and ability to isolate a subject through shallow depth of field. Closest focus is 30cm, which should be ideal for shooting in cramped environments or even for the occasional close up, where the wide angle will allow your subject to be placed in its surroundings. Focusing is performed by moving the rear group of elements, so the lens doesn't change length and the 77mm filter thread does not rotate, which is ideal for use with polarising and graduated filters.

Jayce - Yes, I was sent a pre-production sample for evaluation, and I really like that it is smaller, lighter, faster and has weather sealing. Most of all the programmable switches and the ability to assign aperture control to the focusing ring. The version I have, being pre-production, does not fully work with some functions, but when the final version is released I will be buying one. Korean lens manufacturer Samyang is celebrating a huge birthday milestone and to celebrate, we're taking a closer look at the ever-growing line-up of Samyang lenses. Plus, we have a Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE II lens to giveaway! 30 Aug 2022 2:02PMby ePHOTOzine It term of AF in burst mode it is good except with subject at close distance where I had often lost focus (see below video) First of all, we’ll start by examining our chart tests. My test results (and the infinity tests) were all shot on a 42Mpx Sony a7RIII.

The Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 FE is great value for money when compared to other 35mm f/1.4 lenses on the market, but it is quite expensive when compared to other 35mm lenses that only allow you to reach f/1.8 or f/2.8. With your photographic styles in mind, ePHOTOzine is currently running a Portrait competition and Holdan has kindly donated a Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 II lens as the prize. What advice and thoughts about portrait photography would you offer to those entering the competition? The metal mount is surrounded by a rubber seal to protect against dust and water. Image credit: Andy Westlake

The lens focuses in around 0.7 sec on a Sony A7R II from infinity to 0.44m (1:10 magnification), same as the Sony f1.8. This is slower than the Sony FE 35mm f1.4 ZA at 0.5 sec. The Sigma takes a little longer at 0.8 sec. The plastic focus ring is 40mm wide and can easily be operated with one finger like all the other lenses in this comparison expect for the Sigma. Sharpness for portraits is good wide open and you see a clear boost by closing at F2.8, very good rendering for skin tones and the right level of contrast Unlike the firm’s AF 50mm F1.4 FE II, though, this isn’t a completely new lens. Instead, it takes essentially the same optics as its predecessor, but adds some handy new features. Firstly, it gains a Focus Hold button on the side, whose function can be assigned by the user. Secondly, a Custom Switch allows the manual focus ring to be used for controlling the aperture. In addition, the autofocus has been updated and the barrel is now weather-sealed.

The Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS USM does not have the same solid build as the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 or the impressively built all-metal Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 lenses. Its outer barrel is fully made of plastic and the only metal component seems to be the lens mount. While the outer shell is plastic, I am sure the lens has plenty of metal inside, since the lens is as heavy as its Nikon and Sigma counterparts. Keep in mind, that while metal construction is generally good for protection and wear, good plastic does not expand and shrink as much as metal does in extreme weather conditions. So there are certainly advantages and disadvantages to both. This Nikon-mount version works great with every Nikon camera made since 1977, digital and 35mm, auto and manual focus. (the lens of course is manual-focus only, and works great on AF and digital SLRs.) Since there are no complex AF geartrains, and no complex AFS motors or clutches, I'll bet you that this lens will outlast any of Nikon's AFS or G lenses. Only the Nikon Nikon 35mm f/1.4 AI-s is tougher. The Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 FE feels weighted and solid with minimal little fussy moving parts on the exterior, and unlike other native lenses there are no switches to be found on the body.Chromatic aberrations are kept well under control, only exceeding 0.5 pixel widths in size towards the edges at f/11 and beyond. This low level of fringing should pose few issues, even in very large prints, or harsh crops from the edges of the frame.

Samyang has employed their linear motor autofocus system which has served them well in other applications. This focus motor is fast, quiet, and efficient. Video focus pulls are quiet and smooth, without any focus noise and also without any kind of nervousness (settling or pulsing). Focus pull speed is smooth rather than fast. It feels like the motor is nicely damped for this kind of work. His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. Samyang has been relatively quiet in recent years, but the company’s recent spate of lens launches has seen some very interesting offerings. Our initial impressions are that these lenses are generally well made, and offer very impressive optical quality at a staggeringly affordable price. Axial CA isn’t well corrected until f/4 and in high contrast scenarios you will see quite bit of color fringing. This is usual for a fast 35mm lens and can be manually corrected to some degree.The lens is supplied with a detachable petal shaped lens hood, lens caps and soft lens bag. The filter size is 77mm. Focusing is performed internally so the Samyang 35mm doesn't change length and the filter thread doesn't rotate, good news for filter users. With its straight 8-bladed diaphragm, this 35mm f/1.4 should make 8-pointed sunstars on bright points of light.