Samyang AF 18mm f/2.8 FE lens review with samples (Full-frame & APS-C)
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- Samyang take aim at Zeiss's Sony lenses again, with a nice, full-frame little 18mm option. It's exactly the kind of lens I love to see - let's see how it performs, though.
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All pictures taken by me on Sony a7R II and a5100 cameras.
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7:37 that is one amazing photo!
It is a wonder that they have been able to produce such a wide angle lens without a really bulbous front element. Made it rectilinear with hardly any distortion to the sides as well. Top marks for that. It is one to add to my prime wish list.
You are possibly the best reviewer of lenses! I always like your accent, duration of clips and just the specific points you elaborate for any of those lenses, Hats off!
I think I shall buy this Samy 18mm, possibly best one within my budget that can use easy filters.
Your lens reviews have been invaluable to me! Thank you very much for all your hard work. Just thought I'd put this out there before it gets buried in all the other comments :)
0:01 I legitimately thought I was having a stroke lmao
Me too. What language was that, Welsh?
I really appreciate the addition of Astro shots with coma review!
Zeiss batis must be loving this lense. Great alternative. Thanks for the video.
Your reviews are all about the product and not about you. This is very refreshing as so many on youtube make their videos as much about them than the product. I have just got a a7III with the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 and it's a flip of the coin as to weather I get this lens and the 24mm or the Tamron 17-28 f2.8 next.
This lens should be perfect for the a7c!
For why?
@@OBHIJOGlightweight ergonomics
This is a great vlogging lens. My friend used this during our recent trip and I really love how light and compact it is. As far as image quality I wouldn't expect too much out of it needing to be stopped down but value wise this is hard to beat as there is not much out there with same focal length. If this was a 1.8 I think it would be a KILLER combo but then I am sure it may be a bit larger but that's not always the case. With sony mounts we're seeing a revolution of great optics in smaller packages. Just a matter of time before we see more lenses become available in similar configuration.
Sev The performance of this lens is amazing at f/2.8... I’m not sure what you shoot, but this looks like a really impressive lens.
@@dasaauto2024 It definitely is 😁 I mainly shoot landscapes and sometimes some astro. I probably will pick it up since its so compact and light it's really handy. From my initial view of landscape shots from my friends lcd view zoomed into the corners around f8-f11 i wasn't that impressed but then i am just a picky pixel peeker hehe 😁👍 I've yet to see the images blown up on a bigger monitor to make a better analysis so once my friend processes them i will see.
Not to dig this back up or anything, but yeah I've been looking and looking for shorter lenses for my new Sony A7 III and I've had a rough time. There are a handful of premium options but I was really looking for something mid-range. I didn't want to have to go extreme budget but as of right now, this seems to be my only option so I appreciate your input. Thank you!
I’ve been waiting for this review, glad it got your thumbs up, will be my next lens, and as you say bonus having a filter thread, I’m just learning and I love doing long exposure photos so this will be ideal for me, thanks for the review 😌
I'm already saving for that lens! A buddy of mine has let me use the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 and I feel that is hard to use, you get too much on your frame, I can always crop though. I'm looking forward to use this one. Thanks for your review.
I appreciate the astrophotography test!! Would love to see your astro tests in the future on the applicable lenses...Thanks
You weren't kidding a few days ago when you said a full review was coming! Looks like just the lens you'd want for a small ultra-wide - I guess I should get my preorder in!
Small ultrawide..... Check out the voightlander "hyperwide" lenses. Even smaller and much wider.
Not saying they replace the worth of this lens but they are certainly interesting if considering a small yet wide prime.
the astro test is a great plus to the review...thank Chris :)
It has cooler colour tone closer to the sides, just like ultra wide Sigma 12-24
This is an exceptional video lens. With 4k crop mode on for example the a7iv and clear image zoom, this outperforms a lot of much more expensive lenses for video due to its relatively well controlled barrell distortion compared to say the new sigma 16-28. For property shoots this stays on my camera most of the time despite having much more expensive options in my bag.
Good to hear! I will definitley be grabbing this for my A7IV
Hi. Did you find any issues with focus?
@@johns2260No
Thank for the review, Chris! Helpful as always. I am considering it as my next lens and this sure helps a lot. I will just wait a little bit more to see some reviews of the new unreleased Tamron wide angle primes and unless they impress me with better quality for similar price, the Sami 18 it is.
Exactly!
This prime lens is quiet good, I don’t take ultra wide a lot, so instead of buying that Tamron 17-28 f/2.8, I bought this one for half of the price($369), I use A7Riii, I get 27mm focal length in crop mode which still provide 18MP image, good lens.
Great review as always. Thanks for the astro shots! Think this plus the fe 24-105mm are going to be my new travel setup.
Ben W dream setup!
Throw in a 45mm 1.8 for environmental portraits and you have everything you need
wow I am thinking of the same thing 1 year apart. Have you used this setup? any suggestions or cautions I should be aware of?
I enjoyed your review, really detailed yet still easy to follow, well done!
Fantastic review covering all bases, props specifically for an astro test, and autofocus speed & noise test!
Great vid as always Chris! But that 2nd to the last photo was JAW DROPPINGLY GOOD! Well done!
Thanks! It's Pentre Ifan burial chamber, Wales.
@@christopherfrost Simply amazing... I rewound the video twice to see it a couple of times! 😅
Bro, I recently bought a Samyang 18mm lens for my Sony A7C II, but unfortunately, the autofocus is really bad. While vlogging, it doesn't detect my face most of the time. I checked the firmware of the lens, and it's on version 3; I think the latest version is 8. I don't have a lens dock to update the lens. Could you please advise me? Would it be better to return the lens, or will updating the firmware make a difference?
Thanks for sharing your experience. You aren’t the first person I have heard say they gave auto focus problems when using non Sony lenses on the new A7C ii and A7CR. What has happened in the month since you wrote your comment? Are you still using the lens?
At last been waiting for this, thanks. Edit just finished watching thanks again, im going to this lens as soon as i have some spare cash as it will be perfect for my travel videos
In many ultra-wide lens round ups for e-mount, this lens is still not included. There is some clear snobbery going on (in my opinion as a product reviewer) toward Samyang/Rokinon. It fits a need/combo that none of the others can match (size, weight, standard filters, cost). The image quality, and even the decent AF should have way more people considering this lens three years later.
The knock on Samyang is that while they produce great, budget friendly lenses that review very well, their quality control systems are such that users find wild variations from product to product. I really like the way their 24mm and 20 mm look in youtube reviews but there are some who don’t have great stories to tell about when they get the lenses home and use them for a little while. Also, for the 24 and 20mm particularly where I will be outdoors all the time, I’d like to see gasket/o-ring seals to protect the camera and lens from an occasional shower or mist. Also, Samyang has a separate lens dock you are suppose to buy to keep the lens up to date, (pain in the neck). That just adds to the cost.
Nice work Christopher Frost. Another great review. I always look at your channel for lens reviews, especially the “budget lenses.” Cheers
Had this lens for about a week and I love it! :)
It has been 4years since your comment about owning the Samyang, 18mm, f2.8. Still in love with it 4years later?
You make lens reviews look so easy yet so many creators can't do them well.
Thanks man I've been waiting for your review! Now I'm confident to buy into this lens!😆
Damn you... now ill definitely need to get that before my next vacation
This lens is excellent, I use it for construction videography on a a7sii on a small gimbal, from me it comes... highly reccommended. One note is that it doesn't like my a6300 at all, the af is very unreliable on that body.
Hey Chris!
2 Questions. Do you think video autofocus was particularly problematic?
And
I know you test full frame high mp & then apsc mid range mp cameras for the quality test. But what abt if I have a full frame but mid range (24mp) camera
Which result would mine be closer to? The full frame 42? Or the apsc 24..
This AF18mm f/2.8 with thier AF 85mm f/1.4 is perfect for Samyang's new AF 24-70mm f/2.8. Hope you get to test 24-70 f/2.8. Also I hope Samyang launches 24-105 f/4. Samyang's color rendition beautiful.
Love the astro test! It actually doesn't look too bad :)
Would you be able to perform astro/coma tests on future lenses as well? Even for telephoto lenses it would be useful, in case you want to get a closer view of certain constellations, planets, and patterns (or obviously the moon!)
I try to with ultra wide angle lenses
This lens reminds me of a little gem I used to have on a Sony a6000, the Samyang 12mm f2. It was a fantastic lens but manual focus only. This 18mm has the same field of view that I loved on the 12mm on a crop sensor but comes with the added bonus of being full frame and has af! Deffo one I'll be getting for my A7ii :)
It definitely is very similar in that respect, except, yes, with autofocus...and actually, smaller and lighter!
Sunstars look much better too, the 12mm had that weird shape.
@@sselh and it's much sharper on the edges. or it was just my 12mm that wasn't sharp at all on the edges and yes the sunstars were really ugly
Your quite convincing review about camera lenses are simply remarkable. Truly I applaud your knowledge and skills.
Once I was a Nikon shooter and recently shifted to Sony.and I own A7R M4 with Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM. I am more than impressed with the results of this combination. Request you to suggest me one equally good prime lens preferably below 24 mm but NLT 15 mm.
Regards & Thanks
Tarun
Nice! I've been thinking about the Tamron 17-28mm zoom - which offers some advantages, but it's much bulkier and way more expensive... The Samyang 18mm f2.8 might be an attractive alternative to the wider end of that range - and I already own the excellent Sony 28mm F2. So I'll give it some thought...
Yeah that's a tough choice! If I was in your shoes and used both focal lengths reguarly I would probably aim for the 17-28 when I had the money (so I dont have to swap lenses).
But I think I might pick up the 18 and 35. But then I end up in the predicament of those or a 16-35 f4 lol
@@AndySomething Yes, I think I may go for the 17-18 in the end, it's probably the better option... But the Samsung is tempting!
Samyang@@andrewclifton429
You sir are a LEGEND. Great test!
I really hope sam yang make an rf version
I would love to see an actual comparison between this and viltrox 20mm f2.8 🎉
Is there a lens correction profile on lightroom yet to fix the distortion?
At this price and this lightweight small package, it's just a no-brainer for anyone who shoots landscape or interior.
Love the test for astro photography. It makes it PERFECT for holiday cos it can be for landscape, nightscape and astro too!!!!! I am so glad I bought it. Tgt with the fe 28mm and samyang 45mm f1.8, my kit has just turned VRY light but cover a great range.
Fantastic and fast review. I will get this lens for a7r2
interesting lens. but i would be happy if we see some more third party F 1.8 / F2.0 primes. This lens weights 145g so why not make it 1.8 with perhaps 280g which is also very light? The new tamron primes will be F2.8, too. :/
You can pick Tokina 20mm f/2 - a very nice lens, both in MF or AF version.
@@mattbite I've been considering the Tokina - my understanding is the af is slightly noisier though. It's also £800.
Great video Christopher, thanks once again!
amazing review, thanks a lot Chris!
Will be curious to see how this compares to the upcoming Tamron 20mm f/2.8!
I’m in the market for a lens this focal range. The tamron although sharper, suffers from a very, very strong distortion that sometimes can’t be corrected. The Samyang has no optical flaws but it’s average.
@@saadazzahrani Thanks for the information! It is also very helpful for me.
@@saadazzahraniYeah thats the biggest problem with Tameron, the sharpness and contrast on their 20mm, and 24mm is top of the line fantastic, and the price is right, but the level of distortion is a huge deal breaker I can’t get past. Tameron would be my 1st choice if not for the distortion.
Hi Chris. Love your reviews. They're filled with everything one would want to know, nicely produced in a fact-based concise format. It seems you've moved away from reviewing lenses that fit on DSLRs. One quick question: is there any chance you'll be reviewing Tamron's newish 35mm f/1.4? I've read some remarkable things about it, but would love to see your take on it.
Yes, definitely, although there is a bit of a lens traffic jam in my office at the moment!
Also, the new Tamron 35-150. Still being patient though! 👍😎
Based on your review, I previously purchased the Rokinon 24mm. This would be my next step. The fact it is small and reasonably priced...is icing on cake!
I've done like you, and probably I'll again follow the recommandation of Christopher...
Thanks for a great review as always!
As always, a great review.
Nicely explained. Thanks.
I have sony a6400 and am really struggling with focus at night with this lense can you help?
as always, nice test. Thank you
The sharpness looks a litte bit weird to me. It seems in fullframe the conrner is sharper than the mid-frame. But in general, it looks good.
It is sad that Sony doesn't provide any budget FE lens in this focus length range, just like the FE 28mm, 50mm and 85mm.
How does the corner astigmatism present itself? I don’t know what to look for in this regard.
I have this lens since one year. Here are my thoughts..
1. Not good for astro and for timelpase.
2. Minor change in lens temperature changes the focus - took long to realise that!!
3. Focus ring is not stopping at infinite and it is so smooth, just a minor touch is enough to change the focus
4. Not good to click when the sky is involved. It produces wierd circle in the image. Makes the image unusable.
Due to above, I am using kit lens instead of this for astro and for timelpase!!
So... Worth the money, thx for the vid!
Absolut i have it and its great
Thanks for the excellent review!
Chris, I always love watching your reviews. Any chance you will be reviewing the new Sigma 2.8/14-24mm DG DN lens? Really hope to hear what you think of it. Thank you!
Samyang 18mm or Viltrox 20mm? 🤓
Hi! I was wondering how you built your test picture for the sharpness and contrast? Great video as usual!
Hey Christopher! Are you planning to review the Tamron 17-28 f2.8 for Sony E mount? It's quite an appealing lens especially for it price point.
I am waiting on Tamron's new trio of f2.8 primes
that 1:2 magnification ratio on the 20mm surely makes for exciting close up views. Thanks for the mention!
What the real world difference between this and the Tamron 20mm 2.8??
Slow af and loud. I returned the 2 Tamrons I tried. Very disappointing.
How is the continuous AF with moving subjects?
I just got the Samyang AF 14mm f/2.8 FE and I'm already returning it. The AF continuous performance is honestly just terrible. It keeps hunting on my A7iii and about 1 of 10 photos (wide shots of a room full of people) is actually in decent focus. That's a huge no-go. I have used the Sony 16-35mm F/4 and F/2.8 and both performed much, much better. I got it during a sale and paid €475 for it. Seems like the phrase "you get what you pay for" is correct here.
i had the samyang 35 1.4 on my A7r2 and the focus was just perfect! even the IQ was perfect. I returned it because it was too hevy for walk around. switched for the Zeiss Batis 40 2.0. With the Batis i have focus problems i had not with the Samyang 35 1.4 ...
Ervin, try updating your AF 14mm's firmware. Samyang improved the AF continuous
@@zyxyuv1650 Yeah, I thought that might help and I checked my firmware against the lastes that was available and saw mine didn't have the latest one. But then I saw you actually need to buy this base station to connect the lens with your pc... like seriously? Why can't we update it like every other lens through the camera? So I didn't want to bother. And tbh, although 14mm is great for wide shots, it's also too limited. Having used the 14mm, I think I'll prefer the 16-35mm, sacrificing those 2mm but having much more range. I have also used the Sony 12-24mm F/4.0, it's freaking great, but then again, it's 3x the price of this Samyang. Choices, choices. :p
@@Ervin-1190 You'll have to deal with that if you're buying Samyang lenses. Not a bad problem cause Samyang makes good lenses. You could have worse problems, such as paying $1300 for Zeiss Batis 18mm F2.8 instead of $400 Samyang. (Zeiss isn't even better image quality). Just pretend the Samyang dock is part of your hussle :P
You can't update it in-camera because Sony won't allow Samyang access for updates. So if you want a Sony lens where you're allowed to update, then you need to pay a higher price.
@@zyxyuv1650 Yeah true and I do really like it's build quality, but in the end, I'm not sure how much a update would help the AF performance. It really is terrible, maybe I got a bad example and it's not my camera, other lenses work as they should. But as I said I would also like having a bit more range capability, so gotta double my money + add a little more to get that 16-35mm F/4.0. :p
Not a really bad lens for the price.
But very brown colors which are impossible to remove in post.
Also not very clean rendering and a lot of interference in the picture.
Impossible to see in this review but very clear after careful consideration.
Hi Chris ,looking at this 18mm and the Samyang 14mm Af what you recommend?
Any news on price in Australia? I was considering the tamron 17-28 but this is so small and light and probably way cheaper and I probably don't need it to go to 28mm anyway. I got other lenses that do that.
Zeiss Batis 2.8/18mm vs. Samyang 2.8/18 would be interesting! (Zeiss: 1300€ vs Samyang: 400€)
Do you plan to review the Batis 18mm?
I'm tempted to but it's not a priority for me...hopefully one day soon
Thanks, Chris. You just saved me a ton of money.
Get a like just for the Tim Keller book! Get on brother!
This or the Tamron 20 mm? What do you recommend for A7Rii?
Should be a nice combination with a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens on my A7iii camera... I like the 18mm focal length... My 12mm f/2.0 Rokinon/Samyang is an equivalent 18mm on my APSC cameras and the focal length works quite well... The light weight and low price of this lens makes it one that I am planning purchase...
At the end he says "this lens is obviously not made for bokeh". I wonder, why is that? Isn't f2.8 considered quite bright? What am I missing here?
thank you Christopher :)
Need suggestion:
Which one has better photo quality ? Sony 10-18 f4 on a6400 or samyang 18mm on a7iii? Is the difference significant?
Note: I don’t care about the zoom range of 10-18(i.e. 15-28 ff equivalent). I just need to know which is better at around that 18mm.
Hello and thanks for all the wonderful reviews that helped a lot in choosing lenses. If possible, an opinion: between Samyang 14 and 18 mm lenses, for landscape, in terms of clarity and overall impression of the picture, which one is preferable? maybe there is something else from budget wide-angle optics for Sony's full frame?
I know your post is a year old now, but I have both lenses. The 18mm has better corner to corner sharpness.
Thanks for the video. Which one would you suggest for the Sony a6400 for street photography? The Samyang 18mm f2.8 or the Sony 20mm f2.8 E.
Is this the full frame equivalent of the 12mm F2 Samyang for aps-c ?
R A Yes sir. 👍
yes i just stepped up from APSC to Fullframe and was missing my 12mm samyang. But this one is even better than the 12mm
I use the Samyang/Rokinon 24mm along with my Tamron 28-75mm, and love it mostly for its’ size and snappy and very quiet AF. It’s decently sharp; but lacks in strong/pop contrast and is a little hazy looking sometimes.
I’m actually on my 2nd Samyang 24mm now, but only because I tried the Tamron OSD prime version of it briefly (super sharp; but I hated the noisy and hunting OSD drive... as I shoot lots of video too).
Have you ever tried the Samyang/Rokinon 24mm??
If yes, how does it compare to this 18mm in terms of IQ, sharpness, etc.?
Yes, take a look on my channel for the reviews
@LessTalkMoreDelicious which 24mm Samyang do you have? They have made a really tiny f2.8 version, and a slightly longer f1.8 version? Perhaps you are referencing how you have owned both, in how you say you are on your second one? Is your second 24mm, Samyang (presumably the f1.8), more contrasty and less hazy? Here at 3:36 It seems when Chris Frost analyzes center sharpness of the Samyang, 20mm, at f2.8 he is noticing low contrast in the center as well. At f4 3:54 it gets more contrasty.
thanks for review from italy 🇮🇹
Christopher. Thank you for your wonderful assessment of lenses. Question: What lenses would you recommend for an aps c sensor that is 32.5mp? I just bought a Canon EOS M6 Mark II and absolutely love it. At the same time, I can tell that some of my older lenses are not performing well while others are performing wonderfully! I want to invest in some new lenses that work well with the M6mii sensor, but I don't make enough money to make too many bad lens decisions. Any suggestions would be great. Thank you!
The Canon 11-22 might be sharp enough, and the upcoming Sigma 16mm f/1.4 should be pretty good, too
Is that Glasgow? I have the impression I've been there
Thanks Christopher for the review. On a Sony A7R3 do you think there would be a noticeable edge in sharpness and coma between this lens and the Tamron 17-28 and the Sony 16-35 F4 (which I have) - thinking about something faster for casual astro and indoor travel shooting?
I haven't tested the Tamron lens yet I'm afraid
Hi have you tried to compare the image quality of this lens against Moment lensV2 mounted on a smartphone.
Thanks for the review! I was hoping to watch your 18mm pictures on your Flickr page, but no luck, will you make an album there?
Hmm, I've slightly lost interest in Flickr TBH!
Was that Welsh or something like that?
Great value! FF users have options
Great vedio do have vedio about sigma 45mm for Sony full frame?
Seems quite similar to their 24mm one, which I got for just 150€ a few months ago. Definitely a better deal imo.
I hope they also make this for the Nikon Z mount
Super video friend 👍
I prefer to pay an extra USD 300 to have the Tamron 17-28 2.8. Will you test it Christ? Thanks ✌
I will indeed test it :-)
I have to say, I admire the book selections I've seen in your videos. If you haven't already read it you may enjoy The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer.
looks great
Samyang 24mm 1.8 please 🙏
nice review! what would you choose between this one and a Tamron 20mm f2.8?
I haven't tried that lens - I'd probably prefer the wider 18mm angle, though
@@christopherfrost thanks you for your response and for the great videos..I'm addicted! PS. How about a comparison between the wide angles for sony e-mount? Tamron 20 mm vs sony 20mm vs Samyang 18 mm?
Hi great video review but i wondering that does your lens make noticeable motor noise when you shoot video? mine it does my mic pick up all noise from the motor. Thank you!
You will probably be able to hear the lens's motor micro-adjusting through the built-in microphone
Thank you!