Im not put off by the price at all, as long as it preforms and i will not wait 6 months for a 50 dollar savings. I don't buy into that mentality. I want to use the gear now. Its been proven every time by myself having the gear soon when it has been released has paid dividends to me as I bought it for a need I have. Its my money
This lens comes today and my 135 in a few weeks. Im excited for both of them as I have nether focal lengths right now in my kit.
zeitlos wrote:
What exactly is it that you don't like about the FE's bokeh?
And who would you say the new Samyang compares to the Batis 85 1.8 in this regard?
The OOF rendering is a bit structured at mid-distance with too much contrast. It reminds me of the Batis 40/85's rendering. Like I wrote, this stuff is subjective though.
The 85/1.4 GM's bokeh is smoother with less contrast and it looks like the new Samyang follows similar signature aside from the warmer color cast and higher optical vignetting. (not as rounded specular highlights off-axis)
Fred Miranda wrote:
The OOF rendering is a bit structured at mid-distance with too much contrast. It reminds me of the Batis 40/85's rendering. Like I wrote, this stuff is subjective though.
The 85/1.4 GM's bokeh is smoother with less contrast and it looks like the new Samyang follows similar signature aside from the warmer color cast and higher optical vignetting. (not as rounded specular highlights off-axis)
Slightly off topic but does the Batis 135 also have the same bokeh characteristic of the 40/85?
Testing at a long distance, things are not so hot for the Samyang as it somehow missed focus often and out of 10 photos 3 photos were focused where I wanted it to focus and quickly lost sharpness away from the center as it seems to have a strong field curvature as near the edges, I could see objects that shouldnt be in focus getting sharper while the GM showed a more normal sharp mountain at the distance with out of focus nearby objects.
Cant wait for your evaluation
p.14 #14 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
Stated about 2/3 through the video (turn on CC if you can't read Korean), the guy used his hand to shield the front element in place of using a hood, and the flare disappeared. The shots with flare had a bare front element. Should be interesting to see how the lens flares with the sun anywhere in the frame.
p.14 #15 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
I received my Rokinon 85mm from Adorama two days ago and put it through the paces against my EF-mount Sigma ART 85mm, which is adapted via a Metabones V to my A7II. I truly hoped I could replace the gigantic and weighty Sigma with this new lens, trying everything I could to convince myself that it was the right call. With an upcoming trip to Cuba this week, I was wishing more than ever to lighten my already heavy load of gear (4 prime lenses and 1 zoom). Unfortunately for me, it was not meant to be. I was more than willing to sacrifice some optical performance in return for a smaller package, but it just can't hang in terms of AF. The AF on this lens (with the A7II) is exactly the opposite of my Sigma, where it works best in AF-S and struggles in AF-C. When using apertures such as f/1.4, I find AF-C crucial for my focusing purposes. The adapted Sigma lens is the fastest and most accurately focusing lens in my bag, so I had hoped the new focusing mechanism(s)/motors on this Samyang creation would be in the same league as my Sigma. Optically it seemed fantastic, no complaints there. I put it on my tripod and compared the results to those of the Sigma, not putting too much effort in to pixel peeping, as it's easily seen to be an excellent performer and a well centered copy. It's plenty sharp right from f/1.4 and offers up excellent contrast, close to that of the Sigma ART lens. Sure, background foliage at f/1.4 wasn't rendered as smooth as the Sigma can, but I found it much better in that respect than the FE 1.8. I greatly appreciated it's reduced weight and size, with a seemingly excellent and uncompromised build quality. I can't emphasize enough how solid this lens seems for its weight class, you just have to handle it yourself to get the point. Well done here, Samyang. My biggest concern purchasing this lens was its ability to handle flare, having seen the initial test reviews and knowing how well the Sigma performs. However, I can't fault it too much here, it wasn't an issue at all in my trial. In all lightning situations I tested it in (indoors and out), the AF-S was slower and less responsive than my adapted Sigma. When put in to AF-C, the Rokinon really struggled on my older Mark II Sony, lagging in its ability lock-on to the subject. The AF would go back and forth rather slowly before getting the focus right. Perhaps I would have different results with the latest Mark III camera bodies, and maybe this lens will do the trick when the time comes for me to replace the A7II with something newer. For now I'll still be lugging around the Sigma with its adapter, which surprisingly remains the king of AF in my bag of native lenses. That being said, I'd pick this Samyang/Rokinon over the FE 1.8 without any hesitation. It's a well built and optically impressive f/1.4 lens without much to not be thrilled about, especially for its price point.
p.14 #16 · Official: Samyang AF 85mm 1.4 FE ($699)
I've spent the weekend with the Samyang AF 85/1.4 FE and it's a keeper for me. It replaced my 85/1.4 GM and will complement the upcoming FE 135/1.8 GM.
Initial impressions:
LIGHT for a 85/1.4 lens. My copy weighs 562g. Hood is light and compact at only 45g. This is a big difference carrying around compared to the 85/1.4 GM (820g + 80g hood)
AF is not super fast but it's quiet
Sharper and more contrasty than the Sony 85/1.4 GM wide open (see 1:1 crop samples below). Still maintains smooth rendering at all distances.
Higher optical vignetting compared to the 85/1.4 GM. (cat-eye shape bokeh balls off-axis). It improves greatly already at f1.6. (My optimal aperture for portraits)
Low distortion
Moderate LoCA wide open (Slighter lower than GM) which pretty much goes away at f/1.8
Accurate AF and EyeAF. Great focus accuracy and the best Samyang FE native to date. It very rarely misses focus
Veiling flare resistance is great but there will be ghosting when sun is in the frame. Watch out for "Ring flare" when not using a hood. (link)
Well built
Very low price for outstanding optical performance
Slight warm cast compared to Zeiss or Sony lenses
Tested at infinity and it's optimal atf/4-5.6 across the field. Center is already optimal at f/2.8 or f/4.
I'm using a similar metal hood but it's slightly longer. It's not the wide version (W) which was designed for wide angle lenses.
The good news is that any of these shorter metal hoods seem to remove or at least minimize the ring flare.
