Samyang SYIO35AF-E 35mm f/2.8 Ultra Compact Wide Angle Lens for Sony E Mount Full Frame, Black

Comment

Purchased for use on my A7R3 Works beautifully, i was skeptical about the noise issue, and although it is audiable (not best for video) the focusing on the A7R3 is fast, not as slow as some may have mentioned, although it does hunt a bit in low light, so possibly thats what those reviews meant, in bright indoor, or outdoor light its fast, in low light or dusk, it will search a bit, but then again you can always use focus peaking and manually move tht buttery smooth focus wheel this thing has. Will update if any issues! I hope this helps- Mr.J

Show more

Comment

It is so small and lightweight... its like not having a lens at all. At 85g it is a perfect walk around lens for a mirrorless camera. Why buy an rx1 when you can put this lens on a a7ii for so much cheaper, and still have lots of other lens options. This lens is on my camera 75% of the time. Sometimes I will stick my A7ii with this lens into my jacket or cargo shorts pocket. I cannot do that with any other lens, or full frame ILC ever. My copy is very sharp, even sharper than the Sony 50mm 1.8, and much sharper than the kit lens. The AF is quieter than the 50mm 1.4 af, and it hunts less. It is still not a great option for video. For the price, this lens is fantastic. Even at 2.8, you can get some nice background blur (bokeh) when you get close to your subject. I think anyone with an A7 series camera should own this lens. The Sony 28 f/2 is the only lens that compares in price, but it is twice the size/weight and almost twice the price. The sony 28 f/2 is better for video with faster, silent AF. If AF and that extra speed are more important than size, I would go for the 28mm and pass on this lens. If you want the size, and this focal length, the Sony Ziess version is slightly sharper, quieter and slightly better AF for 3x the price. For full frame hobbyist photographers, this Samyang is 90% of the Ziess at 1/3 the price.

Show more

Comment

This lens is a better option than the Sony Zeiss 35 f/2.8 FF. In my opinion both lenses are virtually the same, with the Samyang being a tad bit sharper in the center and across the frame. The Sony Zeiss 35 f/2.8 FF is a tad bit heavier, which may be viewed positively/negatively, depending upon your perspective. I returned this lens because it was decentered, with the left side of the image being noticeably blurry wide open at F/2.8. There was also a negligible amount of dust visible in the lens elements. If the lens were not decentered, this would have been an absolutely excellent lens with its diminutive form factor and image quality. Another issue is the lack of warranty information with the lens. Where/how to get it fixed is an issue. If youre looking to purchase a pancake 35mm for the full frame Sony system, I would definitely go with this instead of the Sony Zeiss 35 f/2.8 FF, but test the lens for decentering and be aware that Samyangs warranty service is a bit of a mystery.

Show more

Comment

I am very happy with this lens after a week of using it so far, including on a short vacation. The images are plenty sharp on a 24mp camera. Maybe not good enough for the higher mp Fe mount cameras, but I cant say for sure. Auto focus is quick and accurate in good light. There is a some hunting in low light, but I personally dont find it atrocious. Ive spent more for lenses that dont perform any better in terms of focusing and am less annoyed about it on this lens because I didnt pay much for it. Flare is nothing to worry about - well controlled. Occasions where you need to block light with your hand seem pretty rare. Havent paid attention to fringing, but theres plenty of reviews online with all the nitty gritty info if you want to look that up. From just a usability perspective, I feel its a good lens for the price, particularly considering the alternatives for 35mm on full frame fe mount. Its a very plasticky lens, but its also very small and lightweight, so theres a trade off there. What you lose in durability, you gain in value for money and carrying weight. If youre on a budget but really want to try a 35mm prime, I recommend it. Its a joy to use as a walk around street lens with its ultra tiny size, and I think iq is good enough for most peoples environmental portrait needs. I do not expect this lens to survive much time in the rain, a fall, or many bumps and nocks, but I could be wrong. I havent had it long enough to say for sure. It just feels so light weight, its hard to believe that its very tough. Time will tell.

Show more

Comment

I thought Id give this tiny little lens a chance and it blew me away. Ive had the Zeiss version of this lens from Sony and the results are almost identical for half the price. Sure... it doesnt have the blue badge of honor. But it weighs next to nothing, and its the smallest full frame lens available for the full-frame Sony E-mount system. It makes your camera almost pocketable which is amazing. If Im just walking around town and I can only choose one lens this is almost always what I choose. (Plus at 42 MP, I can zoom way in if I need to!)

Show more

Comment

I am very pleasantly surprised with this lens on my Sony A7rii. I have just used it for one day but it is sharp, focuses fast and produces excellent images. My other lenses purchased in the past are Canon L glass and currently the Sony 70-200 f4 and the 85 1.8 both that are really sharp. Over time I will update this review if I find my opinion changes, but as of right now I am very pleased with this lens as a walk around lens.

Show more

Comment

I shoot architecture and real estate for a living. I was looking for a light and small carry around lens for weekends and vacations. I heard a few good things about this lens, so I decided to give it a try. It blew me away. I swear if I had to have just one lens for the rest of my life, this would be it. Are there sharper and faster 35mm lenses? Sure for $800 OR $900 more you could get a sharper faster lens, but it would also be twice the size and weight five times as much as this lens. This lens is such a pleasure to carry around. I have heard some say that its not a good video lens because the Auto focus makes a tiny amount of noise. I suppose an on camera mic could pick it up, but for the type of video work that I do with my A7RII mounted on my Ronin M and the audio being recorded using off camera wireless mics and it works fantastic. The AF with my A7RII is fast and accurate. So. are there any drawbacks? Well the lenses are plastic, so I suppose that if youre not a tiny bit careful you could scratch them, but you would have to work at it.

Show more

Comment

Purchased this lens to use on an A7R II. Opened the box and was pleasantly surprised to see a decent case included usually absent from the box of much costlier lenss. The overall body build quality is about what I expected related to its budget price. After easily attaching to my camera I was quite thrilled thinking how pleasant it was going to be toting around such a light and compact full frame camera package. Thats were the pleasant perspective came to an abrupt end as I powered on the camera to reveal an out-of-focus image and aperture setting not registering on the display. Toggling through the camera menu settings simply brought up the message telling me a lens was not mounted or unsupported. Even turning the focus ring provided no response when attempting to manually focus. Of course I tried connecting again and various other troubleshooting methods with no success. The lens was received brand new and is defective. With all the reviews raving about the good AF and optics relative to the price, I had truly high hopes. Now Im reluctant to try another Samyang/Rokinon product due to clearly poor quality control. If I replaced it receiving a working model I would anticipate it failing and never trust it enough to feel comfortable taking it out without a backup. The known poor warranty of the company doesnt help. $250 might be cheap for a lens, but still not a throw away amount to me. If you buy this lens, make sure you do so from a seller that makes returns as least burdensome as possible. Update: After much deliberation, I decided to give this lens another shot given the quantity of good reviews and being a fraction of the price of its Sony counterpart. Its been a few months and Im pleased to report having no problems with this copy. Performance far exceeds costs, being on par with my Tamron 75mm-200mm f2.4 at 35mm with the exception of hunting a little more for focus in low light situations.

Show more

Comment

Dont allow the brand name to fool you, this lens is legit! I have used this on several shoots over the past few months and the quality is unbelievable. This lens is incredibly small and lightweight making it a perfect option for street photography. For the money you will not find a better option for a 35mm, and the quality is better than the Sony native option in my opinion. I must mention is that the lens produces a warmer tone to the images which may or may not be a good thing depending on your taste but this is an easy fix in post. Additionally, this lens can be noisy when focusing so it is not a good option for video. If youre looking for a solid performer that wont break the bank, this it it! Its lightweight, incredibly sharp and an unbeatable value.

Show more

Comment

I bought this lens as a light weight single prime on my Sony A7RIII for a holiday to Hawaii. I felt that $295, including tax, wasnt a big loss if the lens didnt work out. I brought my Humongous 24-105 F4 Sony lens along in my luggage just in case the Samyang didnt work out. I was blown away by the image quality and portability of this lens and the the 24-105 Sony lens never left the suit case. It was a joy to hike around with this light weight outfit. Images were tack sharp from center too edge, with only a slight edge fall off at F 2.8. I was able to do extensive image cropping , allowed by the 43 mega pixel sensor, without any fall off in sharpness. 35mm was the sweet spot for single prime lens photography and satisfied all my image taking needs. Close focus was excellent, allowing me to take amazing pictures of Hawaiian flowers. I am extremely satisfied with this lens and it is now made my A7RIII the light weight carry around camera/lens combination that I can take on long hikes. Highly recommended.

Show more