| Author: | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2016 Location: Prague Posts: 123 | | Review Date: January 13, 2024 | Recommended | Price: $340.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, f2, great focus ring, build | | Cons: | Only a manual focus for some | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-x, K-70
| |
I bought this lens mainly for landscape photography and astrophotography due to its sharpness and the fact that it is a fast lens (f2). And it did not dissapoint me!
First I received a decentralized copy from the shop so had to send it back, but the second copy is perfect. The sharpness is really great from f2.8 to f8 so I am using it for the landscapes. For astrophotography I would recommend to stop down to f2.4 or f2.8.
This lens has only maunal focus, but because it is a wide lens (16mm) the infinity focus is very easy. However if your camera has a focus peaking function that would be very handy.
Colors and other specs are also great. Maybe one disadvantage is the corner sharpness at f2 to f4, it is not as good as in the center area and it is quite visible when taking photos of milky way, but it is not a serious problem. I also have to mention that this lens caused some compatibility problems with my older Pentax K-x (switching off, bad communication between lens and the body, sometimes aperture switching on its own. But no problem with K-70 at all.
Overall I am really happy with this lens, if you do not mind that it is not a zoom and manual focus only lens, I would highly recommend it, especially for astrophotography!
 | | | | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2013 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: December 27, 2023 | Recommended | Price: $296.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Price, performance, fast aperture | | Cons: | Focuses well past infiinty, no EXIF lens data | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-50, K-70
| |
Obtained primarily for astrophotography, as my other lenses in this focal length are f3.5 or slower, and not as sharp wide open. Its ability to focus past infinity is irrelevant for the intended use. Focus ring is much easier to turn than that on my 135mm f2.0 from the same maker, again nice for most photography, but not a consideration for astro. At under $300 NIB, this has to be one of the best deals on the market.
| | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2016 Location: Le Mans, France Posts: 4
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 29, 2021 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | extremely useful for landscape & architecture, sharpness is really amazing | | Cons: | attention should be paid when mounting/unmounting it onto/from the camera body if one holds the lens on the aperture ring | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
| |
Hi there from Le Mans !
Just bought it second hand in like-new-condition, still learning and expanding how to get the best out of it coupled with my K-5.
Focusing is obviously manual, some attention should be given to the "little issue" that when you line the focus ring up with the infinity symbol, the more distant subject in your landscape shot is a little bit out-of-focus beyond the infinity focus.
At this point the trick is to turn the ring backwards - so counterclockwise, 1/10 of mm or so, to obtain the perfect focus.
The focus ring turns clockwise from zero to infinity, as per Pentax standard.
The focus ring range rotation is of abt. 170° from zero to infinity.
One point, which has pushed me to rate at 8 and not 10 this lens handling is the narrow aperture ring section, from which I normally hold my lenses for the mounting/unmounting operations.
However, the two above-said cons are really minor ones, just "pour chipoter" as we say in French ... 
This Sammy-16mm plus the Pentax 35mm f/2.4 plastic fantastic (which I also recently bought) are - with no doubt at all, going to replace my Pentax 18-55mm f/3.5 f/5.6 AL WR within my travelling setup !
My reference shot for landscape when comparing lenses, custom image setting on Vibrant, +2 saturation, +2 contrast, +1 sharpness, zero PP. | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: September, 2015 Location: Berlin Posts: 128
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 28, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | overall sharpness; image quality | | Cons: | no autofocus | |
I tested many samang/walimex pro lenses and had/have the
8mm(first model)/16mm/35mm/85mm and the 135mm and I would recommend all of them in spite of the 8mm. It was not sharp enough for me.
Now the 16mm:
Itīs REEEALLY sharp. You can use it for Landscape, Architecture and astro photography. Stars are nice spots
Cons:
You have no Autofocus and ist not as easy to Focus such a wide angle manually. Better use live view and a tripod.
Overall ist a solid 10 ! For Landscape you have to buy it (and the 35mm F1.4 )
I sold my SMC Pentax-DA 15mm F4 Limited because the samyang is much sharper in the Corners. Yes, the DA15 is a nice lens, but the samyang is better, but much more heavy. The Samyang also produces nice stars from Lights.
Greetings,
Milka
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2015 Posts: 6
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 5, 2017 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | construction sharpness | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: k50
| |
Very nice results on my k50 see here
Very sharp lens and smooth focussing ring
("15mm" as k50 doesnt recognize it)
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: June, 2013 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 573
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 25, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Fast, sharp, CA well controlled, beautiful color rendition | | Cons: | vignetting, coma at f/2.0, distortion | |
Bought this lens last year for astrophotography mainly and was very pleased with the results. I have the DA*16-50 but for astro work it was just not good enough at 16 mm f/2.8 so I decided to get the Samyang to remedy the situation. The thing I like about this lens is its ability to render the different colors of the Milky Way, something my old M or A lenses cannot do very well for lack of ED elements I suppose. Very usable wide opened like in my first picture here. The picture shows noticable coma in the corners but not so bad. Lots of people overlook this lens and go for the full frame 14 mm F2.8 but if you know you're going to stick with aps-c this lens offers f/2.0 which brings in twice as more light as the F2.8. It also offers 8 mm clear aperture against 5 mm for the 14 mm and that means more stars will be recorded as well.
I also enjoy it for general use on landscapes as focus is easy and precise but here of course the 16-50 is a lot more versatile and as sharp if not sharper from f/4 up.
60 s f/2.0 iso 800 
70 s f/2.8 iso 200 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2012 Posts: 21
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 9, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Super sharp from f2.0 | | Cons: | A big lens compared to many new and old pentax lenses | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K3
| |
I am very impressed with this lens. It is sharp at f2.0 but a bit dark in the corners (not too dark, but sometimes it needs to be corrected). No problems with dark corners at f2.8.
It is surprisingly useful as a walk-around lens for tourists and for close-ups.
I tried the 15mm limited and liked the size and construction very much, but not the sharpness. The 16mm is larger and has no auto-focus, but the sharpness and fast aperture makes it a much better lens for me. I have never been this satisfied with a lens.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: October, 2010 Location: Berlin Posts: 33
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 9, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $350.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Colourful, , low CA, Fast | | Cons: | Big and Heavy, Manual Focus | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K-5
| |
This lens is very underrated, even among people who like Samyang-products. At first I asked myself, why I would need a fast wide lens? I mean you mostly need the dof with wide shots so you stop the lens down anyway, right? Well, not necessarily. This lens is perfectly sharp at f 2,0 and it gives you a lot more options than a normal wide-angle lens would do. You can shoot people in their environment and get a fantastic 3D-look. But it also works well for architecture r landscape. It is a bit heavy but for me the IQ is worth it.
 IMGP7572
 IMGP0359 | | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2014 Posts: 1
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 12, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $320.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ, build | | Cons: | Focus ring moves beyond infinity | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5
| |
It's sharp, I usually use wideopen for astro photography.
https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/photo-_amg8704s-jpg-47540/ | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: April, 2013 Posts: 324
2 users found this helpful
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2006 Location: Antwerp, Belgium Posts: 1,727
12 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 11, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | IQ, handling, build | | Cons: | Focus ring moves beyond infinity | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-3
| |
I've been looking long for the perfect 24mm equivalent lens, which translates to around 16mm on APS-C. As such I've gone through quite a large collection of lenses, some of which I still own:
- Vivitar 24/2.8 (retired, living in a box): on my old SFXn, the lens that made me love the FoV
- DA16-45/4 (sold): bought with my *istDS because of the 16mm wide end. Very nice lens, but I didn't like it extended at 16mm which was the end I mostly used it at.
- Zenitar 16/2.8 (sold): mild fish eye, but my first cheap solution for a compact wide angle prime, not enough resolution beyond the *istDS's 6MP though.
- DA10-17: replaced the Z16 as a more flexible fisheye, but never as a 16mm replacement really. Still use it from time to time for shooting straight up (only situation where I prefer fish eye effect to rectilinear).
- DA*16-50/2.8: replacement for the DA16-45 because of AW, not extending at 16mm, f/2.8. Didn't like the distortion at 16mm and lack of sharpness wide open, but could live with it thanks to LR's lens corrections and stopping down slightly. Still is my standard workhorse regardless.
- DA15/4 limited: replaced the Z16 as my preferred wide prime after a long search (dismissing the DA14/2.8 after trying it for a day). Love the size, luke warm about the lens cap though, and because of the integrated hood cannot take filters larger than 49mm (unless using a spacer between lens and step down ring). Shame about f/4 but that's tradeoff for size. I still love this lens, but it's not for wide open use and its corners could be sharper... Adore this one as a street photography lens in town.
- Sigma 8-16: odd one out: Excellent for ultra wide with a decent 16mm long end to cover my fav FoV. Actually better at 16mm than the DA*16-50/2.8 IMHO. Large and heavy and no possibility for filters... My UWA workhorse nevertheless.
That's a long list isn't it? Why did I bother to get the Samyang 16/2 then? For all the reasons the others weren't perfect really:
- It's large but not too large.
- It's great at f/2. Of course it improves stopped down, but the contrast between in-focus sharpness and out-of-focus bokeh allows for very 3D results in close focus situations. For wide open use focused near infinity it beats all the others easily.
- Very sharp stopped down, and thus over the entire APS-C frame.
- Distortion, aberrations, vignetting are under control, esp compared to most of the others IMHO.
- I love the feeling of this lens. The focusing ring is a pleasure to use. Very good grip and well dampened.
- It takes the 77mm filters that I have for my DA*16-50/2.8 (ND & IR).
Cons: (none of these are a major issue though)
- Hood is a bit flimsy compared to the build quality of the lens itself.
- It's possible to focus beyond infinity, which may add a challenge when using this lens for night landscape photography, one of the applications I intend to use it for. But I know I have to pay attention to this, that should avoid surprises.
- You do need more time to get a shot because of the manual focus, esp when using it wide open and Live View is actually the best way to nail focus.
What will the Samyang 16/2 do for me?
- Allow me to use the lovely DA20-40 as a standard zoom more often (instead of the DA*16-50/2.8). The DA15/4 complemented that one already, but the Samyang 16/2 will be better (more universal) at this.
- Give me more light and sharpness for night landscapes. I really look forward to using it for this.
- Bokeh at 16mm!! Finally I won't have to do bokehramas as frequently to get some bokeh in my wide shots.
- Not tested yet, but I would like to see how this one does with IR (hand held at f/2?) and long exposures.
hth, Wim
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: January, 2011 Posts: 440 | | Review Date: May 30, 2014 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp - sharp wide open, smooth & very close focus ability, takes filters, great focal length for APS-C | | Cons: | 1. The front cap is flimsy and comes off unintentionally - FYI. 2. Focus goes past infinity (common with Sammy lenses) so it's a lil bit more trouble to use in the dark. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-01
| |
My copy is impressively sharp right at f/2.0 and cuts night time exposures in half (at least!).
Even though a wide angle, at f/2 focus needs to be spot-on for really good results.
Two things I don't like:
1. The front cap is flimsy and comes off unintentionally - FYI.
2. Focus goes past infinity (common with Sammy lenses) so it's a lil bit more trouble to use in the dark.
This is a really great value if you find it on sale below $300!
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: October, 2009 Posts: 137 | | Review Date: March 26, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $530.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very sharp; nice colours; close focus | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K5IIs
| |
This is again a TOP lens (I also have the 8mm and 24 mm) and I like this 16mm SY a lot. It can be used for both close focus and Landscape.
I do use the Live View a lot (and info button to zoom in); this makes it easier to ensure the right focus of objects and DOF. I also use the KatzEye; with some practice the sharpness/focus will be spot on.
some examples:
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: November, 2008 Location: Maine, USA Posts: 251
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 15, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $399.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Good Sharpness Wide Open, Fast, Cheap | | Cons: | Getting A Good Copy | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 9
| |
First copy I received appeared excellent at first, but further tests revealed decentering. This manifested itself as uneven vignetting wide open and severe distortion in the upper right corner or the frame. Stopping down helped, but distortion was unacceptable. If this lens did not suffer from the decentering defect I would give it a 10, but as this is probably common, I would suggest 8 or 9. Even with the defects found it is a usable lens in many applications where the one particular corner can be managed. I returned the lens to B&H, which was cheerfully exchanged.
Evaluation of the second copy revealed good sharpness overall. Vignetting at f/2 is noticeable, but gone by f/2.8. Colors are punchy and vivid. Bokeh on close-ups is very good, with very thin DOF.
The lens does exhibit coma in the frame corners, especially wide open. A concern for astrophotographers, but stopped down to f/2,8 produces a nice flat field with very little vignetting and tolerable coma. See "first light" images below. Pleasing images at f/2.8 straight out of my K-5 IIs.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2014 Posts: 1 | | Review Date: January 2, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $405.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Extremely sharp even wide open, no CA and LoCa, fast | | Cons: | Has no AF | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
| |
The best fast wide-angle lens for Pentax.
| | |
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
