Samyang 800f8

[9VIII]

My new lens just came in.

One set of images is out of the T3+400f5.6 (ISO 1600) and the other out of the 5D2+800f8 (ISO3200), 1/500sec and I used the same shooting technique for both so results were similar enough. I'll have to wait for a sunny day to really test what it can do, but just from what I've seen so far there's no doubt that the Samyang is great value for money. I must say I was expecting a bit more, but even if it only equals my 400mm lens, at a fraction of the cost it's still doing pretty well.

 

[9VIII]

Well I got bored and shot a mini Turkish Carpet with a tripod indoors.

Both shots use the same camera and all the same settings. It's neat having everything line up perfectly comparing 2x digital zoom vs. 2x optical.
I'm happy with the resolution of the 800mm, but the loss of color is much more apparent now.

 

[adhocphotographer]

Never knew this lens... would you mind doing a comparison (if possible) of the 400 f/5.6 + 2xTC vs 800 f/8 on the same body (5D). It would be more informative as a comparison... or even 400 cropped vs 800 on the 5D. but comparing two different lenses on two different bodies is difficult!

ps - I like obscure lenses!

 

[9VIII]

The two carpet shots compare the 400f5.6 and 800f8 with the same body. You can click on the images to see full resolution (I cropped out everything but the carpet).

I was heavily considering getting a TC when deciding to get this lens, and am still very tempted to pick up a 1.4x since TDP test charts show IQ on the 400f5.6+1.4xTC to be nearly the same as the version 1 600f4IS (wide open). As long as don't mind shooting at f8 with manual focus, that is an incredible value.
The 2xTC would be interesting, but being forced to shoot at f11 would be that much more limiting, and half the appeal of this lens is that it is ridiculously inexpensive.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I'd try again with better light and a higher shutter speed. Certainly, the 400mm f'5.6L is capable of much sharper images at 100%. I suspect some vibration. I try to use a 1/ 2X effective focal length sec when I can, even the best tripods are difficult to use with long lenses.
For the 400mm L, with no IS, and on a T3 crop body, that would be 1/1250 sec.

 

[Sella174]

Here's the true test ... upscale the photo from the 400mm to the same magnification as that from the 800mm ... now compare them.

I did this with a Sigma 600mm f/8 Mirror and the upscaled photo from my 400mm was "sharper" and contained more detail!

 

[9VIII]

Here's the true test ... upscale the photo from the 400mm to the same magnification as that from the 800mm ... now compare them.

I did this with a Sigma 600mm f/8 Mirror and the upscaled photo from my 400mm was "sharper" and contained more detail!

Download the carpet shots, those are both with the 5D2 and compare the 400mm and 800mm lenses.


Here's some fresh shots with the T3 on the 400f5.6 and 5D2 on the 800f8. Note that the T3 is equivalent to a 31MP full frame, cropping off the 5D2 definitely loses more detail which is why the carpet shots don't seem as close. Both shots here are 1/1000sec, ISO 1600 and live view with a remote release.
Maybe I should have waited until I could get a shot with the sun shining directly on the shed with a 1/2000sec shutter speed, but I'm happy with the shots as is, the image off the 400f5.6 is pretty crisp.

It's pretty much the same situation as last time, sharpness is nearly tied, but the 800f8 has the edge in a few spots. It's just way harder to manage the DOF on that lens, and it obviously loses a lot of color and contrast.
I probably should have run the T3 at ISO 800 but the image off that lens already looks less noisy anyway, and details look pixel perfect. If anything this shows that the 400f5.6 still has sharpness to spare and should work well with even higher pixel densities.
I can't wait to stick a 20MP+ sensor behind that thing.

 

[weixing]

Hi,
Samyang 800f8 is a mirror lens. The problem with most mirror lens is that the contrast is quite low compare to lens and you'll have doughnut shaped bokeh... a bit odd and most people don't like it. And of course, you don't have AF (I think Sony mirror lens is the only one that had AF)... not even in live view.

Have a nice day.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Hi,
Samyang 800f8 is a mirror lens. The problem with most mirror lens is that the contrast is quite low compare to lens and you'll have doughnut shaped bokeh... a bit odd and most people don't like it. And of course, you don't have AF (I think Sony mirror lens is the only one that had AF)... not even in live view.

Have a nice day.

You can minimize the donuts by carefully limiting your images to areas with no highlights in the foreground or background, but the low contrast is unavoidable. Mirror lenses can be sharp but it takes extreme care. I was painfully reminded of that when I bought a used Sigma 600 last week, I took several tries to get what I considered a acceptable image. As with this shot, light was low and ISO was high, which makes for a lose lose situation. Still, for someone on a budget who is willing to put in the time and extreme care needed, its possible to get good images.
As noted, depth of field is a problem with mirror lenses, and you can't do much about it, if anything.

Its generally a bit unfair to expect a $150 lens to matchup with one costing over $1000.

 

[Pi]

Looks awful. You might be better off with the 70-300 cropped.