Samyang MF 14mm F 2 8 MK2 Review | 54 Data compared

📸 The Samyang 14mm F2.8 Mk2 Review Summary The Samyang 14mm F2.8 Mk2 is a fully manual, ultra-wide-angle prime lens highly favored by landscape and astrophotographers for its impressive 115.7˚ angle of view, bright F2.8 aperture, and incredible value for money. Priced significantly lower than first-party alternatives, this upgraded rectilinear lens introduces crucial design enhancements over its predecessor, specifically robust weather sealing and a handy focus ring lock to prevent accidental adjustments during long exposures. While it lacks built-in electronics, autofocus, and a traditional filter thread, its excellent build quality, silky-smooth focus ring, and dual-mode aperture ring (click or smooth) make it an incredibly reliable and enjoyable tool for manual shooting. Optically, the lens delivers superb, tack-sharp images across the entire frame when stopped down to F8 or F11, and it renders beautiful sunstars at smaller apertures like F16 to F22. However, users must contend with a few notable drawbacks, including slight softness in the corners, minor vignetting, and visible coma or astigmatism when shooting wide open at F2.8. Its most prominent optical weakness is a distinct radial "moustache" distortion...

The Samyang MF 14mm F2.8 MK2 is a fully manual, ultra-wide-angle lens tailored specifically for landscape and astrophotography enthusiasts. Boasting a 115.7° angle of view, it is paired with a wide maximum aperture of F2.8, which allows photographers to capture sweeping perspectives and keep ISO settings low to reduce background noise during night shoots. Structurally, it features a sturdy build wrapped in a distinct diamond-pattern focus ring, and its optical configuration includes 14 elements in 10 groups, utilizing a complex mix of high refractive, hybrid aspherical, aspherical, and extra-low distortion elements to optimize image sharpness.

The Samyang MF 14mm f/2.8 MK2 delivers exceptional optical sharpness, with center and edge performance ranging from very good to excellent between f/2.8 and f/8. Key advantages include smooth mechanics, low chromatic aberration, effective weather resistance, and new features for videographers like a de-clickable aperture ring. However, the lens suffers from heavy -4.63% barrel distortion and prominent vignetting at wide apertures, alongside a lack of EXIF data due to no electronic communication. Additionally, precise focusing requires Live View, as it is nearly impossible via the optical viewfinder.

This review evaluates the Samyang MF 14mm F2.8 MK2 ultra-wide-angle lens, which the reviewer pairs with a Nikon D850 camera for travel, architectural, and urban photography in Tokyo. The lens is highly praised for its exceptional build quality, featuring a solid metal construction with a comfortable manual focus ring. Key highlights include two major structural improvements: a "Focus Lock" mechanism that prevents accidental shifts during long-exposure astrophotography, and a "De-click" switch that enables videographers to adjust the aperture smoothly and seamlessly without hard stops. In terms of performance, the fixed focal length encourages creative composition, and the bright f/2.8 maximum aperture delivers strong performance for night street photography. However, the reviewer notes a few distinct optical limitations when shooting wide open. At f/2.8, there is a pronounced vignetting effect that creates dark areas on the left and right sides of the image frame, alongside minor chromatic aberrations. As an ultra-wide-angle lens, it also exhibits noticeable distortion, though the reviewer emphasizes that these issues can be easily corrected during post-processing in software like Lightroom or Photoshop. Stopping down the lens to...

The Samyang MF 14mm f/2.8 MK2 is a high-performing manual focus lens praised for exceptional sharpness, low chromatic aberration, and minimal vignetting, alongside features like robust weather resistance, a focus lock switch, and a de-clickable aperture ring. It offers an excellent price-to-performance ratio for users seeking an improved, sturdy design over its predecessor. However, as a fully manual lens, it lacks electronic contacts, resulting in no EXIF data, and it requires precise, slower focusing through Live View, which can be challenging through an optical viewfinder. Despite these speed limitations, its superior image quality and functional upgrades make it a highly recommended tool for photographers, particularly for landscape and architecture, note.