The Samyang 85mm f/1.4 is an ultra-fast f/1.4 prime lens, well suited to full-frame D-SLR users who enjoy shooting portraits. Suitable for APS-C sized sensors too, it turns into a 127.5mm prime when it’s attached to a D-SLR with a 1.5x crop factor. Available in Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Pentax/Samsung mounts, it features a metal mount and a large front element that takes 72mm filters. It doesn’t support AF like a lot of other primes, so you’re restricted to using manual focus to find the sweet spot, but this isn’t too much of a problem as the focus ring offers plenty of grip, with a smooth action in less than half a turn.
The build quality can’t be faulted and it feels well balanced even though it’s fairly heavy, weighing 513g. Our test shots revealed exceptional sharpness and pin-sharp images at f/4 and wide open at f/1.4 it offers a narrow depth of field with impressive and pleasing results. The 1m minimum focus distance won’t allow you to creep too close to subjects, but if you want a full-frame f/1.4 lens for portraits, it certainly should be considered.
AT A GLANCEStreet price: £299
Lens Mount: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax
Max aperture: f/1.4 Min aperture: f/22
Aperture blades: 9 AF motor: MF only
Minimum focus distance: 1m
Filter size: 72mm
Dimensions: 78x72.2mm
Weight: 513g
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