Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 RF Lens Review - Verdict

Value For Money

The Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 RF lens is priced at £599.99. Looking at the other lenses available for Canon R fit, we also have the Samyang MF 85mm f/1.4 RF at £249. This is manual focus and is not the same optical configuration, so not an exact alternative.

Canon offers two lenses:

• Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM, £2599
• Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS, £3249

If we compare these prices to the main DSLR marques, although obviously these lenses will not fit this camera, it does give us an idea of how value compares with other systems:

• Canon 85mm f/1.4L IS USM, £1329
• Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 G, £1399
• HD Pentax-D FA* 85mm f/1.4 ED SDM AW, £1999
• Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, £929

Looking at Samyang again, the following lenses are available for the DSLR and Sony mirrorless cameras, although only the Sony FE version is the same configuration as the Canon RF:

• Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE, £459
• Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 EF, £469
• Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 F, £449

The new lens would seem to offer excellent VFM, especially considering its fine performance. For more options have a look at the Top 32 Best Samyang Lenses.

Samyang 85mm f/1.4 RF Verdict

Samyang have clearly done it again, with the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 RF lens. They have produced a lens with superb performance at a very reasonable price level. It is well made, handles beautifully and combines high levels of sharpness with a beautiful, smooth bokeh effect. This is ideal for portraiture, and wide open the lens also offers a lovely, subtle vignetting effect that could be an ideal enhancement for portraits.

Obviously any 85mm can be used for many other subjects that just portraiture, and here we have an almost perfectly rectilinear lens that would be ideal for architectural shots, as well as street photography, landscapes, close-range sports, low light, in fact almost any area.

We might miss IS, we might miss the ability to place the lens/camera on top of a nearby wall or other support for stability as it will wobble about, but a bean bag would sort that. We do have weather resistance, so there is no impediment to venturing out into the rain with that wide, fast aperture to capture the special, vivid colours that bad weather can bring. Definitely Highly Recommended.

The Samyang 85mm f/1.4 RF is an optically superb fast 85mm lens at a very reasonable price.

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