The Samyang 85mm f1.4 is a manual focus prime lens designed to deliver exceptional results at wide apertures. At f1.4, excellent images can be obtained, making it perfect for portrait and low-light photography, particularly when mounted on full-frame DSLRs.

The Samyang 85mm is also suitable for cropped sensors, including APS-C / DX sensors. When used on cropped sensors, it offers an equivalent focal length of approximately 127mm, or a prime lens equivalent to a 135mm focal length on Canon cropped-sensor DSLRs. Combined with the wide f1.4 aperture, it makes an excellent portrait lens for tight close-ups or for working at distance with cropped-sensor cameras, or for photographing in various low-light conditions.

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 f1.4 lens design offers excellent bokeh quality of out-of-focus highlights when used near maximum aperture, such as at f/1.4 and f/2. Independent tests and users confirm the beautiful bokeh character of the Samyang, surpassing lenses 4 times more expensive.

The optical construction of the lens comprises 9 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 aperture design contributes to the excellent bokeh character at near-maximum apertures.

The Samyang 85mm f/1.4 IF MC features multi-coated lenses that promote a very high level 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 (with the exception of sports or fast-moving subjects) where manual focus is not an issue. Precise focus in critical situations can be achieved using Live View focus, available on most recent camera models. In practice, users, including professional photographers, have found that manual focusing with the Samyang 85mm is not a problem, even when photographing at f1.4 with very shallow depth of field in low-light scenarios with static and slowly moving subjects, precise focus can be achieved giving excellent results on full-frame cameras.

There is also a growing number of users using DSLRs for filming and high definition (HD) video, and manual focus lenses allow the user to change focus during shooting. Many Samyang lenses (primarily for Canon EOS mount, although other mounts are possible) can also be specially ordered with a de-clicked manual aperture (without clicks) if the primary use of the lens is for video/cinema where smooth aperture changes are required during recording.

For general photography, the standard clicked aperture is generally preferred to avoid accidental aperture changes during photo sessions or when focusing.

The Samyang 85mm f1.4 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 wanting a dedicated, high-performing f/1.4 portrait lens.

Available mounts: Canon, Sony A Mount, Pentax, 4/3, Samsung NX.

Supplied with front and rear lens caps, lens hood and soft lens pouch. Filter size 72mm


technical specifications