The Samyang 35mm f1.4 mkII is a prime lens for Sony E mount. I am testing this lens out on location to see how it performs in the real world at a portrait photoshoot. I am using the Samyang 35mm f1.4 II on the Sony A7IV for photography and on the A7sIII for video tests. Watch my complete review video below to see unedited, straight out of the camera photo samples. I also have a sample gallery available for download with photos taken on the A7IV + Samyang 35mm f1.4 II which you can find at the bottom of this blog post. Please subscribe to my channel if you enjoyed this video! I upload new photography videos every single week.
model berry
makeup lidija j
video dan @ i make films
The photos below are edited with my Fall Lightroom Preset Pack
LENS BUILD
The Samyang 35mm f1.4 mark 2 is on the average weight mark at 659 grams. This lens doesn’t have a lot of physical features. It includes a focus ring, a custom switch, a focus hold button and it uses a filter thread of 67mm.
AUTOFOCUS PERFORMANCE
Like other recent lens releases from Samyang, this 35mm f1.4 II also uses an STM motor. I found the autofocus performance to be great and eye AF was super sticky on the subject's eyes. You can see examples of how eye AF works during a portrait photoshoot in my review video.
I also test out the autofocus accuracy by doing 2 walking shots. I take 20 photos to see how many we can get in focus on the Samyang 35mm f1.4 mkII at both f1.4 and f2.8. You can see the final results in my video.
The following photos are edited with my Earthy Lightroom Preset Pack
SHARPNESS
This Samyang 35mm f1.4 II continues with Samyang's classic lens character. I am happy with the sharpness from this lens. It's sharp enough to see all the details in the photo, but it still renders nicely for skin texture. I always say Samyang lenses are especially flattering for portrait photography and this lens is no exception! For my final edits, I did end up adding some extra sharpening in Lightroom. This is my personal preference, but it's nice that you can keep the sharpness as it or push it further in post.
The colours straight out of the camera are a little on the warm side, but I personally like what that looks like!
BOKEH
At f1.4, the bokeh from this lens is round and well defined in the background. We do also have some onion rings in the bokeh. While the bokeh is very round wide open, as you step your aperture down it creates more of a nonagon shape since this lens has 9 aperture blades. You can especially see that in the f2.8 shots. I also share a bokeh and sharpness comparison between 3 photos taken at f1.4 vs f2.8 vs f5.6.
The rest of these photos are edited again with my Fall Lightroom Preset Pack
CHROMATIC ABERRATION
I found this lens has quite heavy chromatic aberration. I usually don't mind some chromatic aberration as you can easily remove it in Lightroom. However, in some of the bright backlit shots the CA becomes very prominent. You can also see CA in purple, green and blue throughout the photos. This can add time to post processing when editing.
LENS FLARE
This Samyang 35mm f1.4 II has a few interesting lens flares that vary quite drastically depending on the lighting. I have included examples of as many lens flares as I could capture in my sample gallery which you can download below. I quite like the lens flare from this lens. There are moment where it appears monochromatic with a subtle, soft look. You can easily incorporate that into your photos or videos for a creative look. There are also times when the lens flare appears more colourful and defined in the image which can get distracting.
VIDEO
I also tested the Samyang 35mm f1.4 II on the Sony A7sIII for video. You can see all the video shots in my review video above! Dan was using continuous autofocus with the fastest transition speed. He captured still portraits of Berry and some shots walking around as well so we can see the lens perform in various situations.
If you enjoyed this blog post, you might want to check out my review of the Samyang 135mm f1.8. This is an impressive portrait lens for a great budget-friendly price.
And you can also download a sample gallery of photos taken on the Sony A7IV + Samyang 35mm f1.4 II here. I included example photos of the bokeh, sharpness at various apertures, chromatic aberration and lens flares for you to be able to take a closer look.
