Samyang Announces Premium 14mm f/2.4 & 85mm f/1.2 Lenses

[NorbR]

14mm f/2.4 makes this the fastest wide angle lens on the market does it not? Surprised there isn't more buzz about that.

Indeed, as far as I know, there is nothing that is both wider and faster.
The Irix is also f/2.4 but is "only" 15mm.
The Laowa is wider at 12mm but is "only" f/2.8.
And at 11mm, both Canon and the upcoming Irix are at f/4.

 

[grainier]

If you're always shooting at f/2-2.8, why bother paying the premium for a f/1.2 lens?

a. Because you are buying 1.2 build quality over 2.8 build quality.
b. Because 1.2 at 2.8 will be better than 2.8 wide open.

 

[scyrene]

If you're always shooting at f/2-2.8, why bother paying the premium for a f/1.2 lens?

a. Because you are buying 1.2 build quality over 2.8 build quality.
b. Because 1.2 at 2.8 will be better than 2.8 wide open.

a. There's no intrinsic reason a f/1.2 lens has better build quality - are the 70-200 f/2.8L lenses of inferior construction than the 85mm f/1.2L?
b. It's true that stopping down a wider aperture lens to a given aperture often gives better image quality than another lens whose widest aperture is the same, as you say. But the best lenses are designed to be sharp enough (especially for portraiture) wide open (the 70-200 is again a good example), and you could buy an intermediate aperture lens and achieve the same result - why stop down a f/1.2 lens to f/2.8 when you could buy a much cheaper f/1.8 lens and stop it down to f/2.8, which may give the same result?

My point is, it seems to me (from everything I have read and seen on the topic) that most people do indeed buy these exotic wide aperture lenses to use them wide open, or at least only stopped down a touch, and *not* to stop them down to apertures that are covered by many other lenses.

 

[wsmith96]

f1.2 manual focus on dslr?

i guess it's time for the large aperture focus screen or live view.

 

[LDS]

Isn't that the point? People who are into that sort of thing seem to value a manual focusing screen very highly. Modern Canon DSLRs tend not to take them, so manual focus at ultra wide apertures is a lot harder.

If you're going to use fast lenses handheld and/or with moving subjects you'd need to get the Canon AF versions, I'm afraid. On a tripod using LiveView and magnifying (you could have done it also in the MF era, with the Canon Magnifier R, for example) you can get precise focus even without AF, and these lenses are usually more affordable. Samyang knows it won't replace the Canon ones, but guess there's enough people interested in these lenses.

 

[GuyF]

If Sigma doesn't come out with their new 85mm Art soon, I might try this.

Just wait for Photokina at the end of the month.

 

[grainier]

a. There's no intrinsic reason a f/1.2 lens has better build quality - are the 70-200 f/2.8L lenses of inferior construction than the 85mm f/1.2L?

Apples and oranges, my friend, if you want compare, compare the same/similar focal lengths.

 

[preppyak]

Apples and oranges, my friend, if you want compare, compare the same/similar focal lengths.

Eh, that feels like a copout. His point was you could shot 85mm f/2.8 with that lens and still have amazing build quality. So the reason you'd go f/1.2L is for the f/1.2

I can say comparing the f/1.8 USM to the f/1.2L, there's no question the L has way better build quality. But it sacrifices a lot in AF and weight for that build. I'd only own the L if I had to shoot below f/2 consistently.

 

[cayenne]

So..why DON'T they put real focusing screens on the DSLR's these days?

 

[FramerMCB]

So..why DON'T they put real focusing screens on the DSLR's these days?

What they need is the ability to switch in camera...but I don't know that this would be possible. Like some kind of digital/electronic switch. But it may be limited from the standpoint of physical makeup? What I'm suggesting would be like a custom function/setting where an electronic split-screen would be superimposed on the focusing screen that would work with the manual focusing on Canon or 3-party lenses when they are set to manual, or that you could turn on when using manual only lenses... How handy could this be?

 

[FramerMCB]

So..why DON'T they put real focusing screens on the DSLR's these days?

What they need is the ability to switch in camera...but I don't know that this would be possible. Like some kind of digital/electronic switch. But it may be limited from the standpoint of physical makeup? What I'm suggesting would be like a custom function/setting where an electronic split-screen would be superimposed on the focusing screen that would work with the manual focusing on Canon or 3-party lenses when they are set to manual, or that you could turn on when using manual only lenses... How handy could this be?

Sorry...a little off-topic here! These new Samyang lenses look pretty terrific...their price points will determine how wide-spread their appeal will be.

 

[privatebydesign]

So..why DON'T they put real focusing screens on the DSLR's these days?

What is your definition of a "real focusing screen"?

A split image focusing screen works best across different aperture lenses, but messes with the metering module. A focusing screen optimal for f2.8 lenses and faster sucks for use with slower lenses, and visa versa. Indeed considering most focusing screens have an effective aperture of f2.8 it is technically virtually impossible to get accurate focus manually with them at f1.2 via the viewfinder.

So if they are going to add a "real focusing screen" they are going to have to move the metering unit and offer a range of screens optimized for different lenses and make them user changeable, suddenly not such a simple task........

 

[hubie]

The text of the article reminds me of chinese merchant's article descriptions on eBay, copied 1:1 from Google Translate.

 

[scyrene]

a. There's no intrinsic reason a f/1.2 lens has better build quality - are the 70-200 f/2.8L lenses of inferior construction than the 85mm f/1.2L?

Apples and oranges, my friend, if you want compare, compare the same/similar focal lengths.

Erm, they overlap in focal length. Your statement was incorrect, and inserting a load of caveats after the fact doesn't change that. f/1.2 does not mean a priori better build quality than f/2.8.

Obviously there are no precise comparisons, because ultra wide aperture lenses are primes, and top quality f/2.8 lenses tend to be zooms, at least Canon own brand.

 

[scyrene]

Apples and oranges, my friend, if you want compare, compare the same/similar focal lengths.

Eh, that feels like a copout. His point was you could shot 85mm f/2.8 with that lens and still have amazing build quality. So the reason you'd go f/1.2L is for the f/1.2

Thank you.

 

[vscd]

Apples and oranges, my friend, if you want compare, compare the same/similar focal lengths.

Eh, that feels like a copout. His point was you could shot 85mm f/2.8 with that lens and still have amazing build quality. So the reason you'd go f/1.2L is for the f/1.2

Thank you.

And there is even more to mention. You have a bright viewfinder of f1.2 *ALL* the time. This gives you reliable Focussing even in the darkness, at least about 230% more light than on f2.8. If the open aperture of f1.2 is useable (like on the 85L) the lens will be fantastic. Sometimes I'm glad that I still can use usable focusscreens on my old 5D for faster lenses. Don't know if the 5D Mark IV can change the focus screen, but I doubt it.

 

[Sporgon]

So..why DON'T they put real focusing screens on the DSLR's these days?

Canon did alter the 7 series to take interchangeable screens, so you can fit a fine ground one that shows true dof below about f/2.8. Because they had moved the interchangeable screen option to the top of the range crop camera I really thought they'd reintroduce it to the 5 series, but no. For the life of me I cannot understand Canon adding this feature to the 7DII whilst the 5DIII & IV haven't got it. On the bright side I guess we will see it continued in the 6 series.

 

[cayenne]

So..why DON'T they put real focusing screens on the DSLR's these days?

What is your definition of a "real focusing screen"?

A split image focusing screen works best across different aperture lenses, but messes with the metering module. A focusing screen optimal for f2.8 lenses and faster sucks for use with slower lenses, and visa versa. Indeed considering most focusing screens have an effective aperture of f2.8 it is technically virtually impossible to get accurate focus manually with them at f1.2 via the viewfinder.

So if they are going to add a "real focusing screen" they are going to have to move the metering unit and offer a range of screens optimized for different lenses and make them user changeable, suddenly not such a simple task........

Sorry, I really don't know all the tech here...

But when I talked about having a true split screen...I was thinking it would be as simple as it was back when I had an old Nikon FA film camera. It seemed to do well with split screen manual focusing with lenses of pretty much any max aperture.

I can't understand why they can't have that in addition to the Auto focus in todays digital camera, or why it would be so difficult to do it across different apertures, when back in the film days, there didn't seem to be any problem?

Again I don't know the hech, but i'd not think it would be "either or....".



cayenne

 

[Machaon]

Cosmetically, these Samyang lenses are looking a lot like they're ripping off the industrial design of the new Zeiss Milvus line.

 

[sulla]

For the life of me I cannot understand Canon adding this feature to the 7DII whilst the 5DIII & IV haven't got it. On the bright side I guess we will see it continued in the 6 series.

Indeed, very regrettably me neither. The 1Dx/1Dx2 have interchangeable focussing screens and the 5D3/4/s with nearly the same AF (5D3/4/s) and metering (5D4/s) system don't. Moreover, the 5D1/5D2 had them, so Canon - in my view unneccessarily - removed this feature from the 5D3.

I sooooooooo miss my precision focussing screen from my 5D1 on my 5D3.... Yet, I still refrain from installing 3rd party precision focussing screens - which do exist.