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Archive 2019 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

6BQ5
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

I am thinking of picking up one of these two lenses to add to my slowly growing collection of FE mount lenses. They both look small, light, and easy to shoot with. I already have the Sony 200-600 (huge!) for reach and the Sigma 35mm f/1.2(huge!) for ultimate WA-ish sharpness. So, something small would be nice.

The Sigma is slightly more expensive but seems more robust may be sharper than the Samyang. I like the aperture ring too!

The Samyang is more affordable than the Sigma, maybe smaller (?), and maybe sharp enough for the price. (?) Samyang also offers other small lenses that would be nice to have as a set.

Which would you pick and why? Is there a serious discernible difference between the two lenses? Would the extra money spent on the Sigma be worth any potential incremental gains?

Thanks!!

Oct 04, 2019 at 10:46 AM

Jonathan F
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

6BQ5 wrote:
I am thinking of picking up one of these two lenses to add to my slowly growing collection of FE mount lenses. They both look small, light, and easy to shoot with. I already have the Sony 200-600 (huge!) for reach and the Sigma 35mm f/1.2(huge!) for ultimate WA-ish sharpness. So, something small would be nice.

The Sigma is slightly more expensive but seems more robust may be sharper than the Samyang. I like the aperture ring too!

The Samyang is more affordable than the Sigma, maybe smaller (?), and maybe sharp enough for the price. (?) Samyang also offers other small...Show more →

I can't speak on behalf of the Sigma 45mm 2.8 C, but I do own the Samyang 45mm 1.8 FE lens. First, if you get a copy of the Samyang 45mm, it requires the USB lens station if it comes with firmware version 1. You need to update the firmware to version 2 in order to fix an infinity focus issue. I was about to return my copy because of this issue, but since I was planning to get the Samyang 18mm 2.8, I decided to get the USB lens station and update it.

The good: After the update though, overall the lens is incredibly sharp and probably the sharpest lens in my E-mount collection. In fact I rate sharpness at f/1.8 better than either the Zeiss 55mm 1.8 or the Sony 50mm 1.8 FE lenses. Also 45mm gives a bit more perspective leeway in tighter spaces. The new Samyang STM motor design is fast, accurate and noticeably quieter compared to their older focus motor found in lenses like the Samyang 24mm and 35mm 2.8 lens.

The not so good: Wide open there is some CA, but not as strong as the 50mm 1.8 FE. OOF focus rendering is smooth, but it doesn't have the same transitional OOF traits of a 50-55mm lens. Also close focus isn't as near compared to either the Zeiss 55mm or the Sony 50mm. Built quality is plasticky and the hood is flimsy. Also like I mentioned, Samyang lenses require the USB dock if you plan to keep your lens up-to-date. Though on the plus side, Samyang does seem to update their lenses frequently for best performance.

Overall, if you plan on pairing the Samyang 45mm with another Samyang lens or two, I think it's worth the investment. I really enjoy mine and think it's an excellent lens for the price and performance.

Oct 04, 2019 at 12:57 PM

sergun
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

Three days ago I got in trade in (in exchange) a Sigma 45c. And just today I went outside and tried it in portraiture. I was surprised that out of 10 shots, half of them were not exactly in focus. (AF-S with point focusing) Can that the not the do ? This is my first autofocus lens with native bayonet.

Oct 04, 2019 at 01:57 PM

6BQ5
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

I thought AF-S was suppose to be OK on the Sigma but AF-C was not.

This is also the first time I read about some AF issues with the Samyang. It’s good to know there is a remedy.

Oct 04, 2019 at 08:10 PM

Eruditass
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

The Samyang is sharper. The Sigma's advantage is in it's rendering, specifically the transition zone between in focus and out of focus areas, and handling of complex out of focus areas

Dustin Abbott has a good comparison on YouTube and a blog of the two on his Sigma review.

Oct 08, 2019 at 10:10 PM

6BQ5
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

With Google’s help I found Dustin Abbott’s review of both the Samyang and the Sigma lenses. He has a prett write-up for each lens. I didn’t watch the videos.

Mr. Abbott referenced an article written by one of Sigma’s product planners, Yasuhiro Ohsone.

https://www.sigma-sein.com/en/ohsone/45mm-f2-8-dg-dn-contemporary/

The way Mr. Ohsone described the Sigma lens made me think of the Pentax FA 43mm Limited. Did anyone else feel the same way?

Oct 08, 2019 at 11:12 PM

TravelinBriNY
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

I have the Sigma 45/2.8 - which I am really enjoying. Despite the modest aperture, the lens produces clear images and beautiful bokeh. That being said, I am still interested in the Samyang for the lighter weight and larger aperture. Curious to see if more comparisons or reviews have surfaced...

Oct 22, 2019 at 12:48 PM

garyrn
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

i have the samyang and shoot it on the a7r4, this lens shoots well above it's price point, i am so happy with it that in december for my annual disney world trip it is going as my walk around

Oct 22, 2019 at 04:43 PM

ftllens
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

Just returned the Samyang which pales in comparison to Sigma. It's sharp center even at 1.8 but oof is so ugly and the colors are off imo. Sigma is also just nicer in hand to use. I'd only get Sammy if you need the 1.8 or stop down to 5.6+ for most shots. AFC better on Sammy too. Both are acceptable for video.

Oct 22, 2019 at 06:07 PM

nhsonyshooter
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

ftllens wrote:
Just returned the Samyang which pales in comparison to Sigma. It's sharp center even at 1.8 but oof is so ugly and the colors are off imo. Sigma is also just nicer in hand to use. I'd only get Sammy if you need the 1.8 or stop down to 5.6+ for most shots. AFC better on Sammy too. Both are acceptable for video.

Guess yours sucked

Oct 22, 2019 at 06:37 PM

Jonathan F
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

I prefer the Sam 45mm over the Sony 50mm 1.8 FE, the Zeiss 55mm 1.8 FE and even my Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art. Both the Sony 50mm and Zeiss 55mm and definitely the Sigma 50mm all render OOF areas better than the Sam 45mm, but where the 45mm pulls ahead is that slightly more flexible 45mm FOV, the insane sharpness at the point of focus, it's somewhat swirly old school OOF rendering and it's fast AF and compact size, makes this lens very unique. I like to think of it more as a 35mm/40mm replacement, because the tighter FOV makes for better OOF rendering if you think of it as a tight wide angle! Also after perusing the DPR gallery of the Sigma 45mm C, I just didn't see anything that the Sam 45mm couldn't shoot and even better. Also I use the 45mm in two different pairing scenarios, the first with the Sam 18mm 2.8 when I want a two lens street combination and with the Sam 85mm 1.4 for wide and tight portrait shooting.

If I was to buy a classically built 45mm 2.8 lens, I'd rather just get the Nikon 45mm 2.8 AI-P in silver and throw it on a Techart Pro adapter for auto focus!

Here are a couple OOF area samples of the Samyang 45mm:

190929_GRIFFITH_PARK_PHOTOS_FRIOLO_005 by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

190908_SAMYANG_45_SAMPLES_FRIOLO by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

191004_COLORADO_BRIDGE_FRIOLO_018 by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

A few at distance:

Santa Monica Pacific Park Pier - Santa Monica, California USA by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

190908_SAMYANG_45_SAMPLES_FRIOLO by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

Oct 22, 2019 at 11:04 PM

ftllens
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

nhsonyshooter wrote:
Guess yours sucked

I bought the Sigma first. I liked the build,aperture ring, and rendering but I will not put up with AFC inconsistency in 2019 and 2.8 is just to slow for me. Samyang is smaller, sharper and AF is much more reliable. The rendering is not as nice but it is not terrible either. For a simple family/travel lens which is what this is, I don't mind the rendering. I wish Samyang could now get AF right on the 85 1.4 which is a very nice rendering lens.

Maybe Tamron can make a F2 45mm that has the best of both worlds. I don't have either anymore, but at this point in time I think I prefer the Sigma C. I do like 45mm a lot though.

Oct 23, 2019 at 12:36 AM

ryanli
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

Eruditass wrote:
The Samyang is sharper. The Sigma's advantage is in it's rendering, specifically the transition zone between in focus and out of focus areas, and handling of complex out of focus areas

Dustin Abbott has a good comparison on YouTube and a blog of the two on his Sigma review.

I now have both lenses and fully concur with your observations. The two lenses share a focal length and lens mount, that's about it. Everything else about them could not be more different.

The Samyang 45/1.8 is unbelievably, crazily, punch-in-your-face sharp and contrasty from wide open, but seriously flawed OOF rendering - abrupt transition from in-focus to OOF, overly contrasty OOF areas, halo bokeh, double-lines bokeh, LoCA bokeh, astigmatismatic bokeh... you name it, the Samyang probably has it. The Sigma 45/2.8 C is sharp where it needs to be, not as sharp as the Samyang even at 1.8, and has a "veiled" look wide open despite high microcontrast, but the OOF transition and bokeh is sublime.

These shots hopefully illustrate what I mean. Both handheld, A7RIII RAW processed using Capture One 12 with low sharpening:

Sigma 45C @ 2.8
Samyang 45 @ 1.8
100% crops (Sigma left, Samyang right)

The Samyang F/1.8 shot has more "blur" (less DOF) for sure, but you can see especially in the 100% some of the aforementioned flaws, including a very sharp plane of focus which falls off a cliff edge into a big blurry mass which distracting halo and double-lined bokeh popping out. The Sigma shot to me looks far more pleasing on the eye.

(Note the focus distance is slightly different in the two shots so ignore sharpness, but this is not sufficient to explain the dramatic difference in the look of the OOF areas.)

Feb 14, 2020 at 05:42 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

Great comparison!

ryanli wrote:
I now have both lenses and fully concur with your observations. The two lenses share a focal length and lens mount, that's about it. Everything else about them could not be more different.

The Samyang 45/1.8 is unbelievably, crazily, punch-in-your-face sharp and contrasty from wide open, but seriously flawed OOF rendering - abrupt transition from in-focus to OOF, overly contrasty OOF areas, halo bokeh, double-lines bokeh, LoCA bokeh, astigmatismatic bokeh... you name it, the Samyang probably has it. The Sigma 45/2.8 C is sharp where it needs to be, not as sharp as the Samyang even at 1.8, and has a...Show more →

Feb 14, 2020 at 08:37 PM

sye46
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

Thanks for the comparison. However i think it would be more fair to compare both at 2.8 to see the difference in bokeh

ryanli wrote:
I now have both lenses and fully concur with your observations. The two lenses share a focal length and lens mount, that's about it. Everything else about them could not be more different.

The Samyang 45/1.8 is unbelievably, crazily, punch-in-your-face sharp and contrasty from wide open, but seriously flawed OOF rendering - abrupt transition from in-focus to OOF, overly contrasty OOF areas, halo bokeh, double-lines bokeh, LoCA bokeh, astigmatismatic bokeh... you name it, the Samyang probably has it. The Sigma 45/2.8 C is sharp where it needs to be, not as sharp as the Samyang even at 1.8, and has a...Show more →

Feb 14, 2020 at 10:28 PM

Sans miroir
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

6BQ5 wrote:
The Samyang is more affordable than the Sigma, maybe smaller (?)

A useful digital camera relative size comparison tool:

Camerasize: http://j.mp/38w0yFT

Sigma Max. diamete 64 mm Length 46.2 mm Weight 215 grams

Samyang Max. diameter 61.8 mm Length 56.1 mm Weight 162 grams

Feb 14, 2020 at 10:50 PM

imagesfromobjects
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

Definitely would be helpful, also to test at the same distance- if we're being nit-picky. But note that the shape of the blades will have a profound effect on harshness/smoothness of OOF areas, so the Sigma will most certainly show its rounded-blade advantage here. It would also be cool to see a comparison at f/4. That's (IMO) where the Sigma really shines, where you get really nice sharpness and really smooth falloff.

But, hey - I will admit the possibility that I have confirmation bias. I own the Sigma and it's one of my all-time favorites.

Great comparisons! The 1:1 shots really show the strengths of each lens, even though the distance may have something to do with it. The Sammy wins on bokeh quantity, the Sigma on bokeh quality. Both are fine choices.

sye46 wrote:
Thanks for the comparison. However i think it would be more fair to compare both at 2.8 to see the difference in bokeh

Feb 14, 2020 at 11:12 PM

imagesfromobjects
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

So many of these comparisons show the Sigma with hood on and Samyang with hood off. Sigma is smaller. The hood is just needlessly large.

Sans miroir wrote:
A useful digital camera relative size comparison tool:

Camerasize: http://j.mp/38w0yFT

Sigma Max. diamete 64 mm Length 46.2 mm Weight 215 grams

Samyang Max. diameter 61.8 mm Length 56.1 mm Weight 162 grams

Feb 14, 2020 at 11:15 PM

ryanli
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

Thank you all for the positive feedback! Yes, I agree it would be useful to compare at F/2.8 and F/4 as well as more usual half body or group shot apertures. Slightly different use cases to the 1.8 Vs 2.8 (the "I want to get the most amount of blur" use case).
Will be busy during these few days but may need to try to find some night time examples..

Feb 15, 2020 at 03:11 AM

Frogfish
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Samyang 45mm vs Sigma 45mm - which and why?

nhsonyshooter wrote:
Guess yours sucked

I bought the Sigma first. I liked the build,aperture ring, and rendering but I will not put up with AFC inconsistency in 2019 and 2.8 is just to slow for me. Samyang is smaller, sharper and AF is much more reliable. The rendering is not as nice but it is not terrible either. For a simple family/travel lens which is what this is, I don't mind the rendering. I wish Samyang could now get AF right on the 85 1.4 which is a very nice rendering lens.

I have heard of AF inconsistency once or twice now in regard to the Samyang 85 but I have to say mine has been awesome (eye and face AF) and it's one of my favourite lenses now. Sample variation perhaps. Mine is very sharp, gorgeous bokeh and transitions, very very low CA. It's the reason I'm now going to buy/try the 45mm. Incredible lenses for the money.

Feb 15, 2020 at 03:40 AM

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