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Lens review

Samyang 85 mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF

Samyang 85 mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF
18 May 2009
Arkadiusz Olech

1. Introduction

Originally posted 2008-04-05 on Optyczne.pl

Up until recently the Korean firm Samyang has been known for its cheap manual long- focus lenses both made of lenses and containing mirrors. These lenses come with a T-mount thread which can be connected to any reflex camera by using the appropriate link. Samyang’s telephoto lenses have been offered at temptingly low prices thanks to the optical simplicity of their instruments, which are more reminiscent of refractors and Maksutov telescopes designed for astronomy enthusiasts than of proper photographic lenses.

However, towards the end of 2008, Samyang went a step further, bringing to light the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF. Still with manual focus, but in all other respects a modern lens with good parameters. Most interesting of all is the price. While an analogical instrument from Nikon, Sony or Zeiss will set you back over 1000 $, the Samyang model comes at a suggested 299 $. At this price, even if it does lack razor-sharpness, it will seem a very attractive offer to many photography lovers.


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That the new Samyang lens would provoke a lot of interest became clear following the publication of sample photos. In a very short time news of the lens plus photos was picked up by tens of thousands of our readers! We hope that the review provided here will be of no less interest – happy reading!

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Samyang 85 mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF  - Introduction