Samyang 135mm f/2 ED UMC lens review with samples (Full-frame and APS-C)
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- Опубліковано 16 лип 2024
- Here's a lens that a few people have been asking me to review - probably because the internet is full of rumors that it's the sharpest thing since Blu-Ray. I've become a bit of a fan of Samyang's manual focus lenses over the years. Could this really shape up to be their chef-d'oeuvre?
Find it here (Amazon affiliate link) (Be sure to get the right lens for your camera system):
geni.us/sy135mmf2canonef
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The image quality of this 135mm f2.0 is really sharp!!!
Exceptional review. You leave no stone unturned with your short and crisp reviews. The lens seems extraordinary for the price. Definitely on my to-buy list. Thanks!
Just wanna chime in and say that your reviews are incredibly useful. I'll be buying this lens and your video here was the final deciding factor. Good stuff dude!
+BeyondSlowMotion nice seeing you around here, Darren! Haha same here, this review made me decide to buy it...now I just have to save the money :P
your reviews are always the best; straight forward and good sample photos throughout the lens range!
I remember watching this video a couple years back and I was so excited. I learned on an old Nikon FG and I am used to and love manual focusing. I have gotten my money's worth many times over. For those afraid of using manual focus, I would suggest getting a focusing screen for your camera. That said, I still use my old manual focus lenses and practice A LOT using my little girls as subjects to practice fast action.
Thank you for all your efforts Chris.
Agreed. An amazing piece of glass. I was floored by it's wide-open performance. At f/2 it is simply unbelievable.
Thanks Christopher. Another superb review of an incredible lens! These images are stunning...
Thanks for an excellent review. Based on this (and others) I purchased this lens, and I've been blown away. It is everything you said, and more. This lens is truly a game changer for portraiture.
This lens + 5dsR = Incredible photos
I absolutely agree with these comments- your videos come in clutch for decision making, education and comparison. Thank you for your consistency, dedication and informative posts!
I can't thank you enough for this review. It may be a while, but I can't wait to let you know when I have this lens.
This review encouraged me to purchase this lens for my Sony α6000 and I'm extremely pleased with the image quality and build. Thanks!
Do you still have it?
Realy great review - thank you so much. I just bought it, but havn't received yet. So I know from this video which picture I wish to take first and I am not afraid from manual focus now. Many thanks again!
What on earth do Samyang build their lenses from?! They're cheaper than most 1st party lenses and much sharper, if only they'd make autofocus lenses, then they would bankrupt other companies!
my next lens is going to be a samyang
+hasso0n Thing is though, if they made them with autofocus, they'd be a lot more expensive, and you'd probably only see them for Canon and Nikon. As it is, they can easily release a single lens design for pretty much every system out there by just attaching different mounts, no worries about software or electronics. This gives them a huge potential customer base at low development costs, and consequently very affordable lenses.
+StraightOuttaJarhois if you ask me auto focus is just a gimmick anyway i mean its nice and all but realy its not needed and takes some of the fun away i own two samyang lenses and a number of nikon ones i seem to always go back to the samyang they are just awesome to use i have the 14mm and 85mm im going to now get this 135mm looks to be even sharper than my 85mm thats hard to believe that things so dam sharp oO
They have recently announced 2 AF lenses for Sony e mount, so we may see more to come.
Will John Yeah, and they're priced very high for Samyang. That's not unexpected, but early reviews of the 50/1.4 seem to indicate that the optical quality isn't up to par, being quite soft even in the center at f/1.4. Perhaps they had to compromise the design to accommodate for the AF mechanism. Either way, Samyang seems to have lost some of what makes it great in the move to AF.
Thank you Christopher - You are the most trustworthy reviewer!
Your Review encouraged me to buy this lens.... :)
Thanks a lot sir. :) I always love your reviews....
Hi there - I'm considering this lens. How is the experience of manually focus? How do you focus, live view or view finder? Thanks!
Thank you for this lovely review, I just got it from e-bay and the lens is fantastic together with my A6400. Thanks.
The contrast on the lens looks amazing. I like that you photograph that 'flat' i think you call it, with the red bricks and wood door for every lens review as the differences in lenses are apparent. Even the corners look lovely, wide open too on full frame no less, Samyang really makes some nice manual focus lenses, this will definitely go on my list.
+Mark Acevedo It really is an astonishing lens - the contrast really is fantastic, as you say
Going to buy this for my A7s, I already own the 24 and 85, and there is no problem at all without autofocus, thanks to the focus peaking feature, it's even more accurate with this, you can really place the focus where you want.
I got this for my R8. Manual focusing with the aid of focus peaking makes it more usable than with a dslr. The adapter adds a bit of length but still feels well balanced in my hands. If you were to use it with a mirrorless with IBIS, even better.
I absolutely love this lens, some of my favorite pictures I've ever taken come from it. Beautiful rendering, perfectly sharp.
Manual focusing is a challenge, but I'm an amateur photographer and if miss a shot the only collateral is my mood... Now, when I get the shot... oh man, this beauty delivers world class image quality for reasonable price.
Hi, how are you sir, because of your review of this fantastic lens, I have decided to purchase and add this to my arsenal. The built and the quality that this lens is producing is great. Indeed this lens is very affordable and the sharpness is truly amazing. Without auto focus is not a big deal, the quality of the images and the ultra sharpness it produce is what matters most. I don't know but this lens is unreal and for the price, truly wicked. Thank you very much sir for your fantastic review.
Thank you for the great review Christopher. I have the Sony Zeiss 135mm f1.8, but as I almost always shot in manual anyway, I thing this review just sold me on the Samyang version, this way I can get a native E mount for my a7rii and get rid of the adaptor and bulk. cheers
What a great lens indeed. Even more so considering its pricetag and size/weight. Thanks for your review.
Not just sharp but the Color this lens produces is amazingly beautiful
Holy! If it had auto focus I would consider using for portraits and even sports photography :D nice lens
Oh dear, that snappy aperture sound, it sounds so good!
Is this made for full frame meaning that it's actually more than 135mm on a APS-C camera?
If you're using an APS-C camera then you /always/ multiply by 1.6x. So this is the equivalent of 216mm
That's interesting, it means that I might be able to use it for nature and wildlife photography since I use APS-C.
Great review
This lens really looks great!
Great video Christopher. I have this lens plus a few others from Samyang and I can confirm that it is just as good as you say in the video. I also have the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR2 lens (one of Nikon's "Holy Trinity" of Pro. lenses which cost approx. £1600) and this Samyang lens seems just as sharp. FYI....if you use this with most modern Nikon DSLR cameras you can set the aperture (but not the focus) with the camera controls although with other brands of camera I believe you have to set it with the lens ring. Focus confirmation in the viewfinder still works (at least with most Nikon bodies like my Nikon D300s) even though the actual focusing is done manually.
I just placed an order on this lens, what a great lens!
Greart review Chris. I was out with a couple of old friends last weekend and it transpired that one of them is your step sister! Kinda odd as I've been watching your uploads for a long time on UA-cam. Enjoy married life.
Chris you should make a guide on how to focus accurately with manual lenses (viewfinder/live view/magnification tools...). After you have finished getting married, of course :)
Exactly what I would like to see too~
Super sharp! :)
Good review, thx!!!
Good review! P.S. nice books at 7:03
I will buy this lens next week , thx for video impressive .
Did you end up buying the lens? How are manual focusing? View finder or live view?
Thank you for a wonderful review. I love Samyang lenses, they are best quality for money out there.
When I am shooting with my Canon gear, I shy away from manual focus lenses but, with my Sony gear (focus assist and focus peaking) I jump right in with two feet!
I presently use a 135mm f/2.8 Meyer Optik Orestor which is a neat lens from the 1950's. I definitely want to try this Samyang lens on my Sony cameras...
i can listen to you all day :)
very useful , thanks
You really can't go wrong with Samyang/Rokinon. I have many and I've never received a bad copy. I always buy with confidence.
samyang and rokinon is good lense ?
Excellent review, as always! As a fan of your work, I have a very important request - Any chance you could review the Samyang 24mm Tilt-Shift?
+Iam Calderon I'd love to one day! So, maybe.
Wow this lens is seriously impressive :O just a shame the lack of autofocus will put many people off. Thanks for a great review anyway :)
Sinner Customs those expensive MF lens you are writing about are cine lenses they are much different in build or they all have standard size without focus breathing. MF in photography especially portraits is challenging
you just sold me this lens. thanks :)
You're basically the only person I see on UA-cam that has this much reviews. But, could you add the Sigma 70-200 2.8 EX DG OS HSM?
Since you recently got an a7rii, could you please test this on the 42 mpx sensor? gracias
I want one!!
I've seen this used for Astrophotography, and its performance can only be described as incredible. Especially when you consider that stars can be the most punishing test of any optics.
Planning on getting one aswell,
I know this is 5 Years Ago but then I can ask you
Hows AP going for you? :)
@@pattech3960 Actually, ive just taken delivery of another Samyang (my 4th in 5 years)...lol.. (early xmas pres from me to me) I've been out of action for nearly a year, and I got another of these because they are so "set up and walk away". I dont have much free time, so I have to make the most of whatever time I get under the stars, and this is the *only* way.
There are a few astro lenses now that try to boast of a "flat field" - but in all honesty... nothing comes close to the Samyang 135 (IF you get a good one).
Hey Chris, please do a review on the Oshiro 135mm f2.8
I have been shooting Manual Settings for a few month on my d750 with the Samyang 35mm and 24mm, so far I'm getting impressive results shooting stills. I cannot say when is the last time I use other settings such as Aperture/TV Shutter on my camera.
Hi Chris! This lens literally blows my mind away, superb contrast and color rendering.
I usually like to isolate the subject in my photos, but you can understand how often this is using an 18-55 canon kit lens.
Being even found of macro photography, would you recommend going with this 135mm f/2, using extension tubes and taking advantage of the general performances on the lens, or instead the proper samyang 100mm f/2.8 macro?
Davide Baldanti Personally, I'd probably go with the extension tubes, although for a 135mm lens, you will need a lot of them. Find a cheap set of them on eBay, and stack them all together :-)
Christopher, thank you for your nice reviews. A pleasure to watch as usual. I have a question: How does this compare to the 100mm F/2.8 MACRO for precisely, Macro photography?
If you watch the review, you'll see me testing this lens (and the Samyang macro lens) at close distances
Very useful!
On a side note, you have some good reading material ;-)
Excellent lens super sharp at F2 and F4
After watching several of your reviews it seems Samyang lenses are well worth the buy.
Christopher Frost Photography Great review. Ya know to save you some money after you get married, you could get a 750D since it has 24MP sensor, many people would be wanting to know how it performs on it also.
Would you recommend this lens for concert photography? Or what lenses would you recommend for concert photography! Really need some good advice....Thanks :)
Time for a re-testing of this spectacular performer on a modern sensor? Its 6-year anniversary just passed and there's still nothing like it!
love your reviews! I am considering this lens and the Venus Laowa 105mm f/2 (t/3.2), is the extra $300 worth it for the Laowa? They both look like fantastic lenses but the bokeh on the Laowa 105mm looks too good to pass up! Thanks again for your awesome reviews Christopher!!
Hmm that's a hard question. If I were you I'd decide on what focal length you want.
Highly recommended
Hi, can you please do a review and demo on Mitakon 135mm F-2.8?
I'd like to try it, but can't find any informative video on that Mitakon lens. It would be very helpful if you could do a video on the same. Thank You.
I've had this lense for nearly a year or more . I use it mainly with my 5DSR . Don't get me wrong it's a great lense but you really have to check the pics after taken them , As the live screen on the 5DSR doesn't really show what your image will be like unlike it shows a false impression unlike with my other camera 90D .
As for using it for Astro / night .. 3sec anymore streaks will appear
when used without a tracker
Would you recommend this in 2022? Also would like to know if there is crop in non full frame cameras
I have 3 Samyang lenses the 85mm F1.4 - 35mm F1.4 and now this one. They are great for astrophotography as do not need the auto focus. Great lenes and fast. Best astrophotography lenses.
could you give a review on the 35mm F1.4 on the stars perfomance? maybe some image sample throuhout the aperture?
Nice review. The lack of CA at f/2 makes this lens look promising for astrophotography.
These lenses are incredible, autofocus is no big deal you get used to manual focus very quickly, the quality from these lenses is worth every penny , much prefer these to canon and nikon lenses.
That is one impressive lens! It makes me wish we could fuse Canon's 6D full frame sensor with the OVF of the Fuji that would make manual focusing much easier :)
This lens is available on Fuji though? I use it on an X-T1 (I might superglue it stuck too xD )
The shot of the house at f2 is shocking, there are many lenses that need to step down to f4/5.6 to get even close to that in the center, let alone the corners. I was planning to get the Samyang 14mm for astrophotography, looks like I may need to order this one as well. By the way, all Samyang lenses are very well regarded for astrophotography due to fast aperture and lack of coma. I wonder how this 135mm would perform from that point of view.
+白海塔 The problem with a 135 mm lens for astrophotography would be star trails. You could only expose for something 3 or 4 seconds, and at f2 that's just not going to be enough light to expose for the stars
DrummingSpain he probably means with a tracker, I have a tracker and this lens is no doubt going to be my next purchase. That amount of light collection is incredible when you consider that my fastest telescope is f/5.9, which is quite fast for a refractor. Not to mention the pin sharp stars corner to corner.
Just bought the Nikon variant for astro, for use with both my NIkon D610 and my Canon 600D astro-modified (with the Nikon to Canon adapter of course) on a EQ6. Can't wait!!!
Hasn't Samyang/Rokinon offered body-controlled aperture for the K-mount for a while now? I thought for at least 10 years. I have been wanting an 85 1.4 for portrait-ing, but I'm wondering if the 100 or 135 wouldn't make a better single choice by offering some macro-ability.
so how does the 135L perform in the longitudinal chromatic aberration test?
I would be curious to know how this compares to the Minolta 300mm f4 HS. I am looking for a lens for my Gigapan robotic panorama head. When I compared the Minolta 80-200mm f2.8 HS lens against the Samyang 85mm f1.4 I found that there was actually more detail from the same distance with the Samyang then the Minolta at 200mm, and the Minolta is a fairly sharp lens. The Minolta 300mm f4 is just a hair more expensive than the Samyang 135mm f2 and is just over double the focal length and half the aperture. Of course the Minolta 300mm f4 has blazing fast AF for almost the same price but I don't need that for Gigapans.
Can you review the Samyang 10mm f/2.8 ultra wide angle lens please and compare it to other options (10-18, 10-22,11-16 and others)...
I need this lens and the yongnou 35mm f/2
which is sharper? this 135mm f2 or samyang 85 f1.4?
also can I mount cine version on my canon 6D? and... why Cine version has less aperture?
Fabrizio Cimò The 135mm lens is noticeably sharper. Yes, the cine version will work fine. It doesn't have a darker aperture though. The T number is slightly different from an f/stop number, and is normally a little darker.
+Christopher Frost Photography thank you very much!
Christopher Frost Photography I do have the 70-200 2.8 IS mark I, but I was wondering a manual lens, do you think this 135mm F2 win over my canon on sharpnes and general render or do I waste my money on similar performances?
+Fabrizio Cimò The Samyang should be quite noticeably sharper than the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS Mark I. Not a HUGE amount sharper, but quite noticeable
+Christopher Frost Photography Thanks! I'm quite interested on this monster!
Good review as always! By the way have you tried using this lens with a teleconverter? I just ordered this lens from Amazon France (the lens hasn't arrived yet) and I did notice I still have the 1.4x and 2x Tamron teleconverters lying around from my old film shooting days! :) With the converters you'd get (almost) 200mm f2.8 and 270mm f4 lenses. Those could be handy in bird photography, at least if the subject is large enough (say a swan).
Obviously the converters ARE going to degrade the image quality some but how much exactly? I tried searching for info in the net but my inquiries have yielded little to nothing of any substantial knowledge!!!
Might be better off getting and old russian MF 250mm f3.5 for about $100. With this lens the quality of the TC is probably more important than the lens.
Great for astrophotography too!
Samyang 135mm f/2 ED or Canon 200mm f/2.8 USM L for astrophotography??? I like a closer reach of 200mm, but if this Samyang is crazy sharp then I can just crop the end image, right.
Really want you to give the 135mm f/1.8 a shot.
It's about time for Samyang to reinvent these stellar optics for RF mount with proper AF.
is this heavier than the canon 135?
Hi there. Thank you for your lovely review. May I ask you if this lens would work with nikon cropped sensor d7100.
thanks in advance
Yes. If you buy the Nikon mount version.
Seems to be a great lens at a great price. The only thing that will stop me buying this lens is the lack of auto focus which I deem as essential for portraiture.....Pity !
Nikon F mount comes with cpu so you get focus confirmation and aperture control in you camera.
Dyeless please link to this cpu lens!
Hi thanks for great review on so many good Samyang Lens, have you ever thought of comparing the 85mm to 135mm for outdoor portraits image and bokeh quality. It will help lots of new beginner photographers like me to select one for there use. I will look foreword to seeing your comparison video soon. Thanks
I'm thinking about it
I'm holding my breath on Helios 40-2 and Samyang 85mm f1.4, but i like the image quality on Samyang 135mm it looks so great. I'll wait to see how they perform indoor studio and outdoor portrait shots in your test.
thanks
Lens looks amazing. Tell me do you think the cine version would have better bokeh because of its rounder aperture blades? Thinking I might get that one ti take photos
+GOAT McGregor I'm not sure the cine versions have rounder aperture blades (they might do, but I don't think so)
samyang give a chip for canon? for autofocus ..?
Has anyone used one of these Lens’s on a Canon 80D ?.. I’m looking for a Lens for some astrophotography stuff and I heard that this is great Lens for this, but I have a Canon 80D crop sensor camera.
For my Sony a77 II its possibile buy?
there's the new f1.8 AF version of this lens out now. hope you'll test that too soon!!
What do you think of this lens on my Panasonic GX8 ? it will become 270 mm 2.0.. a fast prime like this will cost a fortune. I will give it a try for sure.
Samyang 135 or Nikkor 135 2.8 for F mount?
Hi, would u recommend this over the 85mm of Samyang?.
Thanks!.
glenn silva Well that really depends on your own needs, as 85mm and 135mm are quite different. This 135mm is definitely sharper, but some people consider 135mm as a focal length a bit harder to shoot
Great review, and I recently bought mine after your advice. How does the lens hood fit? Mine somehow remains loose and does not "click" into place. It just sort of remains pretty loose, and would fall off, if allowed to do so. Does the hood on your copy of the lens remain tight?
Mine is slightly wobbly but not bad at all
+Christopher Frost Photography Thanks. Mine is very loose. I might have my first outing with this lens tomorrow. Quite excited.
Great review. But why did you use your 60D and not the 70D?
Oh. Thanks.
I can definitely see a difference in sharpness between this and Canon's 135mm f2, but not its 100mm f2. I'm very happy with my Samyang 24mm f1.4, but truth be told, I am way more in love with my Canon 100mm f2. That lens is a true dark horse. DxoMark, if you care about those ratings, has it rated extremely highly on a 6D, and I can attest to that. From your tests as well, you don't seem to sell the 100mm too highly, but in the zoom-ins, it does remarkably well. Dxo and your reviews convinced me.
Sure, you won't get the same bokeh due to the difference in focal length, but 100mm is also significantly easier to shoot.
Think twice before pulling the trigger on this manual lens when you can get a lens with AF that's nearly, or just as sharp with a 35mm difference. $100 cheaper, too.
I'm also anxious to see Sigma's take on 135mm. How they've been going, I'm sure it'll blow everything out of the water.
The lack of LoCA makes this Samyang impossible to beat for video in its focal range, not even the Zeiss is comparable. This Samyang lens also packs in the most microcontrast possible to get out of glass. And it has no coma smearing, making it incredible for astrophotography. Some of the lesser known aspects of this 135mm are simply mindbogglingly miraculous.
Dear christopher,
i own a 14 mm samyang lens, i like it.
have you ever stopped the aperture between the klicks ?
what do you think, is going to broke the lens ?
+András Rácz No, it won't break the lens
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?
Watch the review, and you'll find out!
Ideal astrophoto lens.
Does this fit on a Canon eos r?
Can i use it on olympus?
man , can ı use thıs lenses on my Sony fx-30 body ?