Photography News issue 27

Photography News Issue 27 absolutephoto.com

First tests

Samyang AS UMC CS 21mm f/1.4 ED £279 & 50mm f/1.2 £299 Korean lens brand Samyang’s two latest introductions are fast aperture, manual focus primes, the 21mm f/1.4 ED and the 50mm f/1.2, both with the AS UMC CS designations, and both aimed at CSC users. Mounts available include Canon M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds and Sony E. Optically identical versions are available for moviemakers too. WC

Specs

Samyang 21mm f/1.4 ED Format

APS-C, 31.5mm equiv. in 35mm format. Micro Four Thirds, 42mm equiv. in 35mm format Mount Canon EOS M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Sony E Construction 8 elements in 7 groups Special lens elements 3 aspherical, 1 ED Coatings Samyang Ultra Multi Coating Filter size 58mm Aperture range f/1.4-22 Diaphragm 9 blades Focusing Internal, manual only, min. 28cm, no limiter Distance scale Yes, feet and metres Depth-of-field scale No Image stabiliser No Lens hood Bayonet fit hood supplied Weather-sealed No Dimensions (lxd) 67.5x54.3mm (Sony E) Weight 275g (Sony E) Samyang 50mm f/1.2 Format APS-C, 75mm equiv. in 35mm format. Micro Four Thirds, 100mm equiv. in 35mm format Mount Canon EOS M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Sony E Construction 9 elements in 7 groups Special lens elements 2 aspherical Coatings Samyang Ultra Multi Coating Filter size 62mm Aperture range f/1.2-22 Diaphragm 9 blades Focusing Internal, manual only, min. 50cm, no limiter Distance scale Yes, feet and metres Depth-of-field scale No Image stabiliser No Lens hood Bayonet fit hood supplied Weather-sealed No Dimensions (lxd) 74.2x67.5mm (Sony E) Weight 385g (Sony E) Contact intro2020.co.uk

Samyang 21mm f/1.4 EDAS UMC CS £279 The Samyang 21mm f/1.4 is a compact, well-balanced lens giving the equivalent of around 32mm in the 35mm format, so it’s ideal as a general purpose all-rounder. The fast aperture is a major attraction, of course. The focusing barrel has a smooth, nicely weighted travel and from minimum to maximum focusing distance takes about a one-third rotation of the lens barrel. The aperture ring is click-stopped in 0.5EV steps and this has a smooth action too. I used our Sony mount sample on a full-frame 42.2-megapixel CSC, the A7R II. In its cropped sensor format resolution is 15 megapixels.

F/1.4

How it rates

How it rates Features Not much in the way of frills but fast aperture a big plus Performance Delivers a creditable optical performance Handling Smooth controls, good balance Value formoney A very good price for a decent lens Overall A capable standard prime with the benefit of f/1.4 Pros Price, good optically at maximum aperture, good balance, smooth controls Cons Edge performance at f/1.4 Features Superfast short telephoto with good close focusing distance Performance Good from f/4 but less impressive wider Handling Good, aperture ring a mite taut Value formoney Very competitive Overall Lots of potential as a portrait lens for blurred background effects Pros Price, superfast maximum aperture, good image quality especially from f/4 onwards Cons Contrast and sharpness at the wider apertures 21/25 20/25 22/25 23/25 86/100 20/25 23/25 23/25 24/25 90/100

F/8

Central sharpness is impressive at open aperture and just gets better and better with stopping down. Quality reaches a peak at f/8 and f/11 where sharpness and contrast are at their best before gradually tapering off. Edge sharpness is less good comparedwith the centre at the wide apertures, but it picks up quickly with stopping down. From f/4 to f/8 edge detail is critically good, though, before falling away from f/11 where detail resolution and contrast suffer.

F/22

All in all, for the attractive price this Samyang 35mm lens is well worth considering and used at its optimum apertures will certainly deliver critically good results.

F/1.4

F/8

F/16

Samyang 50mm f/1.2 AS UMC CS £299

This 50mm is equivalent to a 75mm in the 35mm focal length so this is a lovely portrait lens. Throw in the impressive f/1.2 aperture for very shallow depth-of-field and this lens has huge creative potential. As you’d expect for a lens with such a fast aperture, it has a nice heft and its balance is very good. The focusing barrel goes from infinity to the minimum focus of 50cm in half a rotation. At infinity, the front element is recessed into

the body, which acts like a shallow lens hood. At 50cm it’s element is much closer to the lens front. The aperture ring on our sample was more taut than that of the 21mm, but it operated well enough in its 0.5EV steps. Optical performance is generally sound. At the wider apertures detail resolution is good but contrast is slightly flat. Some careful processing with some use of unsharp mask will help if you want

biting sharpness, but the marginal softening in detail rendition at f/2 and wider is no bad thing for flattering portrait work. Contrast and detail improvewith stopping down and you certainly get a good showing across the whole frame at f/5.6. The highest levels of optical performance are reached at f/8. A super-fast and compact portrait lens at under £300 is impressive value for money.

Overall verdict

Samyang lenses are known to give a high level for performance for their cost, and this new pair of manual focus primes more than uphold this tradition. Both the 21mm f/1.4 ED and 50mm f/1.2 handle nicely and in the case of our Sony-fit samples, combine really nicely with the cameras we tested them with. Optically, the 21mm f/1.4 ED is the stronger performer of the pair in terms of outright image resolution, but the 50mm f/1.2 has an interesting pictorial quality that could really suit wide aperture portraits, perfect for lovers of blurred backgrounds. At £279 and £299 respectively, we have no quibbles on value for money at all with these two capable Samyang primes and both optics are very nicely priced.