Samyang AF 24-70mm F2.8 FE review

The versatile Samyang AF 24-70mm F2.8 FE delivers high performance at an affordable price

Samyang AF 24-70mm F2.8 FE
(Image: © Matthew Richards)

Digital Camera World Verdict

There’s no beating the versatility of a fast standard zoom lens and this Samyang delivers excellent performance with a rapid, virtually silent and consistently accurate autofocus system coupled with great image quality, wrapped up in a robust, weather-sealed construction. And it does so at a very affordable price, compared with own-brand competition. Overall, it’s a bargain buy for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras.

Pros

  • +

    Impressive performance

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    Robust weather-sealed build

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    Half the price of Sony’s competitor

Cons

  • -

    No optical stabilization

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    Fairly stiff zoom ring

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    Typically chunky and weighty

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Also badged as ‘Rokinon’, the Samyang AF 24-70mm F2.8 FE is the company’s first ever zoom lens but the manufacturer has certainly hit the ground running. Typical of a ‘trinity’ standard zoom, it combines a classic range of focal lengths with a constant aperture design. Built for Sony full-frame E-mount mirrorless cameras, it also works well on APS-C format bodies, with an ‘effective’ 36-105mm zoom range. That said, it’s typically large and weighs in at just over a kilogram, making it a bit of a hefty proposition for Sony’s smaller cameras. Either way, this Samyang goes head to head with the excellent Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master zoom, but costs just half the price.

Specifications

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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.