YONGNUO YN85MM F/1.8 DF DSM
It’s not quite as ‘fast’ as the Samyang but is more compact and features autofocus
Designed for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras, the YN85mm f/1.8 is also available in Nikon Z and Canon RF mount options.
It’s two-thirds of an f/stop slower than the Samyang 85mm manual lens on test but the Yongnuo is more compact and lightweight and bristling with high-tech electronics.
Autofocus is driven by a fast linear stepping motor, linked to the usual electronically coupled control ring for manual focusing and autofocus override. The control ring can be customized to perform other functions when in autofocus mode, such as stepless aperture adjustment, ISO and exposure compensation. An AF/MF switch avoids the need to go into camera menus to change modes.
Remarkably, considering the budget price tag, the Yongnuo also features a lens function button, customisable via camera menus for operations such as AF on/hold, exposure lock and more, depending on the host camera.
The lens also features a USB-C socket, which can be used for applying firmware updates.
The Yongnuo lacks optical stabilisation, which owners of first-generation Canon EOS R and Sony A7 cameras might find a problem.
Build quality is good and the construction includes a weather-seal gasket on the chrome-plated metal mounting plate. Electronic connections are gold-plated and the optical layout includes one LD (Low Dispersion) element and one HR (High Refractive index) element. Nanostructure coatings are applied to minimise ghosting and flare. Levels of sharpness are outstanding, even when shooting wide-open at f/1.8. Bokeh is soft at f/1.8 and remains good quality when stopping down, despite the aperture diaphragm having seven blades.
Fast lenses often exhibit longitudinal/ axial chromatic aberration, but the Yongnuo does well in this respect. As such, colour fringing around outlines is negligible. Lateral chromatic aberration is more problematic, especially at narrower apertures, but can be taken care of with in-camera corrections.