Samyang’s 85mm f/1.4 IF features a maximum aperture of f/1.4. The 2/3-stop difference between f/1.8 and f/1.4 on the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 IF
can be useful when working in restricted lighting conditions or if you’d like a slightly more intense blur behind your subject. Being a third party lens, it’s available in a range of mounts including Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Pentax/Samsung. The big difference between this lens and a lot of primes is that it doesn’t support AF, so you’re restricted to using manual focus only to produce pin-sharp results.
The focus ring just in front of the variable aperture ring is a substantial size and offers masses of grip. Best of all, it operates over half a turn and the motion is incredibly smooth and superbly weighted. Featuring a metal lens mount at the rear, this lens has a build quality that can’t be faulted or marked down in any way – it’s quite simply superb.
On an APS-C D-SLR with a 1.5x crop factor it’s equal to 127.5mm in film terms and although you won’t be able to creep too close to subjects because of its 1m minimum focus distance, it does offer a pleasing blur behind them. Its construction features nine elements in seven groups, and as the front element is fixed in position, you can easily attach filters in the 72mm size. You get a lens hood included to help prevent glare and flare, and this can be reversed on the lens to free up space in your kit bag.
Weight: 516g
Various Mounts
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