Lens Review: Samyang 35mm f1.4 Series II Lens

A Full overview and test of this Samyang AF 35mm f1.4 Series II lens

Thinking of getting a prime 35mm lens? Read on for the review of the Samyang AF 35mm f1.4 Series II lens.

Shooting on a Sony A7R 3 camera, Christopher Frost reviews the Samyang 35mm lens compared to the first series while performing a few good tests of the lens features and abilities.

Lens review: Samyang 35mm f1.4 Series II

Choosing which lenses to have in your gear collection can be difficult – but lens reviews like this one will help narrow down the options! 

Overview of this lens

With a fixed 35mm focal length, this is a basic prime lens. The F1.4, which is the lenses widest aperture setting, is a fairly wide and bright aperture. At full F1.4, the lens is letting a lot of light in to be captured. (read more about aperture here!)

This lens costs about $800 USD which is pretty reasonable for a lens of this size and caliber. Check it out on Amazon here!

Features & Specs – Lens Review Samyang AF 35mm f1.4 Series II

Being of short focal length it is a lightweight lens but is technically on the larger size for a 35mm. 

There is a new visible weather seal on the end mount of the lens which is an improvement on the previous model. It also features a new focus hold button to lock in the focus setting.

A custom control switch on the lens barrel allow the focus ring to be used to adjust settings more than just focus, such as aperture, which is really handy

Comes with a cloth pouch, a good sized lens hood and the usual lens caps.

Functionality -Lens Review Samyang AF 35mm f1.4 Series II

The autofocus motor is silent, accurate, a bit faster and more reliable than the previous model.  Although the lens did cause the camera to crash a couple times when testing the autofocus.

This lens does not feature image stabilization, which means that images may come out burrier than if using a lens with this feature. But a tripod will compensate for the lack of image.

The new weather sealing gives you confidence when using it in different weather conditions.

Minimum focus distance is 29cm which gets you pretty close up. 

Feedback from Image Quality tests – Samyang 35mm f1.4 Series II

Good sharpness and contrast but not excellent even with in-camera corrections turned on. 

There’s a visible vignette and less-sharp closeup quality at f1.4, but up to f2.8 both are improved. Changing the aperture to adjust the brightness, and the images look high quality.

You probably wouldn’t shoot at F1.4 most of the time with this lens.

Noticeable light flaring from the lens when pointed at a light (meaning the lens catches light as haze or starburst which can be not desired).

Bokeh, the quality of the background blur when focused on a closer object, is high quality with this lens:

Final Lens Review of Samyang AF 35mm f1.4 Series II

Not quite as high quality as the comparable lenses on the market, however the price is more affordable. Biggest competitor that is very comparable in price but with better build quality is the Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG DN ‘Art’.

It’s definitely a decent lens but would not be rated as the best available. It’s cheaper than its competitor, but it might be worth paying the extra for a better quality lens.

Lens review Samyang AF 35mm f1.4 Series II: it’s a comparable lens for a 35mm prime lens

If you’re considering a 35mm lens this review should help you decide whether the Samyang f1.4 series II is for you!

Which of the features in this review do you prefer in a 35mm lens?

Comment below!