Samyang 24mm F2.8 - my experiences

[Adrichardson]

Hi all

I got my copy last week and thought you might be interested in hearing my initial thoughts (I've seen a number of reviews online and they seem just a little bit too favourable).

I was very excited by the announcement of this lens, as there's been a gap for an affordable WA prime ever since the A7 was first released.  The closest native WA(ish) in terms of price is the 28/2, which was never quite wide enough for me and didn't play nicely with DXO Optics Pro.  There's always the Batis 25/2 and Loxia 25/2.4 and 21/2.8, but you're talking £1,000 there.

Build and handling

Size wise, the Samyang is fractionally larger than the Zeiss 35/2.8.  Build quality doesn't feel as robust and there is AF noise if you listen out for it.  Weight wise, it's barely noticeable in my camera bag.  The best I can say for the hood is it's tiny and seems to be of limited value.

MF is focus by wire.  It's perfectly usable and comes with the usual limitations.  It may because the lens is slightly larger, or because of the hood shape, but I found it easier to focus than the Zeiss 35/2.8, with less likelihood of me getting a finger in the frame. 

Since I moved from an A7ii to and A7Rii, my go to setting is AF-C with expand flexible spot (I mostly used DMF with my A7ii).  AF speed is not the fastest - similar to the kit 28-75 and slower than the 28/2, 55/1.8 and 90/2.8 (with focus enabled limiter).  AF accuracy is good from f2.8 to f5.6 in AF-C mode.  The bad news is AF-C struggles once you hit f8 and is unusable past f8, where it just hunts and hunts.  I repeated my tests outdoors and noticed the same issue.  The good news is DMF is perfectly usable from f8 upwards. I hope that a firmware update will improve AF performance further down the line, but for me it was disappointing given that AF is one of the main selling points of this lens.

Optical performance

I was pleasantly surprised here, especially after coming from an adapted Olympus Zuiko 24/2.8. 

Vingetting is certainly an issue, and is present up until f11.  This is an inevitable trade off to keep the size of the lens down and is correctible. 

Centres are sharp at all apertures, peaking at f5.6/f8.  Corners benefit from stopping down to at least f5.6 and aren't really at their best until you hit f8. 

Rendering is always subjective but so far I find it to be very pleasant. 

Distortion is minimal, with a slight pincushion (needing about 5% on the slider in DXO to correct it). 

Flare resistance is definitely not a strength.  From my testing, flare is a given with a relatively strong light source in frame or just out of frame.  I have ordered a larger screw-in hood  and hope that will make a difference. 

I've included some samples below, but I'd be really interested to hear from other people (especially about AF performance!).

Edit - it looks like I can only add 1 image so I've put them all in a gallery.  4a, 4b, 4c and 5a, 5b, 5c include 100% crops of the corner and centre (4 is f5.6 and 5 is f8).  All photos are straight raw conversions from DXO except for the B+W conversion.

 

Edited August 20, 2018 by Adrichardson

[Adrichardson]

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[ronaldwrightdallas]

got mine recently. so far very happy at f8 and f11. f4 is a little fuzy on edges

[Adrichardson]

How are you finding AF performance? I've discovered that if I don't go above f7.1 and stay in the pdaf zone, it's fine in AFC mode. If I go to F8 or outside the pdaf zone, I really need to be in AFS or DMF mode. Same thing happens with the 35/2.8 (which is otherwise perfect), so I'm guessing it's an issue with Samyang's implementation. I don't have that issue with my 55/1.8 and from memory the Zeiss 35/2.8 didn't either.

[jimmy986]

On 8/24/2018 at 5:46 AM, Adrichardson said:

How are you finding AF performance? I've discovered that if I don't go above f7.1 and stay in the pdaf zone, it's fine in AFC mode. If I go to F8 or outside the pdaf zone, I really need to be in AFS or DMF mode. Same thing happens with the 35/2.8 (which is otherwise perfect), so I'm guessing it's an issue with Samyang's implementation. I don't have that issue with my 55/1.8 and from memory the Zeiss 35/2.8 didn't either.

You like the 35 2.8? I am considering it for street photography. I have the 55 1.8 but it's a little longer than I want sometimes plus a lot bigger. The Samyang 35 is only $289 right now so if it works well at all it seems like a great deal. Even the af isn;t a deal breaker if it's a little slow because I can pre-focus if I want.

[Adrichardson]

Yeah, I'm actually more impresed with it than I was with the 24/2.8.  Bokeh is very pleasant and it's wikedly sharp.  Provided you don't go over f7.1 and stick to the PDAF area, it's a solid choice for street photography.  Other than AF performance, I don't think the Zeiss is that much better.

I have exactly the same problem - I love the 55/1.8, but I often want wider.  Equally, with the 35/2.8 I often want something a bit longer and faster.  So unless the Batis 40/2 is rubbish, I'll be selling the 55 and 35 and buying it instead.

[Bokehbobo]

I'll preface my remarks by saying that I'm new to Sony and its  lens options. I started with my A7rIII a few months ago and in addition to 2 Sony lenses (4/24-105 and 2.8/16-35) I got the Samyang 2.8/35 for street photography. I am happy with it primarily for its light weight, small size, good sharpness, bokeh and low price. Focusing is reasonably quick if not a tad noisy. Walking around with the camera held low and then quickly raising it to capture a fleeting moment is effortless and natural. The absurd lens shade aside it is worth serious consideration.

[Adrichardson]

For the money, it's really difficult to fault.  I'd love to see improved AF performance - Zeiss can do it with the Batis, so hopefully we'll see another firmware update at some point.  All credit to Samyang for spotting and starting to fill the gaps at the wallet-friendly end of the market!

[jimmy986]

21 hours ago, Adrichardson said:

For the money, it's really difficult to fault.  I'd love to see improved AF performance - Zeiss can do it with the Batis, so hopefully we'll see another firmware update at some point.  All credit to Samyang for spotting and starting to fill the gaps at the wallet-friendly end of the market!

Well I found it on Adorama used for $209 yesterday. Tried to buy it but they had already been sold.....lucky me I found it on B&H today for $198. I figured for under $200 I couldn't pass it up.

[Adrichardson]

2 hours ago, jimmy986 said:

Well I found it on Adorama used for $209 yesterday. Tried to buy it but they had already been sold.....lucky me I found it on B&H today for $198. I figured for under $200 I couldn't pass it up.

At that price, you'd have been crazy to say no!  Enjoy using it. 

[AlexMatravers]

Nice write up, thank you. 

I've just picked one up myself but had chance to really test it out just yet. Definitely feels bit cheap but that's expected for the price point. So small and light though so should make a good companion for my travels 

[Adrichardson]

No problem - I took the 24 and 35 to Sicily, but didn't kept them in the end. AF is a nuisance and corners are a real problem for both lenses. I think part of the problem is a combination of heavy vignetting (which introduces noise when corrected) and general optical softness. On top of that, the 24mm is quite hard to correct for. I ended up going with the 28/2 instead.