Samyang AF 12mm f/2 X (Fuji version) lens review

Fuji's long-appreciated (and slightly long-in-the-tooth?) bright 12mm lens gets an the autofocus makeover, and this time it on the Fuji X system, where its older manual focus brother has always been popular)
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[@andrei0525]

The manual 12mm is one of the first primes i got for fuji after some kit lens and i also had it on canon M before switching. I don‘t think the lens needed autofocus so i‘m very happy with mine

[@franzjosefstakes]

It's a tough sell now that the Viltrox 13mm is out. Yes, the Viltrox is ~50$ more expensive, a bit bigger and slightly narrower, but seems to be much sharper and is one stop brighter!

[@mattdebyl8806]

Also double the weight and not as wide. One is roughly equivalent to an 18mm f/2.8 and the other a 20mm f/2. Those each have their place.

[@Vinterloft]

It's not as sharp in the middle and has more loca and colour fringing. But both are good options. What is usually the downer with Viltrox is that their firmware doesn't always allow changing focus speed and sensitivity on certain Fuji cameras in the menu, always essentially being set for max speed and sensitivity. Good for stills, terrible for video.

[@zaymax_7]

Don't forget the aperture ring!

[@AndreasRavnestad]

Great review, thanks! I own a copy of both the old and new version of this lens for my Fuji X-S10, and I'm not entirely sure that the optical formula is unchanged based on my own head-to-head comparisons of the two. That being said, I really hope you will be able to compare this lens to the Viltrox 13mm whenever Viltrox finds it appropriate to lift the embargo.

[@trym2121]

It's unchanged, the coating is changed to reduce flaring and another minor stuff but I forgot which. But the design is intact

[@AndreasRavnestad]

@@trym2121 I guess I could have gotten lucky with my new copy, but there is a tangible difference in sharpness in head to head comparisons I've made. Also, the close focusing distance has changed as well.

[@johnnykempo]

​@@AndreasRavnestad glad it's changed in a good way for you.

[@sclogse1]

Chris, I've been looking at a montage sequence of some of the best camerawork from the film, The Cranes Are Flying. They are indelible and extraordinary. It makes you wonder how, with all that camera movement it was always in focus. (This is 1959!) Then you realize ir's shot with wide lenses, lit well enough indoors to probably be filmed at f8, outdoors no problem, but it's the film ratio that takes it over the top. 2.35/1. Or so. With that ratio, the edges are cropped, so less distortion is visible, and edge softness is eliminated. It's a win win deal, and I think this should be talked about as a subject for new video work. It is exactly the reason I'm buying the lens, and we haven't even mentioned the depth of field these wide lenses give, which is another big plus for using the manual focus lens.

[@dangerbeered]

Any reason why you haven’t mentioned that you need to buy a separate bit of kit (Lens Station for Fuji X - £62) to update Samyang lenses? Are you aware that there are no firmware updates available for x mount lenses? I watched all the reviews available for this lens and no one mentions these two facts. I would be delighted if you could prove me wrong. I’ve just purchased a lens only to find out that I have to spend another £62 for an extra bit of kit to update a lens for which there are no updates.

[@eprohoda]

yeah, cool s-ee u around! Christopher~🙂

[@Cony989]

I like my MF 12mm F2 and will never sell it 😇

[@tjkrueger2655]

Been using the manual version for astro and it's great, especially for the money. But it was never great during the day due to flaring. This at least makes it usable as more than a niche lens

[@Kangguyen]

Can you review the viltrox 13mm lens? Compare with samyang AF 12mm lens

[@arunavade2571]

2:01 Isn't the lens front focusing a bit? I initially thought that the Pepsi logo didn't appear sharp because I was watching at 720p. Then I switched to 4k and also compared with the very next frame (where Christopher is holding the camera), and it does seem like the AF is not focusing accurately on the logo.

[@Mrkrzyh]

to check the true sharpness in the corners, you need to set the af point there because the distance of the lens from the center is different

[@Mrkrzyh]

this difference is important for wide focal length lenses

[@Vantrakter]

@@Mrkrzyh It's called field curvature and it affects some lenses more than others. It's not a desirable feature in wide angle lenses if one values sharp corners since what's the use of a sharp corner if the center is soft (and who wants to stack shots to counter field curvature).

[@physicsdoctor]

A great video again! If you visit İzmir one more time, please inform me. I will show my hospitality!

[@stephanweiskorn6760]

Excellent video 😊!

[@chadbalonick1784]

I was really hoping you were going to review this lens. Seems like a nice buy for the price. Cheers!

[@maxmuenchow]

I really enjoy the new style of samyang lenses. Great review as always Chris!

[@AndreiDimaReviews]

Great review as always!

[@jianzhou7383]

Hello, I feel that in the video you made, the FUJI version of this lens is slightly worse than the SONY version you made. Is that so? Thank you very much for your video, it helps me a lot.

[@BrendanMacWade]

I will keep an eye on this lens. If Samyang can improve the glass/optics in a later version, I'm getting it. As it stands, it's a useful lens with autofocus and a contemporary look. It just needs to improve upon the manual version's optics a little bit.

[@GlockenSpiel]

Hey, i see that you have visited my city, Izmir. I hope you had a great time haha

[@pipinfresh]

Why remove the aperture dial? That's why I love Fuji because I can adjust the aperture on the lens.

[@wutzzzzz]

Could you tell something about how it works with the ibis? (Xs10 xt4 xh1) I read something, that this won’t work. Actually this is for me the reason to keep the manual one

[@user-tf3hk6vk3v]

The image quality of the corner is just quite grossing.but its size is so compact,i think it's suitable for me.

[@JL-sn1ee]

love the samyang 12mm, i just wish they wouldve reworked the optics a bit as well since the CA is rather strong at least on my MF copy.

[@christianevangelista4562]

Hi Chris thanks for the review, have you find a way to focus the lens in Infinity under manual focusing?

[@BojanBojovic]

Thanks Christopher, great as always. It would be nice if you could review the Samyang 21mm f1.4 for Fuji. 🖖

[@robertbirnbach2312]

I have the manual focus lens and don't use it that often, for an ultra wide-angle autofocus is less of an issue than it is with a portrait lens. So the main upgrade for most people would really be the improvement in reducing flares, correct? is it enough of an improvement to warrant an upgrade?

[@Mathew-vlogs]

Can you please make a video and talk about the issue of the new samyang 12mm af f2 lens. Concerning the problem with the ibis when used in combination with the x-s10. Because for some reason, the ibis stops working. Fujifilm and samyang are not doing anything to fix this, but maybe if we get enough people talking about it, they will address the problem. Thank you.

[@nettmanoz]

nice image from the asansör in izmir.

[@rui-uh5ib]

hello Christopher, the camera lens correction works well? It fix also CA? Thank you very much

[@Utoober-yp7mf]

Is this good for videos? I recently bought the sigma 16mm 1.4 lens for my Sony A5100 but my crane M2 gimbal is not powerful enough to handle the sigma lens. Debating if I should get this or get a more powerful gimbal like weebill S.

[@just_eirik]

Fuji cameras can correct vignetting for non Fuji lenses without updating the camera?

[@rancorous]

Nice Turkey shots 👍

[@trym2121]

Hi Chris, have you ever reviewed the touit 12mm?

[@muttishelfer9122]

it is old and overpriced

[@martinfennell1866]

How does the autofocus version compare with the manual for astrophotography Chris?

[@Chumtex.profile]

I have been waiting for a video from you. Let's do about tamron 35 -150 f2-2.8 for sony fullframe. please

[@aikenhsiang]

How about viltrox 13mm / 1.4 ?

[@mattstolzman]

This versus Viltrox 13 1.4!!!!!!

[@jamesmoros1274]

Some of these lenses are bigger than FF lenses which kinda defeats the APS-C ideology, great review Peter 🙂

[@mattdebyl8806]

Is there an 18mm f/2.8 that is significantly smaller? I know Canon have their 16mm f/2.8 which is tiny, but also optically not very good. I don’t know if many others. I think Samyangs own 18mm f/2.8 is roughly similar to this.

[@jamesmoros1274]

@@mattdebyl8806 yes the Canon 😊 unfortunately these APS-C lenses are getting bigger and bigger. I’d say the Rangefinder type cameras are definitely smaller.. but that’s an other topic on its own.

[@mattdebyl8806]

@@jamesmoros1274 the Canon is an outlier and is optically not very good (it’s still probably a good option to have for that system). I’m sure there could be very small, poor quality lenses for any format.

[@CianMcsweeney]

Aps-c wide angle lenses generally will be bigger than their full frame counterparts, mainly because they need to be wider to achieve the same field of view, optically that's very hard to do well. At most normal and telephoto focal lengths though aps-c lenses are considerably smaller and lighter

[@Galabsharma]

Hello Christ , does fujifilm AF works good in this lens ??

[@Zainphotography]

Now i am confused. Viltrox 13 or Samyang 12!!!

[@tvurk]

Seems like the corners have less sharpness than the manual focus version of this lens, but that lens had a lot of chromatic aberration in the corners even stopped down. This lens doesn't. Does this lens have better lens coatings to minimize CA, or is CA removed by in-camera corrections?

[@sclogse1]

This does have better coatings.

[@jcsantistevan8977]

Hey Chris, it would be cool if you can do any reviews on Panasonics full-frame prime lenses? thank you.

[@christopherfrost]

One day I probably will :-)

[@matevosyanmikael2194]

Thank you

[@IliasKoureas]

Someone needs to make an ultra wide fast lens for as Nikon apsc shooter's. Even viltrox snobbed us by giving the 13mm only to fuji😭

[@mattdebyl8806]

Initially. There’s a very good chance it will come to Nikon Z in the future.

[@IliasKoureas]

@@mattdebyl8806 dude it will become a best seller immediately

[@A.Edilbi]

Its funny how you said in the end Bla bla bla link in the description 🤣

[@montazownianr1]

?

[@A.Edilbi]

@@montazownianr1 this is what he said in the end of the video

[@johnnykempo]

Shame they left the aperture ring off 😢

[@reboundk1ng]

The "bla bla bla" at the end really tells who you truly are

[@Twobarpsi]

Can anyone recommend a 12mm or wider lens for Canon APS-C? Thanks!

[@mostlymessingabout]

Sigma EF 12-24 with adapter. Or speedbooster for nearly full frame 12mm field of view

[@alastis874]

i wonder if you live in Turkey.

[@slimphotog]

This or the Sigma 16mm f/1.4?

[@IliasKoureas]

There's a huge difference between those two focal lengths. You should compare this lens to the viltrox 13mm 1.4

[@gaarakabuto1]

If only it had an aperture ring that lens would be a must have.

[@IbragimSishani]

Hello Chris. I am writing to you from Ukraine. While you are making yet another video about lenses - thousands and thousands of people are dying in Ukraine. City's are burning, Childs are dying. I do understand that you are a photo blogger, but maybe you will find a few minutes of your precious time and show your support to people of Ukraine? If you care...

[@christopherfrost]

Hello! In common with virtually everyone I know, I care very much about the situation in Ukraine and have been following the news very closely with great sadness. In my churches we have raised a lot of money for Ukrainian refugees, and I have made a number of donations to charities I know who are helping. We are also praying for your country very much, and praying that Vladimir Putin would be stopped, and I have preached about the situation in church also. I also used my church's projector to light up the side of the building with a giant Ukrainian flag, which drew a lot of attention in our village here. Take care there - the whole world is behind you.

[@Indydi]

So Ukraine is all anyone can talk about? It has to be mentioned in a completely unrelated video?

[@jayceon1578]

? Ｐｒⓞм???

[@Gibolingos]

vitrox 13mm 1.4 eat this samyang for a breakfast. Happens.

[@picasary]

Blah Blah Blah Patreon hahahaha

[@LuisPerez-fy6up]

First :)

[@robin29991]

Blah blah blah Patreon😂

[@mousasall1267]

First

[@StringerBell]

Fuji has the least market share from all modern cameras, it's not wise to make videos about it. Canon/Sony will get you much more retention rate and views.

[@muttishelfer9122]

Oh poor triggered Canon/Sony-Fanboy ;) Ps. Chris` video "Sigma lenses on Fuji X" has the most views in the last 2 months...

[@christopherfrost]

Actually, if you look at my channel, my Fuji videos get a huge amount of traction

[@StringerBell]

@@muttishelfer9122 So I'm a Sony and Canon fanboy at the same time? 😂😂 Did you even know the meaning of the word fanboy, son.

[@mattdebyl8806]

Lol, sticking to those two rather than doing them all is definitely going to have higher retention rates 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Vinterloft]

Fujifilm has higher marketshare than Olympus and Panasonic combined. They also have higher marketshare in APS-C than Nikon and Canon. It's just Americans who still buy Panasonic for some reason. The GH6 is pretty cool though, if it wasn't priced out of APS-C territory while being an MFT camera.

[@jf6772]

This is the first lens, if I’ve seen correctly, that actually carries that new UKCA logo. If one wonders what this means: „The technical requirements … are largely the same as they were for the CE marking.“ (www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-ukca-marking). So, mostly vanity?

[@edwardsmall3680]

Product compliance for sale within the UK now that we've left the EU. It's a general certification requirement for new products.

[@mostlymessingabout]

You can have both UKCA and CE. But CE-only can't be sold in UK anymore.