Sony Samyang AF 35mm f 2.8

L0n3Gr3yW0lf

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Location
Somerset, UK
Name
Ovi
My first (and currently only) AF lens for Sony FE. I bought it because its one of the cheapest lenses you can buy so it wouldn't be an expensive waste if I don't like it.

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After just a few days of using it I absolutely love this lens. I don't think I ever been a fan of nifty fifties but this 35mm I'm just having so much fun with it.

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It's a very sharp lens even for 42 Mega Pickle Rick's

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Even wide open it's very sharp for me (not my car).

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The close up performance is very good, while it won't magnify as much as the Tamron 20\24\35mm f 2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 it's good enough for wider perspective for such as flowers.

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The bokeh rendition is very smooth for f 2.8 but it can have onion rings and some blue fringing on ze Ballz.

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Flare resistance is pretty good but it can show rainbow (eye structure type) flair on dark backgrounds. (I do like it in the case above)

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It does have some purple fringing on high contrast edges, mainly at the edge mid-frame and at the corners. About 4 to 6 pixels wide but it is easy correctable because you don't lose as much color information as on some Micro Four Thirds lenses.

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Autofocus in low light is not amazing, indoors I would use Sony if I could. At f 2.8 it won't give you enough shutter speed to avoid motion blur unless you are willing to go past ISO 6.400, though I admit that using a Sony a7R II is not the best case for AF speed.

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Is daylight the AF us really fast and accurate (with one caveat) and I'm very happy though I only used AF-S at the moment.

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The one moment I found the AF-S to struggle is thin subjects smaller then Centra AF configuration. It can miss and focus on the background instead and have trouble re-focusing closer. Thankfully the manuals focus works great with this lens, the focus ring is very smooth and responsive.

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I love the colours, they are very good (accurate? I don't know, I tend to edit my RAW files to my own taste which might not be the perfect reflection of reality but I tend to be consistent with my look. PS all these images are RAW edited to my preference)

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I will keep this lens probably permanently even though I do want a 35mm f 1.4 because I love the wide angle shallow DoF (more then 85mm f 1.4 or 200mm f 2.8) and it's a better compromise then the distortion induced by 24mm f 1.4. I do like the idea of wide angle with close up performance for environmental portraits (mostly flowers).
I do like the small size and very light weight, it's easy to keep it in the backpack or a bag or even a pocket. I paid 170 £ used on MPB and even if I don't end up using it when I have more lenses I would still keep it.
 
35 is my weapon of choice for a prime. It's not much of a secret I'm not a prime shooter, but I always have at least one fast lens. 50 is too narrow, the 35 seems about right for indoor shots of friends and family, etc., about what my prime shooting is limited to. I purchased a Samyang 35/1.4 for this purpose, it's a fantastic lens. I do have a Minolta 50/1.7 and a Minolta 50/2.8 Macro should they ever be needed but they rarely see the light of day.
 
35 is my weapon of choice for a prime. It's not much of a secret I'm not a prime shooter, but I always have at least one fast lens. 50 is too narrow, the 35 seems about right for indoor shots of friends and family, etc., about what my prime shooting is limited to. I purchased a Samyang 35/1.4 for this purpose, it's a fantastic lens. I do have a Minolta 50/1.7 and a Minolta 50/2.8 Macro should they ever be needed but they rarely see the light of day.
I have been thinking about Samyang AF 35mm f 1.4 because it's literally cheaper then the Samyang AF 35m f 1.8 on the 2nd hand market but I am a bit hesitant because, from what I've read and seen, the AF motor is not particularly good on the f 1.4 Mark I as it is for f 1.8. Samyang did came out with the 50mm f 1.4 II which seems to focus a lot faster so maybe they will do the same for the 35mm?

One of the reasons I want to stay with 35mm FF sensors is because of the DoF on wide angles like 24mm, 28mm and 35mm at f 1.4. APSC lenses would have to be at f 1.0 and Micro Four Thirds at f 0.7, the DoF is amazing especially for indoors and 2 people shots (more then 2 people will be difficult to get everyone's faces on the same plane of focus).

This lens is barely thicker then Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f 1.7 but with deeper DoF and at the same price. I can have it on almost any pocket or bag so it's always with me.
 
I have been thinking about Samyang AF 35mm f 1.4 because it's literally cheaper then the Samyang AF 35m f 1.8 on the 2nd hand market but I am a bit hesitant because, from what I've read and seen, the AF motor is not particularly good on the f 1.4 Mark I as it is for f 1.8. Samyang did came out with the 50mm f 1.4 II which seems to focus a lot faster so maybe they will do the same for the 35mm?

One of the reasons I want to stay with 35mm FF sensors is because of the DoF on wide angles like 24mm, 28mm and 35mm at f 1.4. APSC lenses would have to be at f 1.0 and Micro Four Thirds at f 0.7, the DoF is amazing especially for indoors and 2 people shots (more then 2 people will be difficult to get everyone's faces on the same plane of focus).

This lens is barely thicker then Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f 1.7 but with deeper DoF and at the same price. I can have it on almost any pocket or bag so it's always with me.
There's nothing wrong at all with the Sammy 35/1.4. It's a fantastic lens. Very sharp, focuses fast. I bought mine as a like-new factory refurb with packaging, etc. through KEH with a 1-year warranty. They were having a 20% off overstock sale, it ended up about $350 out the door. For that price there was no reason to even consider anything else. Here's the same lens, no sale price:


However, they did release a Mk II for $800. I can't imagine it being worth twice the price.

 
I left m43 too. Good to see you here. Fk m43 trying to steal content.
I wouldnt be to rude, Micro Four Thirds is still an awesome system that's viable for many people. And I would still recommend it for most beginners and those limited mobility or highest importants is portability.
 
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