Photography News 98 - Newsletter

First test

Fast and with telephoto focal length, this will appeal to portrait and social photographers SamyangAF 135mm f/1.8 FE PRICE: £798

HOLDAN.CO.UK

SPECS › Price £798 › In the box Lens, bayonet hood, front and back cap, pouch › Format Full-frame, APS-C › Compatibility Sony E-mount › Filter 82mm › Construction 13 elements in 11 groups › Special lens elements Three ED elements, two HR, one U-ASP (ultra-precision aspherical) › Aperture range F/1.8-22 › Diaphragm 11 blades › Magnification 0.243x › Autofocus Linear STM, internal manual focus › Focus limiter Full, 69cm-2m, 1.5m to infinity › Minimum focus 69cm › Weather sealed Yes › Other features Custom switch M1 and M2 – more functions with optional lens station. Focus hold button › Image stabiliser None in-lens › Dimensions (dxl) 82x129.6mm › Weight 772g › Contact holdan.co.uk OVER THE PAST three years, Samyang has been working on its collection of f/1.8 lenses in Sony E-mount. So far, we’ve seen – and been impressed by – the 24, 35, 45 and 75mm. The latest arrival is the AF 135mm f/1.8 FE, and physically it’s a different proposition from its family members. With the telephoto “THE SHALLOW DEPTH-OF-FIELD MEANSTHERE’S NO ROOM FOR ERROR”

focal length and the need for a wide-diameter, light-gathering front element to achieve a fast maximum aperture, this optic has serious heft. It weighs 772g – over 500g heavier than the next-biggest lens in the range – and accepts 82mm filters. More glass not only means more weight, it also means more money. The lens is expensive compared with the rest of the f/1.8 set. But, given it’s a fast-aperture telephoto, the price isn’t outrageous. In fact, I’d consider it good value for what you get. I tested the lens on a Sony A7R IV, and it’s definitely the senior partner. But, with the lens’ centre of gravity towards the rear, balance on the body is good. It’s comfortable to cradle in the palm of the hand, no problem to support, and the broad grip means manually overriding focus rates highly, too. There is a three-option focus limiter, a focus hold button and a custom function, but no optional tripod mount/ring. Autofocus was impressively smooth, silent and responsive on our test camera. In addition, you get features like face detection and DMF (direct manual focus). The lens has no IS, but there's the benefit of SteadyShot: Sony’s in-body image stabiliser function. Optically, the Samyang proved a competent performer, delivering a very high level of image quality. The exception was in f/16 and f/22 settings, where diffraction softened the results. Since such small apertures aren’t a priority on telephotos, this isn’t an issue. At f/1.8, I found sharpness very impressive across the frame, good enough for critical use. Just make

TESTPICTURES

The lens was used with our test chart on a Sony A7R IV, fixed to a Gitzo carbon-fibre tripod with the shutter released using a ten-second self-timer. Raws processed through Lightroom – no Adobe profile was available.

F/1.8

F/5.6

F/2

F/2.8

F/4

F/8

F/11

F/16

F/22

sure focus is spot on, because the shallow depth-of-field means there’s no room for error. Vignetting was evident at f/1.8, but this lessened at f/2.8 and was gone by f/4. Distortion was tightly controlled, and even though no Lightroom lens profile was available at the time, it wasn’t needed, since distortion was minimal. Image quality got a little better at f/2.8 and f/4, but the improvement wasn’t huge because it was already so good wide open. I’d be happy using this lens anywhere in the f/1.8 to f/11 range, choosing aperture depending on how much depth-of- field I wanted – and the required background blur. WC

Verdict Products such as this Samyang AF 135mm f/1.8 FE do nothing but enhance the company’s reputation as a lens brand capable of producing impressive glass. It’s a fine optical performer, solidly engineered, handles well and is competitively priced for a lens of this speed. Pity it’s available in Sony E only, as I’m certain Canon R and Nikon Z owners would love the option. PROS Fast maximum aperture, build quality, optically very good – even at f/1.8 – minimal distortion, three focus limiter options CONS It’s sizeable

Our thanks to Hireacamera for the loan of the Sony A7R IV body used in this review. hireacamera.com

SIDE-ON Find a focus hold button, custom switch and focus range limiter

44 Photography News | Issue 98

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