I started out with the 85 mm F1.4 by Sam yang and I used it for over a year. But I did get the Sony GM 85 mm about two months after I bought the Samyang and compared it and actually for the amount of money you pay for the Sony was just a hair sharper but it was loud, and it was not worth it so I sent it back and kept the Samyang. So after seeing so many great reviews about the Sigma 85 mm F1.4 I decide to grab it and compare it and wow what a difference in sharpness. & it finds focus a lot faster. But I got nothing bad to say about the original Sam yang 85 mm F1.4. It’s a great lens in it worked flawlessly at all the weddings I used it in. I use it for portraits and it’s a great lens to start with. But Samyang is doing great things with their lenses these days and I would love to see the difference with this new version. Bye if it’s not better than the Sigma I won’t bother. Great channel love the video
Great comment thanks so much for sharing and really glad you liked the video. If you have the Sigma, you have the best 85mm but Samyang are pretty close too
@@MarkDuffyPhotography I think people who look at Samyang lenses think cheap, poorly made, not sharp lenses. But they are wrong. You could use both but Samyang lenses and have what a successful business with beautiful photos. I am proof of that. I still have my 35mm f1.4 & 50mm f1.4 v2 that I use on a daily basis. They just don’t get enough recognition for their lenses. I wish they would’ve came out with the 135 mm F1.8 with auto focus before I bought the Sony 135 gm version .
@@LMActionsports The Samyang AF 135mm f1.8 FE is sharper than GM, right across the frame, focuses just as fast, it has less CA and LoCA (virtually zero fact), it focuses closer, it has fantastic close up performance, even wide open, it's much lighter and about half the price...It's a no brainer...You would be much better off selling the GM, and even after getting a Samyang brand new you will probably still have some money left over to spend on some other useful gadget...Like perhaps a decent quality 82mm CPL to fit on the Samyang.
@@alfoutdoors9660 but if I were to sell my 135 gm I wouldn't get the 20 fps I get with my A9. That's the only reason I don't sell it. I do a lot of Atv and dirt bike races and it comes in handy getting the one perfect shot out of a burst. I still might pick one up incase my GM gets damaged at the races. Those machines kick up a lot of mud and dust when they fly by.
Extremely clearly presented! Love how you compare the lens. I would go for Samyang. Nobody would tell those subtle differences but the money saved means a lot.
You timed this well! Literally looking at 85's this week! Was thinking of the Samyang but the focus switch and dedicated aperture adjustment on the Sigma is what'll swing it for me. I have the 24-70 2.8 with sigman and love how it feels so that'll be me. Surprised at how far that Sony has fallen on that lens!
With their new AF 135mm f1.8 FE, Samyang haven't just caught up with the performance of Sony GM lenses, but they have actually surpassed them, yet with a much lighter lens and which is only about half the price.
What I noticed was Samyang was the lens that had least amount of eye af tracking while shooting, the eye af box didn't even show up most of the time, while it was comparatively much more in Sigma and highest in the GM.
short to the point and easy to follow and wow never thought the sony would be outclassed by these other two except focus performance .Nice vid keep em coming.
Great review! The margins are so small. For those on a budget, the Samyang appears to be the perfect choice, with no obvious difference in picture quality or sharpness, and being lighter. The money saved could go on lighting or other equipment. I personally, might still go with the Sigma, only because my 35mm is Sigma also, and their functions are the same, which will make switching between the two more seemless.
The small margins were my point as Samyang was the total underdog going into this. Its always written off compared to Sony or Sigma etc.. And you're totally right, if you can afford it Sigma is the choice if you want to save Samyang is a great option, I'm still using this and I have their 50mm f1.4 ii as well, 2 great lenses
I'm torn between the Sigma, Samyang and the Viltrox ... and the FE Sony 😅 I investigated the used market too, the Samyangs drop quite a lot quickly, Sigma in the middle, Sony drops the least. And All the second hand Samyangs 85/1.4 V1 and a single V2 that I could find had problems after talking to the sellers (here in China), camera locking up (A7IV and A7R2) or focus not working intermittently. Sp Samyang is almost too risky. I'll probably go with the Sigma in the end, it seems the sharpest in your review and has great AFC, thanks for the extensive test !
You always have to make sure to update the FW to the latest version with Samyang lenses and doing so can eliminate issues and often improve the lenses performance. For example, when the Samyang 135mm f1.8 first came out, with FW V0.1 installed, early users reported it would drain their cameras battery when left attached to the camera, even when the camera was turned off...Samyang promptly released FW V0.2 which totally eliminated this problem...So Samyang do listen to their users feedback and they do issue FW updates quickly to address any issues. Another example...I bought my Samyang AF 18mm f2.8 FE used for a low price and I noticed it had very obvious vignetting the the corners wide open. When I put it on my Samyang lens station to see what FW versions it had installed I found it still had the original FW installed since new (V 0.1). I updated it thinking it would update to V 0.2 but it actually updated to V 0.6! And with that FW installed there is now zero vignetting in the corners of frame wide open! So it really is essential that Samyang users remember to update their FW.
@@hollywoodluxurymedia1044 Samyang is Korean, Viltrox is Chinese. I got the Tokina 85/1.8 in the end, probably made by the same factory that produces the Viltrox.
@@hollywoodluxurymedia1044 Totally wrong! Samyang Optics is a South Korean company from Changwon, South Korea whereas Viltrox is a Chinese company (JYC Technology (HK) Co, from Shenzhen, China. Samyang were founded in 1972 whereas Viltrox wasn't founded till 2009.
I have a couple of Sony GM prime lenses because usually, they are very expensive, but they are more compact and sharper than their third-party equivalents. Then there's the 85mm f/1.4 GM. The Sigma is better, smaller, and cheaper. Sony should really make a better 85mm.
The 135mm is the best lens I've ever owned and it has a nice weight to it, but the Samyang and Sigma for me out performed the Sony and the only real difference was a slight bit better autofocus with Sigma and then Samyang fell apart with the torch test
OK, right off the bat, the Samyang either transmits a lot more light than the Sigma, or the amount of light outside decreased by a full stop (+.3 to -.7) between 1:05 PM and 1:15 PM. ... Oh wow, later on, the Sigma is bumped up one stop in ISO, and is only at +.3 exposure. so it's about 2/3 of a stop darker then, too.
@@MarkDuffyPhotography The Sigma seems to be a better lens overall, especially with that Samyang performance into bright light, but for almost half the price (and nearly as little as a quarter of the Sony), that Samyang is hitting HARD with its image quality in standard conditions.
Great comparison. Its the second one I saw that featured the Samyang and the thing that I noticed is the color balance. Its quite warm compared to the Sigma. Small addition there. Quite surprising that the Sigma outperformed the Sony on the points you’ve tested it. I’m considering getting the Sigma for the canon af mount as an upgrade to the canon 85 1.8. The sharpness is a reason for me to do that. Thanks!
Oh nice one thanks, yeah like I said I was surprised by the results overall. I own the Samyang lens now so I'm happy using it and have used it at a wedding recently, never missed focus no issues with flaring, all good for me
Hey Mark, nice review...What I came away with from your live tests is the that Sigma had the most contrast, but the slowest AF, the Sony had the next slowest AF but it's AF speed was not consistent, and the Samyang was a tad softer wide open than the other other two, though I would say in a flattering way for the model (less clinically sharp), it gave the second best subject isolation from the background after the Sigma, and it had the fastest and most accurate AF of the three. I was surprised that I couldn't see any CA issues from any of the three in that test either. Given it's ridiculously high price, a Sony GM has clearly been outclassed by the much cheaper alternative from South Korea...Samyang's AF 135mm f1.8 FE also trumps the Sony GM version, for half the price. You mentioned you had the 135/1.8 GM so I would love to see you compare the two yourself but reviewer Chris Frost said it best in his review at 6:18. ua-cam.com/video/HibHyL1r-TQ/v-deo.html
I could be getting a hold of the Samyang 135mm and I definitely will do a side by side if that's the case as for me the 135mm GM is the best lens I own. Totally agree with your points, on my test the Samyang kept going to Niamh's shoulder but stuff like that hasn't happened since in any shoot I've done with it and I use it loads with my commercial work
great video thanks! Please give me some advice Which lens is better for portrait photography and why? Sony FE 85mm F/1.8. sony 90mm macro .85mm sigma art.
Well look... I have the Samy and the Sony 85 1.8 ... IQ wise Samyang is a much better lens... But it fell down from my bag on the floor, 30cm height drop. And after that it started to give a front focus issue. Repair man said that it's impossible to fix because everything inside is made from plastic. My Sony though fell from a bar table once (1m) and still survived, despite having a visible dent on it.
I notice the Sigma color definitely looked better in the blind comparison. Does the Samyang consistency look more green or was this more of a AWB thing?
Yeah that was an AWB issue, I couldn't get the white balance to look anyway decent from using daylight or cloudy but AWB seemed to have a decent colour. Loads of reflected green from the gras where we were standing. Sigma I found to be the warmest overall
I initially started trying to compare each lens with the same settings, but the clouds had other ideas and I had to change. So you'll see between Samyang and Sigma the settings are exactly the same, a heavy cloud rolled over
I initially set the Samyang and Sigma to the same settings as some lenses exposed differently, then the sun started coming out of the clouds and my plans went all over the place, but the Samyang only went up to 0.3 above, like not much, while the Sigma did go down a bit. But that fluctuation is more a test on the camera rather than the lens.
From unqualified personal experience: bokeh & transition zones aren't as soft as the GMs, but it has the fastest and most precise autofocus. Sharpness wide open isn't a problem on the 24 mpix sensor, I see it more as a multi purpose 85mm, from portrait to landscape to sports. Wanted to exchange it for a 1.4 one day, but it's just too practical and light, I'll keep it.
Definitely a big Sigma fan on Sony. Samyang is definitely catching my attention though. I use the Sigma 24-70 2.8 very often on my A7IV and I love it. Looking to get an 85 soon.
Well... You mentioned in review that this lens has no MF/AF switch but at the same time you don't use AFL button. Which you could program as MF/AF switch. I personally don't care to much about MF/AF switch as I have it always assigned on my camera to a custom button.
@@MarkDuffyPhotography hey Mark, i recently tried 85mm and realized how versatile it is for me. For landscapes if i can avoid needing a bigger zoom, i like the compressed depth style of 85mm. In my case i shoot a lot of shore line landscapes, and I find 85mm gives me a good balance where it also forces me to move around and not be lazy with a zoom.
@@999slawter that is a great range, but there's something about 85mm 1.8. I recently acquired Tamron 35-150, and i noticed i shoot mostly 35, 85 80% of the time.
Great review. Lenses accross all manufacturers are rapidly improving (computing power?), many high quality lens designs from 5+ years ago are struggling to compete with more recent, cheaper, 3rd party lenses. Sigma is ~£400 more expensive than the Samyang in UK right now, tough decision.
There is one thing: Samyang lenses focus fine on mirrorless systems, but on a FX6 or FX9 the AF doesn’t work at all! On my A7 systems the 18mm, 24mm and 135mm work fine, on the FX6 not at all. Samyang doesn’t reply on questions about this, nor have I ever seen a reviewer mentioning this
I unfortunately can't give you an answer as I'm just a photographer but I reckon their answer will be that they have just released autofocus cine lenses
Samyang smashes it with this lens. Clear winner if you include the prices in your decisionmaking if you ask me. Even without the prices it's close, but Sony definitely last.
Yeah but that and others are f1.8 lens so these 3 would have advantages over it with being able to open out to f1.8. I also had to rent these lenses so adding in all the other f1.8 lenses on the market would've made it very expensive for me to create this video and I don't earn from UA-cam as it stands sorry
It's staggering isn't it. That's why I didn't talk over the screen recordings, just let the tests speak for themselves, keep the video as unbiased as possible. I do love the Samyang too, used it at a wedding as a second shooter a couple of weeks ago
Nice video and review. I own a Sony 7aiii and am seriously considering buying a 85mm lens. The pricing situation at this moment is like this, the Samyang is at 799Eur, the Sigma 1049 and the Sony is at 1649Eur (considering a 200 Euro cashback it would cost 1449), so that can be a factor in the decision making, especially between the Samyang and the Sigma. About the weather sealing, they seem all 3 to be that, the Sony probably with the best built quality? Did you notice a true difference in the built quality mainly between the Samyang and the Sigma? Is weather sealing something one truly needs for that kind of lens? I also read that the Samyang have purposely left out 1 aspherical element in the optics to ensure a better bokeh result. Was there any noticeable difference between the Samyang and the other lenses in that respect? I'll be glad for any further tips and information! Cheers
I was since told by Sigma their lens is full metal body and it does feel a better build to Samyang but the Samyang feels well built. The biggest difference is the warm tone and contrast from Sigma that was my favourite but I've been using the Samyang loads since this video and it's fantastic, I've no need to change to Sigma so you could save money with Samyang
I own the Sigma, and it’s a fantastic lens, but not perfect. The close focusing is terrible and the barrel distortion is also not great but easily corrected. The metal they use to make the lens is very soft after two years of use, mine has lots of little chips . You would think I dragged it behind my car. None of my Sony lenses that have been treated the same look like this. In fact, they all look like new. The lens is amazingly sharp even at f1.4. Fast AF and zero CA
I will agree the finish they use on Sigma lenses is easily scratched. I had that issue with my Sigma 50mm, I too look after my gear and still have some marks on the lens body
Before I watch the video: All I search on a lens narrows down to two things: 1: Autofocus performance: i want it to be accurate; I don't really care about the speed (unless of course it would be as slow as something like sony 70-400 SSM I). Many of the "fast AF" lenses are actually giving you so many misses. I can still override before the lens acquires focus. 2: Size. I want the lenses to be huge and have wide glass aperture. For me it is more satisfying to look at, being honest. After watching the video; my conclusions: Sigma: Best AF speed, worst light transmission about T2 i'd say, least AF accuracy/smaller size Sony: Slowest AF speed, bad light transmission (t1.8), decent accuracy when tracking/biggest of them all Samyang: Balanced AF, good accuracy, great light transmission/midsize betwen sigma and sony Seeing Sigma and Samyang performance side by side show overcast light, while Sony shows sunrays being casted over the model Sigma has worse light transmission than Samyang, and Samyang renders more dynamic range. I would pick the Samyang out of the bunch. Thank you for your insights! Do you think it would keep up with domestic pond birds? Say ducks and sparrows
You could at least borrow Canon EF 85/1.4 IS and EF 85/1.2 mk2 with MC11 adapter Mark.. But to be honest the RF 85/1.2 will be the one standing out... But not when you shoot sony
Yeah but these lenses are native to Sony. Those other lenses need adapters which leads to variation in performance result if people buy cheaper adapters.
Is it though? Noisy focus motors makes it useless for video and then it has no contrast so extra post production work. I was not impressed by it especially at its price point, definitely over priced
Lenses are a tool. A cheap tool can work just as well as an expensive tool. The main difference is you just pay more for the name with the expensive tool, but don't actually get any benefit from it, so it ends up being a waste of money...A bit like the Sony vs the other two.
I'll use what I have, what I don't have are the A7s3 or A74. And about the sun, I had the lenses for 2 days and live in Ireland where we have mainly cloudy days. The sun came out of the clouds for the flare test that I'm guessing your other comment was in reply of. Thanks for your very helpful comments
The most comprehensive comparison of 85mm f1.4 lenses I can find on UA-cam!!!!!
Nice one thanks so much dude. I wanna do more videos like this just tough getting all the gear for them
I started out with the 85 mm F1.4 by Sam yang and I used it for over a year. But I did get the Sony GM 85 mm about two months after I bought the Samyang and compared it and actually for the amount of money you pay for the Sony was just a hair sharper but it was loud, and it was not worth it so I sent it back and kept the Samyang. So after seeing so many great reviews about the Sigma 85 mm F1.4 I decide to grab it and compare it and wow what a difference in sharpness. & it finds focus a lot faster. But I got nothing bad to say about the original Sam yang 85 mm F1.4. It’s a great lens in it worked flawlessly at all the weddings I used it in. I use it for portraits and it’s a great lens to start with. But Samyang is doing great things with their lenses these days and I would love to see the difference with this new version. Bye if it’s not better than the Sigma I won’t bother. Great channel love the video
Great comment thanks so much for sharing and really glad you liked the video. If you have the Sigma, you have the best 85mm but Samyang are pretty close too
@@MarkDuffyPhotography I think people who look at Samyang lenses think cheap, poorly made, not sharp lenses. But they are wrong. You could use both but Samyang lenses and have what a successful business with beautiful photos. I am proof of that. I still have my 35mm f1.4 & 50mm f1.4 v2 that I use on a daily basis. They just don’t get enough recognition for their lenses. I wish they would’ve came out with the 135 mm F1.8 with auto focus before I bought the Sony 135 gm version .
@@LMActionsports The Samyang AF 135mm f1.8 FE is sharper than GM, right across the frame, focuses just as fast, it has less CA and LoCA (virtually zero fact), it focuses closer, it has fantastic close up performance, even wide open, it's much lighter and about half the price...It's a no brainer...You would be much better off selling the GM, and even after getting a Samyang brand new you will probably still have some money left over to spend on some other useful gadget...Like perhaps a decent quality 82mm CPL to fit on the Samyang.
@@alfoutdoors9660 but if I were to sell my 135 gm I wouldn't get the 20 fps I get with my A9. That's the only reason I don't sell it. I do a lot of Atv and dirt bike races and it comes in handy getting the one perfect shot out of a burst. I still might pick one up incase my GM gets damaged at the races. Those machines kick up a lot of mud and dust when they fly by.
@@LMActionsports Fair enough, I have the A7C and 10fps is plenty fast enough for me.
Extremely clearly presented! Love how you compare the lens. I would go for Samyang. Nobody would tell those subtle differences but the money saved means a lot.
Exactly and I've been using the Samyang for shoots since and it hasnt failed on focus
You timed this well! Literally looking at 85's this week! Was thinking of the Samyang but the focus switch and dedicated aperture adjustment on the Sigma is what'll swing it for me. I have the 24-70 2.8 with sigman and love how it feels so that'll be me. Surprised at how far that Sony has fallen on that lens!
Cool dude make sure ya get the DG DN version it's the newer version and is what I had in the video. The older HSM is much bigger
Class man, its unreal how large the strides the likes of samyang are making in catching up to Sony
Totally dude, delighted to see it. Competition in the market can only improve everything overall. Sony need to get a new 85mm GM too
With their new AF 135mm f1.8 FE, Samyang haven't just caught up with the performance of Sony GM lenses, but they have actually surpassed them, yet with a much lighter lens and which is only about half the price.
What I noticed was Samyang was the lens that had least amount of eye af tracking while shooting, the eye af box didn't even show up most of the time, while it was comparatively much more in Sigma and highest in the GM.
Yeah very true, in the photos shot it only missed focus twice and that was when Niamh was walking towards me
short to the point and easy to follow and wow never thought the sony would be outclassed by these other two except focus performance .Nice vid keep em coming.
Nice one thanks glad you enjoyed it
Great review! The margins are so small. For those on a budget, the Samyang appears to be the perfect choice, with no obvious difference in picture quality or sharpness, and being lighter. The money saved could go on lighting or other equipment. I personally, might still go with the Sigma, only because my 35mm is Sigma also, and their functions are the same, which will make switching between the two more seemless.
The small margins were my point as Samyang was the total underdog going into this. Its always written off compared to Sony or Sigma etc.. And you're totally right, if you can afford it Sigma is the choice if you want to save Samyang is a great option, I'm still using this and I have their 50mm f1.4 ii as well, 2 great lenses
im same as you. I owned both 35 & 85 DGDN. Got to say, 85 is such a great lens. sharper than 85gm
I'm torn between the Sigma, Samyang and the Viltrox ... and the FE Sony 😅 I investigated the used market too, the Samyangs drop quite a lot quickly, Sigma in the middle, Sony drops the least. And All the second hand Samyangs 85/1.4 V1 and a single V2 that I could find had problems after talking to the sellers (here in China), camera locking up (A7IV and A7R2) or focus not working intermittently. Sp Samyang is almost too risky. I'll probably go with the Sigma in the end, it seems the sharpest in your review and has great AFC, thanks for the extensive test !
You always have to make sure to update the FW to the latest version with Samyang lenses and doing so can eliminate issues and often improve the lenses performance. For example, when the Samyang 135mm f1.8 first came out, with FW V0.1 installed, early users reported it would drain their cameras battery when left attached to the camera, even when the camera was turned off...Samyang promptly released FW V0.2 which totally eliminated this problem...So Samyang do listen to their users feedback and they do issue FW updates quickly to address any issues.
Another example...I bought my Samyang AF 18mm f2.8 FE used for a low price and I noticed it had very obvious vignetting the the corners wide open. When I put it on my Samyang lens station to see what FW versions it had installed I found it still had the original FW installed since new (V 0.1). I updated it thinking it would update to V 0.2 but it actually updated to V 0.6! And with that FW installed there is now zero vignetting in the corners of frame wide open! So it really is essential that Samyang users remember to update their FW.
samyang and viltrox are the same company
@@hollywoodluxurymedia1044 Samyang is Korean, Viltrox is Chinese. I got the Tokina 85/1.8 in the end, probably made by the same factory that produces the Viltrox.
@@hollywoodluxurymedia1044 Totally wrong! Samyang Optics is a South Korean company from Changwon, South Korea whereas Viltrox is a Chinese company (JYC Technology (HK) Co, from Shenzhen, China. Samyang were founded in 1972 whereas Viltrox wasn't founded till 2009.
@@alfoutdoors9660 i got it mixed up with Vivitar
I have a couple of Sony GM prime lenses because usually, they are very expensive, but they are more compact and sharper than their third-party equivalents. Then there's the 85mm f/1.4 GM. The Sigma is better, smaller, and cheaper. Sony should really make a better 85mm.
The 135mm is the best lens I've ever owned and it has a nice weight to it, but the Samyang and Sigma for me out performed the Sony and the only real difference was a slight bit better autofocus with Sigma and then Samyang fell apart with the torch test
Sigma has such great contrast I spotted A within a second.
I was the same, straight out of camera it is the nicest lens
Old samyang I had was good lens but it had yellowish or greenish tone which I didn’t like. The new one still seems to have similar tones.
OK, right off the bat, the Samyang either transmits a lot more light than the Sigma, or the amount of light outside decreased by a full stop (+.3 to -.7) between 1:05 PM and 1:15 PM. ... Oh wow, later on, the Sigma is bumped up one stop in ISO, and is only at +.3 exposure. so it's about 2/3 of a stop darker then, too.
Huge cloud cover during my testing of the Sigma but I found far more contrasty than the others too
@@MarkDuffyPhotography The Sigma seems to be a better lens overall, especially with that Samyang performance into bright light, but for almost half the price (and nearly as little as a quarter of the Sony), that Samyang is hitting HARD with its image quality in standard conditions.
Great comparison. Its the second one I saw that featured the Samyang and the thing that I noticed is the color balance. Its quite warm compared to the Sigma. Small addition there. Quite surprising that the Sigma outperformed the Sony on the points you’ve tested it. I’m considering getting the Sigma for the canon af mount as an upgrade to the canon 85 1.8. The sharpness is a reason for me to do that. Thanks!
Oh nice one thanks, yeah like I said I was surprised by the results overall. I own the Samyang lens now so I'm happy using it and have used it at a wedding recently, never missed focus no issues with flaring, all good for me
@@MarkDuffyPhotography Ah, nice! Thanks for the feedback. Good luck!
There is also the Zeiss Batis Sonnar 85mm 1.8 which have Optical Stabilizer
I was just keeping it within the f1.4 lenses
Thank you for the test, very good from the Sigma as I kind of thought it would.
Yeah the Sigma is really good
Hey Mark, nice review...What I came away with from your live tests is the that Sigma had the most contrast, but the slowest AF, the Sony had the next slowest AF but it's AF speed was not consistent, and the Samyang was a tad softer wide open than the other other two, though I would say in a flattering way for the model (less clinically sharp), it gave the second best subject isolation from the background after the Sigma, and it had the fastest and most accurate AF of the three.
I was surprised that I couldn't see any CA issues from any of the three in that test either.
Given it's ridiculously high price, a Sony GM has clearly been outclassed by the much cheaper alternative from South Korea...Samyang's AF 135mm f1.8 FE also trumps the Sony GM version, for half the price.
You mentioned you had the 135/1.8 GM so I would love to see you compare the two yourself but reviewer Chris Frost said it best in his review at 6:18. ua-cam.com/video/HibHyL1r-TQ/v-deo.html
I could be getting a hold of the Samyang 135mm and I definitely will do a side by side if that's the case as for me the 135mm GM is the best lens I own.
Totally agree with your points, on my test the Samyang kept going to Niamh's shoulder but stuff like that hasn't happened since in any shoot I've done with it and I use it loads with my commercial work
Wow I have the same camera cage, in red 😁
Yeah it's a cool L bracket I couldn't find a version to suit my A7iv since upgrading earlier this year
This was a brilliant test Mark! Very well done.
Nice one thanks
great video thanks! Please give me some advice
Which lens is better for portrait photography and why? Sony FE 85mm F/1.8. sony 90mm macro .85mm sigma art.
Stick with the 85mms as the macros autofocus usually aren't as good. Then depends on your budget the Sigma 1.4 art would be the best choice
Mieke 85mm 1.4 is a good option too!
Well look... I have the Samy and the Sony 85 1.8 ... IQ wise Samyang is a much better lens... But it fell down from my bag on the floor, 30cm height drop. And after that it started to give a front focus issue. Repair man said that it's impossible to fix because everything inside is made from plastic.
My Sony though fell from a bar table once (1m) and still survived, despite having a visible dent on it.
Lesson of the day don't drop your lenses lol
I notice the Sigma color definitely looked better in the blind comparison. Does the Samyang consistency look more green or was this more of a AWB thing?
Yeah that was an AWB issue, I couldn't get the white balance to look anyway decent from using daylight or cloudy but AWB seemed to have a decent colour. Loads of reflected green from the gras where we were standing. Sigma I found to be the warmest overall
You are not fair ! You overexposed Samyang and Sony while on the Sigma m.m. has been set on "- 3 " to we see dark picture?
I initially started trying to compare each lens with the same settings, but the clouds had other ideas and I had to change. So you'll see between Samyang and Sigma the settings are exactly the same, a heavy cloud rolled over
Why did You overexposed Samyang and Sony while on the Sigma m.m. has been set on 0 ?
I initially set the Samyang and Sigma to the same settings as some lenses exposed differently, then the sun started coming out of the clouds and my plans went all over the place, but the Samyang only went up to 0.3 above, like not much, while the Sigma did go down a bit. But that fluctuation is more a test on the camera rather than the lens.
Great video
before I switched to sony, I had canon, and a really nice 85mm Sigma lens with 1.2a. I sold it.
I wondered if...a filter of any kind on the front of the Samyang would boost its flare capability?
I'm not sure, I'll give it try
Excellent video! Can the Sony f1.8 compete with these, apart from its price point?
I've heard great things about the Sony f1.8 but wanted to keep it with the f1.4 as they all would have that extra light as an advantage
From unqualified personal experience: bokeh & transition zones aren't as soft as the GMs, but it has the fastest and most precise autofocus. Sharpness wide open isn't a problem on the 24 mpix sensor, I see it more as a multi purpose 85mm, from portrait to landscape to sports. Wanted to exchange it for a 1.4 one day, but it's just too practical and light, I'll keep it.
@@begr_wiedererkennungswert Thanks for the insight! 👌
From the reviews I've seen the Sony 85mm f1.8 is a CA magnet.
The Sigma is just a BEAST!
Yeah I own their 50mm f1.4 and 150-600m sport, awesome lenses
Definitely a big Sigma fan on Sony. Samyang is definitely catching my attention though. I use the Sigma 24-70 2.8 very often on my A7IV and I love it. Looking to get an 85 soon.
Well... You mentioned in review that this lens has no MF/AF switch but at the same time you don't use AFL button. Which you could program as MF/AF switch. I personally don't care to much about MF/AF switch as I have it always assigned on my camera to a custom button.
Oh I know, I have it set to AEL as I never use it for my Tamron 17-28mm but I just personally don't like lenses not having MF/AF switches
Hello can someone help me whether i should buy a new 910 USD sigma 85mm dg dn art or the second hand 85mm gm for USD 990.
Sigma
@@puertadlm163 thankyou for helping. I have bought the sigma
great review thank you! I was looking for a 85mm prime for landscape, overall Sigma is a better choice but Samyang is 70% of the price...
Can I ask why you need an 85mm prime for landscapes?
@@MarkDuffyPhotography hey Mark, i recently tried 85mm and realized how versatile it is for me. For landscapes if i can avoid needing a bigger zoom, i like the compressed depth style of 85mm. In my case i shoot a lot of shore line landscapes, and I find 85mm gives me a good balance where it also forces me to move around and not be lazy with a zoom.
@@alexeyvoko But... 20-70 F4 would be like the perfect lens for you... Basically all you need...
@@999slawter that is a great range, but there's something about 85mm 1.8. I recently acquired Tamron 35-150, and i noticed i shoot mostly 35, 85 80% of the time.
@@alexeyvoko Tamron 35-150 the best
Great review.
Lenses accross all manufacturers are rapidly improving (computing power?), many high quality lens designs from 5+ years ago are struggling to compete with more recent, cheaper, 3rd party lenses.
Sigma is ~£400 more expensive than the Samyang in UK right now, tough decision.
And then you have Canon banning these third parties which I feel is unfair but makes me glad to be using Sony as I can spend my money wiser
There is one thing: Samyang lenses focus fine on mirrorless systems, but on a FX6 or FX9 the AF doesn’t work at all! On my A7 systems the 18mm, 24mm and 135mm work fine, on the FX6 not at all. Samyang doesn’t reply on questions about this, nor have I ever seen a reviewer mentioning this
I unfortunately can't give you an answer as I'm just a photographer but I reckon their answer will be that they have just released autofocus cine lenses
Tanks for this review really efficient
Looks like sony has least amount of focus breathing of this three, so for video applications it might be the best of those in comparison.
Beginner : Sigma,,,Sony GM is over spec to me..Thanks for your video
Samyang smashes it with this lens. Clear winner if you include the prices in your decisionmaking if you ask me. Even without the prices it's close, but Sony definitely last.
I'd agree with this, the contrast and tone of Sigma was lovely really warm. Reminded me of Canon
Loved the real word performance review. Thanks ❤️
Thanks, figured just let people see it for themselves and let them make up their own minds
Thanks for the review!
No probs, hope you're enjoying my videos
I was hoping to see the zeiss in here , also the FE sony :(
Yeah but that and others are f1.8 lens so these 3 would have advantages over it with being able to open out to f1.8. I also had to rent these lenses so adding in all the other f1.8 lenses on the market would've made it very expensive for me to create this video and I don't earn from UA-cam as it stands sorry
Wow I stand corrected the quality of glass in the reality of sigma test
It's staggering isn't it. That's why I didn't talk over the screen recordings, just let the tests speak for themselves, keep the video as unbiased as possible. I do love the Samyang too, used it at a wedding as a second shooter a couple of weeks ago
Nice video and review. I own a Sony 7aiii and am seriously considering buying a 85mm lens. The pricing situation at this moment is like this, the Samyang is at 799Eur, the Sigma 1049 and the Sony is at 1649Eur (considering a 200 Euro cashback it would cost 1449), so that can be a factor in the decision making, especially between the Samyang and the Sigma. About the weather sealing, they seem all 3 to be that, the Sony probably with the best built quality? Did you notice a true difference in the built quality mainly between the Samyang and the Sigma? Is weather sealing something one truly needs for that kind of lens? I also read that the Samyang have purposely left out 1 aspherical element in the optics to ensure a better bokeh result. Was there any noticeable difference between the Samyang and the other lenses in that respect? I'll be glad for any further tips and information! Cheers
I was since told by Sigma their lens is full metal body and it does feel a better build to Samyang but the Samyang feels well built. The biggest difference is the warm tone and contrast from Sigma that was my favourite but I've been using the Samyang loads since this video and it's fantastic, I've no need to change to Sigma so you could save money with Samyang
Man you really know when she will blink her eyes lol
I thought more people would notice that 😂🤣 I had a mare of a time with catching Niamh blinking lol
Which body did you use for this test?
Sony A7iii
很有用的比較與分享，謝謝你
Sorry I don't understand
@@MarkDuffyPhotography “It's very useful comparison and sharing, thank you” in Chinese.
Still a very relevant review!
Thanks, it's less a than a year old lol
What L bracket do you use??
Just a cheap one from Amazon
@@MarkDuffyPhotography can send me link mate tnx!!
At the moment Samyang drop the price in UK to £529 which is bargain
Really? That's for the mark ii or the mark I?
@@MarkDuffyPhotography mark ii
I own the Sigma, and it’s a fantastic lens, but not perfect. The close focusing is terrible and the barrel distortion is also not great but easily corrected. The metal they use to make the lens is very soft after two years of use, mine has lots of little chips . You would think I dragged it behind my car. None of my Sony lenses that have been treated the same look like this. In fact, they all look like new. The lens is amazingly sharp even at f1.4. Fast AF and zero CA
I will agree the finish they use on Sigma lenses is easily scratched. I had that issue with my Sigma 50mm, I too look after my gear and still have some marks on the lens body
You forgot the Viltrox!
Is that f1.4?
@@MarkDuffyPhotography Nope, it's an f1.8.
Paid $140 for the viltrox and $220 for the samyang
Which should i keep?
Whichever one you prefer
The Gmaster is a very old lens. Updated version due but you're working off older tech.
I know yeah but it's still highly regarded and sought after. From my test, I wouldn't go near it
which camera body did you have in this test?:)
Sony A7iii so you can imagine with the upgraded auto focus in any of the new ones can mean only better results
Should I buy Sigma or samyang for weddings??
I have the Samyang. I got it on black friday for about 450 so it was a no-brainer for me. I really like the lens, and highly recommend it.
Sigma lens its like 1/3 stops darker
No the sun went in behind a cloud when I changed lenses and I kinda rushed into getting the clip done
Before I watch the video:
All I search on a lens narrows down to two things:
1: Autofocus performance: i want it to be accurate; I don't really care about the speed (unless of course it would be as slow as something like sony 70-400 SSM I). Many of the "fast AF" lenses are actually giving you so many misses. I can still override before the lens acquires focus.
2: Size. I want the lenses to be huge and have wide glass aperture. For me it is more satisfying to look at, being honest.
After watching the video; my conclusions:
Sigma: Best AF speed, worst light transmission about T2 i'd say, least AF accuracy/smaller size
Sony: Slowest AF speed, bad light transmission (t1.8), decent accuracy when tracking/biggest of them all
Samyang: Balanced AF, good accuracy, great light transmission/midsize betwen sigma and sony
Seeing Sigma and Samyang performance side by side show overcast light, while Sony shows sunrays being casted over the model
Sigma has worse light transmission than Samyang, and Samyang renders more dynamic range.
I would pick the Samyang out of the bunch. Thank you for your insights! Do you think it would keep up with domestic pond birds? Say ducks and sparrows
Sigma so power in sharpness ❤
Yeah its super sharp
nice video
Thanks
Me gustó más el Samyang
I've been using that Samyang loads since and love it
Bast lens
I'd say the Sigma
If you were given a lens, this is sponsored content and must be marked as such. You're violating UA-cam's terms
womp womp
Samyang📷
I've been using the Samyang loads since this video and I love it
The sigma look darker then the samyang & sony
Yeah that was my fault, sun went behind a cloud at parts and I didn't change the exposure
sir witch camera use in a video i am from india 🇮🇳
Sony A7iii
@@MarkDuffyPhotography which lense better for hight portait and detials sony G master 85 mm 1.4 vs Sigma 85 mm1.4 dg dn art
@@mr_gk_099 which did you prefer in the video?
shoot tiktok videos and reels horizontal
You could at least borrow Canon EF 85/1.4 IS and EF 85/1.2 mk2 with MC11 adapter Mark.. But to be honest the RF 85/1.2 will be the one standing out... But not when you shoot sony
Yeah I wanted this to be only Sony mount lenses
Sony better
until we consider Canon Nikon 1.2 lenses this discussion isnt conclusive
Yeah but these lenses are native to Sony. Those other lenses need adapters which leads to variation in performance result if people buy cheaper adapters.
sony 85 gm best for long investment..
Is it though? Noisy focus motors makes it useless for video and then it has no contrast so extra post production work. I was not impressed by it especially at its price point, definitely over priced
Lenses are a tool. A cheap tool can work just as well as an expensive tool.
The main difference is you just pay more for the name with the expensive tool, but don't actually get any benefit from it, so it ends up being a waste of money...A bit like the Sony vs the other two.
wtf ? where is the sun dude ? 🤮
wtf body af sistem ? 90’? Use a7s3 / a7iv 🤦♂️
I'll use what I have, what I don't have are the A7s3 or A74. And about the sun, I had the lenses for 2 days and live in Ireland where we have mainly cloudy days. The sun came out of the clouds for the flare test that I'm guessing your other comment was in reply of. Thanks for your very helpful comments
:D …. Speed Af need fast Models 😅 …
Dudes for What u need a 0,1 sek fastet Fokus ?? :D
Fastet Fokus dont make better photos :)