The new Samyang AF 135mm f / 1.8 FE lens is a telephoto prime lens for a full-frame Sony E mounted camera. It offers a minimum focus distance of 0.69 meters (2.26 feet), three customized buttons, fast and accurate autofocus, and a lightweight design. The lens is now available for pre-order at $ 999.
Korean Lens Manufacturer Samyang Optics For many years they have been known for their very affordable manual Samyang (sold in some parts of the world as Roquinon) prime lenses. In recent years, the company has begun designing and manufacturing more and more autofocus prime lenses and even its first autofocus zoom lens – the Samiang AF 24-70mm f / 2.8 FE (announced in October 2021). This time, the company has announced another new autofocus lens for the Sony E Mount – Samyang AF 135mm f / 1.8 FE. Let’s take a look at the details.
Samyang AF 135mm f / 1.8 FE lens
According to Samiang Optics, the new Samyang AF 135mm f / 1.8 FE lens was released to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary for the full-frame Sony E-mount camera and to bring a new lightweight fast alternative to its popular Samyang MF 135mm f /. 2 lenses.
The aperture offers a range from f / 1.8 to f / 22 and has 11 blades. The viewing angle of a full-frame camera is 18.9 ° The lens increases the minimum focus distance for close-up photography to just 0.69 meters (2.26 feet) and the maximum 0.243x.
In terms of optical design, the lens has 6 special components – 3 ED (extra-low-scattering), 2 HR (high-refractive index), and 1 UA (ultra-accurate aspherical lens). In total, there are 13 components in 11 groups. According to Samiang Optics, with the UMC coating, the lens handles the crash well over all focusing distances.
The lens also has an optimized function for astrophotography, astro-focus mode. Its mode status is easily recognizable with the help of LED indicator when shooting at night.
Autofocus and custom buttons
As Samsung Optics says, the lens will work well in both autofocus photo and video and should be able to track objects accurately and quickly while being relatively quiet. Linear STMs (stepping motors) should provide quieter and more accurate control of focusing lens groups. According to Samiang, the optical design of the lens reduces the focus of breathing, which is especially useful for video recording.
The Samyang AF 135mm f / 1.8 FE lens has 3 different buttons to enhance its usability:
- Focus hold button – Pressing this button on the lens will lock the lens at that focusing distance. You can assign functions like IAF in the settings in the camera body.
- Custom switch – This button can be set to silently adjust the aperture by rotating the focus ring. Using the optional lens station, you can set the mode to your liking. Samiang says more functions will be added in the future through firmware updates.
- Focus range limiter switch – The focus range limiter only works in AF mode and can be moved forward or backward to select the focus range. The advantage of limiting the focus range is that it will make the AF work faster.
- Complete: The AF range is set to a minimum of a minimum 0.69m focus distance (AF search may take a little longer.)
- 0.69m – 2m: AF range is set between 0.69m and 2m, suitable for close-up shooting.
- 1.5m – ∞: AF range is set from 1.5m to infinity, suitable for normal shooting.
Lightweight and weather-sealed
One of the unique features of the Samyang AF 135mm lens is its lightweight design – the lens weighs only 772g (27.2oz). For comparison, the Sony FE 135mm f / 1.8 GM lens weighs 950g (33.51oz), and the SIGMA 135mm f / 1.8 DG HSM art lens for the Sony E weighs 1,130g (2.5lbs).
The Samyang AF 135mm lens has a micro-patterned rubber focus ring and weather-ceiling to protect the lens from light rain, snow and dust. The maximum diameter of the lens is 93.4mm and its length is 129.6mm (5.1). The lens has an 82mm front filter thread.
Price and availability
The new (Rokinon) Samyang AF 135mm f / 1.8 FE lens is now available for pre-order. Priced at $ 999 which is quite affordable considering the competition. For reference, the Sony FE 135mm f / 1.8 GM lens currently sells for 2,098 and the SIGMA 135mm f / 1.8 DG HSM art lens for the Sony E is priced at $ 1,399.
Do you use a 135mm prime lens (or equivalent) for your work? Do you have experience with AF lenses from Samyang? Let us know in the comments section at the bottom of the article.