Here is my Samyang 85mm T1.5 Cine Review, every good videographer needs a set of lenses that allow her/him to express their creativity. I had my eyes set on an 85mm lense for some time now, 85mm is perfect for filming people close up as it does not distort facial features and gives you a nice natural look. The 85mm lense also allows you to seperate your subjects from the background with some nice bokeh giving you a cinematic effect. So today I unboxed my 85mm Samyang mk2 T1.5 cine lense. Now you might wonder what the difference between a Cine and Photo lense is and the answer is actually quite simple. A cine lens usually has a geared focus and aperture ring this allows you to pull focus between objects and adjust aperture on the fly without a noticeable change (if you have the skills) Also Cine lenses are measured in T Stops instead of F Stops.
The difference between T Stop and F Stop is fairly simple, the F Stop is a theoretical measurement based on mathematics and calculations on how the lense “should” react while the T Stop is a more accurate and “actual” value. If you want to know more about FStop and T-Stop then you can read this very good article at PetaPixel which explains it in easy terms. F-Stop vs T-Stop
So lets take a closer look at the Samyang (Rokinon) 85mm T1.5 Cine Lense
| Focal Length / Name | 1:1.5 85mm AS IF UMC II |
| Aperture Range in T-Stops | T1.5 to T22 |
| Optics | 9 Elements in 7 Groups / 1 Aspherical Lens |
| Filter Size | 72mm |
| Weight (inc hood) | 580g (Canon EF mount) |
As I am using the Lens with my GH5 and GH5s I opted for the Canon EF mount with a metabone adaptor. There are two reasons for this choice:
- I am considering upgrading to a cine camera next year and in case I do the MFT mounted lenses will be come reduntant so i’m better off prepared for a potential EF mount Cine Camera
- I get a bit more light due to the speed booster, the 0.71 multiplier essentially makes the T1.5 a T1.06 which is a significant amount of light.
Initially I wanted to order the lense of Amazon, but i was reluctant due to the very low price of the lense as you usually get what you pay for. It is actually the cheapest Samyang Cine Lens at only 295 GBP or 350 Euros which is ridiculously cheap so when i came along a Camera store in Dubai last week i grabbed the opportunity to test the lens and boy was i in for a surprise. At the price range the Samyang 85mm can actually compete with lenses that are triple the price. While the lens is mostly made out of plastic it does not feel cheap in any way. It feels robust and strong and all the gearings are smooth and strong. The mount is made out of metal and fits well on my adaptor. Yes there is some wiggle but I even get this with my more expensive sigma and canon lenses.The Lens came with a Lens Hood, Lense Cap (front and rear) as well as a soft carry pouch.
All in all, the build quality is amazing for such a low priced lens.
I don’t want to repeat myself but for the price, the quality of the image is amazing. I have taken some sample shots just to give you an idea of how the pictures look. Note that I am using a Viltrox Speed Booster so any degradation of sharpness in the corners can be due to the Viltrox and not the Lens itself. I will do a video test in the coming days and will upload a video footage in different lighting scenarios.
To conclude my Samyang 85mm T1.5 Cine Review, this is a great video lense that is also an amazingly capable photo option. The price definitely can’t be beat and the quality speaks for itself. At this point in time I can only recommend the Samyang 85mm T1.5. I will add another post after i have done some testing. Until then stay sharp and keep filming.