Samsung 45mm f/1.8 NX i-Function Lens Review

Handling and features
Performance
Verdict
Specification


This telephoto lens for Samsung NX cameras provides an angle of view equivalent to a 70mm lens on a 35mm camera. It sports a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture and costs around £230.

Samsung 45mm f/1.8 NX i-Function Handling and features

The lens barrel is constructed from high quality plastics and the lens mount is metal. The lens is finished with a smooth glossy finish and a blue metallic ring between the lens body and focusing ring. With a weight of only 115g and being only 44.5mm long it makes a reasonably compact combination with the Samsung NX20 body used for testing.

Focusing is performed internally, and the 43mm filter thread doesn't rotate, which is ideal for use with graduated and polarising filters. Auto focus is fast and accurate enough to be used confidently at maximum aperture. In manual focus mode the screen instantly magnifies the centre section of the image, making fine adjustments straightforward. This lens supports Samsung's i-Function feature, which allows manual controls to be accessed quickly via a button on the lens body.

The minimum focus distance of 45cm isn’t overly close for a lens of this focal length, limiting its ability to take frame filing shots of smaller objects.

Samsung 45mm f/1.8 NX i-Function Performance

Sharpness at maximum aperture is already outstanding across the frame and stopping down the aperture to between f/2.8 and f/4 results in a further increase in sharpness towards the edges of the frame.

Resolution at 45mm

How to read our charts The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges. Averaging them out gives the red weighted column. The scale on the left side is an indication of actual image resolution. The taller the column, the better the lens performance. Simple. For this review, the lens was tested on a Samsung NX20 using Imatest.

Only slight traces of chromatic aberrations were picked up by Imatest during testing. These low levels of fringing will be virtually invisible in normal picture taking, even on close inspection.

Chromatic aberration at 45mm

How to read our charts Chromatic aberration is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software. Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more. For this review, the lens was tested on a Samsung NX20 using Imatest.

Falloff of illumination towards the corners is very well controlled for a wide aperture lens with the corners only being 0.5 stops darker than the image centre at f/1.8. Stopping down to f/2.8 or beyond results in visually uniform illumination.

A slight amount of pincushion distortion is present in images taken with this lens. Imatest detected 0.589% pincushion distortion, which is even across the frame, so it should be easy to correct in image editing software afterwards if required.

A deep circular lens hood is provided with this lens as standard, which does an excellent job of shading the lens from extraneous light that may cause flare of loss of contrast. Contrast holds up well when shooting into the light.

Samsung NX Lens 45mm f/1.8 Sample Photos

Value for money

Considering how this lens performs, the launch price of around £230 seems very reasonable indeed. As no third party manufacturers currently produce lenses for the NX system, Samsung have a monopoly on lenses compatible with their cameras.

Samsung 45mm f/1.8 NX i-Function Verdict

Samsung have created a lens which delivers excellent sharpness from maximum aperture, very low levels of fringing, low falloff and distortion. It is as close to flawless as can be had, especially for the asking price of around £230. This lens should make a great addition to any existing Samsung NX kit, and the fast maximum aperture will be a bonus for shooting in low light, or for isolating your subject from the background.

	The Samsung 45mm f/1.8 NX i-Function lens is well built, lightweight and offers excellent sharpness from the maximum aperture.

Samsung 45mm f/1.8 NX i-Function Pros

Excellent sharpness from maximum aperture
Good build quality
Lightweight
Low distortion
Low CA levels
Low falloff
Fast focusing

Samsung 45mm f/1.8 NX i-Function Cons

A closer minimum focusing distance would've been a nice feature.

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL

Samsung NX Lens 45mm f/1.8 Specifications

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