Category Archives: Samyang

Canon EF-Mount, Review, Samyang

Review: Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP – A true hidden Gem

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Introduction

samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP via Sigma MC-11 on Sony A7rII

Released at the end of the DSLR era, these Samyang XP lenses had a very bad timing to begin with. And unlike many of Samyang’s other lenses, this Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP was only available for Canon EF-mount, where it faced fierce competition from the Canon EF 85mm 1.2L USM II, which also featured autofocus – and on a DSLR with its subpar focusing aids no one wants to give up on that. Today we have mirrorless cameras that actually work much better with manual lenses, time to find out, if this is an overlooked gem or just an outdated relic from the past.

Sample Images

samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Nikon Zf | Fringer EF NZ II | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2
samyang 85mm 1.2 xp premium mf canon ef sony a7r 42mp review sharpness bokeh coma vignetting contrast a7riii a7riv a7rv z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z7ii z6iii
Sony A7III | Sigma MC-11 | Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP | f/1.2

Continue reading Review: Samyang 85mm 1.2 XP – A true hidden Gem →

Canon EF-Mount, Comparison, Laowa, Leica M, Samyang, Sigma, Sony E-mount, Viltrox, Voigtlander

Comparison: Super Fast 35mm f/0.95 | f/1.2 Fullframe Lenses

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Introduction

35mm fullframe comparison 0.95 1.2 f/0.95 f/1.2 voigtländer laowa viltrox sigma lab argus nokton art dg dn contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma sharpness loca ca
Sigma 35mm 1.2 DG DN Art | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | Samyang 35mm 1.2 XP | Laowa 35mm 0.95 Argus | Voigtländer VM 35mm 1.2 Nokton III

35mm are the favorite focal length of many reportage, event and wedding photographers. In the last years we saw boundaries being pushed as we can now choose from f/1.2 lenses with autofocus and manual focus lenses that even offer a maximum aperture of f/0.95. I gathered five recent ones of these super fast 35mm lenses with maximum apertures ranging from f/0.95 to f/1.2 and will compare them, to give you an idea which might work best for your needs.

Continue reading Comparison: Super Fast 35mm f/0.95 | f/1.2 Fullframe Lenses →

Astrophotography, Nikon, Review, Samyang

Review: Samyang 14mm 2.4 XP

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Introduction

samyang 14mm 2.4 xp premium manual focus astro wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon z6 z7 z8 zf sony a7rii a7riii a7rv a7iv coma
Samyang 14mm 2.4 XP via FTZ II on Nikon Zf

Released in 2017, this Samyang 14mm 2.4 XP had a similarly bad timing as the Zeiss Otus and Milvus lenses its mechanical design is undoubtedly based on. By that time many people started using mirrorless cameras, so these huge DSLR designs certainly started looking less appealing. On top of that, many of us had been burned by Samyang’s (at least at that time) awful quality control, so paying a premium price for a Samyang lens? Not many people were interested in doing that. Nevertheless, some people say this is one of the best lenses for astrophotography ever made, that alone is reason enough to have a closer look at it.

Sample Images

samyang 14mm 2.4 xp premium manual focus astro wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon z6 z7 z8 zf sony a7rii a7riii a7rv a7iv coma
Nikon Zf | Samyang 14mm 2.4 XP | f/2.4
samyang 14mm 2.4 xp premium manual focus astro wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon z6 z7 z8 zf sony a7rii a7riii a7rv a7iv coma
Nikon Zf | Samyang 14mm 2.4 XP | f/5.6
samyang 14mm 2.4 xp premium manual focus astro wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon z6 z7 z8 zf sony a7rii a7riii a7rv a7iv coma
Nikon Zf | Samyang 14mm 2.4 XP | f/2.4
samyang 14mm 2.4 xp premium manual focus astro wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon z6 z7 z8 zf sony a7rii a7riii a7rv a7iv coma
Nikon Zf | Samyang 14mm 2.4 XP | f/2.4
samyang 14mm 2.4 xp premium manual focus astro wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon z6 z7 z8 zf sony a7rii a7riii a7rv a7iv coma
Nikon Zf | Samyang 14mm 2.4 XP | f/4.0
samyang 14mm 2.4 xp premium manual focus astro wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon z6 z7 z8 zf sony a7rii a7riii a7rv a7iv coma
Nikon Zf | Samyang 14mm 2.4 XP | f/5.0

Continue reading Review: Samyang 14mm 2.4 XP →

Review, Samyang, Sony E-mount

Review: Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE

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Introduction

samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF on Sony A7rII

I wasn’t a big fan of most of Samyang’s earlier lenses, especially not their early autofocus lenses. Their latest lenses have shown significant improvements over the earlier ones though and this Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE even features a unique selling point: it is the lightest 135mm 1.8 lens ever made. And not only that, it is currently also the cheapest option. Do cheap and lightweight go together with good here? Let’s find out in this review.

Sample Images

samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF | f/1.8
samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF | f/1.8
samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF | f/1.8
samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF | f/1.8
samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE | f/1.8
samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE | f/1.8

Continue reading Review: Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE →

Comparison, Megadap, Nikon Z, Pergear, Review, Samyang, Sigma, Sony, Sony E-mount, Techart, TTArtisan, Voigtlander

Review: Megadap ETZ-21 PRO vs Techart TZE-01 Adapter – Using Sony E Lenses on Nikon Z Cameras

42 Comments

Introduction

Sony E to Nikon Z AF adapter autofocus adapter ETZ E-T-X E-to-Z E-2-Z E2Z Megadap Techart Meike Fotodiox Haoge Nikon nikon z6 Z6ii z50 z30 zfc z7 z7ii Z8 Z9 Zf nikon z f fc Sony FE
Megadap ETZ21 PRO, Techart TZE-01, Lens mount

Do you want to use Sony E mount lenses on your Nikon Z cameras? Maybe you want to switch systems and go from Sony E to Nikon Z, but you have some or many Sony E lenses you want to keep and use. Or maybe you just like one of the Sony GM lenses or a lens from a 3rd party that is available in Sony E but not in Nikon Z? No worries, for any reason it is, you can use Sony E lenses on your Nikon Z camera through a mount adapter. 

I have been using two adapters; Megadap ETZ21 PRO and Techart TZE-01. I compare them against each other and give you my thoughts here. Let’s have a look!

UPDATE (August 21, 2024):
Neewer has come up with a new option, their ETZ adapter shows the focus confirmation (green box) even with completely manual lenses without any electric contact when used on Nikon Zf and Z6iii, while the two tested adapters here can not do that.

Continue reading Review: Megadap ETZ-21 PRO vs Techart TZE-01 Adapter – Using Sony E Lenses on Nikon Z Cameras →