Performance
With the optical performance of their
manual focus lenses, Samyang is rapidly building good brand image, and this new
lens also contributes to their success. The sharpness in the center area is wonderful
at the maximum aperture and not much different from that towards the edges of
the 35mm frame area and the lens’s center. When the lens is still centered,
stopping down to the range of f/4 and f/11, it creates excellent sharpness in
the center of the frame and their edges’ sharpness exceeds the level of
excellence in the same aperture range.
When the lens is fully shifted, the created
sharpness which is distant from the optical center is very good and reaches the
excellent level between f/5.6 and f/11
How
to read our charts
Within the confines of the 35mm frame area
whilst the lens is centered, chromatic aberrations barely register, and
shouldn't be an issue. With the lens fully shifted, fringing just exceeds one
pixel width at f/3.5 and f/16, dropping to more acceptable levels at f/5.6.
Figures of the center area of the frame at
different apertures are represented by the blue column and readings of the
edges are represented by the green ones. Their averages give us the red
columns. The scale on the left side is an indication of real image resolution. The
higher the column is, the better the performance of the lens is.
For this review, we used the Nikon D700,
using Imatest, to conduct our tests.
The
resolution at 24mm
When the lens is centered and it is within
the confines of the 35mm frame area, there is almost no sign of chromatic
aberrations, and it is not at all a problem. When the lens is fully shifted, fringing
just exceeds one pixels width at f/3.5 and f/16, falling down to a more acceptable
level at f/5.6
How
to read our charts
Chromatic aberration indicates the
inability of the lens the focus on the sensor of record all of the visible
light’s colors at the same point. The stronger the chromatic aberration is, the
more noticeable the fringing and halo effect around the sharp edges of the
frame are. These problems can be solved by some software.
Apochromatic lenses own very unique lens
elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion, etc.) in order to minimize the
problems, but they are usually very expensive.
For this review, we used a Nikon D700 using
Imatest to conduct the tests on the lens.
Chromatic
aberration at 24mm
Because of the nature of the lens, it is
not able to measure the falloff across the entire image circle with Imatest
accurately. With the normal 35mm frame and the lens is centered, the photo’s
corners are 1.26 stops darker compared to the center area at Maximum aperture,
and when the lens stopped down to at f/8 or further, uniform illumination is
achievable. In the case of other tilt-shift lenses, the image will become
darker in the viewfinder if a severe tilt is applied.
Some distortion showed is a typical characteristic
of wide angle lenses. Imatest indicated a 2.53% barrel distortion, which is
just an average level, although it is forgivable to expect less from such lens.
Good contrast or even the ability to shoot
into the light is recorded, although the lens is not as contrasty as that of
the manufacturer. However, there is a probability of flare issue when using it under
strong light, so it should be well considered when using under those
conditions.
Panoramic
picture is easy to create by shifting the lens and taking advantages of the
benefit of wider image circle | 1/1250 sec | f/5.6 | 24.0 mm | ISO 200
Sample
photos
The
sharpness of the center area is excellent at the maximum aperture | 1/80 sec |
f/3.5 | 24.0 mm | ISO 200
Stopping
down will improve the sharpness across the whole image circle | 1/640 sec | f/8
| 24.0 mm | ISO 400
The
closest focus is 20cm | 1/200 sec | f/5.6 |24.0 mm | ISO 400
Flare
could be an issue in sever conditions, but the contrast is still guaranteed |
1/1000 sec | f/4 | 24.0 mm | ISO 400
1/640
sec | f/8 | 24.0 mm | ISO 200
1/800
sec | f/8 | 24.0 mm | ISO 400
1/1000
sec | f/4 | 24.0 mm | ISO 400
1/250
sec | f/5.6 | 24.0 mm | ISO 400
Value
With the introduced price of $1,427, this
lens is $752 less expensive than the similar optical lens produced by Canon or
Nikon, which makes it a really good bargain.
The PC-E 24mm f/3.5 ED lens from Nikon
provides an electronic meter coming with the camera and automatic aperture, but
it is available for $2,210. TSE 24mm f/3.5L of Canon does also offer the same
automation as the Nikon optics, but it is even more costly, around $2,405.
There is no tilt-shift lens is provided by
Pentax and Sony in their SLR lens line currently. Therefore, this lens can be
one of the special favorite of the owners of either camera system.
Conclusion
Although it would take a very long time for
this lens to be a not-expensive lens, its lower recommended retail price of $1,427,
compared to that of similar products from Canon or Nikon, really brings the
tilt-shift control to more people.
While managing to be less expensive, it
still keeps the excellent optic performance, built quality and processing. Whoever
on the market is looking for a tilt-shift lens should take this lens into their
consideration seriously.
Advantages
·
Good pricing
·
Excellent optic performance
·
Solid structure
·
Good and stable tilt-shift control
Disadvantages
·
CA is a little bit high towards the edges of the
image circle
·
Easily to get flare under strong light
Evaluation
·
Features: 4/5
·
Processing: 4/5
·
Performance: 4.5/5
·
Overall: 4.5/5
Specifications
|
General
·
Lens mounts: Nikon F, Canon EF, Sony A, Pentax
K
Lens
·
Focal length: 24mm
·
Angle of View: 83.5 degrees
·
Max aperture: f/3.5
·
Min aperture: f/22
·
Filter size: 82mm
Focusing
·
Min focus: 20cm
·
Stabilization: no
Construction
·
Blades: 0
·
Elements: 16
·
Groups: 11
Box contents
·
Box contents: Front and rear caps, case
Dimensions
·
Weight: 680g
·
Height: 110.5mm
|
