| Author: | | New Member Registered: February, 2012 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: March 9, 2014 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp Sharp Sharp!! Price | | Cons: | Nothing! | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Pentax K5
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Fantastic lens! Super sharp from F2.8. Perfectly usable at F1.4.
I love it! It produces fantastic colours and it is really sharp. A great portrait lens for only £300. I sold the Pentax 70mm limited to get this. I don't regret it at all!!!
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2010 Location: SoCal Posts: 518 | | Review Date: October 11, 2013 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, smooth focus, affordable, colour, bokeh, great for video | | Cons: | mf @ f/1.4 is difficult, obtaining correct focus | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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This is a great MF lens! Being new to MF, this is a very forgiving lens, as long as you don't try to hand focus at f/1.4
+ Video: With a smooth focus ring, video is VERY good on this lens
+ Fast/bright: I can shoot with this very well in low light.
+ Sharp image - this is a very sharp lens, and is very consistent across the scope of the lens
+ Affordable - even if I had to pay for it - its a very low cost lens for what it provides
+ Bokeh is very pleasant on this lens
- Manual focus at f/2 or less can be tough - even with a 100% viewfinder. I found the Live View to be helpful with the 6x zoom feature.
- Min focus = ~3' / 1m
If only I could get an 18mm f/1.8 or 35mm f/1.8 of the same quality for roughly the same price. Those lenses are at least double.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: December, 2009 Location: Christchurch, New Zealand Posts: 2,437
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 19, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $259.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, fast, huge value for money, good build, very nice bokeh | | Cons: | Hood fiddly to attach, 1 m minimum focus distance, can purple fringe | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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I got this lens for general shallow depth of field and also low light photography so I was looking for a lens that was usable wide open at f1.4.
The Bower (Samyang) 85mm delivers good sharpness images (frame center) wide open at f1.4 and so is exactly what I was looking for. Also stopped down to f5.6 it is very sharp across the frame. There is softness in the corners wide open at f1.4 but border sharpness is surprisingly good (even the contrast is Ok) - look at second f1.4 example below to see how good they are wide open. Corner sharpness comes right by f2.8 on my copy. In fact this lens wide open at f1.4 beats my (very nice) Pentax A 50 f1.4 at f2.4 - amazing!
Its not a perfect lens (none are really). If you don't like manual focus then this lens is not for you. If you are looking for a lens with close focus it is also not for you. If you need a lens that is sharp corner to corner wide open (something thats very rare for f1.4 lenses anyway) it may not be for you. Also in high contrast conditions you may see some purple fringing (sometime I can see quite a bit) - to clarify this further it appears to be bokeh fringing (fringing is in out of focus areas) but I have been able to correct it fairly easily with PP. Also I find the lens hood a bit fiddly to fit (especially if you try to reverse stow it on the lens - which is at least possible) but I'm getting used to fitting it. While talking about the hood, its better than I thought it would be after reading other reviews. Sure its not solid but its certainly perfectly functional. Lens cap could be better but its usable (except you can't fit it with hood in place).
Overall I absolutely love it and its a bargain!
Update (June 2016): Had not used it for a while (since getting a DA 70) but recently rediscovered this lens and using it a lot. It makes pretty much anything you point it at look good and find I use it mostly at f1.4. Adding a magnifying viewfinder cup to K-5 had made focusing a lot easier too. Added sample.
Some sample images: | | | | | Inactive Account Registered: April, 2013 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: April 4, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | price,sharpness,build | | Cons: | lens cap,hood | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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hi,im new on forum...this is my first review
samyang is my newest lens and by so far im more than happy with it its nice build,sharp(even wide open) and good CF and CA handling.
lens cap is very flimsy and bad and hood is not so good so..
im using it with my k-x and im used to work with manual lenses so it is not a problem to me... | | | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2012 Posts: 3 | | Review Date: April 1, 2013 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | | | Cons: | | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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I have got this lens one week before. It is really super condition and it has well handling. I have took lots of photos and one video. You can see them below. This lens especially sharpener after f 4.0 It deserves its money. If you have any experience with manuel lens, you can also do best with this monster! 
brenizer-sefa- by srdnc, on Flickr
İst. by srdnc, on Flickr
cat by srdnc, on Flickr
Video:
Note: I have noticed that there is a voice like remainig a clock. I guess something happened while i was uploading video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cor-KHIWgT4 | | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2008 Location: Panama City,FL Posts: 13 | | Review Date: December 16, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $249.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Solid feel, sharp throughout and cheap | | Cons: | Hood and lens cap poorly made | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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I have the rokinon version of this lens. For the money, I've been extremely impressed with this lens. Unfortunately, my copy had a rather noticeable bubble in the rear element and while I could not find it noticeable in any photos, I decided to send it back for exchange.
| | | | | New Member Registered: November, 2006 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 16 | | Review Date: September 25, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $320.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness at most apertures, remarkable resistance to flare and to fringing, smooth manual focus control. | | Cons: | Relatively long minimum focus distance, flimsy lens shade, no autofocus | |
There is nothing I can disagree with in the "official" forum review. This is a very good, very fast lens at a remarkable price in the current market.
Although the focal length is one that I already have covered by other lenses, this lens permitted me to add a capability to my "kit" at a reasonable price. The capability is for use in performance photography in which it excels because of its low-light capacity and resistance to flare and fringing, always problematic in stage/bandstand lighting. The very narrow d.o.f. at wider apertures and pleasant bokeh also make this a go-to lens for portraits.
While it lacks autofocus, the very bright f/1.4 viewfinder image and very shallow d.o.f. which cause images to snap in and out of focus make living with manual focus very acceptable.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Posts: 12,285
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 9, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $230.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Stunning images, f1.4, built like a tank (or a Tak), smooth focus ring | | Cons: | flimsy hood, hard to focus (like all MF lenses) <2.8 | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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There are some really intense reviews in this section with lots of great information. That is part of why I wanted to get the Vivitar 85/1.4. From a purely petty perspective the Vivitar version of the Samyang lens is much more attractive to me. It has that red stripe that reminds one of those Canon lenses  but otherwise its very attractive. It also does NOT have that horrible gold plack on it - which is a definite plus for me.
On to more important features of the lens. The focus ring is buttery smooth in operation and has a long throw. This is important for a MF lens with an f of less than 2.8 IMHO. The lens is big and heavy - just look at that light funnel front element! It's got an "A" aperture setting which really helps when you're trying to focus this beast at less than f2.8.
I've got the DA70 Limited and it's a very nice lens. But when I am not being lazy and want an amazing portrait I put the Vivitar 85/1.4 on my camera and take my time. The results are well worth it.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2012 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 464 | | Review Date: July 2, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $269.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | price, build, IQ, | | Cons: | MF only; HOOD/CAPS | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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Okey I have been used this lens for about 2 months. And here is something:
Pros:
Price: Currently Pentax does not make any 85mm DA or M lens anymore, and the A85mm is like over 1,000. I bought this one around 269 from ebay, and the first pic I took shocked me. It is very sharp when FO, and when after stepping down to F2.0 then it is not usable, it is GOOD. (F1.4 is usable despite the purple fringe). It only is 1/4 price of the Pentax/Leica one, and all SIMGA/TAMMY. With it price this little monster is unbeatable.
Built: FULL Metal (Please tell me if I'm wrong; and the weight can also be one of the cons); nice aperture ring, and focus is okey.
Cons: CAP and HOOD. Feel plastic.
If you are looking for a 1)tele, 2)MF, or 3) portrait lens, this is a no-brainer for those who have less then 300 USD budget.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: November, 2010 Location: California Posts: 2,223
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 17, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $279.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Everything is wonderful about this lens | | Cons: | None (I am a MF guy) | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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One image is worth 1,000 words (I have 15 more images that you can see in FLickr, just follow this link). Check my flickr account to compare why I have this lens.
Rokinon85-1.4@f-1.4-Bougainvillea1-1 by Palenquero, on Flickr
Rokinon85-1.4@f-1.4-HojasdeParra1-1 by Palenquero, on Flickr
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2012 Posts: 14
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 14, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $230.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, Cheaper than other primes at its class, Very nice bokeh, Sharp at wide open | | Cons: | Heavy, Hard to nail subject due to very shallow depth of field, Hard (or its me) focusing ring, Lens cap cannot be placed without removing the hood | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
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Enjoyed so much using this lens. I find it hard to nail at first but when you get used to it, its magic in every shot. Nice color redention but sometimes the background tend to be too bright or over exposed. Not for sports type of lens. Best for portraits. Most of the time it will take 5-10 seconds to focus your subject. One thing I like with this lens, it gives you so much detail. Occasional CA/PF in wide open.
Here are my takes:
 | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: September, 2007 Location: Washington, D.C. Posts: 3,327
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 7, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Large aperture, smooth (manual) focus, low price, A-setting | | Cons: | Big front element, heavy, shorter focus throw | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 6
Value: 10
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Owned and used the Bower variant for a few months. As others have mentioned, forget about the very cheap & useless "extras" (hood, bag, even the caps!), the lens itself is very well built and nicely finished with quite good glass inside. Physically and mechanically similar to the Sigma 85mm for Pentax, which is a good thing, except manual-focus.
Optically, it is a mixed bag for portraits (which is what I use a fast 85mm for). At f/1.4 it isn't razor sharp but has that "glow" that is actually desirable in portraits, especially of women and children, but overall has mushy, slightly colored (purply-green) transitions to the nice 1.4 bokeh. Stopped down to f/2.8 it is very sharp in the center and the bokeh and OOF transitions improve. From f/4-8 it is a solid performer and the wider DOF makes it much easier to nail focus (see below), while the bokeh only gets a little harsh around highlights.
The focus throw (distance to turn the focus ring to go from infinity to close focus) is, IMHO, way too short for the wide aperture and typical working distances of portraits with this lens. While it is a nice, bright view in the viewfinder, tweaking the focal plane requires a very delicate touch, and, after missing more shots than nailing them, frequently stopping down beyond f/2 to further widen the focal plane to improve. This will depend on the eyesight, hands and viewfinder of each individual, so take that with a grain.
So, the main reason for getting this lens is the value for the (very low) price compared to the alternatives. Most modern alternatives are AF and 3-10 times more expensive (think FA77 Ltd, FA85, Sigma 85) or slower without the portrait-shallow DOF (DA70, DFA100). While there are lots of similarly-priced "old, used, legacy" lenses for Pentax in this focal length (beyond the various fast 50's), not many have this wide of an aperture, or if they do are not at this price point. Also, no older lens will come with a warranty, and many without even an A-setting for auto-aperture control and therefore full metering capabilities.
A solid lens for getting started with shallow-DOF portraits, but not recommended for those new to manual-focus.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2008 Location: Hawkesbury Posts: 1,899 | | Review Date: November 8, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $310.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp at large apertures, Great bokeh | | Cons: | Manual focus is a bit tough without a 100% mag viewfinder | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 7
Value: 10
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I bought this lens as a gift for someone else, but of-course I had to make sure it wasn't a lemon before giving it to them, didn't I.
In my limited testing I found that it was beautifully sharp. Unlike some other reviewers, I found that it wasn't super-sharp wide-open but was fantastic at f2. Maybe that was just me meeting my focusing limitations.
I love the out of focus effects of this lens and the gentle way that focus falls away is possibly better than any lens in my own collection.
Colour reproduction seemed good but I was able to get the lens to flare relatively easily. That was the only negative from an optical view point.
The build seems solid even though some bits are made of plastic. The focus ring was heavily damped on this copy, an appropriate feature given the paper-thin depth of field one has to deal with.
I'd buy one of these for myself if only it was designed to focus closer, even just down to 600mm.
I think if Samyang could make an auto-focus and closer focus version of this lens, it would be a must have item for even more Pentax users.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Posts: 4,461 | | Review Date: September 10, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $359.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Price, solid construction, very fast portrait lens. | | Cons: | Very hard to focus without split image view finder, lens cap very hard to remove with lens hood on. | |
When you get this focused properly, even in low light, it delivers excellent results. The problem is that it's hard to focus with out a split image viewfinder. There is a nice buttery feel to the focus on this and it has killer bokeh wide open. I've shot portraits with this lens, the DA 70 limited, and the Voigtlander Nokton 58. I find that - for me - 85mm on a cropped sensor is a bit too long. Given that this is a full frame lens, so on film cameras it is around the sweet spot for portraits.
I like this lens and when I need something fast for low light, it gets in the camera bag.
It's just a very bright lens and takes some getting used to. I recommend it.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: Maryland (Right Outside Washington DC) Posts: 2,902
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 8, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $329.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Tack Sharp @ 1.6 and above, Outstanding IQ, Bokeh, Build Quality | | Cons: | None Really (Maybe Lens Hood) | |
There is two other threads rating this lens and referring to the samyang variants (bower, rokinon, etc..), I figured I would post my review here as I have the Vtar Series 1.
Starting rant in ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
First, I see reviewers on the other two threads marking the lens as a negative for being manual focus and not auto - how on earth could these guys mark it as a negative when they bought it as a manual focus lens? Quite a bit silly if you ask me.
Second, a few marked it as a negative for being hard to focus because of the shallow depth of field, again - how on earth could these guys mark it as a negative when they bought a 1.4 max aperture lens? Again, Quite a bit silly if you ask me.
Ok, that is out of the way, now for my take on this lens.
Since I got this piece (almost 2 months ago) it has quickly jumped to the top as one of my main lenses. Everything about this piece has well exceeded what I had hoped for when I originally purchased it; outstanding image quality, super sharp from 1.6 and above, absolutely superb portrait softness at 1.4 for low light portrait work, fantastic build quality, looks and feels great (cosmetics of the Vivitar branded one is much more appealing than the others), and absolutely perfect focus ring tension (others call it tight, IMHO it is actually perfect). Here are a couple shots:
Indoor night shoot, Shot @ 1.8 using K-X
Outdoor, Shot @ 3.5 using K5
The only thing bad I can say about this piece thus far is the hood, very thin plastic - other than that, a phenomenal lens for it's price!
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