Samyang 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC review – Introduction

Samyang has long been a minor player in the UK lens market, but with supply improving, new releases extending the company’s range and each model available in most of the popular lens mounts, Samyang may just find itself emerging from the shadows. When we tested the company’s 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC lens (see AP 27 August 2011), it received a five-star rating. Since then, the company has announced several new models, including cine-based optics and more fixed-focal-length wideangle lenses, including the Samyang 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC lens on test here.

What appealed to us about Samyang’s 35mm f/1.4 was its high build quality, good handling and excellent optical performance, and at a first glance we have no reason to expect anything different from the new 24mm f/1.4 lens. Another important factor with the new lens is its price, as the Samyang 24mm f/1.4 is available for around one-third the cost of own-brand lenses. With the Nikon and Canon own-brand equivalent versions having a street price of around £1,500, the £500 Samyang 24mm f/1.4 lens is a bit of a steal.

There is a key difference between the Samyang and own-brand models in that the Samyang 24mm f/1.4 is manual-focus only. However, for those who can do without autofocus, a Samyang lens is worth serious consideration. The new lens is a particularly appealing model in the range because this focal length is used mainly for landscapes, for which autofocus can be less important. Throughout this test, we have used both the Canon and Nikon-mount versions of the lens.

Different versions

In the Samyang range, the Nikon version of each lens is the only one to feature electronic contacts to relay exposure information. On the Nikon version, the shutter speed and aperture can be controlled via exposure modes, and it is undeniably easier to use than the other versions. In use, the aperture ring must be set to the f/22 marker.

For all other versions of the Samyang lens, the aperture is adjusted using the aperture ring on the lens itself, so only aperture priority or manual exposure is available. As a result, the brightness of the viewfinder is affected depending on the aperture selected. For example, if you choose a more closed aperture, the viewfinder display is darker. Furthermore, the exposure information is not displayed in-camera during capture or in the metadata of image files. These handling issues do make all the Samyang lenses, apart from the Nikon versions, trickier and less convenient to use. However, many of the Sony single-lens translucent cameras can indicate the focus point through a ‘peaking’ function, which helps to ensure the correct area is in focus.

Build and handling

The 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC is a full-frame lens that many people would use primarily for landscapes. When used with an APS-C camera, the focal length of the lens is approximately 35mm and the maximum aperture around f/2, which also makes it a good choice for reportage and environmental portraits. I used the lens with the Nikon D600, which features both the APS-C and full-frame format, and it is easy to switch between the two to achieve the 24mm and 36mm focal lengths.

There are a number of similarities between the Samyang 24mm and 35mm lenses. In fact, to the naked eye they look like the same lens, except that each focal length is indicated on the barrel and the 35mm version is physically longer. The build quality of the new lens is very high and reassuringly weighty. It is also a similar size to own-brand versions, although it is a little lighter thanks no doubt to the lack of parts required for autofocus.

With no autofocus, the Samyang 24mm f/1.4 relies on intuitive control of manual focusing for ease to use. Thankfully, the lens barrel is dominated by the ridged focus ring, which is dampened beautifully for a smooth rotation. Focus distances are clearly marked around the middle of the lens barrel, and with these reference points it is possible to ready the lens near the focus point as you bring the camera to the eye and then make any minor adjustments.

A very shallow depth of field is possible with the maximum apertures available, but even at f/4 close-range subjects taken using the full-frame format have a narrow margin for error, and it is undeniably tricky to achieve an accurate focus. Time is required over images in order to get the focusing right. For most scenes, bracketing the focus is helpful to increase the likelihood of an accurate focus. The minimum focus distance is 0.25m, and like many wideangle lenses the Samyang’s thread takes 77mm filters.

There is no marker on the lens barrel to line up the lens when attaching it to the lens mount, which is disappointing. The f/22 marker on the rear of the barrel is in the correct place on the Nikon version, so this needs to be remembered when mounting the lens, while a red dot on the rear metal lens mount is used on the Canon version.

Optical quality

Image: The inner area marks out the frame coverage when using the APS-C format, while the entire image is what has been recorded at the full-frame format

For this test I have taken a comprehensive range of images, covering the range of apertures and focus distances with both full-frame and APS-C format.

Centre sharpness is excellent with the Samyang 24mm f/1.4, especially when using apertures between f/4 and f/11. There is a minor drop off in resolved detail at the maximum and minimum aperture settings, which is standard for any lens. Impressively, though, detail is crisp, even in the corners, which is testament to the edge-to-edge quality of the glass.

I would avoid using the f/1.4 aperture. In this setting, it is difficult to achieve any sort of sharpness in the frame, with a soft glow around all areas, including the area in focus. Vignetting is pronounced, and chromatic aberrations (red and green ‘fringing’) are a little distracting across the entire frame. Drop down to f/2 and vignetting is significantly reduced and it is all but gone at f/2.8. Likewise, at f/2.8 fringing is reduced in the centre of the frame, although it is still present in particular situations such as backlit tree branches against a bright sky. In fact, without using chromatic aberration correction post-capture, fringing can be an issue all the way to f/8.

As expected from a wideangle lens, barrel distortion is obvious under the controlled studio setting and for scenes that include structures such as buildings. The lens is also not particularly flattering for portraits, but this focal length is not really designed for such use. In a landscape image, barrel distortion is not distracting.

The quality of the out-of-focus areas is, on the whole, pleasant, although in very specific situations, such as backlit gaps between the leaves in a tree, the bokeh can be a little poor up to f/2.8, with an orb effect. However, this is a very specific situation that is unlikely to crop up often in everyday shooting. Landscape photographers who use a ‘extensive’ depth of field are unlikely to ever see this effect because it is not present at apertures of f/4 and above.

The images show a small section of our resolution chart. All the images in this test were taken with the Samyang 24mm f/1.4 ED AS UMC lens and a Nikon D600, which has a full-frame, 24.3-million-pixel sensor.

Lens construction

Inside the Samyang 24mm f/1.4 lens is a complex construction of 13 lens elements in 12 groups, four of which are low dispersion (ED) elements and two are Aspherical. The aperture range runs from f/1.4 to f/22, and the eight diaphragm blades create a near circular aperture. A circular aperture is desirable to create high-quality out-of-focus areas (bokeh).

Samyang vs Canon

Image: This scene was captured with the Samyang 24mm lens and the equivalent Canon 24mm lens, with exposure settings of f/11, 1/125sec and ISO 800

With a street price one-third that of a Nikon and Canon version, I was keen to compare the optical quality of the Samyang 24mm f/1.4 lens with one of these own-brand models. Looking over identical landscape images taken with the Samyang lens and the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM at f/11 (with images processed using Canon’s Digital Photo Professional raw software), the Canon has a slight edge on image sharpness that is only noticeable under close scrutiny. What is more obvious is that the Canon lens is ‘brighter’, with images showing greater contrast and punch.

The lens distortions mentioned in the optical quality section of the review, such as fringing, are consistent in both lenses. Overall, optically there really is little to choose between the two lenses. Even on a wideangle lens, though, general-purpose use benefits enormously from autofocus, which is where the Canon model has its clear advantage.

Our verdict

When using such the shallow depth of field that an f/1.4 lens offers, a manual-focus-only lens is a good reminder of just how useful autofocus is. Even a skilled photographer will find that there are numerous occasions when the manual focus is ‘off’ in everyday images. For the landscape photographer who has time to compose and view images, though, this is less of an issue, and exactly where the Samyang 24mm f/1.4 lens comes into its own. Considering the difference in price between this lens and own-brand versions, the optical quality of the Samyang 24mmf/1.4 is simply excellent. Through this lens, Samyang deserves its growing reputation.