Samyang 16mm F2.0 ED AS UMC CS
03rd December 2016, Singapore – The Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS had been around for a while, 18 months to be exact, but the popularity of this lens is still going strong I must say. There aren’t many options for a Ultra Wide Angle lens for cropped sensors and I must say the Samyang 16mm F2 fits in rather well as a good alternative.
Before we proceed with the review, I would like to (again) share that if you ended up here looking for technical in-depth review, then you are certainly in the wrong place. Over here we are only keen how the lens behaved & performed, the image quality etc. If you are cool with this, read on.
Lenses for the APS-C sensor bodies had improved tremendously over the last few year and Samyang’s 16mm F2 is one fine example. It has a timeless design and the lens body is solid
& it feels expensive to the touch. Internally nothing was compromised, it has 13 elements divided into 11 groups and the 16mm F2 opens from F2 to F22. Designed as an 8-Blader, it is supposed to give the user excellent bokeh when opened to the widest aperture. Weights about 500gm (estimated) and measures about 80mm x 95mm, this is one tiny lens (when compared to other ultra wide angle lenses of similar range). The front accepts 77mm filters and the minimum focusing distance is just 17.5cm, pretty good to max out the magnification capability for this lens.
For this review, we had passed the Samyang 16mm to Ida Rasid, our guest reviewer for this review. Do check out all her images on this article and read about her thoughts about the Samyang 16mm F2.0!
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Samyang 16mm F2.0 ED AS UMC CS Review
by Ida Rashid
Image by Ida: Shot using the New Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS.
Image by Ida: Shot using the New Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS.
Hi Everyone! Here’s my thoughts on the Samyang 16mm F2 after using it for 7 days! I had always wanted to try ultra wide angle lenses but never really had a chance – so when Editor AL contacted me to invite me to be a guest reviewer for this lens, I was thrilled! For those of you who are not aware, the Editor, AL is Singapore’s appointed Ambassador for Samyang Lenses.
I have heard a lot about Samyang lenses from fellow photographers and friends but never really have a chance to use or try, so finally I got my chance and test out a Samyang lens and a focal range that I sought after.
Image by Ida: Shot using the New Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS.
Wide, wide, wide, just how wide is enough? For me, 16mm (24mm eqv in 35mm format) is just right, as I do not like my subjects to be too small and still have enough space for me to crop later. And what surprised me was the minimal distortion at the edges, as most UWA lenses suffers a fair bit of softness or distortion at the edges, the Samyang 16mm has very little distortion – you can see from the image below of my daughter standing in the center of the frame and everything else is properly rendered.
Image by Ida: Shot using the New Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS.
Image by Ida: Shot using the New Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS.
On the lens build, I like it a lot too, the body was very solid and well put together. The focusing ring is creamy smooth and the focusing ratio is really good, very easy to use. Honestly I never knew using a manual focus lens can be this easy.
Image by Ida: Shot using the New Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS.
Image by Ida: Shot using the New Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS.
The colors rendered from the Samyang 16mm F2.0 is pretty nice and the image are contrasty straight out of the camera which is very decent for most photography applications. Another plus point is that the Samyang 16mm F2.0 is a value-for-money lens with a super big aperture as it was priced very reasonably low.
Image by Ida: Shot using the New Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS.
I had planned to try astrophotography with this lens but unfortunately it was raining every night when I was holding this lens. To sum up, the Samyang 16mm F2.0 is really a good lens for money or as an entry point to ultra wide angle photography. Priced to sell and good image quality, no wonder this lens is fast disappearing from the shelves. I say – go get yours!
Once again, thanks Editor AL for the opportunity!
– Ida Rashid
Image: Ida Rashid, Guest Reviewer.
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Editor’s Note: Thank you Ida for taking time out to review this lens!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts & your experience in using this lens!
OK Guys, Buy your Samyang 16mm F2.0 ED AS UMC CS here.
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