Samyang 12mm f/2 Manual Focus vs Autofocus

In this week's video, I'll briefly compare the two 12mm 12/2 offerings from Samyang. Obviously, one has autofocus and the other doesn't, but what are the other differences?
A big thanks goes out to Roy Cruz for lending me his copy of the manual focus lens and sharing some of his wonderful images:
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Gear from this video:
Samyang 12mm f/2 AF - amzn.to/3HVzJwH
Samyang 12mm f/2 MF - amzn.to/3KNG26G
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Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
0:47 - Build Quality
3:15 - Image Quality
5:20 - Focusing
6:05 - Conclusion and Slideshow
Links here are affiliate links. I'll get a small kickback (at no cost to you) if you decide to make a purchase.
Music Used Here:
- C4C - Skip Town
- Provided by Lofi Records
- Watch: • C4C - The Pursuit of S...
- Download/Stream: fanlink.to/ThePursuitOfSimpli...

[@roycruzphoto]

Great comparison, man! Glad to be the "sponsor" of this video. Haha. ;)

[@barrycohen311]

Great video. I have the MF version. AF is not a big deal to me on such a wide lens. At f/5.6 I can basically get 3' to infinity in focus.

[@ohjajohh]

Nice video, I especially like the picture of the stairs at Dongdaemun

[@Omnificuser]

Great photos!

[@kuojiao]

Many really nice shots 😊

[@phillean]

Thanks, very useful.

[@warricksmith5178]

I have the (Rokinon-branded) MF version of the 12/2. I use it mostly for Astro, and have been very happy with the results. For other wide-angle uses, I prefer the flexibility and other features of the Fuji 10-24/4.

[@alanc6416]

Thank you.

[@ptoktedia9011]

Nice video comes at right times

[@immanuelkuhrt8508]

I have the old one. One thing I feel they failed on was how they prioritised the focus mechanism. There is a ton of tweak ability below 50 cm, but there is a very short movement from 1 meter to infinity. I would gladly have given up some close focusing in exchange for more ease at hitting 2, 3 or 5 meters.

[@dylanglynn5703]

Great little gear review as always . I’m sure it’s occurred to you at some stage, but in your infinite spare time, you could compare them with the Viltrox 13mm 1.4, if of course you can get hold of a copy. personally i once picked up a zeiss 12mm 2.8 super cheap (for a secondhand zeiss), but i’ve never been overly impressed by it. Ive found myself wondering about the viltrox lately…

[@TedPartrick]

I've owned the manual version for several years and enjoy it. Why don't I use it more? I quickly lost the original hood and have never found a good replacement. The only ones I've found use the filter ring as the mount and don't a hold a lens cap in place. Thanks for the new review. I'll have to go out and use the 12mm some more!

[@REMY.C.]

Nice review. I wonder if it's a full weather resistance with gaskets all over the lens or just at the mount like Sigma is doing and trying to sell those as "weather sealed" because many people reviewing forgot to read the most important point "weather sealed at the mount". Couldn't find the precise information on Samyang website.

[@LemPotography]

subscribed! i have the mf and the af coming in the mail. awesome photo of the 'fertility tree' (the photo from roy).

[@btrue2day]

great video. thanks. But you did not address the image stabilisation issue with the autofocus lens. Did you have that problem?

[@chinmayeed]

Hello Dylan ! Rahul Deshpande here from India.Thanks for the great video. Need your kind advice or view. I always look for something compact. I am new to Fuji and I have Xt10. I have an option to buy used X70 that may need repairs. X70 I know making lots of 😅news 😊 so thinking of buying it may be . But I am not sure if I should buy X70 as -it has a same xtrans2 sensor, -it’s slightly smaller. Xt10 is 2cms taller and length is almost same - X70 has 18mm fixed and can easily carry anywhere. I am not sure if X10+ 12mm or 18mm would make similar combo as I have not seen 18mm or 12mm Is going to make a difference if I buy X70 though I have xt10? Instead I could spend money on lenses 12/18mm than buying X70 ? Confused😢Need your or readers views/thoughts on this. Thanks in advance

[@ooharloo]

I would love if you could cover the viltrox 13mm 1.4! I'm a big fan of you content and concepts.

[@kiwikea2002]

Thank you for the side-by-side. I guess I had been one of those wondering back then when you showed us the AF version ... So, for the way I am shooting (and I am used to handling and working with the MF version), I've decided I'd stick with the MF for the time being. The sharpness and the handling are the kickers for me. The one property that for now would really make a difference to me is WR. But you can't have it all. Thanks once again. I appreciate the insights you're giving us.

[@Ulisest91]

I just got the 12mm AF version for 120$ on an eBay auction it doesnt have a hood. Does the 12mn manual hood fit the 12mm AF?

[@michaelwalsh7846]

Good stuff, just got the manual mint for £130 but no hood, no 3rd party ones on ebay either? Now must get out of the garden and explore the big WIDE world, ha. Cheers from the UK.

[@jorgepintomonteiro6848]

I've got the manual lens for astrophotography and landscape. I'm thinking that the af is smaller and has weather sealing (2 important factors, I hike in all weather conditions and travel a lot), but I'd hate to lose IQ when printing photos. Do you think it's very pronounced or it might fly with no noticeable difference? Especially in what regards astrophoto...

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Thanks for watching! If you're shooting landscapes stopped down, you'll be happy with either lens. If you're planning on shooting astrophotography wide open, you're definitely going to see the difference. Take a quick look at the coma section of this video. That should help you with the decision.

[@jorgepintomonteiro6848]

Both are equally "not good" for comma 😂 well, then the AF takes the lead in that case. Although I was ill impressed with the lack of corner sharpness when compared to the MF version. I'm thinking that possibly there might be an issue with quality assurance at Samyang - my MF version behaves worse than other examples I've seen online. I'm now shooting f2-2.8 for Astro and f4-5.6 for everything else. The only acceptable images I get are at f4, I'm not too happy so far. I was avoiding the XF 8-16 to save some money. Maybe viltrox will output a super wide-high aperture-sealed lens at some point 🤷

[@user-vt7ob9by1g]

Optically both lens are literally the same, because, all optical elements come from same productions runs/no exceptions. If I gave you 10 of each to test, you would get a range of slightly different results, from identical to slightly different but practically negligible, due to QC/tiny manufacturing differentials, which is what you're actually seeing here. Only really useful comparison, is build quality/AF vs manual focus issues. A good example would be, does the AF version hold focus as well as the manual version for night sky photography at infinity? Still a good review and covers the aesthetics differential well too.

[@danneukirch4486]

I was think the same but see his comment down below - interesting... " They're most certainly not the same. A simple look at the two formulas on Samyang's site will tell you that. They're different formulas, they have different coatings, and even the aperture has an additional blade. There is no way they produce the same images."

[@caesarisestube]

Which one would have less focus breathing?

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Not something I looked at, unfortunately. You might find the answer to that on a more video-centric channel.

[@johnnykempo]

Another KZbin creator (Christopher Frost) has said that the optics between these two lenses are exactly the same. So it's strange that you are seeing a difference in sharpness. Care to comment Dylan?

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

They're most certainly not the same. A simple look at the two formulas on Samyang's site will tell you that. They're different formulas, they have different coatings, and even the aperture has an additional blade. There is no way they produce the same images.

[@ravi201060]

mate you sound like an strayalian..... bloody oath r you? great vdo's good job

[@DylanGoldbyPhotographer]

Long since departed, but certainly a passport holder. Glad some of that accent is still in there. You an Aussie yourself?