The Samyang 85mm T1.5 is a manual focus prime lens; this VDSLR (Video DSLR) version was developed primarily for professional cinematographic production. The VDSLR version includes a gear ring system for follow focus and a de-clicked aperture, allowing the user to smoothly and silently adjust focus and aperture/depth of field during shooting, and to connect to professional follow focus systems.

The Samyang 85mm T1.5 is a manual focus prime lens designed to deliver exceptional results at wide apertures. At T1.5, excellent images can be obtained, making it perfect for portraits and low-light photography, particularly when mounted on full-frame digital SLRs.

Samyang VDSLR Cine lenses are rated in T-Stops rather than F-stops, which is the standard for professional cinematographic camera lenses. The F-stop number expresses the speed of the lens assuming it transmits 100% of incident light, and is therefore theoretical rather than an actual measurement. The T number expresses actual light transmission, and is therefore accurate for exposure purposes. It is also important to note that Samyang lenses achieve excellent transmission properties.

Bokeh (the character of out-of-focus blur) is a major concern for professionals choosing a very wide aperture lens for shallow depth-of-field photography. The Samyang 85mm T1.5 lens design delivers excellent bokeh quality in blurred areas when used near full aperture, perfect for cinematic and cinema applications. Independent tests and users confirm the beautiful bokeh character of the Samyang, surpassing lenses four times more expensive.

The optical construction of the lens is the same as that of the 85mm f1.4 lens, comprising 9 lens elements arranged in 7 optical groups with one aspherical lens element. The Samyang 85mm is designed with internal focus (IF), meaning the lens does not increase in size during focusing. Another positive aspect of internal focus is that the lens is far less likely to accumulate dust inside, unlike externally focusing (or zoom) lenses which can draw in dirt during use. The 8-blade diaphragm design helps achieve excellent bokeh character at apertures close to full aperture.

The Samyang 85mm T1.5 IF MC features multi-coated lenses that help achieve very high levels of light transmission, and increased resistance to flare and ghosting. It has a good-sized manual focus ring and is perfectly suited to most photographic applications (excluding sports or fast-moving subjects) where manual focus is not an issue. Precise focus for critical situations can be achieved through the use of live view focusing, available on most recent camera models. In practice, users, including professional photographers, have found that manual focusing with the Samyang 85mm is not an issue, even when shooting at f1.4 with a very shallow depth of field in low-light scenarios with static and slow-moving subjects; precise focus can be achieved giving excellent results across the entire image on full-frame cameras.

There is also a growing number of users using digital SLRs for shooting and recording high-definition (HD) video, and manual focus lenses allow the user to change focus during shooting, which is why the VDSLR versions were developed.

The focus ring features gear rings compatible with professional geared follow focus systems available in the film industry, as well as a de-clicked and decoupled aperture ring. These modifications allow smooth and precise control of focus and aperture during video recording/shooting. This enables ultimate manual control of focus and exposure when shooting scene by scene with varying light source intensities, such as changing exposure values (EV) from indoors to outdoors, or even in-camera fades, etc.

Samyang VDSLR versions can be used for still photography as well as video requirements. There is a growing number of users using digital SLRs for shooting and recording high-definition (HD) video, and manual lenses allow the user to change focus (focus pulling) and aperture during shooting.

The Samyang 85mm T1.5 lens should be seriously considered by all professional or amateur photographers requiring a fast prime lens, regardless of budget. When the low cost of the lens is taken into account, it should not be overlooked for amateur use, or as a primary or secondary lens for professionals seeking a dedicated and high-performing T1.5 portrait lens.

Available mounts: Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony A and Sony E, and Micro Four Thirds (MFT). Filter size 72mm


Specifications