LensTip.com

Lens review

Samyang XP 85 mm f/1.2

11 April 2017
Arkadiusz Olech

8. Vignetting

First let’s check how the Samyang 1.2/85 deals with vignetting on the smaller sensor of the Canon 50D - appropriate thumbnails we show below.

Canon 50D, f/1.2 Canon 50D, f/1.4
Samyang XP 85 mm f/1.2 - Vignetting Samyang XP 85 mm f/1.2 - Vignetting


Even at the maximum relative aperture the vignetting is hardly bothersome, reaching just 23% (−0.77 EV). That result changes only slightly when you employ the f/1.4 aperture, amounting to 22% (−0.73 EV). The problem disappears practically completely after stopping the lens down to f/2.0, with the vignetting decreasing to 9% (−0.22 EV).


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Now let’s check how the situation changes when you progress to full frame.

Canon 5D III, f/1.2 Canon 5D III, f/1.4
Samyang XP 85 mm f/1.2 - Vignetting Samyang XP 85 mm f/1.2 - Vignetting
Canon 5D III, f/2.0 Canon 5D III, f/2.8
Samyang XP 85 mm f/1.2 - Vignetting Samyang XP 85 mm f/1.2 - Vignetting


The problems are more obvious here and for evident reasons. By f/1.2 the brightness loss in the frame corners reaches 51% (−2.05 EV). It is a similar result to that of the Canon 1.2/85 and a bit worse than that of the Mitakon 1.2/85 which vignetting level reached 45%. On stopping down the lens to f/1.4 that aberration decreased to 46% (−1.80 EV). The problem becomes practically invisible by f/2.8 and f/4.0 where it is, respectively, 11% (−0.35 EV) and 6% (−0.17 EV).

Below we present averaged out values of brightness loss shown in concentric circles as you move further away from the frame centre. The numerical value for every image, expressed in percents, shows the area limited from the top and right by 100% and from the bottom by the presented curve. The area indicates how much light overall is lost due to the vignetting effect. Please don’t mix these percentages with the values given at the beginning of the chapter because they aren’t directly connected.

Samyang XP 85 mm f/1.2 - Vignetting

f/1.2 f/1.4 f/2 f/2.8

Canon 5D Mk III, JPEG, f/1.2
Samyang XP 85 mm f/1.2 - Vignetting