p.1 #1 · Samyang/Rokinon 85 1.4 Test Thread Images
Thought i would start a actually test thread. Fred move this around or rename it if you want.
I shot these inside the house. I have my back windows facing North light . So this is all daylight coming in. Im noticing about 6300 Kelvin which seems a little high . Looks to me about 300 to 400 Kelvin on the warm side. But that's another test. I just got the lens about 2 hours ago and have the kids today so thought I would grab some. My keeper rate could be better but they where also all hyped up. But got some decent ones
Brooks is first . His Left eye is Real his right eye is not. He had it removed as baby as he had cancer in it . Eye AF typically always goes to his real eye. That would be our right as we are viewing. Watch EXIF data. I will be testing more in the coming days as will Fred and others as well.
p.1 #6 · Samyang/Rokinon 85 1.4 Test Thread Images
Looks to be about a 5ft Gardner snake. Never seen one this big. He is hiding in the very corner of the garage.
I’ll get back to posting soon. But so far I really like the look. Certainly nicer than my Sony 85 1.8. I will run it against my 50 1.4 Sony on Big Bronco
p.1 #8 · Samyang/Rokinon 85 1.4 Test Thread Images
Just got it in hands.
First impressions:
LIGHT for a 85/1.4 lens. My copy weighs 562g. Hood is light and compact at only 45g.
AF is not fast but it's quiet
Accurate Eye AF. I'm happy to report this as focus accuracy was not a strength with previous Samyang AF lenses. I tested 30 images and eyebrows were critical sharp in all of them!
Flare resistance is not as bad as reported. I'd say it's average. (Perhaps same level as GM. Need to test more)
Well built
Tested at infinity and it's optimal at f/5.6 across the field. Center is already optimal at f/2.8 or f/4.
p.1 #10 · Samyang/Rokinon 85 1.4 Test Thread Images
Bokeh balls are free of onion ring pattern but have a slight outlining.
As we step down, specular highlights get less rounded and look more like polygons. I'd say it still looks ok at f/1.6 and f/1.8. The GM definitely does better here with more rounded bokeh balls when stopped down and lower optical vignetting. (less cat-eye shape off-axis)
p.1 #15 · Samyang/Rokinon 85 1.4 Test Thread Images
When shooting at smaller apertures, it acquires focus at shooting aperture. So, if it's at f/5.6, it focus at f/5.6. That's bad news for studio portraits.
Switching to Live View Display: Setting Effect: "OFF" changes this behavior and the lens opens the aperture to acquire focus and then changes back to shooting aperture. (Just like with the 85 GM)
p.1 #16 · Samyang/Rokinon 85 1.4 Test Thread Images
Good news. The flare reported in other reviews is not really lens flare. It's "ring flare" and using the hood fixes the issue 100%.
This also happens with the 85 GM and new 135 GM. (link)
Veiling flare so far behave well but there is definitely some ghosting.
p.1 #20 · Samyang/Rokinon 85 1.4 Test Thread Images
C_n_red_again wrote:
Looks pretty good so far. At that price point it’s going to sell well. It’s not a gm killer but when you factor in price I would go with the samyang.
Not only the price but the weight savings too. It's only about 190g heavier than the FE 85/1.8 and we are talking about a 85mm f/1.4! The 85/1.4 GM is ~260g heavier.
FE 85/1.8 = 371g
FE 85/1.4 GM = 822g
Samy 85/1.4 = 562g
It's also sharper than the GM wide open and there is almost no motor noise. Focusing speed is pretty much equiv. to the GM while the FE 85/1.8 is faster.
