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 portraits 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 provides an equivalent focal length of approximately 127mm, or an equivalent 135mm prime lens on Canon DSLRs with cropped sensors. Combined with the wide f1.4 aperture, it offers an excellent portrait lens for tight close-ups or for working at a distance with cropped sensor cameras, or for shooting in various low-light conditions.

Bokeh (the character of out-of-focus blur) is a major consideration for professionals selecting a very wide aperture lens for shallow depth-of-field photography. The Samyang 85mm f1.4 lens design delivers excellent bokeh quality from bright blurred areas when used near the 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 four times more expensive.

The optical construction of the lens comprises 9 elements arranged in 7 optical groups with one aspherical 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 presents far less risk of letting dust in, unlike externally focusing (or zoom) lenses that can draw in dirt during use. The 8-blade aperture diaphragm design contributes to the excellent bokeh character at apertures close to the maximum aperture.

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 (except sports or fast-moving subjects) where manual focus is not an issue. Precise focus for critical situations can be achieved using Live View focusing, available on most recent camera models. In practice, users, including professional photographers, have found that manual focusing with the Samyang 85mm presents no problem, even when shooting at f1.4 with very shallow depth of field in low-light scenarios with static and slow-moving subjects, precise focus can be achieved delivering excellent results across the entire image on full-frame cameras.

There is also a growing number of users who use DSLRs for video and high-definition (HD) shooting, and manual focus lenses allow the user to change focus during shooting. Many Samyang lenses (primarily for the Canon EOS mount, although other mounts are available) can also be specially ordered with a de-clicked manual aperture 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 shoots 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 seeking a dedicated and 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 a soft lens pouch. Filter size 72mm


Specifications