I have recently been given the opportunity by Samyang Australia to test out some of their amazing lenses and do some reviews, One of the lens is the NEW Auto focus 50mm f1.4. I was looking forward to receiving this lens and seeing what it can produce. As Samyang first autofocus lens this is a game changer opening the doors for sony users as a lot of photographers now use autofocus with portraits, weddings, events and to have access to a variety of lenses at a affordable price. For people who are in Australia you can purchase this lens from Digidirect for $869 AUD.
http://www.digidirect.com.au/camera_lenses/samyang/samyang_af_50mm_f14_umc_ii_sony_e__full_frame
or overseas
The build quality of this lens is mainly of metal with a plastic hood and the focus ring has a smooth feel to it. For the size of the lens it is actually light but if you compare it to the zeiss 55mm f1.8 it is larger and heavier than the Zeiss. When mounted on my a7sii the Samyang lens really feels right at home, making it well balanced on my a7sii. Here is an image comparing the size to the 55mm f1.8.
I have been getting a lot of questions about the autofocus from so many Sony users. All I can say is that the autofocus is really fast and always nailing focus. I have been playing around with this lens testing it on my 3 year old daughter running around to see how well it could keep up and i can proudly say that the focus kept up really well without any issues. The best part about this is that it allows you to use the Eye-AF (it is a feature that Sony mirrorless cameras have where it focusses only on the eye allowing you to get the eyes in focus and sharp), You can even use tracking with this lens. Testing the AF on both of the lenses, finding the zeiss to be slightly faster than the samyang. The only thing i have noticed is that with the Samyang 50mm you can hear the Autofocus whereas the Zeiss you can’t hear anything But that is not an issue for me. I will be using this lens on upcoming weddings and events you can follow my page to view the images or join my groups listed below.
This is definitely a lens for the bokeh lovers. Been a big bokeh lover my self this is a lens that produces some amazing creamy Bokeh, giving a nice smooth fall off at f1.4
This is definitely a lens for the bokeh lovers. Been a big bokeh lover my self this is a lens that produces some amazing creamy Bokeh, giving a nice smooth fall off at f1.4
Below are images comparison’s between the Samyang 50mm f1.4 and Zeiss 55mm f1.8 straight out of camera.
Looking at the images from what I could see they look very similar with bokeh and sharpness, the Zeiss look a tad sharper than the Samyang. Here is a link to the high res images for you to make the judge. https://500px.com/hrimages/galleries/samyang-50mm-f1-4-vs-zeiss-55mm-f1-8
Below are some more images i captured with the Samyang 50mm f1.4.
Conclusion
For the price of the Samyang 50mm f1.4 $869 AUD in my own opinion it is definitely worth the investment. Also a bonus coming in f1.4 producing amazing soft and creamy bokeh. The autofocus for the Samyang is fast I haven’t had any issue or delays with it, and the thing I love the most with this lens is that you can access all the great features from the sony camera such as Eye-AF. I found with some of my images that I notice have some CA but never found it to be an issue as it is an easy fix in lightroom. If budget is an issue and you can’t afford the Sony 50mm f1.4 the Samyang 50mm is definitely worth investing in. For the price you getting an amazing lens and it is a lens i would recommend. My short time using it I have been blown away with what this lens can produce. I will also be doing some videos doing photoshoots with this lens so stay tuned for the video.
If you want a chance to win this lens I will be launching a worldwide competition. Samyang Australia has sponsored me for this competition and having the NEW Samyang 50mm f1.4 AF as the prize. Subscribe to my youtube channel and like my Facebook page as I will be announcing the competition on there. I will also post the announcement on my groups so feel free to join any of my groups that you feel will benefit you.