Samyang AF 14mm f/2.8 review

Unlike most Samyang lenses, the Samyang AF 14mm f/2.8 comes complete with autofocus and full onboard electronics

Samyang AF 14mm f/2.8 review
(Image: © Matthew Richards)

Digital Camera World Verdict

Costing only about a third of the price of equivalent own-brand lenses from Canon and Nikon, this Samyang is a smart buy. It has quick and virtually silent autofocus, good build quality and impressive all-round performance. Compatible with either Canon or Nikon full-frame DSLRs, it makes a great prime option for when your standard zoom runs out of width and can’t see the bigger picture.

Pros

  • +

    Wide viewing angle

  • +

    Wide aperture rating

  • +

    Full electronics package

Cons

  • -

    Mediocre wide-aperture corner-sharpness

  • -

    Low rather than no distortion

  • -

    Pricier than most Samyang lenses

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From the well-known South Korean manufacturer of manual-focus lenses, the Samyang AF 14mm f.2.8 is an ultra-wide prime that's among the relatively small but growing number of autofocus optics. In North America, the lens is sold as the Rokinon 14mm F2.8 AF which is identical in all-but name.

Available for Canon and Nikon full-frame DSLRs, it enables you to pack a reasonably compact and lightweight yet fast lens in your bag, for when a standard zoom simply won’t go wide enough. Samyang also makes a 14mm f/2.8 autofocus lens for Sony E-mount fully-frame cameras, but that one has a different optical design with one fewer elements.

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Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.