{"id":14801,"date":"2018-09-10T08:57:52","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T07:57:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=14801"},"modified":"2024-04-21T14:01:23","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T13:01:23","slug":"review-samyang-af-2-4-28-fe-at-least-its-small","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-samyang-af-2-4-28-fe-at-least-its-small\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Samyang AF 24mm f\/2.8 FE – Small lens, big compromise"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In my review of the\u00a0\u00a0Samyang AF 24mm f\/2.8 FE <\/strong>I tell you why I think that Samyang has made a few compromises too many in order to keep it small.<\/p>\n

Sample Images<\/h1>\n

Most images in this review can be found in full resolution here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Specifications<\/h1>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Diameter<\/td>\n61 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Length<\/td>\n37 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Filter Thread<\/td>\n49 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weight<\/td>\n93 g<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max. Magnification<\/td>\n1:6.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Close Focusing Distance from the sensor<\/td>\n0.20 m<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number of aperture blades<\/td>\n9 (rounded)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elements\/ Groups<\/td>\n7\/7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Samyang 2.8\/24 sells for $279 at\u00a0amazon.com <\/a>or B&H<\/a> and for 299\u20ac at amazon.de<\/a> (affiliate links). If you purchase the lens through one of these affiliate-links I get a small compensation with no additional cost to you.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Build Quality<\/h1>\n

The Samyang has a metal mount but I think it is of less durable aluminium. The rest of the lens is made from plastics. The focusing ring is wide enough but doesn’t feel as smooth as that of most Sony FE lenses.<\/p>\n

The lens hood is a bit flimsy, rather thin and cheap plastic. It is the right size to protect the front element from most damages but too small to really have any effect on the flare resistance.<\/p>\n

In general the Samyang 2.8\/24 feels a little cheap. Not as cheap as your typical $99 kit lens but Sony’s more affordable lenses feel nicer.<\/p>\n

Samyang lenses have a reputation for failing more often and having higher variance than most competitor’s lenses. We certainly have had our share of bad copies from them (more than half). There is no public data on the newer AF-lenses but according to a trusted source they haven’t improved in this aspect. I think this is one reason why Samyang can offer their lenses at very competitive prices. This issue is in part offset by the generous warranties of up to 5 years.<\/p>\n

\"\"Size,Weight and Handling<\/h1>\n

The 93g Samyang is a very small lens which makes the small FE 2\/28<\/a> look big. Only Smayang’s own 2.8\/35 is smaller and lighter.<\/p>\n

The size is the Samyang’s most important quality. If your focus is on a very light and small kit then there is no real alternative to the\u00a0 tiny 2.8\/24.<\/p>\n

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Manual Focus<\/h1>\n

As mentioned before the focusing ring feels ok<\/strong>\u00a0with a little high resistance and a hard to describe lack of smoothness. <\/strong>I have used worse, but again every Sony lens has a nicer feeling focusing ring. As every other E-mount AF lens the focus is by wire<\/strong> but at least it does not depend on the speed<\/strong> with which you turn the focus ring. The focus throw is short<\/strong> at about 80 degrees. All in all a below average performance.<\/p>\n

Autofocus<\/h1>\n

I used the Samyang 2.8\/24 on the older a7II with a rather dated AF module. Usually it is a bit slow but reliable. Not so with the Samyang: I had higher number of misfocused images<\/strong> than I would have expected or had I used my FE 2\/28 or FE 4\/16-35. I didn’t investigate this further with another camera but it made me enjoy the Samyang even less.<\/p>\n

AF is mostly quiet but at times you hear a scraping noise.<\/p>\n

Optical performance<\/h1>\n

The Samyang has a narrower field of view than my other 24mm lenses so it is more like a true 25mm or 26 mm lens.<\/p>\n