SAMYANG AF 12mm f/2.0 E
Samyang reprises its popular 12mm f/2.0 manual focus ultra-wide prime, and the autofocusing version sports all-new styling as well as full communications with the camera body.
Samyang’s first autofocus lens for the APS-C sensor format is initially available for Sony E-mount cameras (but a Fujifilm X-mount version is here soon). As we’ve now come to expect from the South Korean lens maker, the AF 12mm f/2.0 punches well above its weight in terms of both performance and price.
Amid the ongoing flurry of activity in the lens systems for full-frame mirrorless cameras, it’s been a bit quiet in the APS-C format (with the possible exception of the Fujifilm X-mount). Even M43 users have been better served of late. However, both Sigma and Samyang have recently come to the rescue with new lenses for Sony E-mount cameras.
Samyang’s offering is a new autofocus version of its muchacclaimed manual focus 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS ultra-wide – its first AF lens for the APS-C sensor size. It’s currently available in the Sony E mount, but by the time you read this, there’ll be a Fujifilm X-mount version too.
Samyang has the license to use all the electronic smarts for Sony’s autofocusing systems, so its lenses can support functions such as Direct Manual Focusing, as well as auto aperture control from the camera body and the delivery of EXIF data to the camera. Functions such as the focus peaking display are available too. You can, of course, use this lens on the fullframe Alpha series bodies too, but they’ll switch to the APS-C mode, which means a reduction in resolution… probably not so much of a problem with the ultra-high res models such as the A7R IV.
While the optical construction is unchanged from the manual focus lens, everything else has been given a makeover, including the external design particularly as there is no longer a manual aperture collar. Instead, most of the barrel length is taken up with a flush-fitting focusing ring that sports a natty diamond patterned grip. Samyang’s signature red ring is retained – it’s purely for cosmetic effect – but it’s much more discreet on this lens and is essentially recessed (so it’s almost entirely hidden when the supplied bayonet-fit lens hood is attached). The main barrel tube is GRP – glass-fibre reinforced polycarbonate – versus the manual lens’s aluminium, but the external construction is now weather sealed and the protection against the elements also includes a glass cover over the rear element’s exposed surface. The stainless mount also has a rubber gasket surrounding it to prevent moisture or dust getting in, so Samyang is making doubly sure here.
Losing the aperture collar – and also the GRP construction – makes the AF 12mm f/2.0 even lighter than before… a mere 213g. It’s also slightly narrower in diameter, but it’s enough to step down to a smaller screwthread filter fitting – 62mm versus 67mm. By any measure, this is a very compact and lightweight lens indeed, but it still feels reassuringly solidly built. Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s the smallest and lightest autofocus ultra-wide on the market and, incidentally, the only ultra-wide AF prime available for Sony’s E-mount APS-C bodies.
WORKING THE LIGHT
As noted at the start, the optical design is unchanged from that of the manual focus lens and comprises 12 elements in 10 groups, five of them being special types for correcting distortion and aberrations. Two of these special elements are aspherical types – one a hybrid created by moulding optical-grade resin over a spherical glass core – and three have extralow dispersion (ED) characteristics. Samyang’s latest generation of Ultra Multi-Coating (UMC) is applied in 14 layers to reduce internal reflections that otherwise cause ghosting and flare. The aperture diaphragm now has seven blades (versus the manual lens’s six) to give more rounded out-offocus effects.
The autofocusing drive is a linear stepping motor (STM) that’s both fast and silent in its operation. The focusing group is internal and the minimum focusing distance is 19cm, which isn’t especially close but does allow you to make the most of interesting foregrounds when shooting landscapes or street scenes. The effective focal length of 18mm on an APS-C means there’s inherently plenty of depth of field even with the cropped size sensor… select a focusing distance of around 3.5m and everything from about two metres to infinity is going to be sharp. However, despite all that depth of field, there’s still scope for experimenting with selective focusing, especially when shooting close-ups.
The combination of an angle of view just shy of 100º (99.1º to be precise) and a large maximum aperture of f/2.0 make this lens ideal for astrophotography, as is the case with the MF model. Using the ‘500 Rule’ to ensure stars are rendered as points, the longest exposure duration works out at 28 seconds (with the 1.5x focal length magnification factor taken into account), so the maximum aperture of f/2.0 will give you some room to move with both shutter speeds and sensitivity settings.
The angle of view will not only take in a big sky, but also some background – and even foreground – to provide a visual reference.
PERFORMANCE
Samyang describes the AF 12mm f/2.0 E as being “astrophotographycentric” and the optical design is tuned to this application, particularly with key performance aspects, such as the correction for comatic aberration, also known as sagittal flare. This ensures points of lights (i.e. stars) are rendered as points at the edges of the frame rather than becoming increasingly more oval-shaped as would be the case with a less well-corrected lens.
Corner sharpness is obviously also critical and here the AF 12mm f/2.0 also performs well even when shooting wide open, although there is still a very slight drop-off in comparison to the centre of the frame. Stop down just to f/2.8 and uniformity of sharpness across the frame is truly excellent. It remains this way until diffraction starts to come into play at f/16 and f/22. There’s some vignetting (brightness fall-off at the corners of the frame) evident at f/2.0, but again stopping down to f/2.8 reduces it significantly and it’s gone completely by f/4.0.
Longitudinal (or axial) chromatic aberration is very well controlled, and some slight lateral chromatic aberration is in evidence along high-contrast edges towards the corners of the frame. It’s worth noting here that the Samyang lens’s interface extends to incamera lens corrections for colour fringing, vignetting and distortion (which is effectively completely eliminated as a result). All those multi-coating layers greatly enhance contrast, and flare is very well suppressed despite the supplied petal hood being quite shallow in order to avoid vignetting.
AF operation is fast smooth and accurate – we tested the Samyang lens on a Sony A7 III in APS-C mode – with as reliable tracking as you’d expect from a Sony lens.
All this is impressive for a fast ultra-wide prime, but even more so when you take into account the ridiculously affordable price tag. This lens is almost cheap, but there’s nothing cheap about the build quality or optical performance.
THE VERDICT
Samyang built its reputation on affordable manual focus prime lenses that performed way above expectations and which became a big hit with both the photographers and videographers who happened to discover them. Now Samyang makes dedicated cinematography lenses and has mastered autofocus lenses for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras with the same quiet competency.
The AF 12mm f/2.0 E is a real gem and has plenty of other applications beyond astrophotography – landscapes, travel and even architecture (for which it is easily well enough corrected). It’s exceptionally compact and lightweight, but wellmade and integrates seamlessly with Sony’s AF systems. As there is no Sony equivalent in its APS-C system – the 10-18mm f/4.0 OSS zoom comes closest, but it’s a lot more expensive – buying the Samyang AF 12mm f/2.0 E is a no-brainer. To quote a famous Australian television personality, do yourself a favour.
BY ANY MEASURE, THIS IS A VERY COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT
LENS INDEED, BUT IT STILL FEELS REASSURINGLY SOLIDLY BUILT.”