Samyang 24mm F1.4 ED AS IF UMC

Testers found image quality good to very good once stopped down by about 1.5 stops, with chromatic aberration well controlled and decent flare resistance. On smaller sensors coma was low.

Wide open the verdicts are much harsher: weak sharpness at f/1.4 and f/2, very high vignetting on full frame, distortion higher than rivals, and a measured light transmission closer to f/1.8 than f/1.4. Some test copies also showed focus-ring play, and its launch price was considered high for Samyang.

Owners who use it for night skies, events and landscapes are often happy, especially since street prices fell well below launch level. The focus ring feel and the 77mm non-rotating filter thread are appreciated.

Recurring complaints are copy-to-copy variation, including decentred samples, soft and glowing results wide open, focus shift when stopping down and heavy vignetting. Many owners say it competes poorly with newer native fast 24mm lenses.