Samyang AF 12mm F2.0 Autofocus Lens for Sony E

Product Information

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! Thanks to Samyang for sending me a test copy of the lens. As always, this is a completely independent review. Samyang AF12 Build, Handling, and Features Resolution and contrast are fairly good, but acuity isn’t sky-high. Textures aren’t mushy or blurred, but neither are they pin-sharp. You can see some significant drop-off in the extreme corners. Get the latest photography news straight to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter. Newsletter Signup

Gear Review: Rokinon (Samyang) 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS Wide Angle Gear Review: Rokinon (Samyang) 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS Wide Angle

Because it’s now offered as an autofocus lens, the Samyang AF 12mm f/2 is no longer limited to shooting static subjects like landscapes or the night sky. You can use it to shoot wide-angle images of people or other moving objects without having to worry about losing sharpness. I’m very impressed that the majority of the frame has excellent sharpness even wide open at f/2. There is some loss in edge sharpness when shooting wide open but it’s easily corrected by stopping down to f/4. Interesting, glad they're offering AF, but I never found MF on my a6000 or a6300 I used to have a problem.

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Samyang AF 12mm f/2 Lens - Sony E Mount - Wilkinson Cameras

This lens is NOT perfect, but it serves its purposes PERFECTLY. What do I mean? This is obviously a landscape & architectural lens and when the lens is set for those purposes, it works very well. But once you start trying to use it for different scenarios its shortcomings become very apparent.

Now you can capture every moment, day and night. This compact and lightweight lens havea short minimum focusing distance, weather sealing and a quiet, smooth AF system forstills andvideo. At f/2, the centre of the image is very sharp, but detail blurs towards the edges when examined up-close. Fujifilm X-T2, Samyang AF 12mm F2 X, 1/1900sec at f/2, ISO 125. Image credit: Andy Westlake Sony is also clever at working with third party manufacturers. They focus on expensive, high quality lenses, and basically let the third party manufacturers own the low end of the market. They cannot compete on price with them anyway. If you want a cheap 24-70, you can buy an f4 from Sony or buy an f2.8 from Sigma, Tamron. That f4 lens is quite old and was released before Sigma and Tamron entered the E mount market.

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Mild barrel distortion is visible, but it’s easy to fix in raw processing when necessary. Fujifilm X-T5, Samyang AF 12mm F2 X, 1/20sec at f/8, ISO 125. Image credit: Andy Westlake The ultra-wide view makes the lens useful for shooting architecture. Fujifilm X-T5, Samyang AF 12mm F2 X, 1/105sec at f/8, ISO 125. Image credit: Andy Westlake

This Samyang / Rokinon ultra-wide autofocus prime lens for Sony and Fujifilm APS-C cameras is great by day, or by night

Not Sharp but the price is low so I got what I paid for. Even at infinity and small aperture, the image still kind blur compare to a Sony lens. I frequently used the 1018 stopped down and at low shutter speeds to compensate. I now own an A6600 so that is not that relevant anymore. But I also mostly use the 1018 at 10mm and it is often just wide enough. AF 12mm F2 E is the lightest and smallest AF 12mm lens currently in the market. Weighing only 213g(7.5oz) and measuring only 59.2mm(2.3in) in length, this new 12mm strikes the perfect balance of portability and outstanding performance and is a perfect match to compact APS-C camera with gimbal. This lens includes new modern design features such as matt finishing and a hidden red ring. Photographer's shooting environment as well as modern design is considered. An designed grip with a micro pattern rubber ring maximizes the usability. A weather-sealing feature and a rear protective glass prevent dust, light rain, and snow from penetrating. It allows you to capture stunning images in less than perfect conditions.