Dude your reviews are the best. I always instantly watch them whenever they come out! Love this comparison since they’re so close in price, makes a lot more sense than comparing a really expensive 50mm to this Samsung one 👍🏻
An eight year old lens holding it's own against the Samyang. A tribute to such a successful design. I have owned the 55 since it's inception and even on the A7R4, it is remarkably detailed. It's only downside is strong CA at wider apertures.
The 55 has a bit of sentimental value for me as it was my first lens I bought after the kit lens. Used it on my a6000 for portraits my first few years in photography.
I happen to own both. I haven't done any "scientific" testing, but when comparing the lenses back-to-back attached to A7C I think the the Zeiss focuses slightly faster, it's not night and day but noticeable (I could be wrong though). Both are very sharp lenses, no complaints there about either one. I still prefer the Zeiss because its size which makes it more suitable for A7C and I think the autofocus feels snappier with it. Samyang works nicely on my A7 II as sort of an casual walk-around lens.
If I wasn't a bokeholic, I'd be happy with either of those lenses to be honest. None of the downsides make a big difference to me. The Samyang would probably take the edge just because it has shallower DoF.
@@KNURKonesur I shot manual all my life as well, and for personal stuff I still always use vintage manual glass. But when I use an AF lens I really want it to be fast! There is no point in AF for me if it isn't working reeeeeally well, it's so frustrating when the AF is slower then I would be manually focusing. If the AF doesn't bring a clear upgrade to the table I'd much rather buy a smaller and cheaper manual lens.
Aw3some! So I've been waiting for you to do a vid on wide angle zoom lens comparison. Since new sony pz 16 35 is on the way, I am really interested to see zeiss 1635 f4 vs pz 1635 vs 1635gm.
Thanks for the great video as usual! Did you have any problems with the Samyang around the eye AF? Coming from @Julia Trotti’s video and she seems to have had lots of issues with the lens focusing on the eyelashes etc. 😕
Between these two, I'd go for the Samyang. Prefer the 55 focal length, but 1.4 aperture trumps 1.8. Plus, I used to have the Zeiss and it's just too small for proper handling with the a7 III imo.
f1.4 aperture means nothing when this 55mm has some of the best, smoothest saturation gradient transitions, same with shadows and micro contrast, giving you that alive feel or that ''3D pop'' aka. ''Zeiss pop'' if you will and you just can't add/fix that in post. Sharpness and clinical performance of a lens is not everything, in fact, 99% of the clients won't even notice how sharp or how not sharp the image is, that's just something us photographers do, most to all clients just look at the image as a whole and decide if they like it or not, which how an image should be looked at in the first place - and in their eyes, if you give them a Leica/Zeiss/Hasselblad/Voigtlander/Contax 3D pop image with heavenly tonality and saturation and a flat image shot with the sharpest, most clinically perfect, most expensive lens to this date, they will always pick the 3D pop image, because the image has character and just simply looks better... Something that pixel peepers and lens chart testers seem to either ignore or forget.
Nah I'm waiting for Sigma's 50 f/1.2, although I wish it were just 1/4 as it's said to be as large as the 35 f/1.2 behemoth. An updated Zeiss would be nice, but Zeiss have basically abandoned consumer lenses to focus on cine lenses.
Haha i got my notifications on,his reviews are very professional and honestly i'm watching them even if i don't really do photography but only video. There is always something to take
@@billzidis2656 Well.. obviously you are much wiser than me ( older too? 🤔😅🖖🏼). I like my zeiss but I think I’ll try this 50 and decide, I love their 135 and it will feel no so lonely if I bring another Samyang home 😬
For me 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 is my way to go for everything. Photo or video. This Samyang 50mm looking nice but I don't think so they will make an L mount . Typically Sony E gets the good stuff
i dont think 50mmish is the best range for portraits for a full frame camera. i got the 50mm f1.8 and i just found it was missing that same "effect" of separation
Thanks for the comment. Yeah, it's not a perfect lens, but I feel like Samyang are moving in the right direction. Hopefully the days of horribly orange/yellow tinted images are gone!
Just ordered the Samyang and I am curious to see how it will be (should arrive this week). I used to own the Zeiss which never really blew me away in terms of rendering and character despite all the hype.. I am planning to use it both for stills and video and I hope it performs well enough as I don't tend to shoot people running towards the camera :P
I have both and I like both. The Zeiss is worth the hype though. Very sharp and fast to focus. The only downside is the CA. The bokeh quality and extra 2/3 stop on the SY is great to have. Even though its only 5mm difference, if you have the money then there is nothing wrong with having both.
@@catchlite5196 Yeah don't. It's Zeiss. You won't get that 3D pop and that amazing, unmatched micro contrast and saturation performance out of 99% of other lenses, no matter how expensive or ''sharp.'' There are only about 15 other 50mm lenses ever made, that have this good of a saturation, contrast and micro contrast rendering or whatever you want to call it and most of them are old manual focus lenses from 1900's. All 3 Leicas old Summilux and Summicron 50's have it, all 4 Zeiss older Planar and Sonar 50mm as well as this 55mm have it, Nikons old 58mm noct and the newer DSLR 1.4G version have it, both old Contax 50mm lenses have it, all Voigtlander 50mm have it and all Hasselblad lenses have it. This 55mm is the only 50mm lens with autofocus that has this 3D pop and heavenly micro contrast AND IT'S A CHEAPO LENS! Do not sell this 55mm ever.
@@nogerboher5266 I own the FE 55mm 1.8 as well as Contax Zeiss 50mm 1.4 and I can do side by side comparisons with the Samyang and I can't discern any noticeable differences in terms of saturation or micro contrast. I'm starting to wonder if the Zeiss pop is just very effective branding that people have accepted as truth.
I Just returned my samyang bad bad autofocus got another copy and exactly the same problem on the camera screen the focus is on the eyes but when you look at the picture the focus is on the eyebrows or the mouth
Yeah, a lot of YT camera reviews have had this issue with the 50 1.4 II which is why I stayed away from it. Tom had similar issues with the 85 1.4 which others did not. I'm very happy with my 85 1.4. Fast, accurate AF.
@@agubser07 yeah 🙁 its pretty frustrating because I love the image quality and the size but wtf this lens is New and if you look Amazon they're are several seconds hand samyang 50 I think a lot of people have this problem and return it
Hard choice ... lately 55mm ZA is discounted 120$ in my country + 100$ of Sony cashback makes it 120$ cheaper at the end here than Samyang ... it makes the choice even harder :).
It should hopefully arrive with me at the end of the month for testing. I've been on the waiting list for some time now but test samples are incredibly limited in the UK unfortunately.
great review! it is worth noting that a 55/1.8 is quite a bit closer to a 50/1.4 regarding separation and bokeh than a 50/1.8. it's only a small difference in focal length, but it really eats away on the difference between these two.
@@paiman_ regarding low light it would be interesting to know what the transmission of the samyang is - actually most lenses have less transmission than aperture, eg a t-stop of 1.6 is quite common for 1.4 lenses. The sonnar 55/1.8 actually also has a t-stop of 1.8, so the difference could be quite a bit smaller than the aperture would suggest as well.
Now, I still would not know what lens to purchase if I were in that position. There is no difference. I even would say that the new interations of Sony's latest offerings are not needed - except for video Stay where you are at moment gear-wise, save toe money for something more useful.
The small lenses like the 55 f1.8 and 28 f2 are fun and light weight, but imo have never felt at home on the larger full frame bodies. Currently I own the Tamron 20-40mm 2.8, Tamron 28-75mm MK1 and the 85mm 1.8 FE. The Samyang has a very similar size, but I'm worried about the AF performance after watching a few reviews.
I think I prefer to buy the zeiss second hand for the same price than the samyang bnib and that way the price point goes to both of them so in this case the zeiss is the winner.
I love the reviews as we get to live through you. on this occasion though I feel slightly cringed that you were trying keep Samyang in the game (if we can call it that). - Build quality for me isn't a par (anodised metal vs plastic composite is terms of premium feel isn't comparable) - Half a point for image quality? 🤕.
Ultimately, my reviews are based on my own opinions and experience using the lenses. You are of course more than welcome to disagree with anything I say - my word is not gospel. However, to suggest I was "trying to keep the Samyang in the game" is pure bs. I have absolutely no obligation to either manufacturer so there's absolutely no reason for me to try and give one lens a biased evaluation over the other. How would that help anyone? Personally, I really like the build of the Samyang - the composite build doesn't bother me at all and I welcome its lightweight build, as explained in the video. Historically, I'm not Samyang's biggest fan, even when everyone else seems to love them. However, these new lenses (in my opinion) are a step in the right direction. They're certainly not perfect, but credit where credit is due.
@@davidlai6798 The Zeiss has terrible CA in most Reviews. The Samyang has other problems. Most people don't like it. The Sony is not perfect but all in all it wins. Not super sharp but it has not many really weak points like the Zeiss and Samyang
@@hirschkuh1982 interesting opinion, and the first time i have seen someone praise this lens so much over the other two. could you link the reviews that you mentioned because the sony has focus issues (esp video) even with the latest firmware.
Dude your reviews are the best. I always instantly watch them whenever they come out! Love this comparison since they’re so close in price, makes a lot more sense than comparing a really expensive 50mm to this Samsung one 👍🏻
I'm pretty sure Samsung stopped manufacturing lenses 😂
@@marklinang5698 hahaha oops autocorrect
Thanks Matthew! Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the comment!
An eight year old lens holding it's own against the Samyang. A tribute to such a successful design. I have owned the 55 since it's inception and even on the A7R4, it is remarkably detailed. It's only downside is strong CA at wider apertures.
I would agree
excuse me, i'm asking because i don't know; What is CA?
@@m_w_TR Chromatic aberration. At wider apertures there is strong green and blue fringes around higher contrast areas.
@@Fontsman thank you..
Also minimum focus distance is not that great on the Zeiss.
Samyang made several AF lenses for Minolta Alpha cameras in the 1990's. Their AF 50mm F1.4 FE was more like their sixth AF lens.
The 55 has a bit of sentimental value for me as it was my first lens I bought after the kit lens. Used it on my a6000 for portraits my first few years in photography.
Same here haha... Check out the 45/1.8 Samyang, i pref the images coming out of the Samyang over the 55mm Zeiss ...
I happen to own both. I haven't done any "scientific" testing, but when comparing the lenses back-to-back attached to A7C I think the the Zeiss focuses slightly faster, it's not night and day but noticeable (I could be wrong though). Both are very sharp lenses, no complaints there about either one. I still prefer the Zeiss because its size which makes it more suitable for A7C and I think the autofocus feels snappier with it. Samyang works nicely on my A7 II as sort of an casual walk-around lens.
Interesting - thanks for the input!
Whether the focus difference is night and day depends on whether it's actual night or day.
Why does this man not have more subscribers!!! You have amazing reviews/comparisons
Thank you! Spread the word and hopefully we'll get some more subscribers 😁
Brilliant review. The footage with the model stands out!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
First? Maybe !
My man,your reviews are great,really nice visuals and information!
If I wasn't a bokeholic, I'd be happy with either of those lenses to be honest. None of the downsides make a big difference to me. The Samyang would probably take the edge just because it has shallower DoF.
If it had a quicker AF motor, the Samyang would be a really solid lens! For me, that's the only major thing putting me off it unfortunately.
@@TomCalton I've shot manual focus all my life so that particular thing is never something I worry about :P
@@KNURKonesur I shot manual all my life as well, and for personal stuff I still always use vintage manual glass. But when I use an AF lens I really want it to be fast! There is no point in AF for me if it isn't working reeeeeally well, it's so frustrating when the AF is slower then I would be manually focusing. If the AF doesn't bring a clear upgrade to the table I'd much rather buy a smaller and cheaper manual lens.
I don't know if was just my perception but the Sony 55mm 1.8 ZA seemed to display more vibrant colours than the Samyang 50mm f1.4 mkii
Aw3some! So I've been waiting for you to do a vid on wide angle zoom lens comparison. Since new sony pz 16 35 is on the way, I am really interested to see zeiss 1635 f4 vs pz 1635 vs 1635gm.
Thanks Philip. I'll be honest, I hate shooting with wide angles and I hate reviewing zooms... But for you, I would maybe make an exception 😅
@@TomCalton hahaha nono that's OK. Thanks lots
Thanks for the great video as usual! Did you have any problems with the Samyang around the eye AF? Coming from @Julia Trotti’s video and she seems to have had lots of issues with the lens focusing on the eyelashes etc. 😕
Between these two, I'd go for the Samyang. Prefer the 55 focal length, but 1.4 aperture trumps 1.8. Plus, I used to have the Zeiss and it's just too small for proper handling with the a7 III imo.
Do you have samyang
f1.4 aperture means nothing when this 55mm has some of the best, smoothest saturation gradient transitions, same with shadows and micro contrast, giving you that alive feel or that ''3D pop'' aka. ''Zeiss pop'' if you will and you just can't add/fix that in post. Sharpness and clinical performance of a lens is not everything, in fact, 99% of the clients won't even notice how sharp or how not sharp the image is, that's just something us photographers do, most to all clients just look at the image as a whole and decide if they like it or not, which how an image should be looked at in the first place - and in their eyes, if you give them a Leica/Zeiss/Hasselblad/Voigtlander/Contax 3D pop image with heavenly tonality and saturation and a flat image shot with the sharpest, most clinically perfect, most expensive lens to this date, they will always pick the 3D pop image, because the image has character and just simply looks better... Something that pixel peepers and lens chart testers seem to either ignore or forget.
Does the new Samyang have the weird red tint that all of their older lenses seem to have?
No, it doesn't appear to thankfully!
Nah I'm waiting for Sigma's 50 f/1.2, although I wish it were just 1/4 as it's said to be as large as the 35 f/1.2 behemoth. An updated Zeiss would be nice, but Zeiss have basically abandoned consumer lenses to focus on cine lenses.
What!!! I’m not the first and I was the one ASKING FOR THIS!!!! life is so unfair!!! 😅😅
Haha i got my notifications on,his reviews are very professional and honestly i'm watching them even if i don't really do photography but only video. There is always something to take
@@billzidis2656 Well.. obviously you are much wiser than me ( older too? 🤔😅🖖🏼). I like my zeiss but I think I’ll try this 50 and decide, I love their 135 and it will feel no so lonely if I bring another Samyang home 😬
For me 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 is my way to go for everything. Photo or video. This Samyang 50mm looking nice but I don't think so they will make an L mount . Typically Sony E gets the good stuff
@@billzidis2656 Well, you know what to do 🤷🏻♂️
Sorry Gustavo - you snooze, you lose bud 🤣😜
i dont think 50mmish is the best range for portraits for a full frame camera. i got the 50mm f1.8 and i just found it was missing that same "effect" of separation
I know what you're saying, and I agree. Though I do love the flexibility a 50mm gives you.
You are Amazing.. Thank you for such clear crisp information…
Thx for this video. I tried the Samyang, a great lense, but near MFD it is only sharp in a very small spot in the middle. That is a no go for me.
Thanks for the comment. Yeah, it's not a perfect lens, but I feel like Samyang are moving in the right direction. Hopefully the days of horribly orange/yellow tinted images are gone!
Just ordered the Samyang and I am curious to see how it will be (should arrive this week).
I used to own the Zeiss which never really blew me away in terms of rendering and character despite all the hype..
I am planning to use it both for stills and video and I hope it performs well enough as I don't tend to shoot people running towards the camera :P
Good luck! Let me know how you get on with it
@@TomCalton thanks, will do, now my finger is howering over the order button next to the Samyang 135mm f1.8, damn the temptation..
@@TomCalton I am loving both the 50 and the 135 so far, the AF is certainly usable on them
@@_rhapsodist time for some feedback. How do you like the Samyang?
you ordered the Samyang expecting it to be better than the Zeiss? How did that play out for you?
I have both and I like both. The Zeiss is worth the hype though. Very sharp and fast to focus. The only downside is the CA. The bokeh quality and extra 2/3 stop on the SY is great to have.
Even though its only 5mm difference, if you have the money then there is nothing wrong with having both.
Thanks for sharing - I can see why so many people love the 55mm
I was considering switching from the 55mm to this Samyang, but I don’t think I will..
@@catchlite5196 Yeah don't. It's Zeiss. You won't get that 3D pop and that amazing, unmatched micro contrast and saturation performance out of 99% of other lenses, no matter how expensive or ''sharp.'' There are only about 15 other 50mm lenses ever made, that have this good of a saturation, contrast and micro contrast rendering or whatever you want to call it and most of them are old manual focus lenses from 1900's. All 3 Leicas old Summilux and Summicron 50's have it, all 4 Zeiss older Planar and Sonar 50mm as well as this 55mm have it, Nikons old 58mm noct and the newer DSLR 1.4G version have it, both old Contax 50mm lenses have it, all Voigtlander 50mm have it and all Hasselblad lenses have it. This 55mm is the only 50mm lens with autofocus that has this 3D pop and heavenly micro contrast AND IT'S A CHEAPO LENS! Do not sell this 55mm ever.
@@nogerboher5266 thanks man. I’ll hang on to it. 😊
@@nogerboher5266 I own the FE 55mm 1.8 as well as Contax Zeiss 50mm 1.4 and I can do side by side comparisons with the Samyang and I can't discern any noticeable differences in terms of saturation or micro contrast. I'm starting to wonder if the Zeiss pop is just very effective branding that people have accepted as truth.
Waiting For New Samyang 35/1.4 FE II Review....
It's coming dude - I'm just waiting for a review sample 🤞🏻
I Just returned my samyang bad bad autofocus got another copy and exactly the same problem on the camera screen the focus is on the eyes but when you look at the picture the focus is on the eyebrows or the mouth
Yeah, a lot of YT camera reviews have had this issue with the 50 1.4 II which is why I stayed away from it. Tom had similar issues with the 85 1.4 which others did not. I'm very happy with my 85 1.4. Fast, accurate AF.
@@agubser07 yeah 🙁 its pretty frustrating because I love the image quality and the size but wtf this lens is New and if you look Amazon they're are several seconds hand samyang 50 I think a lot of people have this problem and return it
Same for me. My samyang was extremely sharp but it missed lot of time the eyes focusing. So returned !
This is the video I’m looking for n need…. Struggling between Samyang or Sony…..
Hard choice ... lately 55mm ZA is discounted 120$ in my country + 100$ of Sony cashback makes it 120$ cheaper at the end here than Samyang ... it makes the choice even harder :).
Yeah, tough one!
Awesome video, review the new samyang 135mm 1.8 fe.
Thanks! And I will do - I'm just waiting for it to arrive. Hopefully at the end of the month
Do yiu have the updated 35 ?
I would only give 1/2 point to Zeiss for video AF based on this video. That gives Samyang a whole point ahead.
I would buy them both....
What about the new Samyang 135mm 1.8?
It should hopefully arrive with me at the end of the month for testing. I've been on the waiting list for some time now but test samples are incredibly limited in the UK unfortunately.
Alright then🥲🥲
great review!
it is worth noting that a 55/1.8 is quite a bit closer to a 50/1.4 regarding separation and bokeh than a 50/1.8. it's only a small difference in focal length, but it really eats away on the difference between these two.
You may be correct, but the 1.4 vs 1.8 in low light does make a bigger difference.
@@paiman_ regarding low light it would be interesting to know what the transmission of the samyang is - actually most lenses have less transmission than aperture, eg a t-stop of 1.6 is quite common for 1.4 lenses. The sonnar 55/1.8 actually also has a t-stop of 1.8, so the difference could be quite a bit smaller than the aperture would suggest as well.
@@sternschnupper hmm... Never knew that. Yeah it would be interesting to see.
The images of the Sony 55 looks like a aps-c lens that’s why I sold mine
Thank you! I love my Zeiss!
I would stick with my Sigma dg art and probably wait for Sigma dg dn version.
Now, I still would not know what lens to purchase if I were in that position.
There is no difference. I even would say that the new interations of Sony's latest offerings are not needed - except for video
Stay where you are at moment gear-wise, save toe money for something more useful.
The small lenses like the 55 f1.8 and 28 f2 are fun and light weight, but imo have never felt at home on the larger full frame bodies. Currently I own the Tamron 20-40mm 2.8, Tamron 28-75mm MK1 and the 85mm 1.8 FE. The Samyang has a very similar size, but I'm worried about the AF performance after watching a few reviews.
Thanks mate. Tough choice…
I know, right!?
Samyang 45mm 1.8 squad
I think I prefer to buy the zeiss second hand for the same price than the samyang bnib and that way the price point goes to both of them so in this case the zeiss is the winner.
I love the reviews as we get to live through you. on this occasion though I feel slightly cringed that you were trying keep Samyang in the game (if we can call it that).
- Build quality for me isn't a par (anodised metal vs plastic composite is terms of premium feel isn't comparable)
- Half a point for image quality? 🤕.
Ultimately, my reviews are based on my own opinions and experience using the lenses. You are of course more than welcome to disagree with anything I say - my word is not gospel. However, to suggest I was "trying to keep the Samyang in the game" is pure bs. I have absolutely no obligation to either manufacturer so there's absolutely no reason for me to try and give one lens a biased evaluation over the other. How would that help anyone? Personally, I really like the build of the Samyang - the composite build doesn't bother me at all and I welcome its lightweight build, as explained in the video. Historically, I'm not Samyang's biggest fan, even when everyone else seems to love them. However, these new lenses (in my opinion) are a step in the right direction. They're certainly not perfect, but credit where credit is due.
@@TomCalton Fair dos. It's all opinions as you say
All go behind Zeiss. ONLY smoothly bokeh behind samyang because 1.4
I would buy the Sony 50mm 1.8. It's better.
What do you mean by better? I can only see price. Definitely not image quality or focus.
@@davidlai6798 The Zeiss has terrible CA in most Reviews. The Samyang has other problems. Most people don't like it. The Sony is not perfect but all in all it wins. Not super sharp but it has not many really weak points like the Zeiss and Samyang
@@hirschkuh1982 Sony would win only if you meant Sony 50 GM.😂
@@hirschkuh1982 interesting opinion, and the first time i have seen someone praise this lens so much over the other two. could you link the reviews that you mentioned because the sony has focus issues (esp video) even with the latest firmware.
@@davidlai6798 there are many Reviews. Look at Christopher Frost and the other good ones
Hey...you know kids also watch these channels, my daughter does. Why the mind numbing and unnecessary sexual reference?
You sound like a bundle of laughs 😴