It’s well-known that I am not a fan of the 35mm focal length. It’s also well-known that I am in the extreme minority on this. Everyone loves a good 35mm lens which is a prime candidate for a faster f/1.4 aperture. Samyang has answered the call with its latest “Prima” series of lenses which promise to be optical standouts with sophisticated autofocusing.
It is currently available for Sony E-mount cameras only, so I coupled it with a Sony a7RV and headed out to see if the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 P could finally win me over.
Samyang 35mm f/1.4 Prima Review: How it Feels
Glass with an f/1.4 aperture tends to be larger and heavier than most but the Samyang is roughly the same size as its Sony G Master counterpart, sporting a 67mm filter diameter and weighing a scant 16.6 ounces (470 grams). This makes the lens feel very light and easy to travel with, if not a little plasticky.
The manual focus ring is sublime to use and the texturing feels great. However, there is no other functionality on the lens. That means no manual focus selector switch and no customizable buttons to speak of. Samyang has fully sealed the lens against the elements, though, and also has placed a USB-C port within the lens mount flange in order to facilitate firmware updates.
There really isn’t anything else to mention in terms of handling because the lens is so simplistic in its design.
Samyang 35mm f/1.4 Prima Review: How it Shoots
The Samyang Prima 35mm features a linear stepping motor which makes a tiny bit of noise but drives the lens elements quickly. I found the autofocus to easily keep up with whatever I asked it to do. I did miss having the option to switch to manual focus on the lens itself but I attended some therapy and got over it.
I did notice a fair amount of purple lateral chromatic aberrations at f/1.4 which are quite noticeable in the image. Luckily, it is easy to remove lateral chromatic aberration in editing, however, there was some minor longitudinal chromatic aberration as well. This LoCA is not terrible though and stopping the lens down even a little helps a lot. Overall, the chromatic aberrations were easy to address but you will likely notice them quite distinctly before cleaning them up.
Bokeh quality is important to check as this lens can deliver some nice and soft backgrounds with its fast f/1.4 aperture. Specular highlights have a bit of a messy look to them, with some onion rings and soap bubble effect present. This can lead to some harshness in the backgrounds which are distracting to the viewer. I also found the highlights to have a bit of a polygonal shape to them when the aperture is stopped down. A 35mm lens will rarely take images with very soft backgrounds so the middling bokeh isn’t the end of the world, but I do wish the results were a little cleaner.
The next test on the agenda was sharpness. The center performance on the Samyang was excellent in this regard at f/1.4 with plenty of detail. Stopping the lens down to f/4 helps the contrast improve a little and removes the purple chromatic aberration, too. Corners are a little soft at f/1.4 with some noticeable vignetting but things improve nicely at f/4 which also helps to brighten the corners up too. I also tested flare with a powerful studio light and found the Samyang to resist any issues adroitly. Contrast is still well maintained at f/1.4 and I didn’t notice any major ghosting when closing the aperture down tightly.
I also tested the Samyang 35mm for lens breathing to see if the field of view would change while the lens was focused from near to far. There was actually very little change in the framing and coupled with the excellent-feeling manual focus control, this lens is an excellent choice for video work. It turns out that the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 is a versatile lens at a decent price.
Samyang 35mm f/1.4 Prima Review: The Prima is an Excellent Bargain
So, the 35mm focal length might not be my favorite but there is no arguing that the Prima represents excellent value for the dollar. Most photographers will be happy with the sharpness and optical performance in any photographic situation. I do wish the chromatic aberrations were better corrected, and that the bokeh was cleaner, but these are minor gripes against the affordable price of TKTKTK. If you want good f/1.4 performance and reliable autofocus, the Samyang delivers both at minimal cost.
Are There Alternatives?
The Sony G Master 35mm f/1.4 is the undisputed champion at this focal length but it is also far more expensive in comparison if the equivalent $560 price it is quoted for in the UK carries over to North America (Samyang had not finalized US pricing at the time of publication). The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art does correct a lot of the optical deficiencies of the Samyang lens and does it for a street price that is only a little more. If I could find a good deal, I might be tempted to get the Sigma instead.
Should You Buy It?
Yes. Despite some minor optical issues, Samyang has made a modern optic that shoots beautiful images. This is a bargain for a fast-aperture lens.
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