Review: Samyang 75mm AF f/ 1.8 for Sony E-mount

Last week I was able to test the new Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8. This lens is part of Samyang's Tiny series. These lenses are, as the name says, really small, light, and have a lot to offer. Because this lens is so light and small, it is much more attractive for me to put in on my Sony A7III as a compact kit. Which makes it a lot easier to take my camera on a normal day.

An affordable, lightweight lens that offers great quality and is easy to carry around.

Specs

This lens costs around 419,- euro at the time of reviewing. Which makes this lens even more attractive to me. The dimensions are (ø x L): 65 x 69mm and the filter size is 58mm. I don't have a lot of experience with prime lenses in this focal length but would compare this lens to the sony 85mm f/1.8 or the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 which are both a lot bigger and heavier. The extra 10mm range you would get on the competitors isn't a big deal to me, I would just crop in a bit in post and lose a bit of resolution. I never plan on using all 24mp for a big print anyway. As for the aperture, it's nice to have a bit of extra light but again, to me, it is fine to shoot with 1.8. Of course, if you want the most professional and money is not an issue, I would choose the Sony 85mm f/1.4 I haven't tested the Sony so I can't say anything about the image quality.

First Impression

When I first got my hands on this lens I honestly didn't think it could deliver such great quality photos. But after putting this lens on a Sony A7III and shooting some portraits really surprised how good this lens is.

Prime lens

With this lens, you have to be a fan of prime lenses. I only use a wide-angle prime lens for landscapes. I do notice that I am often inclined to see what the image would look like with different focal lengths, just because I love experimenting. A complete set of this series would be perfect. For example a 24mm, 35mm, and a 75mm. Because all these lenses are so light and small, I see no problem putting a few lenses in my bag.