Photography News Issue 61

Photography News | Issue 61 | photographynews.co.uk

First tests

Samyang 85mmEDUMC CS f/1.8 £319

Specs

Original image

Price

£319

Format APS-C and Micro Four Thirds Mount Canon EOS M, Fujifilm, Micro Four Thirds, Sony E Construction 9 elements in 7 groups Special lens elements 1 extra low dispersion, 1 high refractive element Coatings Ultra Multi Coating Filter size 62mm Aperture range F/1.8-22 Diaphragm Nine blades Internal focus Yes Manual focus Manual only Minimum focus 65cm Focus limiter No Maximummagnification x0.17 Distance scale Yes, metric and imperial Depth-of-field scale No Image stabilizer No Tripod collar No Lens hood Supplied Weather-sealed No Dimensions (lxd) 80.7x67.5mm Weight 344g (no lens hood) Contact intro2020.co.uk

F/1.8

F/2.8

F/4

F/5.6

We see a lot of top-end lenses tested in PN and of course very impressive some of these fast aperture, exotic glass, super-duper multi-coated lenses are. But the reality is that many are beyond the reach of keen hobbyist photographers, and I think this is where Samyang does such a wonderful job. It does have more expensive lenses in its range, especially now it has embraced autofocus, but it hasn’t forgotten its manual-focus, great-value-for- money roots. Mirrorless is very much on its agenda too which is where the Samyang 85mm ED UMC CS f/1.8 comes into the picture. Priced at £319, here is its latest fast aperture manual focus telephoto which is available in Canon EOS M, Fujifilm, Micro Four Thirds and Sony E fits. Of course, the lens’s effective focal length in 35mm format terms varies depending on what format you’re using, so around 135mm for the APS-C formats and 170mm for MFT. Whichever way you’re looking at it, this is a fast aperture telephoto eminently suited to portraits, landscape, street and general image making. Weighing in at 405g with lens hood in place and measuring around 80mm, this is a compact lightweight

Just choose the aperture to give the required depth-of-field effect

F/8

travel is needed to cover the typical range of outdoor shooting distances. The 65cmminimum focusing on what is effectively a medium telephoto is very handy for close-ups and details in the scene. A deep, bayonet hood comes with the lens and this locks positively into position. At infinity focus, the front element is recessed into the lens’s body by about 1cm so in effect adding the supplied hood makes it even more effective for flare prevention. The aperture ring, from f/1.8 down to f/22 is firmly click-stopped in 0.5EV steps and the serrated edged ring makes aperture change easy and comfortable. The manual aperture means the view gets a little dimmer at smaller f/stops but getting the scene in sharp focus is simple enough. My images were all taken using Raw format and images processed in Lightroom with default sharpening applied. This lens impresses from f/1.8 with a fine performance across the whole frame with fine detail crisply picked out. Resolution does pick up and contrast increases with stopping down but not by that much because quality is already very high. I’d happily use apertures from f/1.8 to f/11 for critical results with f/5.6 being the best setting, and just choose the aperture to give the required depth- of-field effect. Diffraction starts to kick in at f/16 and you can see sharpness falling away and contrast suffers. This drop in performance continues at f/22. With the wider and mid apertures more important for telephoto shooting this Samyang delivers where it counts the most. WC

F/11

F/16

F/22

Images With its modest price tag, this fast aperture Samyang lens delivered a very capable performance at its best apertures including wide open at f/1.8. It’s compact and light too so handling is impressive.

Verdict

lens and an ideal companion for MFT and APS-C mirrorless cameras. My review sample came in Sony E fit and I used it on a Sony A9 with its APS-C cropped mode. On the A9 the lens looked undernourished. Its optical construction is nine elements in seven groups with one extra-low dispersion element to correct chromatic aberration and one high refractive element to control the light path through the lens. There are no aspherical glass elements needed due to the lens’s floating focus design. Samyang’s UMC (Ultra Multi- coating) has been employed to counter flare and ghosting. Focus frominfinity to theminimum focusing distance of 65cm took about one third of a whole rotation of the barrel. Half of that travel takes you from infinity to 1.3m so not much

Make no mistake, the Samyang 85mm ED UMC CS f/1.8 is a highly capable lens and a bargain at its modest price. It delivers a very fine optical performance at the apertures that matter for medium telephoto use. If you want selective focusing and a shallow depth-of-field this lens will do a great job and give impressive sharpness where it matters. If you’re an APS-C mirrorless shooter who wants critically sharp images from a competitively priced, fast aperture, manual focus telephoto, this is the lens for you – regardless of your budget.

Pros Light, compact, good price, choice of fittings, optical performance Cons Manual aperture