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 :)
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.
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.
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 😌
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?
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.
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.
@@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!
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.
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
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!)
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.
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.
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.
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. :/
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
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 ...
@@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
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.
@@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.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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!
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?
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!
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.?
@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.
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.
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!
@@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?
Out of context question .but inhad to ask this. If price is not a factor with which sony mirrorless is better a73 or a7r3? For wedding hybride shooting
A7iii for better low light performance. Lighting at weddings is often inconsistent. You also don't need all the megapickels when you're shooting people as that much detail is less than flattering.
@@rehanaj5685 Or A9 for better tracking? Not that good for low light, but less stress with better tracking. The tracking in a7III only works well in good light, in dimmed light it misses all the time. Eye-focus is always good though. But I would prefer a9II for wedding photography, if price was not a matter, as much more relaxing with unbelievable tracking features, even in dim light on the dance floor.
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 :)
Hi Christ, ty for ur review. You found that the result for 24 mp apsc is not great. Does it mean, that the result for 24 mp full frame like a7iii will be not good as well? Thanks again.
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?
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.
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!!
I’m thinking to buy a Sony A7s for low light photography, which where my Nikon d3500 is basically unuseful. Would you recommend this lens or the 24mm version?
If you want to get a setup for low light and want a wide angle lens, opt for the manual focus Samyang lenses, the 24 is a f1.4 which will give you 2 stops of light more and they go even wider with the 14 2.8 and have way less vignette and better quality
Anyone know anything about this vs the af 14mm 2.8? I tried the 14 jusy real quick and it gives you awesome perspective which I thought were cool. But i'm having a hard time deciding which one to go for. I can get hold of the 14mm used for about same price. Would love to get som input in which to get!
I went out to buy this, tested two copies, both were bad in center. :( . Had to come back without one. I found my 28mm f2 way sharper in center. Did you observe the same when comparing Samyang 18 mm to Sony 28 mm?
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!
@@bioliv1 i bet the tamron will have faster autofocus and sharper IQ. But tamron needs to price it between $400-$500 to make it sell well. Higher than that, people will buy this samyang 18mm 2.8
@@EinzMY Tamron should add something that most Samyang lenses are lacking: a very short close focus distance. Some of their dslr lenses are very good in that regard
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 :)
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.
I really appreciate the addition of Astro shots with coma review!
Zeiss batis must be loving this lense. Great alternative. Thanks for the video.
0:01 I legitimately thought I was having a stroke lmao
Me too. What language was that, Welsh?
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.
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 😌
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?
I enjoyed your review, really detailed yet still easy to follow, well done!
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.
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!
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!
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! 😅
Nice work Christopher Frost. Another great review. I always look at your channel for lens reviews, especially the “budget lenses.” Cheers
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
the astro test is a great plus to the review...thank Chris :)
This lens should be perfect for the a7c!
For why?
@@OBHIJOGlightweight ergonomics
I appreciate the astrophotography test!! Would love to see your astro tests in the future on the applicable lenses...Thanks
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?
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?
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 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
@@johns2260No
Hey looking for wide lena to buy.
Did you get this lens how is it working for you ? Would you recommend it to me ? I have a7m4@@collective-addiction
@@makemyfood5395 Yes! I got it, works great and I have no complaints at all especially for the price.
Thanks man I've been waiting for your review! Now I'm confident to buy into this lens!😆
It has cooler colour tone closer to the sides, just like ultra wide Sigma 12-24
I have sony a6400 and am really struggling with focus at night with this lense can you help?
Update the lens firmware
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.
Fantastic review covering all bases, props specifically for an astro test, and autofocus speed & noise test!
You make lens reviews look so easy yet so many creators can't do them well.
Is there a lens correction profile on lightroom yet to fix the distortion?
You sir are a LEGEND. Great test!
Samyang 18mm or Viltrox 20mm? 🤓
Thats the question i also try to answer 😂
Samyang
@@FreeLensImagethe extra 2mm is worth it. So go for the samyang
@@Anderszontek i suppose so thats why i choose the 18mm from samyang and im very happy with that. Love that lens 🔥
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.
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.
Damn you... now ill definitely need to get that before my next vacation
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
How does the corner astigmatism present itself? I don’t know what to look for in this regard.
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
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.
Great video Christopher, thanks once again!
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.
As always, a great review.
What are the star beams / flares from bright lights in the picture at 1:20 called? They really ruin night time shots :(
Sunstars. Most people quite like them :-)
Hi Chris ,looking at this 18mm and the Samyang 14mm Af what you recommend?
Fantastic and fast review. I will get this lens for a7r2
Hi! I was wondering how you built your test picture for the sharpness and contrast? Great video as usual!
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
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.
Nicely explained. Thanks.
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.
This or the Tamron 20 mm? What do you recommend for A7Rii?
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.
At this price and this lightweight small package, it's just a no-brainer for anyone who shoots landscape or interior.
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?
I really hope sam yang make an rf version
I would love to see an actual comparison between this and viltrox 20mm f2.8 🎉
Hi have you tried to compare the image quality of this lens against Moment lensV2 mounted on a smartphone.
Thanks for the excellent review!
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 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.
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
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.
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! 👍😎
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!
Is that Glasgow? I have the impression I've been there
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.
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
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.
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.
did you review any zeiss lens for the fuji film camera?
Cant believe they make such a good n light lens for that budget.
Great vedio do have vedio about sigma 45mm for Sony full frame?
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
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!
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?
Thanks, Chris. You just saved me a ton of money.
Was that Welsh or something like that?
Out of context question .but inhad to ask this.
If price is not a factor with which sony mirrorless is better a73 or a7r3?
For wedding hybride shooting
A7iii for better low light performance. Lighting at weddings is often inconsistent.
You also don't need all the megapickels when you're shooting people as that much detail is less than flattering.
@@7oelK thanks a lot for ur suggestion. In that case i will go with a73
@@rehanaj5685 Or A9 for better tracking? Not that good for low light, but less stress with better tracking. The tracking in a7III only works well in good light, in dimmed light it misses all the time. Eye-focus is always good though. But I would prefer a9II for wedding photography, if price was not a matter, as much more relaxing with unbelievable tracking features, even in dim light on the dance floor.
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
Hi Christ, ty for ur review. You found that the result for 24 mp apsc is not great. Does it mean, that the result for 24 mp full frame like a7iii will be not good as well? Thanks again.
No, not for 24 mp, as when you put a full frame lens on an aps-c camera, errors in the glas will be magnified 200%.
Øyvind Holmstad oh i see, thanks for your explanation.
It means that the results on the A7R4 won't be overwhelming as well.
@@mrbaiser4133 I think this lens is simply best for the a7III. It's like with the new Canon EOS 90D, Canon has no APS-C glas for 30 MP sensor.
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
Do you recommend the 18mm f2.8 or the manual focus 14mm f2.8 for interior and real estate photography?
The wider the better
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!
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.
just when I was thinking of buying ..
Will it come out for other mirrorless mounts too?
StereoTP95 i really hope that!! Would make a great relatively cheap wide angle for my EOS R!
thank you Christopher :)
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!!
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’m thinking to buy a Sony A7s for low light photography, which where my Nikon d3500 is basically unuseful. Would you recommend this lens or the 24mm version?
Depends on what you want to shoot. 24mm is already quite a noticeable difference from 18mm. If you need to get more things into your shot, get the 18
MineClashTV I know, I’m talking more about overall image quality
If you want to get a setup for low light and want a wide angle lens, opt for the manual focus Samyang lenses, the 24 is a f1.4 which will give you 2 stops of light more and they go even wider with the 14 2.8 and have way less vignette and better quality
Anyone know anything about this vs the af 14mm 2.8? I tried the 14 jusy real quick and it gives you awesome perspective which I thought were cool. But i'm having a hard time deciding which one to go for. I can get hold of the 14mm used for about same price. Would love to get som input in which to get!
ua-cam.com/video/g0fD-IK9cUk/v-deo.html
I went out to buy this, tested two copies, both were bad in center. :( . Had to come back without one. I found my 28mm f2 way sharper in center. Did you observe the same when comparing Samyang 18 mm to Sony 28 mm?
I own both, I think the Samyang stopped down is sharper in the center. But I think on the edges it is quite a bit sharper than the 28mm f2.
@@PrimeInChina Thanks, maybe I was testing bad copies.
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...
What len would you recommend for traveling,if you can bring only one with you?
Personally, I'd bring a voightlander 40mm f/1.4.
Though if AF is a requirement, either my Tamron 28-75 2.8 or Samyang 45mm 1.8.
Ava Vikman sounds great! Thanks
@@maichaishem Sony 24-105 F4 or the Tamron 28-75
Can me someone explain the second sentence? THX
It's a Welsh greeting
@@christopherfrost Ďakujem ti veľmi pekne za vysvetlenie. :-)
@@GinoFoto Croeso :-)
"And a warm welcome to you" in God's own language [according to more learned people than I]
Will you recommend this lens or the upcoming Tamron 20 mm f2.8 FE?
Nobody knows what that lens will be like - it hasn't even been officially announced
@@christopherfrost Hope you'll let me know then as soon it's out.
@@bioliv1 i bet the tamron will have faster autofocus and sharper IQ. But tamron needs to price it between $400-$500 to make it sell well. Higher than that, people will buy this samyang 18mm 2.8
@@EinzMY Yes, this samyang is really going to force Tamron to keep their prices competitive. Great for consumers.
@@EinzMY Tamron should add something that most Samyang lenses are lacking: a very short close focus distance. Some of their dslr lenses are very good in that regard
thanks again for the review! What would the price be?
£350
@@AndySomething thanks! Now what would that be in EUR....😂
@@GaryJahman 😂 393.46 😉
thanks for review from italy 🇮🇹