Samyang 35mm f/1.2 ED AS UMC CS

Summary

The Samyang 35mm f/1.2 ED AS UMC CS is a solid optical performer — a standard prime (53mm equivalent) with f/1.2 maximum aperture. The lens is priced at approximately ~$500 USD. Please check the official product page for sample images, manuals, and firmware updates.

Genre Suitability

  • Excellent for: Landscape, Architecture, Street, Travel
  • Adequate for: Nightscape, Portrait, Sport, Wildlife
  • Avoid for: Macro

Strengths

  • Good flare resistance
  • Negligible distortion

Weaknesses

  • Noticeably soft corners wide open
  • Noticeable spherical aberration wide open
  • Noticeable vignetting wide open
  • Low macro capability (0.12x magnification)

Specifications 19/20

Optical construction 9 elements in 7 groups (2 aspherical, 1 ED)
Coating UMC
Focal length35mm
Max aperturef/1.2
Sweet spot f/4
Aperture blades 8
Sunstar points 8 (sharp — straight blades)
Max magnification 0.12x
Min focus distance380mm
AF motorManual focus
OISNo
Weather sealedNo
Aperture ringYes
Clickless apertureNo
Focus ringYes
Focus by wireNo
Distance scaleYes
Rotating frontNo
Tripod mountNo
Weight400g
Diameter67.5mm
Length74.5mm
Filter thread62mm
Year2018

MTF Charts

f/1.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 C 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 Image height (mm)
10 lp/mm S 10 lp/mm M 30 lp/mm S 30 lp/mm M
Position 10S 10M 30S 30M
Center 0.98 0.98 0.87 0.87
2mm 0.98 0.98 0.87 0.84
4mm 0.98 0.97 0.86 0.83
6mm 0.97 0.97 0.84 0.85
8mm 0.97 0.97 0.82 0.85
10mm 0.97 0.96 0.82 0.80
12mm 0.97 0.95 0.82 0.81
14mm 0.96 0.93 0.77 0.73
f/8 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 C 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 Image height (mm)
10 lp/mm S 10 lp/mm M 30 lp/mm S 30 lp/mm M
Position 10S 10M 30S 30M
Center 0.99 0.99 0.98 0.98
2mm 0.99 0.99 0.98 0.98
4mm 0.99 0.98 0.98 0.97
6mm 0.99 0.98 0.97 0.97
8mm 0.99 0.98 0.95 0.94
10mm 0.99 0.98 0.95 0.94
12mm 0.99 0.98 0.95 0.94
14mm 0.99 0.99 0.97 0.95

Source: Official manufacturer specifications

Optical Quality 14/14

Center (wide open)
1.0
Corner (wide open)
0.5
Center (stopped)
2.0
Corner (stopped)
1.5
Coma
1.0
Astigmatism
1.0
Spherical aberration
0.5
Longitudinal CA
1.5
Lateral CA
2.0
Distortion
2.0
Vignetting (wide open)
0.5
Vignetting (stopped)
1.5
Bokeh
1.0
Flare resistance
2.0

Sharpness

  • Acceptable center sharpness wide open
  • Noticeably soft corners wide open
  • Outstanding center resolution stopped down
  • Good corner-to-corner sharpness stopped down

Aberrations

  • Well-controlled longitudinal CA
  • Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
  • Moderate coma at the extreme corners
  • Moderate astigmatism
  • Noticeable spherical aberration wide open

Rendering

  • Acceptable bokeh rendering
  • Noticeable vignetting wide open
  • Vignetting clears well when stopped down
  • Excellent flare resistance — backlit scenes handled confidently

Distortion

  • Negligible distortion — straight lines stay straight

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 Adequate ✓ Landscape Good ✓ Architecture Good ✓ Street Excellent ✓ Travel Good ~ Portrait Adequate ~ Sport Adequate ~ Wildlife Adequate ✗ Macro Avoid

~ Nightscape Photography 3/5

Nightscape Photography prioritizes coma control, astigmatism correction, and a fast aperture for short star exposures.

Primary
  • Moderate coma at the extreme corners
  • Moderate astigmatism
  • Fast f/1.2 aperture
Secondary
  • Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
  • Acceptable center sharpness wide open
  • Noticeably soft corners wide open
  • Well-controlled longitudinal CA
  • Noticeable vignetting wide open
  • Noticeable spherical aberration wide open

✓ Landscape Photography 4/5

Landscape Photography prioritizes corner-to-corner sharpness at stopped-down apertures and good flare resistance.

Primary
  • Good corner-to-corner sharpness stopped down
  • Outstanding center resolution stopped down
Secondary
  • Negligible distortion — straight lines stay straight
  • Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
  • Well-controlled longitudinal CA
  • Vignetting clears well when stopped down
  • Excellent flare resistance — backlit scenes handled confidently
  • Moderate astigmatism
  • Moderate coma at the extreme corners

✓ Architecture Photography 4/5

Architecture Photography prioritizes geometric precision with minimal distortion and even corner sharpness.

Primary
  • Good corner-to-corner sharpness stopped down
  • Outstanding center resolution stopped down
  • Negligible distortion — straight lines stay straight
Secondary
  • Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
  • Vignetting clears well when stopped down
  • Excellent flare resistance — backlit scenes handled confidently

✓ Street Photography 4.5/5

Street Photography prioritizes sharp stopped-down performance and a fast enough aperture for low light.

Primary
  • Outstanding center resolution stopped down
  • Fast f/1.2 aperture
Secondary
  • Acceptable center sharpness wide open
  • Excellent flare resistance — backlit scenes handled confidently
  • Well-controlled longitudinal CA
  • Moderate coma at the extreme corners

✓ Travel Photography 4/5

Travel Photography prioritizes balanced image quality in a lightweight package.

Primary
  • Outstanding center resolution stopped down
  • Lightweight at 400g
Secondary
  • Fast f/1.2 aperture
  • Excellent flare resistance — backlit scenes handled confidently
  • Well-controlled longitudinal CA

~ Portrait Photography 3/5

Portrait Photography prioritizes smooth bokeh and critical center sharpness wide open for subject isolation.

Primary
  • Acceptable bokeh rendering
  • Acceptable center sharpness wide open
Secondary
  • Well-controlled longitudinal CA
  • Noticeable spherical aberration wide open
  • Noticeable vignetting wide open

~ Sport Photography 3/5

Sport Photography prioritizes sharp wide-open center performance to freeze action at fast shutter speeds.

Primary
  • Acceptable center sharpness wide open
Secondary
  • Fast f/1.2 aperture
  • Well-controlled longitudinal CA
  • Negligible lateral chromatic aberration

~ Wildlife Photography 3/5

Wildlife Photography prioritizes center sharpness across apertures for distant subjects.

Primary
  • Acceptable center sharpness wide open
  • Outstanding center resolution stopped down
Secondary
  • Fast f/1.2 aperture
  • Well-controlled longitudinal CA
  • Negligible lateral chromatic aberration

✗ Macro Photography 1/5

Macro Photography prioritizes stopped-down center sharpness and high magnification for close-up detail.

Primary
  • Outstanding center resolution stopped down
  • Low magnification (0.12x)
Secondary
  • Negligible distortion — straight lines stay straight
  • Negligible lateral chromatic aberration
  • Well-controlled longitudinal CA
  • Noticeable spherical aberration wide open
  • Acceptable bokeh rendering

Reviews

LensTip

Alternatives

Viltrox AF 35mm f/1.7 Air Fujifilm XF 30mm f/2.8 R LM WR Macro Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR Fujifilm XF 35mm f/1.4 R Samyang 35mm f/1.4 AS UMC Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR II Fujifilm XF 16-50mm f/2.8-4.8 R LM WR
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