Samyang 35mm f/1.4

Samyang 35mm f/1.4 vs Nikon 35mm f/1.4G

Let’s take a look at how the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 compares to the Nikon 35mm f/1.4G:

At the maximum aperture of f/1.4, the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 slightly out-resolves the Nikon 35mm f/1.4G. However, when stopped down to f/1.8 and smaller, the Nikon 35mm f/1.4G takes over and performs better in comparison. Stopped down to f/5.6, both lenses do equally well, but the Nikon 35mm f/1.4G still loses slightly towards the edges of the frame due to noticeable field curvature issues. The Samyang 35mm f/1.4 does not show as pronounced field curvature issues in comparison. Overall, the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 seems to have excellent sharpness when compared to the Nikon 35mm f/1.4G.

Samyang 35mm f/1.4 vs Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4

Let’s compare the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 to the manual focus Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4:

The Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4 is clearly weaker than the Samyang 35mm f/1.4. MTF performance is pretty average at the maximum aperture and slightly improves at f/2. The center performance improves drastically when the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 is stopped down to f/2.8, but its corners still stay weak in comparison. Only at f/8 the Zeiss more or less gets close in performance. Overall, it is pretty clear that the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 is sharper when compared to the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4.

Samyang 35mm f/1.4 vs Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art

Lastly, let’s take a look at how the Samyang 35mm f/1.4 compares to the excellent Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art:

The Samyang 35mm f/1.4 performs significantly worse than the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art, which shines at every aperture, especially in the center of the frame. However, when it comes to edge performance, the Samyang exhibits less field curvature and therefore does a bit better, especially when stopped down to f/5.6 and smaller.