here it is, finally, the review!
script of this review:
Before i start just want to point out that I'm using the Sony A mount version because Amazon EU warehouse deal labelled this A mount as E mount, I had to buy an adapter, the adaptor i'm using is the K&F Concept minolta AF to NEX version, which connect A mount lenses to E mount bodies. All the tests are done with A7Rii.
1.Build quality is awesome, premium plastic body, it's both good looking and really nice to touch. The focus ring and aperture ring are equipped with gears for cinematography purpose but i don't think i'm going to use it, also it's not the most comfortable thing to hold in hand when shooting photos, but I found it cheaper than other versions, so.
2.Focus ring is a bit more loose than I imagined, somehow I pictured in my head that the focus ring was very stiff and tough to turn, but that's not the case. Focus ring travel distance is quite long, allows very smooth and slow focus transition, very useful when filming but i'd prefer a slightly shorter one. Aperture ring is obviously de-clicked, meaning it doesn't make any sound when you turn it and also there's no hard stop to limit you, you can open and close it at any point you want. That's one of the reason I prefer the cine version of this lens.
3.To get this lens I got rid of my Sony 50mm f1.8 first, the 50mm lens is a great all round lens for either portrait or landscape or street, I enjoyed using it and I also did review of it, but after a while I just stopped using it because it wasn't as versatile as I'd want, I don't like to always have to step back a bit to get the entire scene in the frame, yet for portrait I already own the sony 85mm f1.8 , so this 50mm lens is stuck in between awkwardly, became a focal length that I never use. On the contrary, I enjoy using zoom lens a lot, and I've discovered that often times when I shoot with 24-240mm lens I tend to zoom in just a little bit to make it tighter, and that's about 35mm, so I figured 35mm is actually the best prime focal length for me, it is wide, yet you can really shoot some nice portraits that includes also the background, it is perfect for my taste.
4.The bokeh! It is simply unmatched, at t1.5 or f1.4 for photography version, the bokeh is crazy when you are close up. I do enjoy some bokeh at wide angle such as the sigma 16mm f1.4, but that lens doesn't create much bokeh when you are shooting a bit far from your subject, but this 35mm f1.4 is totally capable of seperating subjects from foreground and background even when the subject is a bit far from you. I think it's a great compromise between wide and telephoto ends, which gives you the best versatility, perfectly balances bokeh and wide field of view.
5.Image quality wise, this samyang 35mm lens is definitely sharp, sharp straight out of camera, at max aperture it will suffer from chromatic abberation but i think it's a sacrafice that's worth it, I did some comparison shots between the samyang lens and the sony 24-240mm lens, maybe not the fairest comparison but it gives you an idea how samyang does. So I shot these pictures both at f4 and the samyang is just a bit sharper in the details, to be honest I'm impressed that the superzoom is actually this sharp. Btw the Sony lens definitely has a weird green tint on it, which samyang doesn't.
6.In the end the main reasons I love this lens is: the crazy bokeh that can be created at almost any situation, the wide angle look yet with nice subject emphasis, the premium build quality, the de-click aperture ring, it is not always easy to find perfect focus but, it is very rewarding to use a full manual lens, after quitting manual lens for 2 years it actually feels really really nice to play around with a manual lens, it adds more weight to the photographing process and it's enjoyable to have full control of everything instead of just press shutter button. There is debate whether 50mm or the 35mm should be the best all round prime focal length, well for me it is 35mm for sure but it will depend on person I guess.
#minoltaAF #sonyamount #samyang35mm #rokinon35mm
script of this review:
Before i start just want to point out that I'm using the Sony A mount version because Amazon EU warehouse deal labelled this A mount as E mount, I had to buy an adapter, the adaptor i'm using is the K&F Concept minolta AF to NEX version, which connect A mount lenses to E mount bodies. All the tests are done with A7Rii.
1.Build quality is awesome, premium plastic body, it's both good looking and really nice to touch. The focus ring and aperture ring are equipped with gears for cinematography purpose but i don't think i'm going to use it, also it's not the most comfortable thing to hold in hand when shooting photos, but I found it cheaper than other versions, so.
2.Focus ring is a bit more loose than I imagined, somehow I pictured in my head that the focus ring was very stiff and tough to turn, but that's not the case. Focus ring travel distance is quite long, allows very smooth and slow focus transition, very useful when filming but i'd prefer a slightly shorter one. Aperture ring is obviously de-clicked, meaning it doesn't make any sound when you turn it and also there's no hard stop to limit you, you can open and close it at any point you want. That's one of the reason I prefer the cine version of this lens.
3.To get this lens I got rid of my Sony 50mm f1.8 first, the 50mm lens is a great all round lens for either portrait or landscape or street, I enjoyed using it and I also did review of it, but after a while I just stopped using it because it wasn't as versatile as I'd want, I don't like to always have to step back a bit to get the entire scene in the frame, yet for portrait I already own the sony 85mm f1.8 , so this 50mm lens is stuck in between awkwardly, became a focal length that I never use. On the contrary, I enjoy using zoom lens a lot, and I've discovered that often times when I shoot with 24-240mm lens I tend to zoom in just a little bit to make it tighter, and that's about 35mm, so I figured 35mm is actually the best prime focal length for me, it is wide, yet you can really shoot some nice portraits that includes also the background, it is perfect for my taste.
4.The bokeh! It is simply unmatched, at t1.5 or f1.4 for photography version, the bokeh is crazy when you are close up. I do enjoy some bokeh at wide angle such as the sigma 16mm f1.4, but that lens doesn't create much bokeh when you are shooting a bit far from your subject, but this 35mm f1.4 is totally capable of seperating subjects from foreground and background even when the subject is a bit far from you. I think it's a great compromise between wide and telephoto ends, which gives you the best versatility, perfectly balances bokeh and wide field of view.
5.Image quality wise, this samyang 35mm lens is definitely sharp, sharp straight out of camera, at max aperture it will suffer from chromatic abberation but i think it's a sacrafice that's worth it, I did some comparison shots between the samyang lens and the sony 24-240mm lens, maybe not the fairest comparison but it gives you an idea how samyang does. So I shot these pictures both at f4 and the samyang is just a bit sharper in the details, to be honest I'm impressed that the superzoom is actually this sharp. Btw the Sony lens definitely has a weird green tint on it, which samyang doesn't.
6.In the end the main reasons I love this lens is: the crazy bokeh that can be created at almost any situation, the wide angle look yet with nice subject emphasis, the premium build quality, the de-click aperture ring, it is not always easy to find perfect focus but, it is very rewarding to use a full manual lens, after quitting manual lens for 2 years it actually feels really really nice to play around with a manual lens, it adds more weight to the photographing process and it's enjoyable to have full control of everything instead of just press shutter button. There is debate whether 50mm or the 35mm should be the best all round prime focal length, well for me it is 35mm for sure but it will depend on person I guess.
#minoltaAF #sonyamount #samyang35mm #rokinon35mm
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