Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC (EOS) - Full Format Format Review / Test Report - Sample Images & Verdict
Lens Reviews - Canon EOS (Full Format)
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Introduction
Analysis
Sample Images & Verdict

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Sample Images

Here're some sample images converted with Canon DPP.

Click on a thumbnail to view the original file (opens in a separate window). Please note that the originals are FULL SIZE samples (=several megabytes) thus requiring a significant amount of bandwidth so please take care of the limited resources here.

Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/8
Exposure 1/400s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Exposure 1/5000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/2
Exposure 1/6400s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Exposure 1/1000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Exposure 1/2000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Exposure 1/250s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Exposure 1/5000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Exposure 1/2000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/2
Exposure 1/6400s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Exposure 1/2500s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Exposure 1/6400s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/8
Exposure 1/200s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Exposure 1/2000s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Exposure 1/160s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Exposure 1/60s
Make Canon
Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed 200
Focal Length 35mm
Aperture: f/1.4
Exposure 1/4s

Verdict

Samyang continues to surprise us regarding the quality of their recently released products. The full format Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC is capable of delivering a very high quality straight from f/1.4. The contrast level is a bit reduced at max. aperture though. Stopping down boosts the contrast whereas the resolution improves to excellent results at medium aperture settings. It may be a surprising news but this is easily superior to the results of the "mighty" Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 USM L here. There's a fairly heavy amount of vignetting at max. aperture so it's advisable to correct the issue during post-processing or by stopping down to at least f/2.8. The rather moderate amount of barrel distortion is generally not overly relevant. A weakness is the quality of the bokeh - it's quite nervous but that's a fate that it shares with the Canon L lens actually. The amount of bokeh fringing is typical for a lens in this class.

The mechanical quality of the Samyang lens is on a very high level. It may not be a full-metal lens but the lens body is made of high quality plastics and it's a joy to use the damped focus ring. A limiting factor is certainly the lack of AF as well as the uncoupled aperture which forces photographers into a rather classic style of shooting again. Magnified Live-View (or a split-image viewfinder screen) can help to overcome some of the focusing problems but it will slow you down for sure. However, keep in mind that the lens costs just a fraction of the corresponding Canon lens so its a fairly obvious choice for budget-oriented users with a desire for high speed (ultra-large aperture) and high quality images.

Optical Quality:    
Mechanical Quality:
Price/Performance:
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