Samyang 85mm f1 4 sony review năm 2024

The Samyang 85mm F1.4 AF II (800 euros) is overall a very good lens and will give very good results for portraits : very good to excellent sharpness, very smooth background blur, very good AF in most situations, good ergonomics with a focusing ring than can be set to an aperture ring.

Versus the V1 , it had mainly the mode button that allow to turn the Focus ring into an aperture ring, but surprisingly the sharpness was a little bit less good (certainly due to variation of the quality from one sample to another one) which is a pity

The main competitor is the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art (1099 euros) which is a superlative lens in all domains: optical performances, artistic rendering , AF performance, ergonomics , build quality but also size and weight and price. Considering the price difference between the Sigma and the new Samyang , I would prefer to invest this 300 euros more to get an outstanding lens instead of a very good lens. If you are on a budget then lenses like the Sony FE85mm F1.8 (500 euros) , the Viltrox 85mm F1.8 PFU RMBH STM (380 euros), the Yongnuo YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM (380 euros) or the Meike 85mm F1.8 STM (200$) will do the job on a 24/33Mpix/42Mpix cameras

It must be said that the 85 mm focal length is one of Samyang favourites. The manual 1.4/85 lens designed for reflex cameras was one of the first models in that company's line-up and over the years it has undergone an evolution, being offered in bigger and bigger number of mounts. Also its casing or coatings have changed. All reflex camera models, including those with autofocus units, launched in 2018 had 9 elements positioned in 7 groups. The Sony FE mount version from 2019 is a more complex construction, consisting of 11 elements positioned in 8 groups. As soon as it arrived to our editorial office we were very eager to test its performance and to take a closer look at it. The�following chart presents a comparison between basic properties of all Samyang models, mentioned above.

We would like to thank the Fototechnika company, the sole distributor for Samyang devices in Poland, for lending us one specimen of the lens which we used in our test.

You are also invited to get acquainted with our test procedure, described in the article "How do we test lenses?" If you feel it’s still not enough, please go to our FAQ section where you can find some further explanation.

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The Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE (also known as the Rokinon AF 85mm f/1.4 in the USA) is a new fast portrait prime lens for full-frame Sony Alpha cameras.

The Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE is comprised of 11 optical elements in 8 groups, including 4 HR (high-resolution) glass elements and 1 ED (extra-low dispersion) glass element. It features a rounded 9 blade diaphragm which creates an attractive blur to out of focus areas of the image.

It's also the latest Samyang lens to feature auto-focusing, incorporating an Ultrasonic Dual Linear stepping motor for smooth and accurate autofocusing.

The Samyang FE 85mm lens boasts a weather-sealed design and there's a UMC Super multi-layer coating to help reduce flare and ghosting. It has a minimum focusing distance of 0.90m (2.95ft) and a maximum reproduction ratio of 0.11x.

The Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE is available now priced at £599 / $699 in the UK and USA respectively.

Ease of Use

Weighing in at 568 grams and measuring 9.99cm in length, the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE is a fairly big lens given its focal length, although it's actually about the same size as the Samyang AF 50mm f/1.4 FE optic that we've previously reviewed.

As seen in the photos below, it rather dwarves the full-frame Sony A7 III camera that we tested it with, especially when the large lens hood is attached.

Build quality is excellent. The lens has a metal housing and a metal mount too. The optical elements are made of high-grade glass and aspherical lenses have been included to minimise aberration and unnecessary light dispersion. The focusing ring is pleasingly wide and ridged for easier grip.

The lens also features weather-sealing to provide anti-dust and water-protection capabilities, a nice touch given the low price.

Focusing is usefully internal and manual focusing is possible when the MF mode is set on the Sony camera body. Full-time manual focus override is also available if you choose the DMF focusing mode instead. There's no distance and/or depth of field scale available on this lens.

The Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE has a very wide focus ring given the overall size of the lens. There are no hard stops at the ends of the range, making it more difficult to set focus at infinity. Polariser users should be pleased that the 77mm filter thread doesn't rotate on focus.

When it comes to auto-focusing, the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE is a fairly quick performer, taking about 0.25 seconds to lock onto the subject when mounted on the Sony A7 III that we tested it with.

We didn't experience too much "hunting", either in good or bad light, with the lens accurately focusing most of the time. It has a quiet focusing mechanism, too, which makes this lens well-suited to video recording.

The Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE ships with a soft drawstring bag and a large plastic circular-shaped lens hood. It accepts 77mm filters.

Focal Range

At the 85mm focal length the angle of view is 28.9 degrees.

Chromatic Aberrations

Chromatic aberrations, typically seen as purple or blue fringes along contrasty edges, were not too much of a problem in our test shots, as shown in the examples below.

Light Fall-off

With the lens set to its maximum aperture of f/1.4, there is significant light fall-off in the corners. Stopping-down to f/5.6 virtually eliminates this.

Macro

The Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE isn't claimed to be a macro lens, with a minimum focusing distance of 0.90m (2.95ft) and a magnification reproduction ratio of 0.11x. The following example demonstrates how close you can get to your subject.

Bokeh

Bokeh is a word used for the out-of-focus areas of a photograph, and is usually described in qualitative terms, such as smooth / creamy / harsh etc. In the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE lens, Samyang employed an iris diaphragm with nine rounded blades, which has resulted in really nice bokeh in our view. We do realise, however, that bokeh evaluation is subjective, so we've included several 100% crops for your perusal.

What is the difference between Samyang 85mm 1.4 version 1 and version 2?

Announced in mid-2022 the Samyang second-generation full-frame 85mm f/1.4 E-mount lens is smaller and lighter than the first generation and includes several design improvements including weather sealing and new controls as well as an improved AF motor.

What is the Sony 85mm lens good for?

It's also a fast f/1.8 for great results in low light. It's ideal for people who understand that the whole point of a mirrorless camera is small size and light weight. This is a small, non-imposing lens for great shots of anything anywhere. It's sharp, fast, has no distortion and has great bokeh.

When did Sony 85mm F1 4 come out?

The Sony FE 85mm F1. 4 GM is a premium short telephoto full-frame prime lens for the Sony E-mount, released by Sony on February 3, 2016.

How much does the Samyang 85mm 1.4 AF weight?

The AF 85mm F1. 4 FE II is the lightest lens(509g/18.0oz weight) among all the large-aperture 85mm focal length lenses compatible with the Sony FE mount, so it's even a perfect match to compact Sony mirrorless cameras with a gimbal. Not only superb resolution but also weight is important when shooting portraits.