Lens review
Samyang 14 mm f/2.8 IF ED MC Aspherical
11. Summary
Important! The review of improved vesion of this lens can be found here
Pros:
- decent build quality,
- very good image quality at the center of the frame,
- good image quality at the edge of an APS-C/DX sensor,
- very slight chromatic aberration, even on a full frame,
- slight coma,
- vignetting on a small sensor well-corrected,
- good price/quality ratio.
Cons:
- mediocre image quality at the edge of a full frame,
- complicated distortion at the edge of a full frame,
- dreadful working against the bright light,
- large vignetting on a full frame,
- filter use impossible.
The Korean manufacturer, Samyang, presented an interesting product again. If it cost as much as its cheapest rivals, so around 700 $, there would definitely be reasons to complain. With the price of 300 $ that we have to pay for Samyang 14 mm f/2.8 I’m ready to forgive its all but one faults. Working against the bright light should definitely be improved. I don’t know if it requires redesigning the built-in lens hood, the inner construction or improving the coatings. Something must be done about it, as burn flares don’t really look well in pictures, and the problem exists even when there’s no bright, point source of light in the frame and we’re taking a picture of a high-contrast scene.
Sample shots:
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/640 sec., ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 8.37 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/2000 sec., ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 8.13 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 8.73 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/640 sec., ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 11.94 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 13.34 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/1000 sec., ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 10.88 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/500 sec., ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 11.77 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 9.35 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 9.09 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/1250 sec., ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 9.66 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/80 sec., ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 9.52 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/200 sec., ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 10.5 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/2000 sec., ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 8.06 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/500 sec., ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 8.72 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 11.11 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/1250 sec., ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 7.5 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/80 sec., ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 10.17 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/500 sec., ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 11.6 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 11.53 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/100 sec., ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 10.84 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/160 sec., ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048 x 4032 pix, 9.4 MB |
