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

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.

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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.

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