Originally posted by victorshoup Just want to chime in...I own this lens, and it is nice. But compared to older Pentax manual lenses, the "throw" of the focus ring is not so large, and it is a lot harder to nail the focus, because of this.
I'd like to comment on the focus throw.
Let's try to make an "apples to apples" comparison. The closest Pentax comparable to the Samyang is the A*85mm f1.4. The A*85/1.4 is the most modern
manual focus 85/1.4 Pentax lens with an "A" setting, which is just like the Samyang/VS1. The focus throws are pretty similar on both these lenses, so neither one is better than the other's. They're both pretty much even (the Pentax's is a touch longer and that info is in my original report, but I don't think it matters much in everyday usage).
If you want to make an "apples to oranges" comparison, like comparing the Samyang/VS1 to something like the SMC Takumar 85mm f1.9, it's still not really clear if older glass has the advantage.
The Samyang has a larger diameter for a 1/3 turn focus throw. The Tak has a smaller body diameter but it has a 3/4 turn focus throw.
So here's the interesting part. When you measure off the actual
distance of the focus throws, the Samyang's is approximately 9 cm versus the Tak's at about 7.5 to 8 cm. In other words the Samyang actually has a slightly longer focus throw.
The Tak "feels" like it has a longer throw but that's actually an illusion because of the smaller diameter body.
Furthermore the Tak doesn't have the "A" setting which is an inconvenience (+1 Samyang).
I've got both the Samyang 85/1.4 and the SMC Takumar 85/1.9 in front of me right now along with a measuring tape.
And then there will be those that will just complain about long focus throws because it makes accurate focusing more slow.
Originally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor For some reason, I find 85/1.4 lenses hard to focus, no matter the throw. I can focus fast 50s all right, but for some reason I always have more trouble with 85s, even when stopped down.
Ah, you are experiencing the effect of focal length and shallow depth of field. Remember, the longer the focal length at a given f-stop, the shallower the DoF and therefore the harder it is to focus. There is a difference between a 50/1.4 and a 85/1.4. If you haven't done so suggest you get one of those Katz-eye focusing thingies, it will really help nail the focus.
So does anyone know what the fuss is all about regarding the SMC Takumar 85mm f1.9 and f1.8 lenses? I just got the SMC Tak 85/1.9 recently to see for myself, haven't taken any pics with it yet. And why doesn't the SMC Takumar 135mm f2.5 have the same reputation? If I apply the same logic it should be as well loved as the A*135mm f1.8, no?