Samsung 85mm f/1.4 ED SSA NX Lens Review

Samsung 85mm f/1.4 ED SSA NX Performance

At maximum aperture, sharpness across the frame is already good and stopping down the aperture improves clarity across the frame, reaching very good levels by f/2 and excellent levels by f/2.8. Peak sharpness across the frame is achieved between f/4 and f/8 where sharpness in the centre of the frame is outstanding, and approaching that level towards the edges.

Resolution @ 85mm

How to read our charts The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges. Averaging them out gives the red weighted column. The scale on the left side is an indication of actual image resolution. The taller the column, the better the lens performance. Simple. For this review, the lens was tested on a Samsung NX20 using Imatest.

Chromatic aberrations are very well controlled, with extremely low levels recorded at wider apertures. This low level of CA increases as the aperture is stopped down, but still doesn't reach the point where fringing may be too much of an issue, even at f/16.

Chromatic aberration @ 85mm

How to read our charts Chromatic aberration is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software. Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more. For this review, the lens was tested on a Samsung NX20 using Imatest.

Falloff of illumination towards the corners is incredibly well controlled for a lens with such a bright maximum aperture. At f/1.4 the corners are only 0.524 stops darker than the image centre and visually uniform illumination is achieved with the lens stopped down to f/2.

Very little distortion is present in images taken with this lens. Imatest could only detect 0.51% pincushion distortion. The distortion pattern is uniform across the frame, which should make applying any corrections in image editing software a straightforward affair.

Contrast is good with this lens although shooting results in a visible reduction. Light sources just outside the frame can cause flare quite easily if the supplied hood isn't used, so it is probably a good idea to leave it attached at all times.

Add your message