Canon FDn 85mm 1.2 vs Samyang 85 1.4 IF

[simbon4o]

So I had the opportunity to test this canon against my samyang. And here are some of the results.

First shot on tripod in a cloudy day.
1 by Simeon Kolev, on Flickr

And second - misfocused samyang but in sunny day - the bokeh is different. The canon shows more busier bokeh here, the Samyang - smooooth .

14 by Simeon Kolev, on Flickr

16 by Simeon Kolev, on Flickr

Here some shots not on a tripod and with Lens Turbo II adapter.

Canon FDn 85 1.2
DSC04767c12 by Simeon Kolev, on Flickr

Samyang 85 1.4
DSC04762s14 by Simeon Kolev, on Flickr

and my compact 85mm - Canon FD 85 1.8 SSC
DSC04765c18 by Simeon Kolev, on Flickr

All WO...

[Oldhand]

The Samyang really impresses here.
Thanks for sharing these Simeon
OH

[cooltouch]

This is an interesting comparison and one that I'm personally interested in because I have the forerunner to that Canon lens -- mine is the 85mm f/1.2 Aspherical SSC.

In the first series of photos, the Canon provides noticeably better contrast, and it could be that that is why the Canon's bokeh is more pronounced than the Samyang's. The second series is invalid because the Samyang was misfocused, as the author states. The third series shows pretty clearly that the Canon's bokeh have more pronounced edges -- this is the same as my 85 Aspherical -- highlights are sharply defined, but other areas are smooth as butter -- something that isn't as obvious in this comparison because of the chosen subject matter. Oh, and the series showing the Canon 85/1.8 was interesting by itself. While the bokeh are a little more coarse, they are appealing in their own right, I think.

I just took a look at the Samyang 85 over at Adorama. One thing mentioned in the description is an iris designed for softer bokeh. If it has curved aperture blades, then this will usually give that softer result. I also noted that it is an aspherical design and has internal focusing, something my lens doesn't have, although I wish it did. And I also couldn't help but notice that it is selling these days for an unbelievably low price. Makes me want to buy one for my Nikon or Pentax outfits.

I propose that the Samyang and Canon comparison be done with two separate sorts of subjects -- one that will draw attention to bright out of focus highlights, and one that will draw attention to soft out of focus areas. Or at least select a subject area where both of these aspects can be found. For example, below is a photo I took with my Canon 85/1.2 Asphereical of a kiosk full of stuffed animals inside a shopping mall. I used existing light at ISO 100 for the exposure.

Canon F-1, Canon 85mm f/1.2 SSC Aspherical, Kodak Elite Chrome 100, exposure unrecorded but the lens was probably set at f/1.4


In the above image, lights are shown as relatively sharply defined 9-point circles (I must not have had the lens wide open, probably f/1.4 instead of f/1.2), whereas the other OOF areas are quite soft and smooth. I would love to see a test comparing the Canon L with the Samyang using a similar sort of subject matter.

[simbon4o]

[cooltouch]

Glad to read you've done your homework with these lenses. One of the things I noticed with my 85 Aspherical is that if the subject is not close but too close to the background, then there isn't enough separation for good bokeh, but I suspect this will be a problem with any lens capable of generating decent bokeh -- the background has to be quite a ways away from the subject. See this example:



That shot was taken at f/1.2, but it didn't do much good as far as blurring out the background goes.

When I was using my EOS DSLR only, I wished there was a good way to use my 85 aspherical with it, but I didn't want to convert it. Now that I have a NEX 7, I don't have to worry about converting the lens anymore. But I did discover a fairly easy way to convert FD lenses to EOS mount. I don't have my notes handy, so I can't tell you exactly the dimensions, but what I did was I took an M42 adapter for EOS and found that it fit exactly around the rear element housing of the FD lens. It was then an easy process to mount the adapter to the lens using the same flange mounting bolts on the FD lens. But it required thinning the adapter by a precise amount -- it required removing somewhere around 0.020 of an inch of material from the flat surface of the adapter -- the surface that meets the lens flange.

So you might check into this if you're using an EOS DSLR. It's a good way to produce a reversible, non-destructive conversion for FD to EOS.

[tb_a]

[cooltouch]

Yes, I agree with all this. Which is one reason why I favor 135mm for portraits. To me, an 85mm is more or less a normal lens. I consider it to be a bit too close in for portraits. I like the separation a 135mm gives me, and I think the subject is also a bit more relaxed if I'm not breathing down their throat, so to speak.

I was probably 5 to 6 feet away from her when I took this shot. Nikon FM, Nikkor 135mm f/2.8, Kodachrome 64:


On the other hand, I took this shot with a Canon 50mm f/3.5 macro. I was no more than 3 feet away from her when I took it, yet I've always thought it worked as a more informal portrait. However with this shot, the main point of interest is the sunset being reflected in her glasses, which requred that I get closer. Canon F-1, Canon 50mm f/3.5, Kodachrome 64

[miran]

Interesting comparison. Looks like the Canon is sharper and contrastier but the Samyang has better bokeh and is better at controlling purple fringing. Considering the price it's a winner!

[vroger]

[simbon4o]