Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 Weather Sealed High Speed Auto Focus Lens for Canon EOS R Cameras - RF Mount (SYIO85AF-RF)

Product Information

With only a few exceptions, the f/1.4 max aperture made available by this lens is as wide as MILC lenses get.

Regardless of the camera format used and like most focal lengths, 85mm can be useful for landscape photography. The close up performance is pretty good, fortunately, with good contrast and sharpness. This isn’t going to serve as a substitute for a macro lens, however. Portrait photography is one of the best revenue-producing genres, helping justify this lens's acquisition cost. As illustrated earlier in the review, it is easy to show the strongest blur a lens can create, and telephoto lenses are inherently advantaged in this regard. Above: Move into the corners though and as you might expect, the modern optics of the two RF models easily out-perform the 30 year old EF 1.8.Common today is for a electronic manual focus (vs. a direct gear-driven system) lens to adjust focus in steps, but this lens's big problem is that the steps are too large for critical manual focusing. The color separation showing at wider apertures is rather strong, and the out-of-focus specular highlight rendering is not great. Onboard controls boil down to a single autofocus/manual focus switch and a manual focus ring. The autofocus system itself is based on a Dual LSM (Linear Supersonic Motor), which is fast and virtually silent in operation. However, unlike with an ultrasonic ring-type arrangement, the manual focus ring has an electronic rather than mechanical coupling. The upshot is that the focus ring only works when power is supplied from the camera, for example after a light press of the shutter button. Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4: Performance

Above: Moving onto autofocus you’ll notice the RF 85mm f2’s inner barrel extends as it focuses on close subjects, and the STM motors are quite audible at least when taking photos – they’re slower and much quieter when filming video. A relatively common lens aberration is axial (longitudinal, bokeh) CA, which causes non-coinciding focal planes of the various wavelengths of light.Although it has a plastic barrel, the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 feels very durable. Additionally, the textured surface of the focus ring gives the lens a very nice feel. To meet the rising needs of photographers using RF mount, Samyang introduces AF 85mm F1.4 RF. This new lens delivers beautiful bokeh, outstanding image quality and reliable autofocusing. Smooth bokeh and bright F1.4 aperture create perfect portraits. Also, the AF/MF switch enables you to be in control and capture the finest details. Outstanding Image Quality

Rokinon indicates that this lens is weather-sealed (not waterproof), and the rear gasket seal is obvious.Photographing the lens (vs. photographing with the lens) is always the first priority (removing dust from product images is never an enjoyable task). As the aperture narrows, the entrance pupil size is reduced, and the mechanical vignetting absolves with the shapes becoming rounder — considerably rounder at only f/2. Thanks to its compact optical design and aluminium construction, AF 85mm F1.4 RF lens comes in a compact design suitable for mirrorless cameras. The length is less than 10cm and it weighs 582g without lens cap and hood, enabling photographers to capture unforgettable moments anywhere, anytime with a portable lens. Features of the Samyang AF 85mm f1.4 Corner sharpness does not always matter, and it often does not matter for this lens's specialty, portraiture.

Unlike, Samyang’s manual focus RF lenses, the mount is fully interactive, incorporating the full array of 12 communication pins that allow, among other things, autofocus and aperture setting controls from the camera body, and the relay of capture data from the lens. The electromagnetically-controlled diaphragm has nine blades to give more rounded out-of-focus effects, which is important given the very shallow depth-of-field that exists at f/1.4 and 85mm. The focusing group is internal and is driven by a pair of ultrasonic drives – which Samyang calls Dual Linear Sonic Motors – to ensure fast and accurate operation. The minimum focusing distance is 90cm, so this isn’t a lens for close-up work.

When the Rokinon (same as Samyang) AF 85mm F1.4 Lens for Canon RF (also available for the Sony E-mount) was introduced, a review for this lens was added to the to-do list. Fortunately, Canon and Sony take care of that omission with IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization) in their latest mirrorless cameras.