Any thoughts on the Samyang AF 85mm f1.4 II vs the Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN? I thought I had settled on the sigma, but the Samyang is literally half the price in Canada… it also being lighter is a bonus.
Plan would be to use it mostly outdoor animal portraits, often at f1.4-f2 on my A7 IV.
It SEEMS the sigma has an edge in image quality, but they’re about equal in AF?
I know surely a lot of people have compared/used these two 85mm lenses!
Nowadays we have so many good 85’s to choose from! I have the Samyang and its image quality is superb. The Sigma is better built. I’d have no hesitation recommending the Samyang 85II. Here are a few from the Samyang.
ILCE-7RM5SAMYANG AF 85mm F1.4 II lens85mmf/1.41/160s1000 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-7RM5SAMYANG AF 85mm F1.4 II lens85mmf/1.41/1600s100 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-7RM585mmf/1.41/1000s100 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-7RM585mmf/1.41/3200s100 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-7RM5SAMYANG AF 85mm F1.4 II lens85mmf/8.01/400s100 ISO-1.0 EV
ILCE-7RM5SAMYANG AF 85mm F1.4 II lens85mmf/4.01/640s100 ISO0.0 EV
mudlake wrote:
Nowadays we have so many good 85’s to choose from! I have the Samyang and its image quality is superb. The Sigma is better built. I’d have no hesitation recommending the Samyang 85II. Here are a few from the Samyang.
I’ll actually be using it mostly to photograph dogs. How have you found it AF with dogs? Eye af works well? Tracking reliable when dogs are moving?
Sold my old Nikon 85/1.4D (my first serious lens purchase!) a few months ago and still haven’t decided what to get so I’m interested in that question too.
I think Sigma has more consistent QC than Samyang.
From what I’ve read Sigma has better AF.
And I use it mostly for animals (dogs, used to be for dog and cats), but my dog is a bigger breed than my previous one so 55/1.8 is quite good for indoor. 85 is still better for outdoor. I also have 135/1.8. Very good quality but sometimes a bit too long.
I haven’t really tried tracking on moving dogs. But from what I’ve noticed, the AF is good, but not as good or fast as my Sony GM lenses. To be fair, NO lenses are as good as the GM’s though. That’s why you pay 3-4x the price!🙂
ytwong wrote:
Sold my old Nikon 85/1.4D (my first serious lens purchase!) a few months ago and still haven’t decided what to get so I’m interested in that question too.
I think Sigma has more consistent QC than Samyang.
From what I’ve read Sigma has better AF.
And I use it mostly for animals (dogs, used to be for dog and cats), but my dog is a bigger breed than my previous one so 55/1.8 is quite good for indoor. 85 is still better for outdoor. I also have 135/1.8. Very good quality but sometimes a bit too long.
Yeah I’m actually a bit worried about the potential for Samyang QC issues. I’m in Canada and it’s looking like I can really only get from B+H in us. If there’s any problems, that’ll be such a headache and potentially extra costs
I went with the Samyang 85 1.4 mark I
Here’s some dog shots with it - focusing was fast (enough) , but the dogs were stationary.
You might also consider the Viltrox 85 1.4
That was just a bit too (front) heavy for me personally (on a Sony A73 with battery grip), but especially considering their current discount a viable option (has an aperature ring). The Samyang v1 has no aperature ring and this needs to be changed with the cameras control wheel.
I’ve got a few Samyang lenses and no QC issues so far. Also, be sure to update the Samyang lens firmware which will likely improve AF function
There’s plenty of videos on YT comparing the Samyang 85/1.4 to the Canon 85/2 or similar faster 1.2 lenses.
I’ve never considered a sigma lens 😂 for clinical IQ reasons
Happydan wrote:
I went with the Samyang 85 1.4 mark I
Here’s some dog shots with it - focusing was fast (enough) , but the dogs were stationary.
You might also consider the Viltrox 85 1.4
That was just a bit too (front) heavy for me personally (on a Sony A73 with battery grip), but especially considering their current discount a viable option (has an aperature ring). The Samyang v1 has no aperature ring and this needs to be changed with the cameras control wheel.
I’ve got a few Samyang lenses and no QC issues so far. Also, be sure to update the Samyang lens firmware which will likely improve AF function
There’s plenty of videos on YT comparing the Samyang 85/1.4 to the Canon 85/2 or similar faster 1.2 lenses.
I’ve never considered a sigma lens 😂 for clinical IQ reasons ...Show more →
Everything about the viltrox seems nice, except its weight! 800g is just too much for me to want to carry around for an 85mm prime…
Perhaps also look at the Samyang 75/1.8
It is tiny - doesn’t offer the 1.4 background elimination as much
But it is very reliable with AF and images are really nice!
Attached a random snap of my Bo at MFD using the 75.
Or another small option could be the Viltrox 85/2 EVO, which is really cheap atm and people seem to like it - i didn’t dig deeper because I personally wanted the 1.4 on the 85 focal length and got the Samyang 75 in addition for less portrait style pictures
kaitlyn2004 wrote:
Everything about the viltrox seems nice, except its weight! 800g is just too much for me to want to carry around for an 85mm prime…
ILCE-7M3SAMYANG AF 75mm F1.8 lens75mmf/5.01/320s200 ISO0.0 EV
I don't have experience with the 85AFii, but I do own the 50AFii. It does NOT track well for even slowly moving subjects. This is with the A9iii.The same body with the Sigma 35i tracks moving subjects with eye AF with no issues other than the 15FPS Sony cripple
kaitlyn2004 wrote:
I’m in Canada and it’s looking like I can really only get from B+H in us. If there’s any problems, that’ll be such a headache and potentially extra costs
btw Samyang and Rokinon are one and same. I find both of them on Amazon.ca
I love absolutely love their rendering, I own 24 AF F1.8 and 135 F1.8 and adapted them on my Z8. I also had 50 F1.4 II but sold it, kinda regret.
I have the 85 Rokinon V2 and it does not track moving subjects well but that isn't really what I bought it for so it doesn't bother me...certainly not an action lens though so if you are going to use it for that I'd look elsewhere.
