Samyang is a reputable lens manufacturer known for their well-built manual focus lenses that produced sharp images. When they announced their first AF lens, the 14mm f2.8 and the 50mm f1.4 for Sony E mount. This is a game changer for Samyang as AF is a vital part for a lot of photographers whether shooting events, street photography etc. Being a Sony user, it has opened the doors to having access to some great affordable lenses. Both these lenses are compatible with phase and contrast detect sensors.
My time in using both the 50mm and 14mm AF lenses I would have to say I am really impressed on how snappy and accurate the autofocus performs. The new Samyang AF lenses are native lenses for Sony E mount and one thing I loved about these 2 lenses is having access to one of Sony’s best features, the Eye-AF. I have tested the Eye-AF for some portraits and it just locks onto the subject’s eyes making it sharp and focused. You also have access to the other Sony camera features, such as lock AF and the different focus modes. I have done some tests for video to see how well the autofocus performs, to my findings the transition with the autofocus from subject to subject was smooth and without any hunting.
I was really excited about receiving and test the 50mm f1.4. This is a great lens that can be used for a variety of things such portraits, landscapes, street photography and even capturing shots with stunning bokeh. One thing I really wanted to know is how well the AF can keep up with shootings events. I have used it during a christening and the autofocus has kept up really well not missing any shots even when using Eye-AF, never leting me down. The 50mm is also an affordable lens especially the f1.4 aperture producing sharp images and stunning bokeh. When shooting wide open with this lens it produces an image that sharp with soft and creamy separation between the subject and background. Here are some sample images captured with the 50mm f1.4 AF lens
Sony a7ii + Samyang 50mm f1.4 AF @ ISO 800, f1.4, shutter 1/1250 using Godox ad360 with HSS flash. Shooting produces a nice separation between the model and background.
Sony a7ii + Samyang 50mm f1.4 AF @ ISO 640, f1.4, Shutter 1/400 using natural light
Sony a7sii + Samyang 50mm f1.4 AF @ ISO 3200, f1.4, shutter 1/200 Using Eye-AF
Sony a7sii + Samyang 50mm f1.4 AF @ ISO 640, f1.4, shutter 1/320. Shooting wide showcasing the bokeh in the background of the image.
The first 14mm lens i used was the manual focus version. I have to admit I did love this lens but it was a lens that I barley used due to the distortion. The distortion made it difficult to shoot a variety of genres. When I first received the 14mm f2.8 AF lens I was looking forward to the autofocus and hearing about a slight improvement in distortion made it even more exciting to test out. To my surprise there was definitely an improvement with distortion and the lens correction making it close to perfect. With the autofocus and improvement with the distortion made this my most loved and used lens, I have not put this lens down and being able to shoot a variety of genre with it was a bonus. Even with the 14mm f2.8 AF lens you are also able to use Eye-AF. You are able to attach this lens with Sony’s crop sensor cameras such as the a6000, a6300 and a6500 making it a 21mm equivalent due to the crop. Here are some sample images captured with the 14mm f2.8 AF lens
Sony a7rii + Samyang 14mm f2.8 AF @ ISO 1250, f4.5, shutter 1/250. As you can see with this image there is very minimal distortion and sharp throughout the images.
Sony a7rii + Samyang 14mm f2.8 AF @ ISO 100, f14, shutter 13 seconds.
Sony a7rii + Samyang 14mm f2.8 @ ISO 100, f2.8, shutter 1/30. The 14mm can get up real close to the subject and still producing a decent bokeh for a wide angle lens.
Sony a7rii + Samyang 14mm f2.8 AF @ ISO 100, f2.8, shutter 1/30. The 14mm can be used for some wide angle portraits if getting the angle and distance correct which will produce minimal distortion on the model.
Conclusion
Samyang has really out done themselves with their new and improved lenses. Providing a fast and accurate autofocus for Sony E mount. I have been blown away with how well these 2 lenses can perform not having delays or issues. These are lenses I would strongly recommend for Sony users, especially those who are on a budget. These lenses produce amazingly sharp images with stunning bokeh. I am really looking forward to seeing Samyang continue to step forward on this new journey with Autofocus lenses for Sony E mount.
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