Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC Lens Review

Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC Handling and features

Despite the budget price tag, Samyang haven't scrimped as far as build is concerned. High quality plastics, with a textured finish have been used for much of the lens barrel and the built in hood. The lens mount is metal and fits tightly on the Nikon D700 used for testing. The lens isn't overly heavy, and it balances well on the camera.

Manual focusing is a pleasure, thanks to the smooth and evenly damped action of the focusing ring. Using the focusing assist in the viewfinder is relatively easy, although the focusing system on the Nikon D700 occasionally confirms focus a little too readily. Closest focus is 28cm, which should be ideal for shooting in cramped environments.

The version tested here includes a metering chip with electronic contacts so matrix metering is supported on all Nikon cameras. This means the lens has to be left at f/22 to operate normally on modern Nikon cameras, but no lock is provided to hold the aperture in this position. No such issues should be encountered with the basic version, as no metering information is transferred to the camera.

Unusually for a manual focus lens, no hyperfocal distance scale is provided and there is no hard stop for infinity, probably due to the use of low dispersion glass in the optical design.

A huge rigid plastic bucket-type lens cap is provided, which clips into grooves on the integral plastic lens hood. No provision for filters has been made, not even a holder for gels on the rear.

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