hmmm... tripod product shots are exactly the type of photos that MF if better IMO... otherwise with AF you have to focus and recompose on your ballhead or pick a focus point which will rarely be exactly where you want it... better to just put the camera on the tripod, frame your shot and manually focus exactly where you want the camera focused... anyway, doing these type of shots have always been the times when I've felt that "AF is annoying as shit."
I have more success shooting most action shots when I use AF though... but I do still shoot an EOS 3, Leica R4 and a number of small rangefinders...
Its not really much of an issue. If you need AF stump up for the Canon 85L, if you don't need AF it sounds like the Samyang is a good alternative for less cash.
World can accommodate both approaches IMHO. As for manual focus on static objects, live view at x10 is to me the most accurate way possible of focusing a DSLR, I use this technique on buildings and stars all the time.
I used a manual focus film body up until around 2004, I think. I didn't even know that AF existed outside of P&S cameras. I guess I was just out of the loop.
The Samyang lens is sold under a variety of brand names. Search Rokinon on ebay for a good price. (I paid something like $225 for mine when all was said and done).
Is it the 70s again?