There are plenty of full frame 2.8/24 or similar lenses available on our market so we had no difficulty whatsoever with composing the following chart. It is clear that the new Samsung is physically the smallest and the lightest of all, due to the materials, used in the lens body. The rivals are mostly made of metal or, like in the case of the Canon, they additionally feature an optical stabilization unit. A relatively simple optical construction of the new Samyang is surprising. The Nikkor, a 25-year-old instrument, still has two elements more.
In the photo below the Samyang AF 24 mm f/2.8 FE is positioned next to another model of the same producer with an autofocus, the Samyang AF 14 mm f/2.8 EF.
The mount of the tested lens is made of metal; it surrounds contacts and a rear element, 21 mm in diameter. Around that element you see black, well matted and in some places also ribbed plastic with an inscription “MADE IN KOREA”. In the area close to the rear element there are no slits through which you could glimpse electronic parts inside the lens.
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The first part of the proper barrel of the lens is a smooth, black, immobile ring on which you see an inscription with parameters of the instrument (AF 24/2.8 FE), the name of the producer, another information that the lens was made in Korea and a white dot, making an alignment with a camera easier.
Further on you find a manual focus ring, 17 mm wide, completely covered by fine ribbing. It is a focus-by-wire construction and it allows you quite precise settings because even if you turn it rather fast running through the full distance scale needs a turn though an angle of about 100-120 degrees. As the lens is equipped with contacts it can communicate with the body so you can profit from the focus peaking function on an automatically enlarged image. Still the ring doesn’t have either a distance scale (even though that scale appears on the display panel of the camera if you switch to the MF mode) or a depth of field scale.
Next parts are a narrow ring, gleaming with metallic red, and the ending part of the lens in a form of a hood mount.
The front element of the lens doesn’t move and is only 20 mm in diameter. It is surrounded by a non-rotating filter thread, 49 mm in diameter, and an inscription with the parameters of the lens.
When it comes to optical construction it is not especially complex – you deal here with just 7 elements positioned in 7 groups. It is interesting, though, that the lens features more special elements that normal ones. It is, most likely, an explanation of the low number of elements overall, particularly if compared to older constructions which based on ordinary glass. The new Samyang has as many as three aspherical elements and two made of high refraction index glass. There is no low dispersion glass element. Inside you find also an aperture with seven blades which can be closed down to a value of f/22 at the maximum.
Buyers get both caps, a hood and a stylish, hard case. It is a rich accessory kit, taking the price of the lens into account.
