Hands on with the all new Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE lens
I’m a sucker for prime lenses. Most of the time I’m using a prime lens on my camera.
Lots of prime lenses are heavy and bulky, especially a lens like the 85mm of several brands. Samyang came up with something new. Last couple years they’ve released several tiny lightweight lenses which are awesome to use for a reasonable price.
A couple weeks ago Transcontinenta, Samyang’s official distributor in the Benelux, reached out to me with the question if I wanted to test and shoot some product shots for their all new AF 75mm f/1.8 lens for Sony FE. It’s small and lightweight which is amazing for a lens with this focal length.
Autofocus
Samyang told me before I started using this lens, it was still a test model and didn’t had the full autofocus functionality yet. I actually didn’t notice,
during a commercial shoot for a store I had a great time using this lens indoors with natural light. It was super fast and worked perfectly with the Eye-AF on my Sony A7III. I also tested some shots during darker light conditions, the lens didn’t had any problems at all.
Is it sharp?
Oh yes it is. Of course a lot of people asking how can a lens be that good at a price like this. (429,- euros) The lens was super sharp, actually much better than I expected. Even on a low aperture it works great. Below some shots I took at f/1.8.
One of the shots I took during a portrait session, on the right a 100% crop. Shot on f/1.8 on 1/1250s on iso 500.
Aperture ring adjustable to multiple settings
New on the Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 lens is the aperture ring, that is not really new at all at a lens but this one is slightly different.
You can set it up for multiple settings. There’s a switch for 2 options. 1 & 2. I set it up for Aperture and manual focus, But you can also choose shutter time and aperture.
A great new feature on this tiny lens.
Size & Build quality
Since most of the 85mm lenses are big and heavy I was already looking for a smaller lens in my travel backpack, especially with upcoming trips to Nepal for example where I only can take one bag is this a perfect substitute. In size you can compare it to Sony’s 55mm f/1.8 FE lens. It feels solid, it’s well manufactured and it also feels nice in balance together with the Sony A7III
Conclusion
The Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 is a great lens, worthy of serious consideration by full-frame and APS-C shooters. Same as Samyang’s 45mm f/1.8 AF lens this 75mm has a nice playful bokeh. It feels a bit different from most lenses I use which is really nice. Are you looking for a great lens for a small price, even for professionals out there? Then this is a perfect lens. It’s tiny, it’s light and it is super sharp. And for 429 euros only this will be the perfect add-on for my travel and to-go kit.
If you have any questions regarding the lens, comment below.
Some specs:
Aperture range: f/1.8 – f/22
Lens optical: 10 elements in 9 groups
Minimum focusing distance: 0.69m (2.26ft)
Filter size: 58mm
Angle of view: Full Frame: 32.9” APS-C: 21.9”
Length: 69.0mm
Weight (without lens cap): 230gr
Weather sealing: No
Size comparison with the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE
Some shots I took with the Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 and products shots below
