5 Photoshoot at Home Ideas To Stay Creative

Great portraits can be created anywhere and in this video, we’re showing you 5 simple portrait setups in your own home! We created this video in my very own home to show you just how easy it is to capture professional portraits in the space you live in. Hopefully, this helps you see the pockets of your own home in a new way and the wheels of imagination start turning on what you can create within your four walls.

Idea 1 – Use a Flat Light Setup in Garage

For the first photoshoot at home idea, all you need for this setup is to open your garage, front door, or window! I like using the garage because the light source is massive compared to the other doors of your house and you have an automatic fill light coming from the concrete. The key here is to control the light by moving the subject in and out of the light. When Chelsea moves too far back into the shadows, the concrete creates uplighting that is unflattering and unnatural, but when she’s right in-between a shadowed area and the bright spot, she gets a balance between the fill light and the flat light coming through the garage door opening.

What you’ll notice is that the background is a bit too busy so we fix that by switching our lens to something a bit more suitable for portraiture like the 75mm and add a small headshot backdrop. You can also just use a cloth or a big sheet that you have at home. Flat light is the perfect setup for when you are starting off with headshots because it’s a safe choice and will always yield flattering images.

Idea 2 – Create a Directional Light Setup

Next, let’s talk about directional light. Using the same space in the garage you can shift your subject so the dominant light is hitting the subject from an angle. What I noticed immediately is that we are getting a massive amount of fill light from the ground so I used a black sheet to cover the concrete that was bouncing onto Chelsea’s face. From there, same as our first setup, we grab a backdrop or sheet and create a studio setup right in our garage. For this shot, I decided I needed something a bit bigger to fill the space while I use the 45mm lens which is why I opted for this backdrop by Ethan Alex.  From there I had Chelsea bring her chin to the light to get a perfect Rembrandt lighting pattern and shot away.

Idea 3 – Create Light Patterns

This next one is possible in any spot of your house but I still used my garage as the backdrop. You’ll need a phone flashlight or any video light that you have and two small boxes (I know you have plenty of Amazon package boxes laying around your house). The idea for this is to create a and interesting light pattern using your cell phone flashlight. I had the light shine through the boxes to create a small sliver of light shining on Chelsea. You can then add refractory objects in front of the flashlight to create unique patterns.

Idea 4 – Use a Natural Light Setup

One of the easiest photoshoot at home ideas you can do is to find a large window and take portraits using the natural light. Natural light flowing through a home can either be flat light if you have your subject facing the light or directional light. For this example, I grabbed a chair in my dining room and used the natural light coming from the windows. Since I am on the 35mm and my frame is a bit wider I decided to include the window behind Chelsea as part of the composition of the photograph.

Idea 5 – Find a Plant

For our next at home photoshoot idea, all you’re going to need is a plant to help create the foreground in the shot.  If you don’t have a backyard, this can work at a local park, with an indoor plant, or a shopping complex.

Adding this element gives the image more depth and also some color.  You can also use parts of the plant to conceal and add a sense of mystery to the photo.  The general concept works with any object.  For example, you can try the exact same concept with a curtain.

Gear Used for our Photoshoot at Home Ideas:

• Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8
• Samyang 45mm f/1.8
• Samyang 75mm F1.8
• Sony A7C
• Matthews C-Stand
• Backdrops by Ethan Alex
• Alan Gordon Enterprises Full Apple Box

More Tips for Your Photoshoot at Home

Choose a Good Location for Your Photoshoot at Home

Choosing the location is one of the most important steps when it comes to planning a home photoshoot. There are a variety of areas in your house that could be used as a backdrop for your photos, such as the living room, bedroom, or even the kitchen. Think about the theme and mood you’re going for and choose a location that complements it. For example, if you’re aiming for a cozy, intimate vibe, the bedroom might be the best choice.

Personalize with Props and Accessories

Props and accessories can also play a significant role in a home photoshoot. They can add personality, texture, and depth to your shots, making them more interesting and visually appealing. Consider using items like pillows, blankets, plants, or even your favorite books to add a touch of your own personal style to the shoot. You can also get creative and make your own DIY props, like a cardboard cutout or a simple photo frame.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many ways to make your photoshoots at home more unique and creative. By carefully choosing the location, props, lighting, and outfits, you can create stunning and memorable shots that truly capture your personality and style. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ideas and have fun with the process – after all, the best photos are often the ones that are the most authentic and spontaneous.

Firmware Update Details for Samyang FE Lenses

• Download Firmware Updates Here

* Note: Firmware can be updated by using the separate Samyang Lens Station.

These updates reflect changes in the market toward videography. Especially, the improved face detection performance allows persistent tracking of a moving subject, to create seamless footage.

Also, Samyang recently updated the firmware for its RF mount lenses: AF 14mm F2.8 RF and AF 85mm F1.4 RF. Samyang is the first 3rd party lens company to introduce an autofocus lens lineup for RF mount. Both these products were released prior to the announcement of R5 and R6 cameras (AF 14mm in October 2019 and AF 85mm in May 2020), but the firmware was updated right after the new cameras hit the market in August, to provide the best possible customer experience.

Firmware Update History for Samyang RF Lenses

* Note: Firmware can be updated by using the separate Samyang Lens Station.

Any new and upcoming firmware releases are announced on Samyang’s social media channels and website, as follows:

• Samyang Website: https://www.samyanglensglobal.com
• Samyang Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samyanglensglobal
• Samyang Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samyanglensglobal

…That is what I’ve been telling myself, again and again, throughout the past year as I review each new Samyang (Rokinon) ultra-compact, affordable prime lens for Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras. The most recent lens I have been excited about is the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE, and it is turning out to be a delight to use.

It is also a perfect complement to the Samyang/Rokinon siblings in the compact, lightweight, affordable category. When paired with the Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE, and maybe the Samyang AF 18mm f/2.8 FE or Samyang AF 24mm f/2.8 FE, the AF 35mm f/1.8 FE seems to get even more perfectly made for my camera bag.

In this review, we are going to focus on the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE, of course. It joins a rather crowded category of 35mm primes for the Sony E-mount, and (spoiler alert) considering the price and performance, it’s definitely one of the top choices that you should consider!

It’s a modest lens, that’s for sure; compared to its larger sibling, the older Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 FE, it is downright tiny. Don’t let that fool you, though; it delivers incredible images, and is perfect for a lot of different types of photography, especially if you value portability.

Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE Specifications

• FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW: 35mm, 63.6°
• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E-mount (FE full-frame)
• APERTURE & RANGE: f/1.8 to f/22, 9-blade, rounded aperture
• STABILIZATION: No
• AUTOFOCUS: Integrated linear STM motor
• MANUAL FOCUS: Electronically controlled
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 10 elements in 8 groups, 2 extra-low dispersion, 2 aspherical elements, Ultra-Multi-Coating
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Metal mount, metal & plastic barrel
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 12″ (290 mm), 0.17x magnification
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 58mm, plastic hood
• SIZE: 2.6 x 2.5″ (65 x 63.5 mm)
• WEIGHT: 7.4 oz (210 g)
• PRICE: $399 (B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE Review | Who Should Buy It?

This is the “nifty fifty” of 35mm primes, basically. If you want a casual walk-around lens that doesn’t hurt your wrist or wallet, if you’d rather not attract attention with a giant, heavy lens, then look no further! In the price range, there is no better choice. In fact, to find something similar, you have to jump from $399 for the Samyang, all the way to the $748 Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 to find our next-closest recommendation.

(Of course, something similar” is referring to compact, portable lenses; if you’re OK with carrying a much larger lens, you might find the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 FE goes on sale for just $499; that’s $300 off!)

With that said, let’s talk about which types of photography you might find this particular lens useful for.

Wedding Photographers

Wedding photographers often need as much low-light capability as possible, so, maybe an AF 35mm f/1.4 FE is a better choice. But, it also depends on what your favorite lens focal length is, too! If you almost always use a ~50mm or ~85mm prime, and just want a small, affordable 35mm to have in your bag, this 35mm f/1.8 is frankly the only lens you should consider, because the price and portability are just unmatched.

Having said that, what if 35mm is actually your favorite focal length, and you use it all the time? You might be inclined to think that you should skip this lens and go straight to something much bigger and more expensive, however, think of it this way: If 35mm is your bread and butter, why not have a backup? This is something we often suggest to full-time professionals because if you ever accidentally damage your pride-and-joy workhorse lens, it can really be a lifesaver if you’ve got a small, cheap backup option in your bag, just in case.

Thus, this lens is effectively a “must-consider” for any wedding photographers who are considering a 35mm prime, no matter what!

Portrait Photographers

For portraits, you might not need to go faster than f/1.8, and this lens could be perfectly suited to what you do, as long as f/1.8 is adequate for your creative and technical style. If you do a lot of work in extremely low light, or if you just plain love shallow depth in your portraits, then you might consider an f/1.4 prime instead, and, like with wedding photography, let this f/1.8 prime be a “break the ice” prime lens to get you started. (Even if it turns into your backup lens later if you decide you really love 35mm and want something even better.)

Another thing that both portrait and wedding photographers face is, of course, durability. If you break the lens sooner than later, is the price really a “good value”? With these latest Rokinon AF FE lenses, they may not be not built as sturdily as the expensive flagship lenses, such as you could expect with a Sony GM lens, however, they do have metal in all the right places, and they do seem to be much more ready for years of hard work compared to their earliest, older manual focus lenses that were prone to breaking.

All in all, the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE would make a great portrait lens, as long as you’re okay with the f/1.8 aperture (Spoiler: it’s very sharp wide-open!) …and as long as you take decent care of it.

Candid & Street Photographers

This is one of the best things to use a lens like the 35mm f/1.8 for. Maybe you’re walking around all day, every day, for a week on vacation with your family, and don’t want to lug around a heavy 24-70mm f/2.8 or 35mm f/1.4. Maybe you’re just hanging out around the house, and want a camera+ lens combo you can simply have at the ready for misc snapshots of your life. Maybe, even, you’re doing very serious work of a candid nature, like documentary journalism of a major event or something, and you want a portable option that you can move quickly with, be incognito, and still get professional results from.

Either way, all of these things are exactly what I like to have a small, lightweight, unassuming lens around for. In other words, unless you really do need a slightly faster aperture, don’t hesitate, just get a 35mm f/1.8 like this one…

Landscape, Outdoor, & Travel Photographers

The other category of photographers who also will really appreciate a portable lens that has great image quality is landscape photographers, or basically, anyone who does outdoor, nature, and other types of photography that demand maximum image quality when stopped-down.

Then, anyone who carries their gear on their backs for hours every day will appreciate a lens that is also as portable as possible, too.

Here’s the spoiler: Despite its tiny size and low price tag, the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE is, in fact, incredibly sharp, and especially when stopped-down, resolution and other aspects of image quality are superb.

[Related Reading: Samyang AF 85mm F/1.4 RF Review – What Makes The 85mm Focal Length Special?]

Nightscape & Astrophotographers

One of the most demanding things you can do with any lens is to try to photograph the night sky. A 35mm prime is often very useful for medium-close but still wide-angle nightscape or astro-landscape photos, and since nightscape photography may often involve just as much hiking and even mountain-climbing as traditional landscape photography, once again weight is a concern. Generally speaking, though, image quality at wide-open apertures obviously becomes extremely important to a nightscape photographer, and thus these photographers are usually much more willing to lug around a heavy lens if that is required to get sharp detail in the corners of their images.

Simply put, the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE isn’t perfect in the extreme corners when photographing a night sky at f/1.8-2.8, however, considering it’s size and price, we have to say that it is truly shockingly good! For traveling light, hiking up a mountain in the dark, and photographing the Milky Way or some other celestial scene, I wouldn’t hesitate to reach for this lens and leave the giant, heavy 35mm’s at home.

Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE Review | Pros & Cons

Let’s list the Pros & Cons all at once, and then break them down. It’s pretty clear that there’s a lot to like about this lens, and not much to complain about. If you’ve read the above sections and found the type of photography you do, you might already know whether or not you’re seriously considering this lens. Still, let’s see how it stacks up…

Pros:

• Image Quality
• Autofocus Performance
• Incredible Portability
• Overall Reliability
• Features & Customizations
• Value

Good things do come in small packages. Good things don’t always come in affordable packages, though, so for the price of $399, and with such a small form factor, you’d be justified to wonder if the lens is “any good”. Simply put, it really is. Image quality is superb, in terms of overall sharpness at every aperture, and both at far and close-up distances. Plus, other aspects of image quality are quite impressive, too!

Image Quality

For portrait photographers, the bokeh is beautiful; even when we tested it on the most challenging type of subject of all–a bunch of sticks! Also, the flare & vignetting are pleasing, too…

For nightscape photographers, the coma, astigmatism, and color fringing are minimal, even towards the corners of the image. In fact, there is a massive improvement in the extreme corners (sagittal astigmatism) between f/2 and f/2.2, and it puts the lens on par with some of the most exotic competition around! That’s an incredible feat for such a compact optical formula, let alone at such a good price.

In addition to the significant improvement in coma/astigmatism between f/2 and f/2.2, there’s also incredible overall sharpness by f/2.5, making the lens officially a great choice for nightscapes, indeed!

Last but not least, sunstars with this lens can appear absolutely incredible, as long as you frame the shot just perfectly and have the right type of spectral highlight…

Autofocus Performance

Of course, moving on to the next “Pro”, (and going back to portrait photography) …remember that sharpness and image quality don’t mean much if the picture isn’t in focus! With this in mind, the autofocus of the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE is up to the task of tracking subjects in candid, close-up environments. The AF motors are nice and smooth, quick, and relatively silent.

To test the autofocus reliability of this lens, I went straight for the most grueling environments possible- near-total darkness, where ISOs are around 12800 and 25600, and hand-holding is just barely possible. Indeed, the Samyang didn’t falter any more than a tiny bit worse versus a native Sony brand lens…

[Related Reading: Samyang Adds To Their “Tiny Series” Sony Lineup With A New Ultra-Wide 18mm f/2.8]

Portability

Now, about that third “Pro”, the portability. Usually, there are just two types of photographers when it comes to a lens’ size and weight: those who care quite a lot about portability, and those who don’t care at all. Simply put, until now, the most popular trend in lenses, even in mirrorless realms, has been bigger, bigger, and heavier… We see lenses like the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Art popping up for the Sony E mount, and we realize, “that weighs more than a 24-70mm f/2.8! Wasn’t the whole point of a prime to be fast AND portable?”

Indeed, the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 is a delightful departure from this trend of ever-increasing weights and sizes. So, for those of you who have been waiting, eager, and maybe even frustrated by now by the lack of good compact, portable prime lenses for full-frame mirrorless, …here’s your lens! Again, pair this lens with something like the Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE, and you have a kit even smaller than quite a few crop-sensor APSC kits!

Functions & Accessories

Moving on, overall, the lens itself operates very smoothly. In addition to having great autofocus and image quality in a compact package, the lens just works, reliably.

This wasn’t always the case with third-party lenses on name-brand DSLRs, for whatever reason, there were always issues with front-focus or back-focus, or there were sometimes even worse issues that destroyed image quality due to faulty vignetting correction profiles, or other things.

There is also one useful customization, for those photographers who wish they had a high-end flagship lens with additional functions, but are on a budget: That is, the switch on the side of the lens doesn’t just control autofocus versus manual focus, it actually changes the function of the focus ring itself. In one configuration, the default, the focus ring does what you think it would-manual focus. (Depending on the configuration on the camera body itself, of course.)

But, flip the switch, and all of a sudden the focus ring will allow you to control your aperture! Pretty neat function, however, as we’ll get to in the Cons section, you can only change the function with the additional USB dock accessory. (Say, for example, you wanted to make “Mode 2” perform ISO control instead of aperture, or do EV compensation…)

Other than that small disclaimer, the overall value for the Samyang is unmatched. We’ll get into the competitors in a minute, but basically, if your budget is around this price range, there’s really no question- the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE is your best bet.

Cons:

• Moderate Ruggedness
• Accessory required for Fn customization

Now, when I say “moderate ruggedness”, that means that this lens is probably going to be considered the perfect balance of lightweight affordability VS durability to many, however, to some it might not seem durable enough. Simply put, if you do a lot of work in truly terrible environments, getting splashed by waves on the beach, or working in the rain, snow, or other inclement weather all the time, then you’ll probably get a better lifespan out of a lens that costs much more. Will you get more than twice the lifespan out of a 35mm prime that costs about twice as much, though? Maybe, but you’re likely much better off just taking good care of whichever lens you do buy.

Other than that, the only other thing that stood out to us was the fact that if you want to re-program the Fn switch on the side of the lens, you’ll have to get the accessory USB dock. (~$60)

Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE Review | Compared To The Competition

What other lenses are out there for you to consider? Let’s just get right to the most obvious two categories of competition: You’re either constrained by budget and/or size & weight, …or you don’t care about size/weight, have a decent budget, and just want the best option you can afford. So, which category do you fall into?

First and foremost, if you’re shopping for an affordable and lightweight 35mm f/1.8 lens, with autofocus, this Samyang/Rokinon is pretty much it. The next-closest, portable and similarly-priced lens (that has autofocus) is Samyang’s own AF 35mm f/2.8 FE, for about $300. It’s only f/2.8, though, so it’ll be a whole different type of lens in most people’s eyes. (Tamron also has a 35mm f/2.8 for about the same price, but its autofocus motor is a bit less impressive, so we recommend the Samyang if you’re looking for an f/2.8 prime.)

Alternately, what if you’re not even sure that 35mm is right for you, and you’re just looking for a “normal” focal length prime that is very compact and affordable? Just add 10mm, and consider the Samyang/Rokinon AF 45mm f/1.8 FE, which goes for around $330-400

Of course, there are quite a few manual focus 35mm lenses you could consider, but as far as we’ve seen, all of the ones in this price range aren’t going to be significantly better.

Other than that, for under $400, there is literally nothing (again, with autofocus) we can recommend. Also, beware, a lot of the manual focus and/or autofocus lenses that are down in that price range are not full-frame lenses, they’re APS-C E-mount lenses!)

If you’re willing to jump up in price quite a lot, Sony’s own FE 35mm f/1.8 is indeed a very good lens. It’s one of the sharpest 35mm lenses around, and it is also quite portable. However, it’s a $700-750 lens, which is nearly double the price of the Samyang. Is it twice as good, you might ask? No, it’s only a little bit better. Thus, the Samyang is a significantly better value, as long as you don’t heavily abuse it and break it in less than half the time you’d break a Sony.

In our experience, if you heavily abuse your gear, you will suffer the consequences soon either way, so we’d rather go for the best value, and just take decent care of our gear!

Of course, there’s the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 FE, which usually costs around $800. HOWEVER, you might be lucky enough to find it for $499 or so, if it’s on sale, (which it is right now around Christmas 2020!) …but otherwise, indeed, get ready to pay around $800. Is it worth that much? Yes, absolutely, if you want f/1.4 and are willing to carry a much larger lens.

All in all, no matter what price range you’re able to shop in, no matter what your requirements are for image quality, or portability, …in every case, the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE turns out looking very attractive. It’s that simple.

Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE Review | Conclusion

You could be a beginner who just bought their first full-frame mirrorless camera, maybe a Sony A7III or the brand-new, lightweight, and compact Sony A7C, and the Samyang would be a perfect match. But, you could also be a hard-working professional who loves using 35mm for everything, and own a high-end 35mm f/1.4 (or f/1.2!) prime that you use most of the time, …and yet still want to have the Samyang 35mm f/1.8 around for more casual situations!

Either way, you should probably consider this lens if you’ve EVER been in a situation where you wanted a compact prime lens in this “slightly wider than normal” focal range, whether casual candids or serious professional work!

Check Pricing & Availability

You can find the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE at all the usual retailers for around $399 as of right now, and you can also pick up the Samyang USB lens docking station for about $59

• Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE – B&H | Adorama | Amazon
• Samyang USB Lens Dock Station – B&H | Adorama | Amazon

By designing the lens to be 75mm instead of 85mm, and by making a few other minor compromises that are to be expected for such a portable, affordable lens, Roki-Yang has achieved something that many casual, serious, and professional photographers may enjoy- a portrait lens that is so tiny, it can make you forget you’re even using a full-frame system!

Is it perfect? No, of course not. At least, it’s not perfect on paper, in lab tests. And yet, somehow, it might just be “the perfect lens” for you, if you’re one of the many photographers who has been waiting patiently for mirrorless systems to be “lighter and smaller”, as was promised when the systems first arrived.

In this review, we’ll talk about how the Rokinon/Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE might be perfect to some photographers, despite its flaws, and then we’ll also discuss the alternatives for those who may have slightly different priorities (or higher standards) when it comes to finding “the perfect portrait prime lens”…

Rokinon/Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE Specifications

• FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW: 75mm, (32.9° on full-frame) ~110mm on APS-C
• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E-mount
• APERTURE & RANGE: f/1.8 to f/22, 9-blade, rounded
• STABILIZATION: NO
• AUTOFOCUS: YES; linear STM motor
• MANUAL FOCUS: YES, electronically controlled, no distance/hyperfocal markings
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 10 elements in 9 groups, 3 extra-low dispersion (ED) elements, 2 high refractive index (HR) elements, ultra-multi-coating (UMC)
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Metal & plastic, no weather sealing
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.13x, 0.69m (27 in.)
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: YES, 58mm, bayonet hood included
• SIZE: 2.56×2.72 in. (65x69mm)
• WEIGHT: 8.11oz (230g)
• PRICE: $399 (B&H)

Rokinon/Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE Review | Who Should Buy It?

When you first see a picture of this lens, let alone open the box and hold it, or mount it to a camera, you should already know one thing: the Rokinon/Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE is meant for photographers who are looking for a lens that achieves maximum portability!

Whether you’re an aspiring beginner, a serious hobbyist, or a paid professional, you might be struggling with the decision of which camera system to invest in, especially when it comes to full-frame sensors versus crop-sensor alternatives. Because with full-frame, both price and size/weight are usually huge obstacles that hinder many folks without a big enough budget or enough space in their bag. This lens, simply put,  brings crop-sensor portability and affordability to your full-frame Sony camera!

By comparison, on an APS-C system you would a 50mm lens with about an f/1.2 aperture in order to achieve equally shallow depth. Very few lenses offer this much shallow DOF to crop-sensor users, and the ones that do are significantly bigger and heavier. For example, there’s the Fuji 50mm f/1.0, a ~$1,500 lens that weighs 1.86 lbs (845g), or the two Fuji 56mm f/1.2’s, which are 0.89 lb (405g) lenses that range from ~$850 to ~$1,500, depending on if you get the APD version or not. That’s a LOT of money, for the full-frame equivalent of a “modest” f/1.8 portrait prime!

In fact, if you pair this 75mm prime with, say, Rokinon/Samyang’s other “tiny” f/1.8 prime, the AF 45mm f/1.8 FE, and maybe the AF 24mm f/2.8 FE, or AF 18mm f/2.8 FE, …then all of a sudden you have a complete set of full-frame primes that are lighter and smaller (and more affordable, collectively) than literally everything else on the market, and even lighter than quite a few APS-C options you might be considering!

So, for any beginner or serious hobbyist, this lens is a great choice. Portraits, candids, detail/food photos, travel & event photography, you name it! A compact 75mm lens is an attractive idea.

What if you’re a working professional, though? Is it too much of a compromise to go with such a budget-friendly option? On the contrary, in my opinion, quite the opposite is true: If ~85mm is your favorite focal length, then you should own this lens as your casual walk-around alternative to whatever massive, heavy 85mm f/1.4 you use to pay your bills.

Of course, that’s not to say this Rokinon/Samyang 75mm isn’t capable of professional results, or that you should only consider it for casual, un-paid photos; it certainly is capable of professional results, whether you shoot landscapes at f/8, or nightscapes or shallow-depth portraits at f/~2.8…

Either way, whether it’s your main “casual/candid” lens, or a BTS/backup to a more high-end 85mm prime, you’ll really enjoy having the 75mm around!

What types of photographers is this lens NOT made for?

Having said all that, what types of photography, or photographers’ styles, might lead to deciding NOT to buy this lens? Well, to spoil the rest of this review, here’s the dirt on the Rokinon/Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE: First, as you can imagine, its physical construction is not extremely high-end flagship status. Second, the other inherent nature of such a tiny, portable lens is that it’s not optically perfect, especially in the corners.

So, if you’re a pixel-peeper who needs corner-to-corner sharpness at wide-open apertures, or if you plan to do a lot of work in truly abysmal conditions such as rain, snow, or dust/sand storms, then you should probably save up for something with a bit more robust construction, weather sealing, and optics that deliver jaw-dropping image quality for even the highest-resolution full-frame sensors.

Can the 75mm do these things, in a pinch? Yes, absolutely. In fact, check out our image samples below for an example of sharpness in pitch-dark nightscape conditions; the Roki-Yang is no slouch! Still, for truly “flawless” image quality, you owe it to yourself to also consider decently affordable options (relative to name-brand flagship options) such as the Tokin 85mm f/1.8 ATX-M, ($429 to $499, compared to Sony’s $598 FE 85mm f/1.8) or the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DN Art, which is $1,199 compared to Sony’s $1,798 85mm f/1.4 GM.

We’re getting ahead of ourselves, but lastly, if you decide that this 75mm lens just isn’t right for you, another close alternative is, of course, Rokinon/Samyang’s own AF 85mm f/1.4 FE, which comes in at just $699, or $599 whenever its (relatively frequent) rebate is ongoing.

85mm Versus 75mm: Which Is “Better”?

One thing we need to discuss before we go any further is, why 75mm? Why not 85mm? Well, firstly, going from 85mm to 75mm definitely helped make this lens more portable. For that benefit, you might be OK with losing a slight bit of your “reach” compared to a traditional 85mm lens, especially if you are/were already familiar with using a 50mm prime lens on an APS-C camera. (50mm X 1.5 crop factor = 75mm)

Personally? I really like 75mm, and here’s why: I actually don’t use 50mm very much; I’m a bigger fan of two-lens 35mm and 85mm kits, however, I’ve always felt like 85mm was a bit longer than I’d usually like. Now, with the 75mm paired with, say, the new Rokinon/Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE, another portable lens, I feel like I’ve got a perfect two-lens kit for all types of photography. (Or, don’t forget the AF 35mm f/2.8 FE, which is almost a “pancake” style lens!)

Also, by bumping from 85mm down to 75mm, I feel like other telephoto focal lengths like 105mm and 135mm become a little more useful, too. In the past, it would feel highly redundant to bring both an 85mm and a 105mm prime to a wedding, but now I find myself wondering and waiting to see if Rokinon/Samyang will soon deliver a highly portable AF 105mm f/2.8 FE or an AF 135mm f/2.8 FE, to complete their portable lineup of full-frame autofocus lenses!

Rokinon/Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE Review | Pros & Cons

The Pros and Cons of this lens can easily be summed up with just a few bullet points. So, instead of drawing it all out, let’s get right to the verdict!

Rokinon AF 75mm f/1.8 FE Pros:

• Good image quality throughout most of the image frame
• Fast, silent, accurate, reliable autofocus in most conditions
• The most portable lens in its class
• The most affordable (autofocus) lens in its class

Rokinon AF 75mm f/.18 FE Cons:

• Image quality at wide-open apertures slightly behind its competitors
• Image quality in image corners significantly behind its competitors
• Build quality is “budget-friendly” (no weather sealing, some plastic parts)
• Autofocus can randomly hunt/rack focus in poor lighting conditions
• FN (Custom Mode) switch requires anaccessory USB lens dock ($59) for better customization

Image Quality

Now that we’ve outlined all the pros and cons, let’s talk about the various aspects of performance and go more in-depth. First and foremost, image quality is, well, average. However, that’s saying a lot considering the standard of modern-day optical designs! In other words, image quality is actually great, until you really pixel-peep.

In terms of sharpness, the Rokinon/Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE is quite decent, even with the aperture wide-open at f/1.8, throughout most of the image frame. If you’re photographing portraits and hoping for nice background blur, then as long as you keep your subject’s faces away from the extreme corners of your image frame, you’ll love the results you get.

If you jump from 24 megapixels to 61 megapixels, then you’ll start to see a faint amount of image quality issues at f/1.8, but they’re a fair trade-off for such a portable, affordable lens. Sharpness itself still has plenty of fine detail even on a high-megapixel sensor.

Other aspects of image quality, such as bokeh, colors, and contrast are also impressive. Considering the modest f/1.8 aperture, and an optical formula that has prioritized compactness,  it’s actually quite impressive to see how smooth the background blur is. One thing is for sure: it’s going to make your full-frame sensor worth the investment compared to, say, a 50mm f/1.8 lens on an APS-C sized sensor!

Distortion and vignetting are also surprisingly low for such a compact lens. They’re present, of course, but with the in-camera correction profile turned on you won’t really notice them, and the correction process does not cause softness or noise in the corners, which can be a risk with more severe correction profiles.

What about the very obscure, pixel-peeping nuances of image quality, things like color fringing, and other aberrations? This is where the Roki-Yang 75mm is, let’s say, “nothing to write home about”, but also, it is still up to par for modern standards. (Older 85mm optical formulas from the DSLR and film SLR eras were much, much worse in these regards!) If you’re a huge pixel-peeper, stop the lens down to f/2.5 or so before you start obsessing over something like coma or astigmatism, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Last but not least, in terms of image quality, the more creativity-related aspects- flare, sunstars, and close-up focusing… Once again, the real-world test results we were able to come up with all indicate “very impressive, for the compact size.”

Its closest focusing distance of 27 inches or ~0.7 meters can be a bit frustrating if you were expecting to be able to do anything remotely resembling “macro” photography with this lens, but that is totally in keeping with other portrait primes’ maximum magnification.

Design & Durability

Not only is the Rokinon/Samyang 75mm prime very small, as we’ve already mentioned many times, but the design and materials are also a bit on the budget-friendly side. The mount itself is metal, and some parts of the barrel are also made of lightweight metal. However, there are also a few plastic parts to the overall construction, and they don’t have that same high-grade feel that the latest name-brand flagship lenses have when they use plastic for things like switches, filter threads, or bayonet-style hoods.

All in all, for durability I would have to give the 75mm a passing grade, but it’s still the type of lens you shouldn’t abuse too heavily. To get the most out of your investment, do take decent care of it, and maybe avoid the more torrential downpours, splashing waves, or other such harsh conditions.

The “Custom Mode” (FN) Switch (And the Rokinon/Samyang USB Dock)

One other unique thing about the 75mm is a new concept, something that Canon has also begun using with their entry-level RF mirrorless lenses–the focus ring can be made dual-purpose, thanks to a switch on the lens.

By default, Custom Mode 1 is set to either do nothing when the camera is set to Autofocus, or do to do manual focusing whenever you switch the camera body itself to “MF”. Then, flip the switch to Custom Mode 2, and the focus ring switches to aperture control! This is a pretty neat way to add functionality to a single control ring, however, there are a few caveats…

One issue with this unique Custom Mode function is that when you switch to Mode 2 for aperture control, you can’t focus manually at all, even when you set the camera itself to “MF”. You must flip the lens’ switch back to Mode 1 if you want to focus manually.

Also, when you switch to Mode 2, you can ONLY change the aperture via the lens’ focus ring; you actually lose control of your aperture on both of your main command dials on the body of the camera.

It would be much better if the default customization was just slightly different: First, the most common thing people would expect would be for the switch to do the most simple thing: autofocus in Mode 1, and manual focus in Mode 2, without the need to switch the AF mode on the camera, too.

Alternately, it could be useful to have Mode 1 be able to perform both AF and MF, by controlling that function on the camera body, and then having Mode 2 be able to turn on the aperture control. Then, switching the camera body itself to MF could still override the lens’ setting, allowing manual focus instead of aperture control, plus of course allowing the command dials on the camera to continue controlling the aperture too.

We’ll have to do a separate review of the Rokinon/Samyang USB dock, but for now, suffice it to say that with a price tag of $59, it’s a bit of an annoying investment since pretty much all other AF lenses don’t have this Custom Mode switch; you’re basically buying the USB dock as a customization tool for the 75mm alone, plus the brand-new 35mm f/1.8 AF/FE, too. Considering the low price (both are $399) for either lens, $59 is still worth it, but I also think more functionality needs to be added, too.

Autofocus Performance

One thing that even budget-minded shoppers cannot compromise on is, of course, autofocus performance. If you’re buying an AF lens, then chances are you want the AF to work very well!

Rokinon’s earliest autofocus lenses, from 2016 and 2017, had decent but slightly slower, less reliable autofocus. Today, in 2020, their latest AF lenses are not just fast and silent, but quite reliable. The AF 75mm f/1.8 FE is pretty reliable even in difficult low-light conditions, and only “hunts” every now and then compared to a name-brand Sony lens like the FE 85mm f/1.8 or FE 85mm f/1.4 GM. So, unless you’re photographing extremely fast action, or shooting video and using autofocus to continuously track faces or other subjects around the viewfinder, you’ll be totally satisfied with the 75mm’s AF performance.

Manual Focus Performance

Focusing manually on these modern mirrorless AF lenses is almost always done electronically, and this means both the AF motors and the focus ring itself need to be capable of extremely fine sensitivity. If not, the lens will “jump” when focusing manually, and you’ll quickly be frustrated when trying to nail perfect focus at faster apertures.

The Roki-Yang 75mm has a very smooth focus ring, both in terms of its physical feel when rotating, and in the electronic sensitivity. There is a faint bit of “jump” to the plane of focus itself, however, the increment is so fine, you can always achieve perfectly sharp focus, even on difficult subjects like stars/planets in a nightscape or astrophotography situation.

Value

At $399, it’s pretty easy for this lens to be seen as a great value. As long as you don’t heavily abuse it, you’ll get a lot of life out of it, and the performance is good enough for not just casual but even serious, professional work.

The nearest competitors may only be $100-200 more expensive, but compared to the 75mm’s incredibly low price, that’s a 25% and a 50% increase! In other words, you can’t beat this value. Just about the only thing that comes close is the Tokina 85mm f/1.8, which, at $499 is still very affordable. Or, even better: the Tokina is sometimes on sale for $429, making it a mere $30 more than the Rokinon/Samyang. Considering the Tokina’s truly robust build quality and incredible image quality, it’s definitely a value worth considering, if you’re looking for an incredible value but don’t mind the added size and heft, in exchange for fantastic optical results.

[Related: Tokina 85mm f/1.8 ATX-M FE Review | Beautiful Bokeh & Impressive Sharpness!]

Rokinon/Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE Review | Compared To The Competition

What other options are out there? Mostly, a bunch of 85mm primes that cost quite a bit more than this 75mm f/1.8. The next-cheapest one is the Tokina 85mm f/1.8 ATX-M, which, as we mentioned ,can be found with a rebate for as little as $429; it’s the normal price being $499.

Aside from the Tokina, the competition jumps up in both price and size quite a bit. Even the “modest” Sony FE 85mm f/1.8, which is not a G lens, let alone a GM lens, is about $600. Speaking of ~$600, Rokinon/Samyang also make an AF 85mm f/1.4 FE, which costs $599. That is, when it has its $100 instant savings; most of the time it’s actually a $699 lens.

From there, you jump up quite a bit more to the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DN Art, which is $1,199 and 1.38 lbs (625g), compared to Sony’s 85mm f/1.4 GM that is $1,798 and 1.8 lbs (820g).  At this point, you’re in a completely different league in every way. (Again, for comparison, the Rokinon/Samyang 75mm f/1.8 is barely 0.5 lbs, or 230g!)

NOTE: Rokinon/Samyang also make an 85mm f/1.8, HOWEVER, this is an APS-C only, manual-focus lens, it is NOT a full-frame lens! So, don’t accidentally buy that lens if you’re looking for a full-frame and/or autofocus portrait prime lens.

Of course, if you are shooting with an APS-C camera like the Sony A6600, and don’t plan to upgrade to full-frame any time soon, then you certainly could consider both the 75mm and 85mm f/1.8’s. The 75mm makes a perfect ~110mm portrait prime, and offers the convenience of autofocus, while the 85mm f/1.8 will offer better manual focusing smoothness, and a little bit longer of a focal length. They’re both downright “tiny”, and the manual focus 85mm f/1.8 costs only $299, when it has its $100 rebate.

Rokinon AF 75mm f/1.8 FE Review | Conclusion

The Rokinon/Samyang 75mm f/1.8 is a winner both in terms of portability and affordability, there’s no denying that! If you’re okay with the slightly different focal length compared to 85mm, and if you’re not going to scrutinize the corners of your images on a 42-61 megapixel full-frame camera sensor, then you’ll be thrilled with this lens.

If you’re a more discerning photographer who demands superior optical performance and “indestructible” build quality, then this probably isn’t the right lens for you, however, if ~85mm is your absolute favorite focal length, you might still really enjoy this lens as a portable alternative for more casual shooting, and an affordable backup to the expensive “workhorse” 85mm prime you might already have.

So, in conclusion, we highly recommend this lens to anyone who is interested in a portable, affordable option. It is one of the very few full-frame lenses that realy delivers on the promise of mirrorless systems being highly compact and lightweight, which is something that a lot of people have been eagerly waiting for!

Check Pricing & Availability

Samyang is the global company, and Rokinon is just the name they operate under in the USA, but you can purchase either version through B&H for $399. You can also buy either version of their USB dock, which is useful for firmware updates, autofocus calibration, and assigning different functions to the FN switch on the side of the 75mm

B&H: Rokinon AF 75mm f/1.8 FE ($399)
B&H: Samyang AF 75m f/1.8 FE ($399)
B&H: Rokinon USB Lens Station for Sony E ($59.95)
B&H: Samyang USB Lens Station for Sony E ($59.95)