Samyang AF 24-70mm f/2.8 FE lens review with samples

Here it is, finally - and testing it out was a bit of an adventure!

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[jd]

Another great video! Would love to see comparisons between Sigma, Samyang, Tamron, and Sony’s “24-70mm f/2.8” or midrange lenses!

[hiawrj]

Thank you for adding AF-C into your tests, that makes them wonderfully comparable to the other brands.

[paiman_]

I've had it for a year now on my A7iii.
I do mainly street photography but sometimes video too, also used it for weddings.
It's a fantastic lens.
Sharp throughout the range, controlled Chromatic Abberation, fast autofocus and beautiful bokeh.

The only downside for me is the weight.
It's build like a tank (its a beast of a lens) but I generally like smaller & lighter lenses (personal preference) although you do forget about the weight while using it.
Not ideal for long days of photoshoots but it's the only downside I can think of.
If you don't mind a bit of weight, it's a fantastic lens. Buy it!

I'm hoping they bring out a smaller & lighter mark ii version of this lens with better image quality (it's a bonus but still, nothing is perfect. Can never have too much good image quality) and similar price to this.
I would buy it in a heartbeat.

[Tacomaholic]

Recently grabbed Sigma's 24-70 F2.8 Art lens and absolutely love it.

[KevinPaulBell]

Awesome to hear you love South Korea. It’s a great country with great people, food and lenses! Been here nearly five-years and loving it!

[별다리-lk]

Thanks for another reliable review. Despite some weaknesses, I think it is a good start for Samyang extending their line-up to zoom.
Anyway, your Korean prounciation is still exact. You will always be welcome to Korea!

[theizza]

Great review!
I can't wait to see the review of their 135mm f1.8. I'm very interested in that one.

[EMHMarkIX]

Bought this one few days ago. Psedo-parafocal feature is strange but from what i've noticed, when focused at 70mm it stays in focus all the way down to 24mm when you zooming out - didn't really saw any microadjustments made by a lens itself. For some weird reasons, it doesn't work other way around - when focusing at it's widest and then zooming in, software kicks in and you can clearly see lens desperately trying to keep up, which is annoying. Maybe the update will speed up this process but it really shouldn't be the case. As you have pointed out, it is unusual for Samyang to advertise the feature that is only partially implemented.
I have been waiting and nervously checking for your review of this piece for a long time to finally decide on my next purchase. It has been a coin flip to be honest - Sigma or Samyang (my apologies to Tamron users as i've never considered it, i just don't like lightweight lenses). Sigmas are great, 50mm 1.4 and 105mm 2.8 Macro are fantastic pieces of glass, well even my old APS-C 60mm 2.8 still lands on my camera from time to time. The tables have turned when desperately needed 85mm, Sony's own was unavailable, Sigma was a little pricey monstrosity (even considered taking a loan to get this one) so in the spur of a moment i went for Samyang's 85mm 1.4 and i absolutely adore it. The image quality at this price point is simply unbelievable and this was one of the factors that made me buy theirs new 24-70. Was it a mistake? Don't know yet, the time will tell but so far i'm more than happy with the results.
Thanks for the review, little late from my point of view, but it is always nice to watch your videos.

[martin]

My favorite reviewer. Another great review. I mostly watch you and Abbot

[eivinstens]

Despite the measurable flaws, I find Samyang lenses produce amazing images.

[hedydd]

The Tamron 28-75 VXD G2 is slightly cheaper and a significantly better lens in many ways while the older RXD version, still commonly available is about £250 cheaper. The Sigma 24-70 Contemporary also undercuts the Samyang on price. It's notable that no other brand was mentioned as a competitive alternative at a similar price point.

[py]

Thanks Christopher, your videos are my goto vids when i want to buy a lens.

[huyked]

3:52 Parfocal? Thank you for answering that question.
2:01 Thank you for the footage examples.

[catalin-ap]

Samyang make the heaviest and cheapest 24-70 f/2.8 for Sony FE, as well as the sharpest, lightest and cheapest 135mm f/1.8.

[daveinportland]

I just found your Revelation series. It's fantastic. Thanks.

[eviltango]

Nice! I’d love to see more manufacturers take on big name brands. Praying that Tamron will release more primes for E-mount

[drtod]

Do you feel Samyang over the years has been focusing more on quality and upscale their products/brand going forward? It feels like as a brand, they are on the doorstop of Tamron and Sigma competing for the 3rd party lens market.

[Kaneda]

Did Samyang fixed the mounting issue? A lot of people complaining that the mount just broke off just a few months of used.

[QuietOC]

FWIW: some of those old Samyang zooms in the left side of that display case are AF zooms for Minolta Alpha cameras.

[estoylisto]

I guess Samyang will rely on their fan base to get this lens sold ... it performs comparable to tamron/Sigma 24-70 2.8 that was released for DSLR (yet the competition still have the advantages of:
1- can be used by both DSLR or adapted to mirrorless
2- can be found used for extra saving
3- Available for Nikon/Canon users and can be adapted to any mirrorless system

The new Sigma DG DN shows better performance for same price range... If Tamron released their mirrorless version is expected to be also sharper than this lens (based on the 28-75 g2 performance) ... still knowing that a new compatitor is on the market is always a good news ... they should try to release this lens to RF mount before Sigma/Tamron release their lenses there