p.2 #1 · Lightest lenses you use for street photography
Last year I wanted a super light 35mm lens for walking around and I got a Samyang 35mm 1.8. It weighs only 210g which is almost as light as the FE 40G…yet has a 1.8 aperture vs 2.5.
I’m thinking of adding more to make a complete super-light setup as the 75mm and 24mm are both very sharp and similar size.
The one negative is I had to buy the Samyang lens dock to upgrade the firmware so my af-c would work properly. Viltrox is better in this regard by including the USB interface right on the lens itself.
The Viltrox EVOs look appealing to me optically, but the weight/size is not as great as the little Samyang lenses.
p.2 #4 · Lightest lenses you use for street photography
darbo wrote:
Last year I wanted a super light 35mm lens for walking around and I got a Samyang 35mm 1.8. It weighs only 210g which is almost as light as the FE 40G…yet has a 1.8 aperture vs 2.5.
I’m thinking of adding more to make a complete super-light setup as the 75mm and 24mm are both very sharp and similar size.
The one negative is I had to buy the Samyang lens dock to upgrade the firmware so my af-c would work properly. Viltrox is better in this regard by including the USB interface right on the lens itself.
The Viltrox EVOs look appealing to me optically, but the weight/size is not as great as the little Samyang lenses....Show more →
I think there are more negatives: No weather sealing, no aperture ring (either that or no focusing ring), kind of slow focusing, un-inspiring images, quite some LoCA, _if_ you need the image to be sharp from border to border you need to stop down to f2.8 or f4. Another possible problem is the sketchy quality control the (don't) perform at Samyang.
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twelveish wrote:
Lightest is the Samyang Remaster Slim trio. Very hard to beat in weight. And I happen to like the results too.
This is the odd one out. I recommend reading Juhas posts on these lenses.
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jwpstl wrote:
The Samyang 35 1.8 is a bargain. Works well on APS-C as well. Having to use the dock is a minor grip but it’s cheap enough so no big deal.
Bargain as in not costing a lot of money.
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A lot of these opinions are related to personal taste. I still recommend the 40G. It is still overpriced but you get the right feature set.
Weather sealing, aperture (and focusing ring at the same time), control button, very fast focusing. If you never felt the need for an aperture ring and never take images in bad weather and don't care about focusing speed you shouldn't buy the 40G. Optically it is an average performer, typically modern rendering, sharp, so so bokeh sometimes but it is totally OK and it won't let you down.
p.2 #5 · Lightest lenses you use for street photography
Voigtlander Color Skopar 35mm f/3.5 on your M11. On a Sony, the 24-50mm f/2.8 is the best compromise. The 40mm f/2.5G for small, great handling and optics. My favorite single prime lens, but larger.. 24mm f/1.4 GM.
p.2 #6 · Lightest lenses you use for street photography
Jonas B wrote:
I think there are more negatives: No weather sealing, no aperture ring (either that or no focusing ring), kind of slow focusing, un-inspiring images, quite some LoCA, _if_ you need the image to be sharp from border to border you need to stop down to f2.8 or f4. Another possible problem is the sketchy quality control the (don't) perform at Samyang.
I completely agree with all that you said (except the aperture ring complaint...I never use nor care for them). I wasn't trying to account for all the negatives...just noting one that particularly annoyed me. I would indeed prefer to own the Sony 40G, but it's twice the cost and I bought what I could afford at the time.
While the Samyang may not be sharp in the corners at 1.8 that may not be critical for some photos and the 40G can't do 1.8 at all. whereas both lenses can be used at F/2.5. The Samyang is half the cost of the 40G and if both lenses were compared at F2.5 I think they might be comparable in sharpness.
After updating the firmware the AF seems quite responsive to me and the image quality is good. Naturally I prefer my 35GM, but when I want to go super light I'm happy to have and use the Samyang.
But, sure...I want a 40G - I'd love to have one - especially with that Haoge lens hood!!
p.2 #8 · Lightest lenses you use for street photography
darbo wrote:
I completely agree with all that you said. I wasn't trying to account for all the negatives...just noting one that particularly annoyed me.
Fair enough.
I would indeed prefer to own the Sony 40G, but it's twice the cost and I bought what I could afford at the time.
While the Samyang may not be sharp in the corners at 1.8 that may not be critical for some photos and the 40G can't do 1.8 at all. whereas both lenses can be used at F/2.5. The Samyang is half the cost of the 40G and if both lenses were compared at F2.5 I think they might be comparable in sharpness.
After updating the firmware the AF seems quite responsive to me and the image quality is good. Naturally I prefer my 35GM, but when I want to go super light I'm happy to have and use the Samyang.
But, sure...I want a 40G - I'd love to have one - especially with that Haoge lens hood!!...Show more →
I admit I am one of those paying too much for the 40G and then again too much for the Haoge hood (which even isn't the most functional hood for the lens). You can't always be that rational.
Does the lack of weather sealing and the cheap combined focusing and aperture ring annoy you when using the Samyang in the streets? I know I got annoyed enough to sell it. I liked the Samyang rendering but missed some bite using it wide open. I think the lens is underrated. I prefer both the 40G and the Viltrox 35EVO.
p.2 #10 · Lightest lenses you use for street photography
I just went through the same search for the lightest street lens, a zoom in my case. The Sony 20-70 and 25-50 look pretty good but are just too heavy, and too long (throws off the camera balance). I can use the Viltrox 50 Air, Siggy 45C or Elmarit 28 ASPH for street, but the zoom that really hits hard is the Sony 28-60/4-5.6 mentioned by Ken and fully reviewed by Fred. Yeah, it's slow and made of plastic, but the weight is 167g which is frankly insane.
Full retail is a bit steep but used prices are nice (see B&H Used). Fred's review:
p.2 #11 · Lightest lenses you use for street photography
I just got the Viltrox 50 air today. It’s not better than the 55 evi, but it’s almost half the weight and cost, AND is quite impressive optically even in the corners wide open, so much so I was basically stunned. The evo is going back and the air is staying. 🤷🏼
