Samyang 8mm f/3.5 Aspherical IF MC Fish-eye
Summary
The Samyang 8mm f/3.5 Aspherical IF MC Fish-eye is a solid optical performer — a ultra-wide prime (12mm equivalent) with f/3.5 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: Travel, Wildlife
- Adequate for: Landscape, Sport
- Avoid for: Nightscape, Architecture, Street, Macro
Strengths
- Good overall sharpness
- Good flare resistance
Weaknesses
- Noticeable lateral CA toward the corners
- Heavy distortion requiring software correction
- Low macro capability (0.14x magnification)
Specifications 18/20
| Optical construction | 10 elements in 7 groups (1 aspherical) |
| Coating | MC |
| Focal length | 8mm |
| Max aperture | f/3.5 |
| Sweet spot | f/5.6 |
| Aperture blades | 6 |
| Sunstar points | 6 (sharp — straight blades) |
| Max magnification | 0.14x |
| Min focus distance | 300mm |
| 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 | 400g |
| Diameter | 77.8mm |
| Length | 101.4mm |
| Filter thread | — |
| Year | 2014 |
MTF Charts
| Position | 10S | 10M | 30S | 30M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center | 0.94 | 0.93 | 0.75 | 0.76 |
| 2mm | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.77 | 0.75 |
| 4mm | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.78 | 0.75 |
| 6mm | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.79 | 0.74 |
| 8mm | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.77 | 0.70 |
| 10mm | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.72 | 0.73 |
| 12mm | 0.92 | 0.89 | 0.65 | 0.50 |
| 14mm | 0.90 | 0.90 | 0.60 | 0.47 |
| Position | 10S | 10M | 30S | 30M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center | 0.99 | 0.98 | 0.94 | 0.95 |
| 2mm | 0.99 | 0.98 | 0.96 | 0.93 |
| 4mm | 0.99 | 0.98 | 0.98 | 0.90 |
| 6mm | 0.99 | 0.97 | 0.99 | 0.83 |
| 8mm | 0.99 | 0.95 | 0.98 | 0.73 |
| 10mm | 0.98 | 0.94 | 0.93 | 0.61 |
| 12mm | 0.97 | 0.90 | 0.88 | 0.50 |
| 14mm | 0.97 | 0.86 | 0.87 | 0.42 |
Optical Quality 11/14
| Center (wide open) | 1.5 |
| Corner (wide open) | 1.5 |
| Center (stopped) | 2.0 |
| Corner (stopped) | 1.5 |
| Coma | 1.0 |
| Astigmatism | 1.5 |
| Spherical aberration | 1.5 |
| Lateral CA | 0.5 |
| Distortion | 0.0 |
| Vignetting (wide open) | 1.5 |
| Flare resistance | 1.5 |
Sharpness
- Good center sharpness wide open
- Good corner performance wide open
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Good corner-to-corner sharpness stopped down
Aberrations
- Noticeable lateral CA toward the corners
- Moderate coma at the extreme corners
- Well-controlled astigmatism
- Well-corrected spherical aberration
Rendering
- Mild vignetting wide open
- Good 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 Photography 2/5
Nightscape Photography prioritizes coma control, astigmatism correction, and a fast aperture for short star exposures.
- Moderate coma at the extreme corners
- Well-controlled astigmatism
- Slow f/3.5 aperture
- Noticeable lateral CA toward the corners
- Good center sharpness wide open
- Good corner performance wide open
- Mild vignetting wide open
- Well-corrected spherical aberration
~ Landscape Photography 3.5/5
Landscape Photography prioritizes corner-to-corner sharpness at stopped-down apertures and good flare resistance.
- Good corner-to-corner sharpness stopped down
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Heavy distortion requiring software correction
- Noticeable lateral CA toward the corners
- Good flare resistance
- Well-controlled astigmatism
- Moderate coma at the extreme corners
✗ Architecture Photography 1/5
Architecture Photography prioritizes geometric precision with minimal distortion and even corner sharpness.
- Good corner-to-corner sharpness stopped down
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Heavy distortion requiring software correction
- Noticeable lateral CA toward the corners
- Good flare resistance
✗ Street Photography 2/5
Street Photography prioritizes sharp stopped-down performance and a fast enough aperture for low light.
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Slow f/3.5 aperture
- Good center sharpness wide open
- Good flare resistance
- Moderate coma at the extreme corners
✓ Travel Photography 4/5
Travel Photography prioritizes balanced image quality in a lightweight package.
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Lightweight at 400g
- Slow f/3.5 aperture
- Good flare resistance
~ Sport Photography 3/5
Sport Photography prioritizes sharp wide-open center performance to freeze action at fast shutter speeds.
- Good center sharpness wide open
- Slow f/3.5 aperture
- Noticeable lateral CA toward the corners
✓ Wildlife Photography 4/5
Wildlife Photography prioritizes center sharpness across apertures for distant subjects.
- Good center sharpness wide open
- Outstanding center resolution stopped down
- Slow f/3.5 aperture
- Noticeable lateral CA toward the corners
✗ Macro Photography 1/5
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
- Noticeable lateral CA toward the corners
- Well-corrected spherical aberration