Canon 85mm f2 macro IS vs Samyang 85mm f1.4

tkbslc wrote:

NowHearThis wrote:

Francis A wrote:

With the canon coming in at 599 against samyang's 699 (B&H price), which one would you get?

The other reason I would pick the Canon over the Samyang is because I see to many conflicting reports on the Samyang and for some of the reviews it seems like I'd be stopping the lens to F2 at least anyway.

.....

**Review of the Samyang AF 85/1.4 for EF** (I'm assuming the optical formula is the same)

It's not the same. It's the same as the Sony E version. Dustin Abbot and Christopher Frost are the only two reviews of the new RF version that I have found and they say it's an outstanding lens.

Dustin Abbot compares it with the RF 85 1.2L and says it is "surprisingly competitive", "quite sharp from f1.4 on" and "near perfect for portrait work".

He also said he was not as happy with the EF version.

Christopher Frost's video summary was, "I love it".

Yeah, I guess it's ephotozine's and photographyblog's that weren't as enthusiastic.  I did see that the RF and FE version has a new optical formula over the EF and Nikon F mount versions - which explains why it does better.  Still for $100 less, I'd still take the RF85mm and get the Control Ring and IS (Especially since I won't get either the R5/6 for a while - Hopefully the R will be mine by end of year).

Francis A wrote:

With the canon coming in at 599 against samyang's 699 (B&H price), which one would you get?

Did I see the spec on the Canon 1:.5 mag?????

Thank you and apologies to those who shared their take on this. I have been trying to get back to what we call Life the past week so I wasn't able to check on this.:-D

As some of you here mentioned, Dustin Abbot and Christopher Frost are probably the only ones who have reviewed the Samyang 85. Both have praised the said lens and both are very detailed and technical with their reviews. And I think it's safe to say that both are also very reliable youtube channels.

As of now, I like the Samyang a bit more because of the f1.4. I don't really care much about macro or video AF since I'm into stills 95% of the time. And I've been shooting pretty much without stabilization on my M50.

Having said that, I will have to wait for reviewers like Dustin and Chris or our good friends here in this forum to get their hands on the Canon 85/2.

rmexpress22 wrote:

Do you want 1.4, or do you want .5 macro? That's what it comes down it. If the Samyang's AF is good enough, I'd go that route since I'm a portrait shooter. I have the 35mm efs for the occasional macro.

It depends on what you shoot.

I shoot a lot of low light and night urban/street shots so 1.4 for sure. I'm pretty much set on Samyang if I have to base my decision on Dustin Abbot's review but it wouldn't hurt to wait a bit more for the 85/2 reviews to come out.

ntsan wrote:

Samyang's AF sucks for video, so Canon all the way.

I don't really shoot much video but this is still a bummer. Will have to wait for more reviews. Thanks for the heads up.:-)

Francis A wrote:

ntsan wrote:

Samyang's AF sucks for video, so Canon all the way.

I don't really shoot much video but this is still a bummer. Will have to wait for more reviews. Thanks for the heads up.:-)

I think it would be wise to wait for more reviews, and read/look at some more on the Samyang as ntsan comes out with a big statement here but neglects to give any reasons for that statement, which usually indicates something suspect.

stevvi wrote:

Francis A wrote:

ntsan wrote:

Samyang's AF sucks for video, so Canon all the way.

I don't really shoot much video but this is still a bummer. Will have to wait for more reviews. Thanks for the heads up.:-)

I think it would be wise to wait for more reviews, and read/look at some more on the Samyang as ntsan comes out with a big statement here but neglects to give any reasons for that statement, which usually indicates something suspect.

Actually I have seen a review on youtube by a not so well-known reviewer (don't remember who) who tested the video AF and it was bad. Took forever to focus. But I'm 70% sure that was FE mount though. Will have to check on that again.

NowHearThis wrote:

Francis A wrote:

With the canon coming in at 599 against samyang's 699 (B&H price), which one would you get?

I'm more interested in the RF85. For me, I'm sure the 85/2 will provide plenty of subject separation from the background with nicely rendered out of focus areas. Some of the images I've seen look (albeit not full resolution) great. Having the control ring on the RF lens would be more beneficial to me too - especially if I'm used to it on one lens (like the RF24-105/4), I don't have to change my shooting and dive into a menu or quick menu if I use the Canon but would with the Samyang.

The other reason I would pick the Canon over the Samyang is because I see to many conflicting reports on the Samyang and for some of the reviews it seems like I'd be stopping the lens to F2 at least anyway.

Here's 4 quotes from 4 different websites:

"Centre-sharpness isn’t overly impressive at f/1.4 but is rather better at f/2 and excellent from f/2.8 onwards. Edge- and corner-sharpness are comparatively poor."

"Sharpness is acceptable when shooting wide-open at f/1.4, very good at f/2 and outstanding from f/2.8 onwards, although the edges aren't quite as sharp as the centre, with f/2.8-f/11 producing the sharpest results."

"Central sharpness is excellent all the way from f/1.4 through to f/11. It is still very good at f/16. The edges are very good at f/1.4 and f/2, excellent from f/2.8 to f/8 and very good from f11 to f/16."

**Review of the Samyang AF 85/1.4 for EF** (I'm assuming the optical formula is the same)
"MTF (resolution) on the EOS 5Ds R (at 50 megapixels)
The Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 EF is a lens with two souls. If you check the sample image section, you will notice that is dead sharp at near infinity settings. However, the performance isn't quite as good as shorter focus distances. Our test was performed from a distance of 3.5m. This is far from being a macro scenario and roughly equivalent to an upper body portrait taken with this. The drop of quality was already quite obvious as you can see in the charts below. The dead center quality is (just) very good at f/1.4 but the near center is already down to good quality here. The outer image field is soft. Stopping down to f/2 doesn't change much. There's a slight increase in quality at f/2.8. The peak performance is reached between f/4 and f/8. The broader center zone isn't bitingly sharp but certainly sufficient even for demanding users. The borders/corner remain just fair though. As usual, negative diffraction effects set in from f/11 onward.

For the sake of comparison with our legacy tests, we are supplying MTFs taken at 21 megapixels below. This is far from being as demanding as the MTFs based on a 50-megapixel sensor. Even so, the results aren't overly impressive compared to other prime lenses. The corner/border weakness remains at large aperture settings albeit it isn't quite as pronounced anymore. Stopping down shows the same gradual increase in quality. The center quality is excellent between f/4 and f/8 on this sensor and the outer image field is at least good to very good here."

People will have their own reasons for choosing either, you will need to prioritize what matters more. And it might not be a bad idea to test them out first if you can, even if that means renting them (if that's possible). Good luck.

from,y understanding the EF version s not good  u must look at the Sony version   The RF version will give similar results    The review you are quoting has nothing to do with the the RF version

tkbslc wrote:

NowHearThis wrote:

tkbslc wrote:

NowHearThis wrote:

Francis A wrote:

With the canon coming in at 599 against samyang's 699 (B&H price), which one would you get?

The other reason I would pick the Canon over the Samyang is because I see to many conflicting reports on the Samyang and for some of the reviews it seems like I'd be stopping the lens to F2 at least anyway.

.....

**Review of the Samyang AF 85/1.4 for EF** (I'm assuming the optical formula is the same)

It's not the same. It's the same as the Sony E version. Dustin Abbot and Christopher Frost are the only two reviews of the new RF version that I have found and they say it's an outstanding lens.

Dustin Abbot compares it with the RF 85 1.2L and says it is "surprisingly competitive", "quite sharp from f1.4 on" and "near perfect for portrait work".

He also said he was not as happy with the EF version.

Christopher Frost's video summary was, "I love it".

Yeah, I guess it's ephotozine's and photographyblog's that weren't as enthusiastic. I did see that the RF and FE version has a new optical formula over the EF and Nikon F mount versions - which explains why it does better. Still for $100 less, I'd still take the RF85mm and get the Control Ring and IS (Especially since I won't get either the R5/6 for a while - Hopefully the R will be mine by end of year).

I don't know man, part of me is wondering why get a fast prime only to leave a stop of light and bg blur on the table? I would prefer a Canon brand lens, but it's a whole stop!

Right now I'm only using the Panasonic 42.5/1.7 on M43, which does pretty well for me.  The RF85/2 would give me so much more background blur then what I currently have while not being too shallow for my tastes.  And given the R is pretty clean through ISO6400 and my Pen-F is only good through ISO800 (maybe).  I'm not worried about one stop of light; in fact I've never used my 42.5/1.7 anywhere but outdoors so my only concern with light is having too much. YMMV,  I guess that's why there's choices.

tkbslc wrote:

NowHearThis wrote:

tkbslc wrote:

NowHearThis wrote:

tkbslc wrote:

NowHearThis wrote:

Francis A wrote:

With the canon coming in at 599 against samyang's 699 (B&H price), which one would you get?

The other reason I would pick the Canon over the Samyang is because I see to many conflicting reports on the Samyang and for some of the reviews it seems like I'd be stopping the lens to F2 at least anyway.

.....

**Review of the Samyang AF 85/1.4 for EF** (I'm assuming the optical formula is the same)

It's not the same. It's the same as the Sony E version. Dustin Abbot and Christopher Frost are the only two reviews of the new RF version that I have found and they say it's an outstanding lens.

Dustin Abbot compares it with the RF 85 1.2L and says it is "surprisingly competitive", "quite sharp from f1.4 on" and "near perfect for portrait work".

He also said he was not as happy with the EF version.

Christopher Frost's video summary was, "I love it".

Yeah, I guess it's ephotozine's and photographyblog's that weren't as enthusiastic. I did see that the RF and FE version has a new optical formula over the EF and Nikon F mount versions - which explains why it does better. Still for $100 less, I'd still take the RF85mm and get the Control Ring and IS (Especially since I won't get either the R5/6 for a while - Hopefully the R will be mine by end of year).

I don't know man, part of me is wondering why get a fast prime only to leave a stop of light and bg blur on the table? I would prefer a Canon brand lens, but it's a whole stop!

Right now I'm only using the Panasonic 42.5/1.7 on M43, which does pretty well for me. The RF85/2 would give me so much more background blur then what I currently have while not being too shallow for my tastes. And given the R is pretty clean through ISO6400 and my Pen-F is only good through ISO800 (maybe). I'm not worried about one stop of light; in fact I've never used my 42.5/1.7 anywhere but outdoors so my only concern with light is having too much. YMMV, I guess that's why there's choices.

With that logic, why would you need OIS? If you always have so much light? Just need 1/100 shutter speed with an 85mm on FF and that's where you'd want to be to shoot portraits to prevent subject motion blur.

Unfortunately the transplant medication I'm on leaves me with somewhat shaky hands.  Having several stops of IS really helps.  The 8 stops of IS on the R5/6 really sound appealing, but the IS in the lens on the R body will suffice for now.  It does for my current gear.

Any updates from people using any of theses lens? Anyone try both?

Agreed, comparing 2.0 to 1.4 is apples and oranges.

Im also a portrait shooter. I sold off my EF 85 1.2 II to help fund my RF 70-200 2.8 and the RF 50 1.2 I miss the 85, I was thinking I would get more use out of the 50 focal length and I do but its just not the same as the 1.2 at 85mm. Right now I can't justify the $2700 for the RF version so I been considering Samyang.

From what I'm researching, the Samyang is a very capable lens. No, not Canon L quality but for over $2000.00 less money, one can overlook a few things. I like vignette with portraits, I'm not so concerned with very minor softness in the corners nor do I care if focus is not absolutely silent like most L glass. What I care about is the face of the person or persons are sharp, well lit and are separated from the background. A portrait is about capturing the people not about the backdrop or the trees and leaves on a location shoot right? I don't pixel peep the edges and from what I'm reading even at 1.4 the Samyang does a pretty good job.

You Vlog with an 85? isn't that a little long for that? When you say vlogging I think of YouTube vids where a guys is sitting at a desk talking about software or equipment or walking with a camera in one hand and talking about whatever while pointing the camera at themselves or doing an unboxing of the new jar of peanut butter he just got.