Samyang 10mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS CS
Summary
The Samyang 10mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS CS is a solid optical performer — a ultra-wide prime (15mm equivalent) with f/2.8 maximum aperture. The lens is priced at approximately ~$750 USD. Please check the official product page for sample images, manuals, and firmware updates.
Genre Suitability
- Excellent for: Sport, Wildlife
- Adequate for: Nightscape, Landscape, Street, Travel
- Avoid for: Architecture, Portrait, Macro
Strengths
- Well-controlled aberrations
Weaknesses
- Very soft corners wide open
- Heavy distortion requiring software correction
- Noticeable vignetting wide open
- Below-average bokeh quality
- Below-average flare resistance
- Low macro capability (0.14x magnification)
Specifications 18/20
| Optical construction | 14 elements in 10 groups (2 aspherical, 1 ED) |
| Coating | NCS |
| Focal length | 10mm |
| Max aperture | f/2.8 |
| Sweet spot | f/5.6 |
| Aperture blades | 6 |
| Sunstar points | 6 (sharp — straight blades) |
| Max magnification | 0.14x |
| Min focus distance | 240mm |
| AF motor | Manual focus |
| OIS | No |
| Weather sealed | No |
| Aperture ring | Yes |
| Clickless aperture | No |
| Focus ring | Yes |
| Focus by wire | No |
| Distance scale | Yes |
| Rotating front | No |
| Tripod mount | No |
| Weight | 600g |
| Diameter | 87mm |
| Length | 132.4mm |
| Filter thread | — |
| Year | 2014 |
MTF Charts
| Position | 10S | 10M | 30S | 30M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center | 0.99 | 0.99 | 0.98 | 0.97 |
| 2mm | 0.99 | 0.99 | 0.97 | 0.97 |
| 4mm | 0.99 | 0.98 | 0.97 | 0.85 |
| 6mm | 0.99 | 0.98 | 0.97 | 0.81 |
| 8mm | 0.99 | 0.99 | 0.97 | 0.78 |
| 10mm | 0.99 | 0.96 | 0.95 | 0.74 |
| 12mm | 0.98 | 0.98 | 0.89 | 0.67 |
| 14mm | 0.96 | 0.96 | 0.74 | 0.54 |
| Position | 10S | 10M | 30S | 30M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center | 0.99 | 0.99 | 0.98 | 0.98 |
| 2mm | 0.99 | 0.99 | 0.97 | 0.97 |
| 4mm | 0.99 | 0.98 | 0.99 | 0.94 |
| 6mm | 0.99 | 0.98 | 0.99 | 0.89 |
| 8mm | 0.99 | 0.97 | 0.99 | 0.83 |
| 10mm | 0.99 | 0.96 | 0.99 | 0.76 |
| 12mm | 0.99 | 0.94 | 0.98 | 0.67 |
| 14mm | 0.99 | 0.89 | 0.98 | 0.57 |
Optical Quality 14/14
| Center (wide open) | 2.0 |
| Corner (wide open) | 0.0 |
| Center (stopped) | 2.0 |
| Corner (stopped) | 1.0 |
| Coma | 2.0 |
| Astigmatism | 1.5 |
| Spherical aberration | 1.5 |
| Longitudinal CA | 1.5 |
| Lateral CA | 1.0 |
| Distortion | 0.0 |
| Vignetting (wide open) | 0.5 |
| Vignetting (stopped) | 2.0 |
| Bokeh | 0.5 |
| Flare resistance | 0.5 |
Sharpness
- Excellent center sharpness wide open
- Very soft corners wide open
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Acceptable corner sharpness stopped down
Aberrations
- Well-controlled longitudinal CA
- Moderate lateral CA, auto-corrected by most software
- Negligible coma — point lights stay tight to the corners
- Well-controlled astigmatism
- Well-corrected spherical aberration
Rendering
- Below-average bokeh quality
- Noticeable vignetting wide open
- Vignetting essentially gone by f/5.6
- Below-average flare resistance
Distortion
- Heavy distortion requiring software correction
All optical scores are based on lab measurements and field tests from trusted review sources. For details on how we score lenses, see our scoring methodology.
Genre Fit
~Nightscape Photography3/5
Nightscape Photography prioritizes coma control, astigmatism correction, and a fast aperture for short star exposures.
- Negligible coma — point lights stay tight to the corners
- Well-controlled astigmatism
- Slow f/2.8 aperture
- Moderate lateral CA, auto-corrected by most software
- Excellent center sharpness wide open
- Very soft corners wide open
- Well-controlled longitudinal CA
- Noticeable vignetting wide open
- Well-corrected spherical aberration
~Landscape Photography3/5
Landscape Photography prioritizes corner-to-corner sharpness at stopped-down apertures and good flare resistance.
- Acceptable corner sharpness stopped down
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Heavy distortion requiring software correction
- Moderate lateral CA, auto-corrected by most software
- Well-controlled longitudinal CA
- Vignetting essentially gone by f/5.6
- Below-average flare resistance
- Well-controlled astigmatism
- Negligible coma — point lights stay tight to the corners
✗Architecture Photography1/5
Architecture Photography prioritizes geometric precision with minimal distortion and even corner sharpness.
- Acceptable corner sharpness stopped down
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Heavy distortion requiring software correction
- Moderate lateral CA, auto-corrected by most software
- Vignetting essentially gone by f/5.6
- Below-average flare resistance
~Street Photography3/5
Street Photography prioritizes sharp stopped-down performance and a fast enough aperture for low light.
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Slow f/2.8 aperture
- Excellent center sharpness wide open
- Below-average flare resistance
- Well-controlled longitudinal CA
- Negligible coma — point lights stay tight to the corners
~Travel Photography3/5
Travel Photography prioritizes balanced image quality in a lightweight package.
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Heavy at 600g
- Slow f/2.8 aperture
- Below-average flare resistance
- Well-controlled longitudinal CA
✗Portrait Photography2/5
Portrait Photography prioritizes smooth bokeh and critical center sharpness wide open for subject isolation.
- Below-average bokeh quality
- Excellent center sharpness wide open
- Well-controlled longitudinal CA
- Well-corrected spherical aberration
- Noticeable vignetting wide open
✓Sport Photography4/5
Sport Photography prioritizes sharp wide-open center performance to freeze action at fast shutter speeds.
- Excellent center sharpness wide open
- Slow f/2.8 aperture
- Well-controlled longitudinal CA
- Moderate lateral CA, auto-corrected by most software
✓Wildlife Photography4.5/5
Wildlife Photography prioritizes center sharpness across apertures for distant subjects.
- Excellent center sharpness wide open
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Slow f/2.8 aperture
- Well-controlled longitudinal CA
- Moderate lateral CA, auto-corrected by most software
✗Macro Photography1/5
Macro Photography prioritizes stopped-down center sharpness and high magnification for close-up detail.
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Low magnification (0.14x)
- Heavy distortion requiring software correction
- Moderate lateral CA, auto-corrected by most software
- Well-controlled longitudinal CA
- Well-corrected spherical aberration
- Below-average bokeh quality