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Samyang 8mm f3.5


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8 replies to this topic

#1
Marcus Rowland

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Just got a Nikon-fit Samyang 8mm f3.5 on eBay - got lucky with an auction, got it for just over £100 including postage. Keeping my fingers crossed that it'll arrive safe and be OK.

 

Not sure yet if I'll keep it or sell it on, I'll have a good play with it first and see what the results are like. I think London is probably a good place for a lens like that, lots of fun architecture etc., so unless it's a real dog I'll probably keep it.

 

Anyone here had a play with one on a D90? Or any other Nikon for that matter?



#2
Merco_61

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Not on a D90, but on the D7200. One week, one camera, one lens week ending February 4 2018 - Mini-Challenges, Member Contests, and Games - NikonForums.com

And the D300. One week, one camera, one focal length week ending December 18 - Mini-Challenges, Member Contests, and Games - NikonForums.com

 

There are two versions of this lens. The early one has a fixed hood and even weirder distortion than the second.



#3
Marcus Rowland

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I think it's the first version, at that price I wasn't too worried either way.

 

Those are nice pictures - hope I can manage something anywhere near as good.



#4
Marcus Rowland

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Don't expect to get this until Tuesday or Wednesday, but I've managed to identify it properly - it's the second version in a variant intended for video work, but with a Nikon mount. The main difference is that the aperture and distance scales are printed sideways, which doesn't worry me, and that the aperture doesn't click stop, it's designed to rotate smoothly driven by an external motor (or turned by hand). That's a slight nuisance but I can live with it, although it would have been better if the listing had made it clear. Once I've got it I'll see if I can live with the oddities, if not I'll sell it on.



#5
Merco_61

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The video versions of the Samyangs work better than most F-mount cine lenses as the aperture control ring has quite a bit of friction. I don't remember if it is chipped or not. If they are not, you will have to guesstimate exposure and be prepared to re-shoot when you get things wrong. The aperture scale is marked in t-stops instead of the usual f-stops.



#6
Marcus Rowland

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I'm fairly used to judging exposure by eye, I do a lot of lens testing etc., and if it doesn't have a chip and turns out to be too annoying I'll see about a DIY chip kit. Always assuming I get the damned lens, it still hasn't arrived despite having been posted on Saturday 10th - just hoping it's delayed rather than lost in the post.



#7
Marcus Rowland

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Finally got it today - somehow it was sent without any postage on it, so the post office naturally held it until it was paid. What I think happened is that he handed it to the post office counter clerk who logged it in as a tracked package but didn't actually stick the postage label onto the package. It's a bit incompetent but I got it in the end.

 

Needless to say the weather was lousy, but I took it to the park and tried it out on some familiar landmarks such as the Italian Gardens and the Albert Memorial.

 

39697473144_d89f2a9424_z_d.jpg

 

Sometimes the curving effect is very surreal, a bit like Inception etc.

 

39697430904_85d15492a9_z_d.jpg

 

There's no chip so my camera doesn't meter with it fitted, but I'm used to guesstimating exposure and only had a couple of duds, and on a digital camera a trial photo or two isn't much of a problem. My initial thoughts are that this will be fantastic in areas with interesting architecture etc., and that I really ought to carry another, longer lens when I use it, since it's a very specialised optic and isn't much use for general photography.

 

The full album is here
Samyang 8mm T3.8 Test | Flickr



#8
MJL

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If the subject is centred properly, it could be not easy to spot the distortion.

This sample was taken with D2X a while back.

Attached Thumbnails

  • MSL.jpg


#9
Marcus Rowland

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Nice one!