Samyang 35mm F1.2 ED AS UMC CS E-mount lens review by QuietOC
 QuietOC#44216 date: Jan-26-2019 | |
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| sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I have experience with this lens |
| compared to: | Sigma 30 F1.4 DC DN C & EX DC Pentax 30 F2.8 Sigma 30 F2.8 DN Art Sony DT 30 F2.8 Macro SAM Neewer 32 F1.6 Zeiss Touit 32 F1.8 Neewer 35 F1.2 Sony FE 35 F1.4 Distagon Sony A 35 F1.4 G Fotasy 35 F1.6 APS-C & Mini Kaxinda 35 F1.7 Sony E 35 F1.8 OSS Sony DT 35 F1.8 SAM Minolta AF 35 F2 Rokinon AF FE 35 F2.8 Minolta MC 35 F2.8 Vivitar 35 F2.8 Minolta Rokkor 40 F1.7 Konica AR 40 F1.8 Sony FE 40 F2.5 G Canon EF 40 F2.8 STM Pentax-M 40 F2.8 Pentax-DA 40 F2.8 XS Pentax-FA 43 F1.9 Limited |
| price paid: | 239 USD (new) |
| positive: | Sharp wide-open Zero distortion Sony control directions Covers full-frame corners at small apertures |
| negative: | Size and Weight Warm color cast No electrical connection Not as bright as Sigma 30 F1.4 DC DN C |
| comment: | I didn't intend to buy another APS-C normal prime, but this seemed like a good deal on possibly the best 35 mm lens ever. It was over twice the price of the Neewer 35mm F1.2. This lens and the matching 50 F1.2 are constructed more carefully than the AF FE lenses. The silver finish is a decent match to my A6000. "MADE IN KOREA" The APS-C images from this lens are similar to full-frame capture from a 55 mm F1.8. This lens is somewhat larger and heavier than the Sony FE Sonnar 55 F1.8. This lens is twice the length of the Neewer 35mm F1.2 and feels very substantial. The Neewer is sharper wide-open in the center but has much less contrast. The Neewer has a good amount of focus plane curvature while the Rokinon has none. Surprisingly, the Rokinon mostly cover full-frame except for the extreme corners wide-open, but the optical quality falls off quickly on the left and right sides outside of the APS-C crop. With little hype or fanfare Samyang has released a entire series of these fast, optically excellent manual primes for mirrorless sub full-frame cameras: 12/2, 21/1.4, 35/1.2, 50/1.2, 85/1.8. For whatever reason only the 12 F2 gets much attention. If the main criteria is low light performance the Sigma 30 F1.4 DC DN C is a better choice. The smaller, cheaper, lighter Neewer 35 F1.2 matches the current rangefinder style bodies. The Fotasy 35 F1.6 remains a remarkable, inexpensive prime. The Zeiss Touit has the best image quality of the AF options and decent focusing but lacks stabilization. |
rating summary
- total reviews: 1
- sharpness: 5.00
- color: 4.00
- build: 5.00
- distortion: 5.00
- flare control: 4.00
- overall: 4.60