Samyang Premium MF 85mm f/1.2 Review

December 8, 2016 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Sharpness at 85mm

The sharpness tests for this review were carried out using a real-world subject rather than a test chart. The Samyang Premium MF 85mm f/1.2 lens was attached to a Canon 5DS R body, which in turn was mounted on a sturdy tripod. Self-timer mode was activated. Slight tonal changes are due to slight changes in natural light during the session.

The full frameThe full frame at 85mm

Both center and edge sharpness are excellent between f/4 and f/8, but there's obvious softness evident wide open at f/1.4 to f/2.8 in both the centre and edges of the frame. At f/11, f/16 and most notably f/22 the overall sharpness is beginning to drop off substantially.

Aperture Centre Crop Edge Crop
f/1.2 f1_2.jpg f1_2.jpg
f/1.4 f1_4.jpg f1_4.jpg
f/2 f2.jpg f2.jpg
f/2.8 f2_8.jpg f2_8.jpg
f/4 f4.jpg f4.jpg
f/5.6 f5_6.jpg f5_6.jpg
f/8 f8.jpg f8.jpg
f/11 f11.jpg f11.jpg
f/16 f16.jpg f16.jpg