The 75 mm focal length is not especially popular and there are not many lenses of this type available on the market. Still, in our database we managed to find several instruments which parameters were similar to these of the tested Samyang – you can find them all in the following chart. After consulting that chart it becomes obvious the Saymang is optically quite complex; only the expensive Leica APO-Summicron features more elements. Apart from that the tested lens is also physically the lightest.
In the photo below the Samyang AF 75 mm f/1.8 FE is positioned between the Samyang AF 45 mm f/1.8 FE and the Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar Macro 2/65.
The mount of the tested lens is made of metal; it surrounds a contact plate and a rear element, 30 mm in diameter, which is put into a 33×26 mm frame. On that frame you can see an inscription 'MADE IN KOREA'. The rear element itself is slightly hidden behind the frame so it is positioned over 0.5 cm deep inside the barrel. When you glance inside you can notice side walls of the inner tube and quite distinct, shiny electronic parts fixed to one of them, right below the contacts. It means you can't talk about fully blackened interior.
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A smooth, black ring that doesn't move is the first part of the proper barrel of the lens; on it you see the parameters of the instrument (AF 75/1.8 FE), the name of its producer, another piece of information, stating that the lens was made in Korea, and a white dot, making an alignment with a camera easier.
Looking from above, on the right side of the inscription with parameters of the lens, you can find a CUSTOM MODE 1 and MODE 2 switch. It allows you to change function of the manual focus ring - you can use it to control aperture values as well. Producers announce that new software versions might also include new functions of that particular switch in the future.
Further on you see a manual focus ring that is 17 mm wide and completely covered by fine ribbing. It is a focus-by-wire construction and it allows you very precise settings because even if you turn it quickly running through the whole distance scale needs an angle of about 180 degrees; when you move it slower you can reach even 270 degrees. The lens is equipped with contacts so it can communicate with the camera body; it means you can use the focus peaking function in automatically enlarged images. The ring doesn't feature any distance scale (although such a scale appears in the display of the camera when you work in the MF mode) or any depth of field scale.
Next parts of the lens are a metalic red ring and the ending in a form of a narrow, plastic ring and a hood mount. The front element doesn't move and is 44 mm in diameter. It is surrounded by a non-rotating filter thread, 58 mm in diameter, and an inscription with the parameters of the lens.
When it comes to optics you deal here with 10 elements in 9 groups. Among them you can find as many as three low dispersion ED glass elements and two made of glass with high refraction index. Inside there is also an aperture with nine diaphragm blades which can be closed down to a maximum value of f/22. The producers also boast of anti-reflection UMC coatings.
Buyers get in the box with the lens: both caps, a hood, and a stylish hard case. Taking the price of the lens into account it is a quite impressive accessory kit, especially because of that shapely but sturdy protective case. Nowadays many manufacturers don't add it at all even to more expensive instruments or they choose a minimalistic approach - you get just a pouch which might remind you more of a handkerchief than something that should protect your lens. In this aspect Samyang is definitely an example to follow.
