Wide or ultra-wide angle with excellent corner performance

[mrsfotografie]

http://www.lenstip.com/200.1-Lens_review-Samyang_14_mm_f_2.8_IF_ED_MC_Aspherical-Introduction.html

They have the 14mm F2.8 Samyang beating the 14mm canon in most everything except distortion.  $400.  Mine just arrived today and so far I wouldn't expect a whole lot more from the corners of such a lens.  The 24 F2.8 II canon I just got is also good towards the corners full frame. 

http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/532-samyang14f28eosff?start=2  Just look at the samples on there.  Kinda crazy resolution.  Maybe 14mm is too wide for what you want?

Considering the 14mm F2.8 Samyang myself as the 14L II is out of my budget for such a specialty lens. Am a little worried about possible QC issues with the Samyang though, it really is that cheap! 

14mm is in! A few quick shots and I'm impressed with the whole package for only 320 euro's 

Cool.  Mine is pretty impressive so far as well.  One thing I've noted is according to lenstip the canon only beat it in distortion, build and having autofocus.  Pretty fast I'm noticing their vignetting results having it better than the Canon just isn't true.  So Canon wins that one too.  I'm not sure how useful it will be at F2.8.  But anyway, lenstip has it -2.58 EV full open fall off, while they have the canon -3.00.  I used the Canon earlier this year and it was clear pretty fast with this Samyang it's vignetting wide open was even more severe.  Photozone has this the right way and backward from what lenstip says. 

I also just bought a 50mm F1.4 and noticed in looking at the options lenstip had the sigma and even the 1.4 zeiss smoking the canon wide open and stopped down.  Like the canon looked like ass.   I look at photozone and the opposite again.  Picked up the canon 50 1.4 yesterday and it is great.  I guess I'm not so excited for lenstip reviews at this point.  Or perhaps it's just reviews in general are in a way kinda pointless given how so many don't at all match up with others.  Like you have to find 4 or 5 and pick the winners that way.  Or just buy the dang things. 

Figured since I'd been praising the samyang over the canon so much that I'd mention this anyway.  You stop that thing to F4 and still a lot of vignetting but by F5.6 it's a non-issue and gone by F8.  I'm amazed it is so sharp even wide open though, corner to corner full frame.  Also the flare deal is a nice thing to see as well.  I can point it at the sun with no worry.  There's only one small angle to hold it with the sun way in the corner to get that flare to shoot across.  It's such a tiny range it's not an issue.

It's too early to report back on my experience as I still have to take the thing out in the field. I'm not too worried about its shortcomings though as resolution and a lack of chromatic aberration are the highest priority to me. Distortion and vignetting I can live with as I intend to use it in a more artistic sense - not for architecture etc. The color rendition looks good too at first glance. I'm a happy camper and looking forward to my first photo-shoot with it

[Drizzt321]

http://www.lenstip.com/200.1-Lens_review-Samyang_14_mm_f_2.8_IF_ED_MC_Aspherical-Introduction.html

They have the 14mm F2.8 Samyang beating the 14mm canon in most everything except distortion.  $400.  Mine just arrived today and so far I wouldn't expect a whole lot more from the corners of such a lens.  The 24 F2.8 II canon I just got is also good towards the corners full frame. 

http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/532-samyang14f28eosff?start=2  Just look at the samples on there.  Kinda crazy resolution.  Maybe 14mm is too wide for what you want?

Considering the 14mm F2.8 Samyang myself as the 14L II is out of my budget for such a specialty lens. Am a little worried about possible QC issues with the Samyang though, it really is that cheap! 

14mm is in! A few quick shots and I'm impressed with the whole package for only 320 euro's 

Cool.  Mine is pretty impressive so far as well.  One thing I've noted is according to lenstip the canon only beat it in distortion, build and having autofocus.  Pretty fast I'm noticing their vignetting results having it better than the Canon just isn't true.  So Canon wins that one too.  I'm not sure how useful it will be at F2.8.  But anyway, lenstip has it -2.58 EV full open fall off, while they have the canon -3.00.  I used the Canon earlier this year and it was clear pretty fast with this Samyang it's vignetting wide open was even more severe.  Photozone has this the right way and backward from what lenstip says. 

I also just bought a 50mm F1.4 and noticed in looking at the options lenstip had the sigma and even the 1.4 zeiss smoking the canon wide open and stopped down.  Like the canon looked like ass.   I look at photozone and the opposite again.  Picked up the canon 50 1.4 yesterday and it is great.  I guess I'm not so excited for lenstip reviews at this point.  Or perhaps it's just reviews in general are in a way kinda pointless given how so many don't at all match up with others.  Like you have to find 4 or 5 and pick the winners that way.  Or just buy the dang things. 

Figured since I'd been praising the samyang over the canon so much that I'd mention this anyway.  You stop that thing to F4 and still a lot of vignetting but by F5.6 it's a non-issue and gone by F8.  I'm amazed it is so sharp even wide open though, corner to corner full frame.  Also the flare deal is a nice thing to see as well.  I can point it at the sun with no worry.  There's only one small angle to hold it with the sun way in the corner to get that flare to shoot across.  It's such a tiny range it's not an issue.

It's too early to report back on my experience as I still have to take the thing out in the field. I'm not too worried about its shortcomings though as resolution and a lack of chromatic aberration are the highest priority to me. Distortion and vignetting I can live with as I intend to use it in a more artistic sense - not for architecture etc. The color rendition looks good too at first glance. I'm a happy camper and looking forward to my first photo-shoot with it

I'm interested in this as well. Definitely not a lens I'd be looking for for architecture, or necessarily for landscape although I might use it some for that occasionally. With 14mm you can do a lot different things artistically!

[extremeinstability]

Here is one from last night with a couple full sized crops.  I didn't do any sharpening just the default setting in CS6 raw converter.  Pretty good even on the edge to get the bare tree tops showing way out there. 

http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/2012/lake.jpg

http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/2012/lake-edge-crop.jpg

http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/2012/lake-center-crop.jpg

I just got that lens, the 50 F1.4 canon and the 24mm F1.4 canon.  I plan to do some examples on the site like full sized crops at various apertures, mostly for full frame corner examples.  So fwiw there'd probably be more examples of the samyang on that.  Also do the real world vignetting samples.  From a brief glance at some I did, it doesn't seem the wide open corners are really any softer than stopped down.  So you don't even need to stop down for the corners.  Vignetting quite a lot happier at F5.6.  And even the heavy vignetting at F2.8 can work obviously, so long as it's not a very high dynamic range scene, which you cold then count on banding when prying that open. 

I don't know what I shot that at.  Between F5.6 and F8.  Probably F8.  It was at 1/8th a second with no mirror locking up done.  (my stupid 5D II won't shoot correctly with live view on either...shows it right by the photo is way blown out....turn live view off and take it instead and it is fine...annoying)

[Drizzt321]

Here is one from last night with a couple full sized crops.  I didn't do any sharpening just the default setting in CS6 raw converter.  Pretty good even on the edge to get the bare tree tops showing way out there. 

http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/2012/lake.jpg

http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/2012/lake-edge-crop.jpg

http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/2012/lake-center-crop.jpg

I just got that lens, the 50 F1.4 canon and the 24mm F1.4 canon.  I plan to do some examples on the site like full sized crops at various apertures, mostly for full frame corner examples.  So fwiw there'd probably be more examples of the samyang on that.  Also do the real world vignetting samples.  From a brief glance at some I did, it doesn't seem the wide open corners are really any softer than stopped down.  So you don't even need to stop down for the corners.  Vignetting quite a lot happier at F5.6.  And even the heavy vignetting at F2.8 can work obviously, so long as it's not a very high dynamic range scene, which you cold then count on banding when prying that open. 

I don't know what I shot that at.  Between F5.6 and F8.  Probably F8.  It was at 1/8th a second with no mirror locking up done.  (my stupid 5D II won't shoot correctly with live view on either...shows it right by the photo is way blown out....turn live view off and take it instead and it is fine...annoying)

Great colors in the sky and reflected on the lake. Any way you could try out a more well lit scene and do full sizes crops of the corners and edges as well?

[extremeinstability]

Yeah I can eventually.  Waiting on the 24 to get back on Tuesday then run them all through some paces.  But there are some great full size examples to look at here:  http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/532-samyang14f28eosff?start=2  The two lower left ones in particular were pretty good for judging. 

[Drizzt321]

Yeah I can eventually.  Waiting on the 24 to get back on Tuesday then run them all through some paces.  But there are some great full size examples to look at here:  http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/532-samyang14f28eosff?start=2  The two lower left ones in particular were pretty good for judging.

Looks to me like it's pretty sharp towards the edges/corners, although with the corners you get that awesome crazy perspective distortion     I'm liking this...I think I'll put this on the list for a holiday buy if they do a sale and/or I find the money. Or I win the lotto and buy all the rest of the lenses on my list. I can dream, right?

[te4o]

Try a Zeiss 25 f2 before you go ahead with your purchase.
http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/713-zeiss25f2eosff?start=1

It is the new WA from Zeiss.
The 21 is a bit oldish, the new has more "micro"contrast and better colours, as well as corner sharpness. Less moustache as well :-).
The only problem with it is - when you have one of them you want more of them...

[killswitch]

Damn, I cant believe how awesome this lens is for its price. I just checked out photozone's samples and the ones in samyang flickr groups. Freakin sharp and lovely contrast! O_o The corners are amazing for its class!

[John MARK]

I don't know what I shot that at.  Between F5.6 and F8.  Probably F8.  It was at 1/8th a second with no mirror locking up done.  (my stupid 5D II won't shoot correctly with live view on either...shows it right by the photo is way blown out....turn live view off and take it instead and it is fine...annoying)
[/quote]

Had the same problem with my 60D in Live View Mode : exposure all messed up and I kept cursing against my poor camera... until I used the eyepiece cover !!

For the 5D II, see User Manual p.100 ...  does that help ?

good luck   

[mrsfotografie]

Damn, I cant believe how awesome this lens is for its price. I just checked out photozone's samples and the ones in samyang flickr groups. Freakin sharp and lovely contrast! O_o The corners are amazing for its class!

  This Sammy 14 deserves a nickname. Any suggestions? 

[extremeinstability]

I don't know what I shot that at.  Between F5.6 and F8.  Probably F8.  It was at 1/8th a second with no mirror locking up done.  (my stupid 5D II won't shoot correctly with live view on either...shows it right by the photo is way blown out....turn live view off and take it instead and it is fine...annoying)

Had the same problem with my 60D in Live View Mode : exposure all messed up and I kept cursing against my poor camera... until I used the eyepiece cover !!

For the 5D II, see User Manual p.100 ...  does that help ?

good luck   
[/quote]

Thanks for the idea but it can't be that.  I've used live view on a lot of cameras and even the 5D II I had in the past.  I bought this one used and there's simply something screwed up.  Never had anything like it on all the others with live view.  Doesn't do it just using bulb for stuff and doesn't even do it with mirror lock up.  Something about when taking the shot in live view it's like it must be starting the exposure early or well not closing the shutter as fast. Some sort of delay that is leaving the exposure crazy off on the bright side. I can be dialing down the shutter till the live view image is black, yet I take the shto and there it is nice and bright lol.  BUt if I had turned live view off at tht point and then taken the photo it would be black.  Like the live view image has the exposure correct, you just can't get that to happen if you snap the photo with live view on.  Shut it off and it's fine.  I even tried mirror lock up and it works fine from there too.  It's so odd. 

[KyleSTL]

Damn, I cant believe how awesome this lens is for its price. I just checked out photozone's samples and the ones in samyang flickr groups. Freakin sharp and lovely contrast! O_o The corners are amazing for its class!

  This Sammy 14 deserves a nickname. Any suggestions? 

Samawide (a play on samurai)

[Drizzt321]

Try a Zeiss 25 f2 before you go ahead with your purchase.
http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/713-zeiss25f2eosff?start=1

It is the new WA from Zeiss.
The 21 is a bit oldish, the new has more "micro"contrast and better colours, as well as corner sharpness. Less moustache as well :-).
The only problem with it is - when you have one of them you want more of them...

Heh...well...if it was near the same price as the Samyang 14mm, I'd be much more likely to get it. Although a 25mm is a different use than a 14mm, so not quite as comparable.

[crasher8]

I'll call you 'Manny'

[mrsfotografie]

I enjoyed my Samyang 14mm for a couple shots at the zoo today. It takes a little getting used to MF without focus confirmation but I'm happy I get the benefits from the precision matte focus screen in my 5DmkII. I found it's easiest to focus wide open, then stop down (like canon AF works).

Because in several reviews it was mentioned that infinity was not at the infinity focus mark, I did a quick test to confirm this and happy to report my focus scale is OK! I also noticed the infinity mark on my my focus scale is in a different position and has a leader, other than the one on Photozone. Looks like Samyang does silent updates

Shooting into the sun there was significant lens flare shooting wide open, but it immediately disappeared when slightly stopping down the diaphragm. I kinda like this sun burst effect though.

Sun shot and focus test:

First shot: at infinity, f/2.8
Second shot: at ~1m, f/2.8

As said before, the lens flare disappeared when stopping down.

All in all, great colors and I love the creative potential for this lens.