Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE Autofocus Test

A down and dirty autofocus test with the a7 III, firmware v.3.0 (both camera and lens). The Samyang’s a pretty chubby affair – it just barely clears the base plate on my Zhiyun Crane Plus – but is remarkably light for an 85mm f/1.4. When it comes to autofocus, the Samyang isn’t a speed demon but I would mostly be using it for portraiture, not action; and for video, gradual transitions look better in my opinion than too sudden and jarring. Hopefully future firmware updates will improve acquistion speed somewhat. The price is definitely competitive and I can see this being a hit with wedding, portrait and fashion photographers. I mustn’t fail to mention though, that you’ll either want to pick up the Samyang Lens Station for firmware updates – adding a substantial $60.00 or more to the cost – or purchase from a local dealer who is willing to do updates for you free of charge.