You did a fantastic job in every way. Looking at your out-takes one realizes the difficulties making these reviews. Makes viewers appreciate the effort. Thank ya.
I've been shooting with this lens for about a month now on a Sony A99-SLT, image quality is exceptionally good with very little chromatic aberration. Like all my other lenses, I've created a custom color profile using the color checker passport. With this corrected profile the colors very closely match my other lenses and looks great, certainly equal to any of my other lenses including the Zeiss/Sony 24-70, Sony 70-200 F2.8G, and my assortment of Minolta lenses. It takes careful focusing technique to nail sharpness using focus magnification and focus peaking. Biggest problem is holding the camera in the same position relative to the subject, even a slight movement fore or aft will cause a slightly soft focus. When you do nail focus the image is tack sharp from edge to edge even wide open on a full frame camera. I love it, currently my favorite lens.
You do some long continuous takes, which a lot of reviewers wouldn't put the time into! Your effort shows in the results, and your valuable content has helped a lot of people here to make informed decisions.
This lens is a beast. Tested to be even sharper than the Zeiss. Check the lenstips review. Really has no competition if one don't mind manual focus. Are you shooting with white balance AWB?
shaolin95 what about the 135 f2 Apo? The Zeiss is superior in every regard. You could get a used one for about 1k, and it simply blows the Samyang out of the water. Sharpness is not everything. This lens renders ugly colors.
hi there, great photo btw, i got a 12mm samyang and and I'm getting more keeper shots than an autofocus focus for family shooting as the autofocus can't seem to keep up as well as a samyang on infinity manual focus setting, however I'm looking at this 135 lens and thinking are you able to keep up with kids running across while on infinity setting?
This is probably my favorite lens to put on my A7. Sometimes I use it on my A6000 but it shifts around more than I like, so some people may not like that. As far as the colors go, it might be that it depends on the copy you get. Mine is fantastic and great sharpness, with some CA in some instances. Other than that, it lives most of the time in my camera even for sports.
I thought that I heard that if you set the aperture ring to its smallest setting (I think f22) that the lens will communicate it’s metadata with the camera.
John Sison not necessarily shooting at 22. With some lenses and I think this one too when you set the lens aperture ring to 22 that allows the body to adjust to the full stop range through the aperture dial on the body. I have a Nikon 60 micro that works this way.
@@JohnSisonPhotography: Setting the aperture ring to the f22 position allows the camera to "communicate" with the lens and to set whatever aperture you want to use (not just f22) with the camera's controls. This applies to Nikon DSLR cameras with the Nikon F mount......with some / many other brands of camera you still have to select the aperture manually by turning the aperture ring.
Excellent review John, covering many aspects of this e mount lens. Do you find a distinct advantage of this lens over the Sony FE 70-200 f4 when stopping down? Just curious. Still waiting for the 135 Batis version...
Thank you! Not entirely. Its definitely sharper when you stop it down compared to the 70-200mm but sharpness isn't everything. I think I much prefer the colours of the 70-200mm instead.
Doesn't this lens crop down on your Sony full frame camera? It's Sony E not FE, as I understand? I know you can Switch APS-C capture off, on the Sony camera, but that will normally get you vignetting on an E-mount lens?
I have this on my A77ii. I love it and hate it at the same time. I have gotten so many FANTASTIC shots with it but I have also missed MANY MANY shots because it takes so long to get the focus perfect and it has to be absolutely perfect or it is way off. I also tend to stop it down to get more in focus and then I keep say - what the heck, why am I using this lens if I stop it down. Why not just get an older Minolta lens then with AF. So then I open it up all the way because I dont want to sell it and then every once and a while I get the most amazing shot and I keep it and keep trying.
I understand, but that's also the adventure of using this kind of lens, it feels like doing some old school photography, your approach changes when taking pictures, the once that come out great are even more appreciated as if you drawed the picture by yourself, especially by high aperture lenses I wouldn't bring a lens like that for all uses, it becomes useless taking sports and moving objects. If the image quality is what people claim, than i love to try this lens, i will mainly use it for portraits.
I have the 135 f2.8 Zeiss made for contax, and works very nice, colors are great and build is good. is !manual focus of course but is cheap compared to the new ones.
I want this lens...but how much of a learning curve is there for manual lenses. It's got me a bit nervous. Also, are Rokinon and Samyang one and the same?
Johnny CincoCero: Samyang lenses are also branded as Falcon, Rokinon, Walimex, Bower, Opteka, Bell and Howell, Polar, and Pro-Optic but they are all made by Samyang in South Korea.
Color is the Achilles heel of this lens. I really couldn't stand it. I used the Zeiss 135 f2 Apo, Canon 135 f2 l and this one. Although the Samyang is sharper than the canon and probably as sharp as the Zeiss, colors make it inferior to both. I think the Sony Zeiss 135 f1.8 is the best 135mm ever made, but I still need to get my hands on it.
Yes, but high lens price has a reason. I was using Samyng 85/1.4 for almost three years and 135/2 for year abd a half. When I had a financial chance I chganged all my lenses to Zeiss ;)
I wonder about the sample variation of this lens. I have some bad experience with wide angle Samyang lenses but my 135 is just optically perfect. it makes the Batis 85mm look soft and I don't even want to use other lenses for portrait work anymore. so while I don't really like some of my Samyang lenses, in fact I sold most of them, I cannot say anything other than that this lens is perfect. it feels like not only on my big Sony body but even on my small a6000 that I use for light travel, it fills Evey single pixel like no other lens. so when looking at reviews of this lens I find some like yours where yeah quite good for the price and I find some saying that it's not a bit worse than the Zeiss 135mm optically. so while being on a higher level, it's the same mixed bag kind of reviews that most Samyang lenses get. so while considering a Samyang lens you definitely should be aware of the face that's it's always a little like playing the lottery. the 135mm Is a lens I only have had one copy to test so I cannot say that for sure but I had several copies of other Samyang lenses and all performed different. it seems like, and again that's just my guess, that the main problem of Samyang lenses is misaligned lenses. and that affects wide angle lenses a lot more than telephoto lenses. but it doesn't mean, that the 135mm doesn't take part in this. so when I'm right and I'm speaking to all of you. if you're getting a 135mm copy that's not sharp like hell on F2 - send it back and order another copy. the same than with every other Samyang lens. just in this case, the quality, fortunately, varies on a pretty high level.
interesting comment, that the lenses perform all different, i haven't that much experience with samyang, just got a new released 85 mm 1.8 for my lumix g85. It seems to work well, it's easy to blame the sharpness. it can be the shutterspeed, it can be me not manual focussing properly or it can be the lens. I had some exelent results, not perfect but it performs great knowing when and how to use it, i guess it's the same story for this 135 mm f 2.0, i love taking portraits, well without a rush
Yeah it can get some decent shots especially for outdoor shooting but if you're photographing moving subjects it may be a bit difficult, especially if you're shooting wide open cause the depth of field will be really shallow.
Hello.. Can you review Rokinon/Samyang 85mm f1.8 on Sony Aps-c body? This lens has similar focal length with respect to the one reviewed here on full frame. Thanks again !
I don't know if you've found the answer to your question already, but in case you haven't, this lens is available in EF mount. You'll need an adapter or speed boosted adapter to use this lens on your EF-M mount EOS M50. Be aware that if you use an adapter this lens will be roughly 216mm equivalent. If you use a speedbooster, it'll instead be roughly 153mm. Just an FYI.
For close up at a reasonable distance, it could be quite useful. Just be mindful, if you are doing this and shooting at F2, the depth of field will be very shallow.
Man bs man 135 comes with many mf lenses Nikon ais Zeiss Lieca R Just to name a few MF lenses which r close but slower 2.8 eyc Using my A7 r-2 love sharpness of these but honestly an f2 lens? Zeiss having better colors sounds right Gr8 review
To be honest, I didn't use it much for video. Its entirely manual focus and shooting wide open may be a bit difficult since the depth of field will be extremely shallow. I would suggest, if you can trying it out in store first.
You said this lens has "high quality construction". WRONG! I've taken apart hundreds of lenses in my lens repair shop (including this lens). Having seen the insides of this lens I have to say it's the cheapest made lens I've ever taken apart. Based on what do you declare this is a high quality lens????/
He did not lie. From outside it looks good quality indeed. And the optical quality is also excellent. Would you please explain in details what did you see inside ? What part was crap undemanding, share with us please. It must be simple lens because no autofocus and electrical aperture, no IS, nothing, all manual as usual with Samyang/Rokinon, no electronics and motor and chip. But that fact should not mean low quality, just simplicity. Is it crap indeed ?
I own this lens. The barrel just kinda came off after just 4 months, however it may be easily fixed with some basic hot glue. Neverthless, everything else works great.
You did a fantastic job in every way. Looking at your out-takes one realizes the difficulties making these reviews. Makes viewers appreciate the effort. Thank ya.
Thank you! Its never easy even though I've been doing this for a while lol.
I've been shooting with this lens for about a month now on a Sony A99-SLT, image quality is exceptionally good with very little chromatic aberration. Like all my other lenses, I've created a custom color profile using the color checker passport. With this corrected profile the colors very closely match my other lenses and looks great, certainly equal to any of my other lenses including the Zeiss/Sony 24-70, Sony 70-200 F2.8G, and my assortment of Minolta lenses. It takes careful focusing technique to nail sharpness using focus magnification and focus peaking. Biggest problem is holding the camera in the same position relative to the subject, even a slight movement fore or aft will cause a slightly soft focus. When you do nail focus the image is tack sharp from edge to edge even wide open on a full frame camera. I love it, currently my favorite lens.
Useful, concise review without any fluff. Thank you. 🙂
You do some long continuous takes, which a lot of reviewers wouldn't put the time into! Your effort shows in the results, and your valuable content has helped a lot of people here to make informed decisions.
This lens is a beast. Tested to be even sharper than the Zeiss. Check the lenstips review. Really has no competition if one don't mind manual focus.
Are you shooting with white balance AWB?
shaolin95 what about the 135 f2 Apo? The Zeiss is superior in every regard. You could get a used one for about 1k, and it simply blows the Samyang out of the water. Sharpness is not everything. This lens renders ugly colors.
Some of the photos I was shooting in AWB. Others were different.
hi there, great photo btw, i got a 12mm samyang and and I'm getting more keeper shots than an autofocus focus for family shooting as the autofocus can't seem to keep up as well as a samyang on infinity manual focus setting, however I'm looking at this 135 lens and thinking are you able to keep up with kids running across while on infinity setting?
I wish you did a photoshoot with a model & the lens.
Bethanie steph
This is probably my favorite lens to put on my A7. Sometimes I use it on my A6000 but it shifts around more than I like, so some people may not like that. As far as the colors go, it might be that it depends on the copy you get. Mine is fantastic and great sharpness, with some CA in some instances. Other than that, it lives most of the time in my camera even for sports.
Great! Thanks for the feedback with the lens. Well I still like the colours but I prefer the Zeiss 135mm F1.8 better.
I thought that I heard that if you set the aperture ring to its smallest setting (I think f22) that the lens will communicate it’s metadata with the camera.
Hmmm thats interesting! I've never heard of that happening but then its also not good to shoot at f22 all the time 😅
John Sison not necessarily shooting at 22. With some lenses and I think this one too when you set the lens aperture ring to 22 that allows the body to adjust to the full stop range through the aperture dial on the body. I have a Nikon 60 micro that works this way.
@@JohnSisonPhotography: Setting the aperture ring to the f22 position allows the camera to "communicate" with the lens and to set whatever aperture you want to use (not just f22) with the camera's controls. This applies to Nikon DSLR cameras with the Nikon F mount......with some / many other brands of camera you still have to select the aperture manually by turning the aperture ring.
Excellent review John, covering many aspects of this e mount lens. Do you find a distinct advantage of this lens over the Sony FE 70-200 f4 when stopping down? Just curious. Still waiting for the 135 Batis version...
Thank you! Not entirely. Its definitely sharper when you stop it down compared to the 70-200mm but sharpness isn't everything. I think I much prefer the colours of the 70-200mm instead.
They’re amazing 😍
Doesn't this lens crop down on your Sony full frame camera? It's Sony E not FE, as I understand? I know you can Switch APS-C capture off, on the Sony camera, but that will normally get you vignetting on an E-mount lens?
I have this on my A77ii. I love it and hate it at the same time. I have gotten so many FANTASTIC shots with it but I have also missed MANY MANY shots because it takes so long to get the focus perfect and it has to be absolutely perfect or it is way off. I also tend to stop it down to get more in focus and then I keep say - what the heck, why am I using this lens if I stop it down. Why not just get an older Minolta lens then with AF. So then I open it up all the way because I dont want to sell it and then every once and a while I get the most amazing shot and I keep it and keep trying.
So true. When it's right on, the image quality is amazing sharp, but very often I get out of focus images as you have to super precise!
I understand, but that's also the adventure of using this kind of lens, it feels like doing some old school photography, your approach changes when taking pictures, the once that come out great are even more appreciated as if you drawed the picture by yourself, especially by high aperture lenses I wouldn't bring a lens like that for all uses, it becomes useless taking sports and moving objects. If the image quality is what people claim, than i love to try this lens, i will mainly use it for portraits.
Thanks for the test. Very interesting lens!
I have the 135 f2.8 Zeiss made for contax, and works very nice, colors are great and build is good. is !manual focus of course but is cheap compared to the new ones.
please make a review with techart pro adapter!
Hi, nice one on Samyang 135mm.
Can you please do a review and demo on Mitakon 135mm f-2.8?
Thanks.
I don't have any access to the Mitakon 135mm unfortunately 😩
I want this lens...but how much of a learning curve is there for manual lenses. It's got me a bit nervous. Also, are Rokinon and Samyang one and the same?
Johnny CincoCero: Samyang lenses are also branded as Falcon, Rokinon, Walimex, Bower, Opteka, Bell and Howell, Polar, and Pro-Optic but they are all made by Samyang in South Korea.
hmm should I just buy a Canon FD 200mm F2.8 and get a cheap manual adapter for like $200 total?
Color is the Achilles heel of this lens. I really couldn't stand it. I used the Zeiss 135 f2 Apo, Canon 135 f2 l and this one. Although the Samyang is sharper than the canon and probably as sharp as the Zeiss, colors make it inferior to both. I think the Sony Zeiss 135 f1.8 is the best 135mm ever made, but I still need to get my hands on it.
Yes, but high lens price has a reason. I was using Samyng 85/1.4 for almost three years and 135/2 for year abd a half. When I had a financial chance I chganged all my lenses to Zeiss ;)
I wonder about the sample variation of this lens. I have some bad experience with wide angle Samyang lenses but my 135 is just optically perfect. it makes the Batis 85mm look soft and I don't even want to use other lenses for portrait work anymore. so while I don't really like some of my Samyang lenses, in fact I sold most of them, I cannot say anything other than that this lens is perfect. it feels like not only on my big Sony body but even on my small a6000 that I use for light travel, it fills Evey single pixel like no other lens. so when looking at reviews of this lens I find some like yours where yeah quite good for the price and I find some saying that it's not a bit worse than the Zeiss 135mm optically.
so while being on a higher level, it's the same mixed bag kind of reviews that most Samyang lenses get. so while considering a Samyang lens you definitely should be aware of the face that's it's always a little like playing the lottery. the 135mm Is a lens I only have had one copy to test so I cannot say that for sure but I had several copies of other Samyang lenses and all performed different.
it seems like, and again that's just my guess, that the main problem of Samyang lenses is misaligned lenses. and that affects wide angle lenses a lot more than telephoto lenses. but it doesn't mean, that the 135mm doesn't take part in this.
so when I'm right and I'm speaking to all of you. if you're getting a 135mm copy that's not sharp like hell on F2 - send it back and order another copy. the same than with every other Samyang lens. just in this case, the quality, fortunately, varies on a pretty high level.
interesting comment, that the lenses perform all different, i haven't that much experience with samyang, just got a new released 85 mm 1.8 for my lumix g85. It seems to work well, it's easy to blame the sharpness. it can be the shutterspeed, it can be me not manual focussing properly or it can be the lens. I had some exelent results, not perfect but it performs great knowing when and how to use it, i guess it's the same story for this 135 mm f 2.0, i love taking portraits, well without a rush
i have a question, at 7:02 "red LX-150". Where is it
Hi, I am using the nikon d300s and want to take samyang 135 mm manual focus for outdoor shooting. What do you think about the lens?
Yeah it can get some decent shots especially for outdoor shooting but if you're photographing moving subjects it may be a bit difficult, especially if you're shooting wide open cause the depth of field will be really shallow.
Hello.. Can you review Rokinon/Samyang 85mm f1.8 on Sony Aps-c body? This lens has similar focal length with respect to the one reviewed here on full frame. Thanks again !
Ohh.. I'll see what I can do.. This month is pretty full of other videos though so it won't be for a while.
great review
Hi sir i have a question is very important for me .
This lens is compatible with Canon EOS M50 directly?
I don't know if you've found the answer to your question already, but in case you haven't, this lens is available in EF mount. You'll need an adapter or speed boosted adapter to use this lens on your EF-M mount EOS M50. Be aware that if you use an adapter this lens will be roughly 216mm equivalent. If you use a speedbooster, it'll instead be roughly 153mm. Just an FYI.
This lense is incredible.
actually, actually, actually... it's actually a great lens. compare side by side
lol it actually is. Compare side by side with?
can this work on a sony full frame camera？
would you recommend for shooting video?
For close up at a reasonable distance, it could be quite useful. Just be mindful, if you are doing this and shooting at F2, the depth of field will be very shallow.
I'm just starting out. Will this work well with a Nikon d3400?
If you get this lens in a Nikon mount, definitely yes.
Amazing price!!! New at under 500$ reverse sticker shock
Is the lens available for the Sony A-Mount too?
I believe it is available for the A-mount.
so this lens dont have auto focus
Maybe more apsc lens reviews?
I just two last month =.P Any lens in particular you want me to take a look at?
John Sison 50mm f1.8 OSS and maybe also a comparison between the Sigma 30mm f1.4 with the Sony 35mm f1.8 OSS and Zeiss Touit 32mm?
Not sure if I can do a comparison anymore since I don't have the 50mm and 35mm lenses anymore.
STAY TOONED AHAHA
If anyone sees this, do you know if this lens is compatible with my sony a58?
Unfortunately not =.(
Man bs man 135 comes with many mf lenses
Nikon ais
Zeiss
Lieca R
Just to name a few MF lenses which r close but slower 2.8 eyc
Using my A7 r-2 love sharpness of these but honestly an f2 lens?
Zeiss having better colors sounds right
Gr8 review
how works this for video?
To be honest, I didn't use it much for video. Its entirely manual focus and shooting wide open may be a bit difficult since the depth of field will be extremely shallow. I would suggest, if you can trying it out in store first.
@@JohnSisonPhotography Thanks!!!
You said this lens has "high quality construction". WRONG! I've taken apart hundreds of lenses in my lens repair shop (including this lens). Having seen the insides of this lens I have to say it's the cheapest made lens I've ever taken apart. Based on what do you declare this is a high quality lens????/
He did not lie. From outside it looks good quality indeed. And the optical quality is also excellent. Would you please explain in details what did you see inside ? What part was crap undemanding, share with us please.
It must be simple lens because no autofocus and electrical aperture, no IS, nothing, all manual as usual with Samyang/Rokinon, no electronics and motor and chip. But that fact should not mean low quality, just simplicity. Is it crap indeed ?
I own this lens. The barrel just kinda came off after just 4 months, however it may be easily fixed with some basic hot glue. Neverthless, everything else works great.
Are you in China by any chance? I heard that lady chirping lol
Nope. I'm in Australia lol
imformative..but nice video..hahaha funny BTS..
do you live under an overpass, do you need money
Every now and then I do. I like to travel. Money is always appreciated. Please leave a donation on my paypal account! 😁
Just plain silly, what a waste of your and my time!!!
LOLs I enjoyed watchin' the funny ending part more than the review.... =P