| Author: | | Veteran Member Registered: April, 2011 Location: Arizona Posts: 888 | | Review Date: May 1, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | fast, sharp, well built, inexpensive | | Cons: | manual focus only, CA wide open | |
Wonderfully sharp lens, produces some stunning images. This thing just eats up light (my first f/1.4). Shallow DoF can be hard to focus at times, but as with all things, it gets better with practice. When shot wide open, theres a manageable amount of CA, but its there. For the price, if you don't mind manually focusing, it's a steal
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: April, 2011 Location: Ontario Posts: 14 | | Review Date: April 7, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Great portrait lens | | Cons: | Hood and lens cap are flimsy | |
The build quality on this lens is rather impressive considering the price. Has a nice weight to it, feels nice. I have the A version so I can enjoy setting the aperture in the camera and the metering works well too. The manual focusing at 1.4 takes some getting used to. I added a dual split focus screen to my K7 which has helped a lot.
Overall I'm quite pleased with this lens. The Pentax FA* 85/1.4 (if you can find one) was way out of my price range, so this fit the bill perfectly.
Cheers!
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: Hanford, CA Posts: 81 | | Review Date: April 6, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | fast | | Cons: | heavy, some CA / fringing | |
I found a new Rokinon branded version of this on an overstock website, and couldn't resist the price. The lens is a beast -- big and heavy, but it it looks and feels well made. Consequently, I tend to leave this out of my camera bag and keep it at home for low light indoor stuff and portraits of my kids. Works well for that, as long as nothing wide is needed.
Focusing is smooth, though it takes a lot of practice to get the shot when wide open -- naturally. Contrast and color is okay. I have noticed a bit of fringing in a couple shots, but not many. (I need to learn some PP skills to get rid of this.)
Because of the weight, bulkiness, and niche use of the 85/1.4, I have considered selling it a few times. Then a situation comes up where the lens is a perfect fit, so I will definitely keep it.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: November, 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 188 | | Review Date: February 27, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $275.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | very sharp wide open | | Cons: | MF | |
As mentioned above - VERY sharp wide open. It does not have the dreamy look of FA50/1.4 wide open - it's just cleanly sharp!. The only trouble is hitting the focus point at razor thin DOF  . For this reason (and only for this reason), when not on tripod, I shoot it mostly at F2.5. Split image viewfinder highly recommended.
Very nice bokeh.
I can see how skilled photographer in a studio could do wonders with this piece of glass.
Unbelievable value at this price point  | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 509 | | Review Date: January 6, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Better than expected; well built and good IMQ; CHEAP! | | Cons: | Not to the Pentax quality, aperture starts to experience problem | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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This is an excellent alternative to those more expensive 85mm lenses, such as the discontinued FA85 and K85 or the outrageously expensive FA77 or even Sigma 85 HSM.
It is a MF lens. I love manual focusing. So it is not a problem for me. It has the "A" contact so it is good as any other A lenses which allows automatic aperture.
It is much much better than the Samyangs that I have touched before. Korean lens makers have progressed dramatically over the years, just like what Hyundai and Samsung have done. But they are still not on par with Japanese makers such as Sigma or OEM lenses. You also pay much much less. So it is of great value.
Built: Very solid. Looks like it will last for a long time. Focusing is very smooth, but not at the level of K or M lenses. It is an IF. So it does not extend when focusing. The numbers are etched into the body. While the etching is shallow, it looks like that the numbers will last for a while (better than my DFA50).
The quality of lens shade and caps are a bit substandard. The shade should extend more for APC sensor cameras. Korean makers need to pay more attention to details. My lens is of Opteka brand. I can see the brand marks on the lens can be easily scratched and erased. Not surprisingly, there are a number of different brands for this lens. I do not understand their marketing strategies.
IMQ: Good. Surprisingly good. But it is not FA77 or K85. The color rending and micro-contrast are ever so slightly lacking. It does have less CA than FA77 or K85 at the largest aperture. It shows that the lens design pays attention to digital sensors. The photo is a bit flat, perhaps only psychologically. But I doubt that most people would discern any differences from the two Pentax lenses mentioned above.
I have compared side by side with both the FA and the K. In the majority of the cases, I could not see any significant differences until I blow the picture really large. On the other hand, the Samyang does not improve its IMQ much as you stop down (focusing points shifts a bit when stopping down). The Samyang does not produce the feeling of "biting" resolution at small apertures. Plus, F1.4 is very hard to focus even with a split focusing screen and a magnifying eyecup or even using focusing trap. The subject has to be static. Otherwise, it is nearly impossible to have get a sharp image.
Resistance to flare is good, perhaps not as good as the Pentax one. It would be better to have a larger and longer hood. Mine starts to have problems with aperture which is not unusual for this lens. 
Am I asking too much for a sub $300 lens with f1.4 largest aperture?
All in all, highly recommended, especially for videographers
I would have rated 9.5 if I had the choice.
BTW: the aperture starts to be sticky lately, not due to dirt or oil. After reading many cases, it seems to be a design problem. BUT I am still very happy with this lens.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: August, 2009 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 30 | | Review Date: January 2, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $250.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Performance wide open, price, internal focus | | Cons: | No AF | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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My copy is Opteka branded and came with a hood.
Image quality at f/1.4 is technically the best of any fast lens I've ever used wide open, with excellent sharpness and no serious defects. Amazing performance, especially for a lens selling new for around $250. Although stopping down improves sharpness somewhat, it only is class-leading up to about f/2.8, after which most competitors improve more dramatically and can slightly outresolve it.
Bokeh are exceptionally smooth, better than the cult classic SMC Takumar 50mm f/1.4 and approaching the Minolta/Sony STF. A simple, yet amazing, example (a corner of a white brick wall) is:
Manual (internal) focus is smooth and build solid compared to modern AF lenses, but both are markedly inferior to old manual focus lenses. This also is not a particularly close focusing lens. On extension tubes, it gives a pleasingly smooth transition from an extremely narrow focus band, but background bokeh are poorer than expected.
I really wish they made this in either T or M42 mount, or included electronics.
That said, I think the reviewers here complaining about how hard this is to focus have missed the point. This isn't a low-light-grab-a-shot lens; it was designed to give a tiny DOF, so of course focus is very touchy. If your focus screen isn't perfectly aligned, you'll miss every time with this lens. By far the easiest way to focus this is using the "focus peaking" on my NEX-5, which works reliably and quickly. If you don't have that, at least use a magnified live view or a 3rd-party focus screen with a split. You'll still miss on focus sometimes because of slight subject distance changes between when you focus and when the image is captured. This is the kind of lens for which trap focus was invented, so I'd strongly recommend that on Pentax bodies.
Overall, I don't know how anyone could rate this lens as optically less than 10. Mechanically, it's a 10 in terms of using internal focus, but more like an 8 in smoothness. That said, I don't find myself using this lens as much as I expected; it is a little long for informal portraits using APS-C and I hit the close focus limit too often. In a studio or formal portrait/fashion/wedding shoot, this lens would be perfect.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: September, 2009 Posts: 188 | | Review Date: December 5, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $275.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | great portrait lens, at f1.4 very well corrected with good rez. | | Cons: | difficult to focus espesh in low light, 72mm front element means everyone sees you. | |
On a camera with an APS-C sized sensor it's the focal length equiv. of a 127.5mm lens.
It's designed to be well corrected, plus with good rez, wide open at f1.4. Used like that, at its 2 or 3 widest open apertures, it's fantastic: it's what it's meant to do.
The only problem is it's very hard to focus in dim environments. Doesn't snap into clarity the way one expects of manual focus lenses, particularly short telephotos.
That's a good thing in bright light with static subjects, quite a shortcoming in the dark with moving people, because when opened up there's no depth of field and one has to constantly refocus.
Stopped down to the usual apertures one uses for everyday shooting it's nothing extraordinary: a lens on the good side of average when it comes to prime lens resolution, with contrast and saturation that's a bit low, and good correction for optical aberrations.
That somewhat low contrast and saturation makes for good portraiture; it seems to be a conscious aspect of its optical design.
Focus action is smooth when the lens is horizontal. Point it way up or down and it doesn't feel so good.
The one problem i have with this lens is that once i have it mounted i have to be careful or else i don't tend to mount anything else on the camera.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: January, 2010 Posts: 61 | | Review Date: October 1, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $249.00
| Rating: N/A |
| Pros: | Inexpensive, bright, sharp, feels solid. Automatic aperture available for Pentax! | | Cons: | Tricky to focus (Manual Only). Plastic filter threads. Annoying accessories; lens cap is unusable with hood, hood is way too short for aps-c. Least of all, the bag that it comes with is pointless. | |
This is the Rokinon variant, though rumor has it they're all identical. Upon receiving my lens from Beach Camera (249 with free shipping!) I was immediately worried by a rattling sound in the box. Turns out the three screws that hold the inner ring of the mount in place were all lose, and two had fallen out completely, though they were contained by the rear lens cap.
I got this lens in early last week. So far I'm in love. I've been largely shooting wide open with surprisingly good results. Don't get me wrong, the DoF is like tissue paper, and the K100d's stock focusing screen isn't quite up to the job, but this seems to perform better at 1.4 than my Pentax M 135 2.5 wide open. I'm really excited to shoot some portraits, as this is my first k-mount lens really well suited to the task.
Conveniently this lens has 72mm threads, making it compatible with my recently acquired Kalimar mirror lens. This is relevant because I just attached the hood I ordered for the Kalimar, a 3 inch long, straight 72mm screw in hood with 72mm female threads on the far end. As far as I can tell, I'm causing NO mechanical vignetting The stock hood, on the other hand, flares out before reaching the front glass (twist-lock type), and reaches maybe half the total distance the new hood reaches.
There is occasionally a bit more friction noise in the middle of the focal range, but it's something only noticed by me so far. I'll report back in a while on how it's holding up.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2010 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Posts: 813
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 16, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $260.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Very sharp / usable from 1.4 onwards | | Cons: | Getting focus spot on | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
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I got the Rokinon branded one, and overall am pretty happy.
My copy has excellent sharpness from corner to corner.
Centre sharpness approaches the sharpness you get with Pentax DA Limited lenses.
Build is solid.
Distortion is negligible. Vignetting is evident from F1.4-2.0 only. CA is negligible. There is some minor purple fringeing from F1.4-2.0 as well, but easily dealt with in software.
Flare is evident when pointing anywhere near the sun.
Focusing takes some practice.
At the price, there is really nothing to complain about.
It makes a very good portrait lens, and landscape lens.
Cheers, John
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 6,513 | | Review Date: April 19, 2010 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | sharp, cheap, A setting, f1.4, creamy bokeh (one of the best), IF lens | | Cons: | shallow DOF difficult to nail focus, quite big and heavy, lens cap and hood are flimsy useless. | |
this lens is a very good cheap alternative to it's more expensive 85/1.4 and slower 85 counterparts. if there are qualities that this lens have over it's 85mm counterparts, that would be it's is auto-aperture. the f1.4 aperture speed is very important in achieving isolation and brighter subjects. the faster speed renders much more shallower DOF which can be both an advantage as well as disadvantage since nailing focus would be very difficult. the soft-sharp rendering of this lens produces bright and creamy images that makes it a perfect fit for portraiture.
focusing ring has a bit more friction and not as smooth as my other 85mm. so it is difficult to use or to focus quickly on subjects in motion. pre-focus and focus trap would be advisable on such situations. lens cap and hood are subpar and flimsy. I recommend replacing the cap and hood.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: March, 2008 Posts: 83 | | Review Date: April 6, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $260.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Impressively sharp, no CA, lightweight yet well-built, good value | | Cons: | Manual focus only | |
These can be difficult to source, but I purchased my copy for around $260 including shipping via a reputable Ebay seller. The lens as-new comes with a 1-year manufacturer's warranty, bag, hood, and manual.
I've only had this for a few days but am thrilled with the results so far. No CA / purple fringing that I can see. Smooth bokeh. Incredible focus at f/4. Tight (but not too tight) focus ring. Works in AV mode on the K20D. Haven't really tested the capabilities to their fullest yet, but happy with my first shots and look forward to testing in a number of shooting situations.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 6,513 | | Review Date: November 29, 2009 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | f1.4, sharp, cheap, A setting, creamy bokeh (one of the best), IF lens | | Cons: | manual, shallow DOF, focus ring is not as smooth, 1m focusing distance. ugly lens cap and hood. | |
bought this lens as an alternative for the 85/1.4 and FA77 because I can't afford buying either lens during that time.
this lens is a joy to use at f1.4. very bright and creamy bokeh. it is an excellent portraiture specialty lens. the only negs about this lens is the shallow DOF which is difficult to nail perfect focus and the long focusing distance. the focusing ring is not as smooth as my Pentax M85 and J-9, so this can be deterrent when you have to focus quickly in certain situations or when your subject is in motion (action photography/shots). the provided lens cap and lens hood are flimsy, cheaply made, ugly, and somehow useless. so it's better to replace them and buy a better cap and hood.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: August, 2009 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 30 | | Review Date: November 12, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $225.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Outstanding IQ at f/1.4, easy to focus | | Cons: | Dumb mount manual focus, closer focus would be nice | |
I have the Opteka-branded version (which differs from the other Samyang versions only in the text on the little nameplate).
After a couple of months trying to get a Takumar f/1.8 or f/1.9 85mm for a sane price and never seeing it go for less than $250, I decided to get this brand new lens for $225 (including shipping, using a discount coupon). Wow!
This lens was designed for use wide open, and IQ is spectacular at f/1.4 -- this is easily THE BEST wide-open f/1.4 performance I've ever seen. Sharpness wide open and general lack of artifacts is 10/10. Stopped down, it's nothing special... but I have other lenses that are easier to use when f/3.5 or higher will suffice.
Manual focusing is fairly easy with this lens, and the weight of the lens, internal focus, and feel of the focus ring all give a very positive impression of the construction quality... although the feel certainly will not be mistaken for that of an old Takumar. The lens shade is the usual piece of functional, but unimpressive, plastic; actually, the front element is recessed enough so that the shade is more like an extension, and hence the removable part is a bit shorter than one might expect.
I happen to have the Sony mount version, and the bad news there is that it is a completely dumb mechanical mount: not even enough electronics for the camera to realize a lens is mounted. I knew this before buying it, and I figured I would eventually spend $40 to glue a chip on the back, but now I'm not so sure I need to.... More about this issue and some samples after I've had time to play with it.
Ok, I've had enough time. I spent $20 on a double split + microprism surround focus screen instead... money very well spent! This is truly a great lens. The only downside is that I've slowly realized I usually care more about close focus than aperture, and this doesn't get close enough. I think the real potential for this lens is on full-frame sensors, where it is a virtually perfect portrait lens; however, I'm shooting APS-C these days.  | | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Posts: 4,461 | | Review Date: August 24, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $349.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | f1.4, bright lens, portrait work | | Cons: | hard to focus, lens cap hard to use with lens shield | |
I've been using this lens for about three months now and it's become a favorite. I'd echo the hard to focus and issues with the lens cap remarks, but it's manageable and way the lens performs is well worth overlooking these issues. The build quality is solid on this as well.
A big help was getting a split image viewfinder for my k10d. It's almost a must with this lens.
I also own the DA 70mm limited which I really like as well for portrait work. However, just recently, I was doing a product shoot and found that the Vivitar 85 gave me better results and better bokeh than my DA 70!
Don't overlook this lens, it can provide some excellent images. Here a shot with this lens in very low light hand held.
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 17,892 | | Review Date: May 7, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $349.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | very fast, low price | | Cons: | | |
picked up this lens as I got tired of waiting for an SMC-85mm F1.8.
Overall the lens is excellent, perhaps a little soft wide open, but by F2.8 is very sharp. Out of focus bokeh is very plesent due to the curved 8 blade apature. there is a little CA but not much and amost impossible to find once you are stopped down to F2.8
Focusing is a little tricky without a split image, but with a split image is a joy to use.
Mechanically the lens seems very well put together, with firm and consistent but not stiff focusing collar, and well defined apature detents.
KA mount makes it very nice to use with flash.
The lens also makes an excellent combination with the SMC-F 1.7x AF TC
only "gripes" if you can call them that is that there is no DOF indication for hyperfocal distance, and the lens cap is larger than the opening for the hood. Normally this would not be a problem but the hood is large enough to get in the way of mounting the lens on a body, as you can't easily access the solid parts of th elens with the hood on.
One other point, but if you are careful it should not be a problem, is that the filter threads at the front are plastic not metal.
additional possible issue for some is the 72mm filter size,, not exactly the most common
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