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Lens review

Samyang AF 35 mm f/1.4 P FE

13 March 2025
Maciej Latałło

11. Summary

Pros:

  • excellent image quality in the frame centre,
  • acceptable image quality on the edge of the APS-C/DX sensor,
  • slight longitudinal chromatic aberration,
  • low lateral chromatic aberration,
  • moderate vignetting on the APS-C/DX sensor,
  • silent and efficient autofocus,
  • negligible focus breathing.

Cons:

  • too weak image quality on the edge of the full frame sensor,
  • very high vignetting on full frame,
  • a bit too high coma,
  • performance against bright light still leaves some scope for improving.
Launcing a new version of the 1.4/35 lens and offering it for a price of about $700 is undoubtedly a good move of Samyang. This price point is almost $100 higher than that of the Nikkor Z 35 mm f/1.4 and, at the same time, the new lens proves to be optically a bit better, with higher resolution values, and an optical system that tries to correct distortion and coma. The Nikkor deals with the performance against bright light better and has lower vignetting but still we consider its performance to be weaker than the performance of the Samyang.

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Of course the new Samyang is distinctly weaker than the Sony FE 35 mm f/1.4 GM but, as it is also over two times cheaper, nobody should expect any miracles here. It is simply a lens that offers you a very good price/quality ratio. Also you shouldn'd be manipulated by the P letter in its name that comes from Latin Prima. Unfortunately the best performance is sitll outside the reach of the new Samyang and we think that in order to deserve the P letter the lens should have been far better than its predecessor.