Great photos Dylan! It's so rare on UA-cam to see competent photographers review a lens. You discuss the strengths and flaws of the lens and then go on to show yourself what can be done with it. Great review, much appreciated!
Great review ! I really like your content. There is one more issue I want to mention about this lens. When put this lens on my xt30 , It takes about 3 and half second to turn on the camera. It's pretty slow when it compare to other fuji lens. hope Samyang will slove this problem ~
Thanks for watching! At the time, I didn't have the XF 14mm. Now I have the 14 and not the 12! I won't be able to make a direct comparison, but the 14mm seems sharper to me. The Samyang definitely has better AF and the wider field of view is a lot of fun to work with. Hopefully those small takes will be helpful!
Have it manual one 4 years on my a6000. Best budget lens for real estate photography. Didn't try video but think it's possible. Just set it on f7.1 and hyperfocal and forward!)
Good video, as usual. I struggle making compositions with wide lenses. I am working on it, hopefully my hit rate will improve. I bought a fuji 23mm f2 to work with. I am glad to see third party lenses come on the market for fuji. Even though some are off questionable quality i think over all what will be available will be priced so that those of us that might like to try something will not break our budget.
Wow the aperture variance, vignetting, CA, and that it isn't accurately previewing exposure kind of nails this one into it's coffin for me. Maybe it was faulty. The aperture and exposure preview could be related to the same broken mechanism.
Thanks. Great as always. Got one but have not used much yet. Your impression of the corners and coma make me thing I should return it and wait to see if the Viltrox 13 1.4 coming up is better suited for astrophotography, whic was my intent for this lens
Maybe take it out and test it for your purposes. You might find it's good enough for the results you're looking for. I'm basing this on pin-lights in a city (we have way too much light pollution here to see the stars).
Sample shots at the end are great, makes me realize I don’t shoot stopped down enough for wide angle shots haha, gotta get the full frame sharpness instead of letting the camera put aperture on auto
i have samyang12f2 & viltrox13f1.4 samyang very lightweight. My lightweight set is xc15-45 xc35f2 samyang12f2 My advance set xc18-55 xf35f1.4 viltrox13f1.4
Thanks for your very practical review and great sample photos. If one was to own only 1 ultra wide, realizing that a zoom is very different from a prime, f2 offers better light gathering and the Samyang comes with a much lower price, would you recommend the Fujifilm 10-24 or the Samyang 12 f2? With time, I tend to ignore what I have paid for a lens as much as I will regret buying too many lenses or something that has too many shortcomings or is less useful.
Hard to say without knowing how you work. If you need the f/2 aperture, perhaps the Samyang is the right choice. If you don't, the versatility of the 10-24 will likely make it a better overall choice. In the end, it's all about how you plan to use the lens.
I am wondering why the noise of the autofocus does not seen to be an issue in your review. I think the lens is unusable for filming. I had two of them and they both made such an disturbing nois that I had to send them back.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer it was a problem with the new Sony ILCE 6700 - Samyang said that there is a firmwareupdate. I could not check it though as I sent my lens back.
I've never used the 16mm. I can't really offer an opinion on that. However, those are extremely different focal lengths. I wouldn't say it is an "either/or" type of decision.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer thanks man. I plan to buy a budget wide lens but since in your video you mention the vignetting on Samyang 12mm is to much and it is not my style, I think this lens out of my list. Thanks again.
Great video! Just bought a new lens and have the same problem where the focus distance doesn't get stored after previewing photos. Any idea how it can be fixed?
Samyang has a lens dock that they provide firmware updates through. My guess is that they'll improve it over time. I haven't checked yet to see whether the Fujifilm version of that is available here.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Maybe together with the X-T4 it will work? Otherwise with the X-S10 it does not work. The Firmware in the lense is faulty and it does not give the IBIS required data to the camera. Wich is a bummer, because the lense is realy good. I hope they will fix it soon, because this problem was found since the lense is on the market.
@@athlon1977Greetings! IBIS now works together with the lens. Samyang has released a firmware update for this. I had to buy the Lens Station from Samyang, but it was worth it. Performance is great. The lens was already great before, but now with the properly functioning image stabilizer, it's truly outstanding. The Samyang and a Sigma 56mm are currently my favorite lenses for Fuji.
Thank you for the review - well-structured, balanced and to the point as concerns use cases, if I may say so. Liked it. I own the non-AF version, and to me, it's a specialty lens which I do use and have fun using it, but it's not a mainstay. The results I get are acceptable to me. Judging from your review (and Samyang data), I would guess that the optical qualities have not improved vs. the old version. Would you see it similarly? So, what remains are AF and WR which alone would not justify the cost for an upgrade of a lens I use for less than 3% of my photographs. Today.
Thanks for watching, Christine. Hard to say if the optics have improved as I don't have a lot of experience with the old lens. A quick look at the MTF charts of both lenses suggests that the new one is actually worse around the edges. I have a good friend who does own the manual focus one and we're are planning to get together and do a video on it. I'll have a more definite answer for you once that happens.
curious how it compares to the older MF. debating between it and the 10-24 fuji. worried that f4 might not be fast enough for indoor handheld shots. 8-16 T-stop isnt much better
Definitely a consideration. The f/4 does have OIS, so that might help if nothing is moving. As for the old MF, my buddy Roy has it and we've been meaning to get together and test it. Next time he's in town, we'll likely do a comparison video, so stay tuned.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I should mainly sports and want to do more documentary style photography. Not sure if OIS would be too beneficial. I currently shoot an XT3 at a minimum of 1/500-1/640 shutter speed at f2-2.8
Perhaps for your uses, this might be true. But consider someone with less-than-perfect eyesight who might want to use the close-up capabilities of this lens, someone working quickly who needs to ensure that a changing situation remains in focus, or someone who might need autofocus for filming themselves for something like UA-cam, to name just a few. There are plenty of use cases where autofocus is extremely useful.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Just how close do you want to take it? Let's say the subject is only 3 feet away the DOF is sill extraordinarily in focus. Therefore changing situations do not matter. As far as "fast" is concerned nothing is faster than zone focusing. These numbers don't lie. If the subject is 3 feet away and you are at f11 using a 12 mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera then anything between 1.28 feet and infinity will be in focus.
@@tapasyatyaga4041 My point here is not that I want to do anything. It is simply that statements such as "AF is unnecessary" are unhelpful to those who might benefit from it. Not everybody works in the same way or photographs the same subjects.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Respectfully, it may be true that for some very highly limited situations folks would like an AF in super wide angle. But any review of a super wide angle ought to mention that AF is much less necessary. Your example of closeup use of AF as being desirable on a 12 mm super wide angle lens was countered with a factual and scientific example indicating that is not the case even if the subject is only 3 feet away. That example came from computational software. Thank you for your review. However when reviews don't talk about obvious limitations of AF in super wide angle lenses then it appears as if the lens is being hyped and hawked. Some of us have limited funds and would find the AF feature totally irrelevant. I like your channel. However I think my critique here is fair.
@@tapasyatyaga4041 he said the lens feels like a 'hack job'. That coma, distortion, CA are all pronounced. That it forgets it focus point, doesn't display exposure correctly, and has inconsistent jumps between apertures. Plenty of things to turn people off from the lens. The fact he said it's fun, and encourages you to find wide angle subjects, doesn't mean he's hawking anything.. I have the MF version and image quality is subpar, yet it is a fun lens for the cost.
Good video, as usual. I struggle making compositions with wide lenses. I am working on it, hopefully my hit rate will improve. I bought a fuji 23mm f2 to work with. I am glad to see third party lenses come on the market for fuji. Even though some are off questionable quality i think over all what will be available will be priced so that those of us that might like to try something will not break our budget.
Underrated, your channel, this vid, and the lens. Nice work!
Great photos Dylan! It's so rare on UA-cam to see competent photographers review a lens. You discuss the strengths and flaws of the lens and then go on to show yourself what can be done with it. Great review, much appreciated!
Thanks a lot, Stephan. Not much use for a lens if you aren't going to make photos with it, eh?
Great review; very informative and well presented. This is how reviews need to be done! Thanks, man.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.
Great review ! I really like your content.
There is one more issue I want to mention about this lens.
When put this lens on my xt30 , It takes about 3 and half second to turn on the camera.
It's pretty slow when it compare to other fuji lens.
hope Samyang will slove this problem ~
Haven't experienced that with the X-T4. Might be worth contacting Samyang about that! Hopefully, they can improve their support for your camera.
Very comprehensive review and some great shots at the end. Well done!
Thanks, Marcin. Appreciate you taking the time to watch!
The best review of this lens I have seen, thanks for sharing!!
Would love how the Samyang compares to the old Fuji 14/2.8 (a really decent lens).
Thanks for watching! At the time, I didn't have the XF 14mm. Now I have the 14 and not the 12! I won't be able to make a direct comparison, but the 14mm seems sharper to me. The Samyang definitely has better AF and the wider field of view is a lot of fun to work with. Hopefully those small takes will be helpful!
Thanks, Dylan, really much appreciated!
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer
Have it manual one 4 years on my a6000. Best budget lens for real estate photography. Didn't try video but think it's possible. Just set it on f7.1 and hyperfocal and forward!)
I have the manual one as well...I agree. I do not do much wide angle, but it does a great job.
Do you read FujiLove, by chance?
Good video, as usual. I struggle making compositions with wide lenses. I am working on it, hopefully my hit rate will improve. I bought a fuji 23mm f2 to work with. I am glad to see third party lenses come on the market for fuji. Even though some are off questionable quality i think over all what will be available will be priced so that those of us that might like to try something will not break our budget.
Your slideshow made me miss Korea. Lived in Seoul for 14 years, left in 2011.
Good lens review.
Cheers! You'll be surprised at how expensive this place has become when you return... it's wild.
I am Korean. your "Samyang" pronunciation is very good.^
Wow the aperture variance, vignetting, CA, and that it isn't accurately previewing exposure kind of nails this one into it's coffin for me.
Maybe it was faulty. The aperture and exposure preview could be related to the same broken mechanism.
Thanks. Great as always. Got one but have not used much yet. Your impression of the corners and coma make me thing I should return it and wait to see if the Viltrox 13 1.4 coming up is better suited for astrophotography, whic was my intent for this lens
Maybe take it out and test it for your purposes. You might find it's good enough for the results you're looking for. I'm basing this on pin-lights in a city (we have way too much light pollution here to see the stars).
I have one for Sony, using it for astrophotography. The coma is quite apparent, especially away from the center.
@@stewartlife thank you
Sample shots at the end are great, makes me realize I don’t shoot stopped down enough for wide angle shots haha, gotta get the full frame sharpness instead of letting the camera put aperture on auto
It's all about what you want to achieve. Stop down when you need to, open up when it feels right.
Great review! Did you notice that this lens doesn’t work with XT4 IBIS? Seems like a really common problem
I haven't noticed that at all. It's worked flawlessly for me.
i have samyang12f2 & viltrox13f1.4
samyang very lightweight.
My lightweight set is xc15-45 xc35f2 samyang12f2
My advance set xc18-55 xf35f1.4 viltrox13f1.4
buenas fotos! y excelente review
thank you Dylan
So, great for shooting square format. On black and white. Like making a Russian movie like The Cranes Are Flying.
Thanks for your very practical review and great sample photos. If one was to own only 1 ultra wide, realizing that a zoom is very different from a prime, f2 offers better light gathering and the Samyang comes with a much lower price, would you recommend the Fujifilm 10-24 or the Samyang 12 f2? With time, I tend to ignore what I have paid for a lens as much as I will regret buying too many lenses or something that has too many shortcomings or is less useful.
Hard to say without knowing how you work. If you need the f/2 aperture, perhaps the Samyang is the right choice. If you don't, the versatility of the 10-24 will likely make it a better overall choice. In the end, it's all about how you plan to use the lens.
Bro u so underrated. Good content.
I appreciate that. Thanks for watching and I hope the video helped.
Very good review thank you
Thanks for watching!
I like your new slideshow music :)
Cheers, Christian! It's my day-to-day editing music, so very familiar for me. ;)
Looks sleek. Does this work on Canon 250D by any means?
I am wondering why the noise of the autofocus does not seen to be an issue in your review. I think the lens is unusable for filming. I had two of them and they both made such an disturbing nois that I had to send them back.
Never noticed it at all or I would have mentioned it. Perhaps it's a batch issue? Did you chat directly with Samyang about it?
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer it was a problem with the new Sony ILCE 6700 - Samyang said that there is a firmwareupdate. I could not check it though as I sent my lens back.
Although your images look really good
사진의 배경이 한국이네요? 한국에 있나요? Are you in Korea?
what do you think compare with xf16mmf2.8?
I've never used the 16mm. I can't really offer an opinion on that. However, those are extremely different focal lengths. I wouldn't say it is an "either/or" type of decision.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer thanks man. I plan to buy a budget wide lens but since in your video you mention the vignetting on Samyang 12mm is to much and it is not my style, I think this lens out of my list. Thanks again.
Great video! Just bought a new lens and have the same problem where the focus distance doesn't get stored after previewing photos. Any idea how it can be fixed?
Samyang has a lens dock that they provide firmware updates through. My guess is that they'll improve it over time. I haven't checked yet to see whether the Fujifilm version of that is available here.
Also there are Problems with IBIS not working..
I haven't seen that on my end. I was able to get great results with longer shutter speeds.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Maybe together with the X-T4 it will work? Otherwise with the X-S10 it does not work. The Firmware in the lense is faulty and it does not give the IBIS required data to the camera. Wich is a bummer, because the lense is realy good. I hope they will fix it soon, because this problem was found since the lense is on the market.
@@n3c2o how does perform the lens now on xs-10? Some improvement with firmware updates? Thanks
@@athlon1977Greetings! IBIS now works together with the lens. Samyang has released a firmware update for this. I had to buy the Lens Station from Samyang, but it was worth it. Performance is great. The lens was already great before, but now with the properly functioning image stabilizer, it's truly outstanding. The Samyang and a Sigma 56mm are currently my favorite lenses for Fuji.
Thank you for the review - well-structured, balanced and to the point as concerns use cases, if I may say so. Liked it. I own the non-AF version, and to me, it's a specialty lens which I do use and have fun using it, but it's not a mainstay. The results I get are acceptable to me. Judging from your review (and Samyang data), I would guess that the optical qualities have not improved vs. the old version. Would you see it similarly? So, what remains are AF and WR which alone would not justify the cost for an upgrade of a lens I use for less than 3% of my photographs. Today.
Thanks for watching, Christine. Hard to say if the optics have improved as I don't have a lot of experience with the old lens. A quick look at the MTF charts of both lenses suggests that the new one is actually worse around the edges. I have a good friend who does own the manual focus one and we're are planning to get together and do a video on it. I'll have a more definite answer for you once that happens.
curious how it compares to the older MF. debating between it and the 10-24 fuji. worried that f4 might not be fast enough for indoor handheld shots. 8-16 T-stop isnt much better
Definitely a consideration. The f/4 does have OIS, so that might help if nothing is moving.
As for the old MF, my buddy Roy has it and we've been meaning to get together and test it. Next time he's in town, we'll likely do a comparison video, so stay tuned.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer I should mainly sports and want to do more documentary style photography. Not sure if OIS would be too beneficial. I currently shoot an XT3 at a minimum of 1/500-1/640 shutter speed at f2-2.8
I think it shoud be FullFrame equivalent "18mm F2.1 " 🙄
Nope more like 18mm f/3.0 cause 1.5x crop factor, you have to multiply the aperture too.
Autofocus on a 12mm seems wholly unnecessary since zone focusing is so effective in wide angle lenses.
Perhaps for your uses, this might be true. But consider someone with less-than-perfect eyesight who might want to use the close-up capabilities of this lens, someone working quickly who needs to ensure that a changing situation remains in focus, or someone who might need autofocus for filming themselves for something like UA-cam, to name just a few. There are plenty of use cases where autofocus is extremely useful.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Just how close do you want to take it? Let's say the subject is only 3 feet away the DOF is sill extraordinarily in focus. Therefore changing situations do not matter. As far as "fast" is concerned nothing is faster than zone focusing. These numbers don't lie.
If the subject is 3 feet away and you are at f11 using a 12 mm lens on an APS-C sensor camera then anything between 1.28 feet and infinity will be in focus.
@@tapasyatyaga4041 My point here is not that I want to do anything. It is simply that statements such as "AF is unnecessary" are unhelpful to those who might benefit from it. Not everybody works in the same way or photographs the same subjects.
@@DylanGoldbyPhotographer Respectfully, it may be true that for some very highly limited situations folks would like an AF in super wide angle. But any review of a super wide angle ought to mention that AF is much less necessary.
Your example of closeup use of AF as being desirable on a 12 mm super wide angle lens was countered with a factual and scientific example indicating that is not the case even if the subject is only 3 feet away. That example came from computational software.
Thank you for your review. However when reviews don't talk about obvious limitations of AF in super wide angle lenses then it appears as if the lens is being hyped and hawked. Some of us have limited funds and would find the AF feature totally irrelevant.
I like your channel. However I think my critique here is fair.
@@tapasyatyaga4041 he said the lens feels like a 'hack job'. That coma, distortion, CA are all pronounced. That it forgets it focus point, doesn't display exposure correctly, and has inconsistent jumps between apertures.
Plenty of things to turn people off from the lens. The fact he said it's fun, and encourages you to find wide angle subjects, doesn't mean he's hawking anything.. I have the MF version and image quality is subpar, yet it is a fun lens for the cost.
wow
Good video, as usual. I struggle making compositions with wide lenses. I am working on it, hopefully my hit rate will improve. I bought a fuji 23mm f2 to work with. I am glad to see third party lenses come on the market for fuji. Even though some are off questionable quality i think over all what will be available will be priced so that those of us that might like to try something will not break our budget.
Thanks, Scott! Wide-angle composition is tough, for sure. I've got another video on it coming up next week. Hopefully it'll help!