stratokaster
Top Veteran
- Location
- Dublin, Ireland
- Name
- Pavel
Samsung NX system may be obscure, but Samsung's ambitions as a camera maker are pretty bold. And Samsung NX 85mm ƒ/1.4 ED SSA is a testament to those ambitions because right now it's the only ultra-fast portrait prime lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras. Sony or Fujifilm don't offer similar lenses (yet).
The optical construction of this lens features 10 elements in 8 groups, including one element of the extra-low dispersion type (hence the letters ED in the lens name). Minimum focusing distance is 0.81m, maximum magnification — 1:7.7. The lens ships with a nice matched carrying case and deep hood.
Design and build
First things first: this lens is both large and heavy. It weighs ~700g without the hood and takes 67mm filters. It looks funny on tiny Samsung NX bodies and one-handed shooting with NX 85mm is a big no. (I also don't recommend using this lens on a tripod because it will put an inordinate strain on the camera's lens mount. Those small mirrorless cameras are delicate, delicate things.)
The build quality of Samsung NX 85mm ƒ/1.4 is excellent. The lens barrel is mostly made of metal and the mount is metal as well, but filter threads are plastic, which is a bit disappointing. The focus ring is very broad, well-dampened and covered in rubber. Focusing throw is very generous for an autofocus lens. There even is a distance scale.
NX 85mm ƒ/1.4 is also equipped with the so-called "i-Function" button and command ring, which is a common feature of Samsung NX lenses that allows you to change certain shooting parameters using on-lens controls instead of pressing buttons on the back of your camera. In my opinion, it's nothing more than a gimmick.
Performance
Samsung NX 85mm ƒ/1.4 features an ultrasonic motor ("SuperSonic Actuator") which is completely silent, but you will definitely hear some sliding and also an occasional soft "thud" as the lens reaches the limits of its focus range. The AF speed is very decent, but not instantaneous, although it depends on the camera body. Recent bodies, such as NX300 and NX2000, will focus this lens faster than older cameras.
Shooting with this lens wide open requires some skill, because at ƒ/1.4 the DOF is razor-thin and even the slightest movement of either the camera or the subject will result in misfocused photos. But if you manage to nail focus, you will discover that NX 85mm ƒ/1.4 is actually pretty darn sharp even wide open (100% crop):
At ƒ/2.8 the lens already reaches its peak performance and becomes too sharp for portraits (100% crop):
The rendering of out-of-focus areas is very smooth both in the background and the foreground:
There is some slight spherochromatism (magenta/green outlines around contrasty OOF areas) wide open which, surprisingly, doesn't go away as you stop down. Axial color fringing, on the other hand, is almost nonexistent.
Conslusion
Samsung NX 85mm ƒ/1.4 is a great lens and one that is worth buying into Samsung NX system alone. Currently no other mirrorless system offers direct counterpart of this lens, with its closest competitor probably being Olympus M.Zuiko 75mm ƒ/1.8 for Micro 4/3. Samsung NX 85mm is slightly wider (~130mm EFL vs. 150mm). I don't usually shoot with telephotos (I think they're too claustrophobic) and for me personally those 20mm are the difference between "long, but still manageable" and "almost unusable," although I suspect great many folks will either not care or actually prefer the Olympus lens because of its longer reach. The Samsung lens is faster, but much bigger and heavier. It's also less sharp wide open, but at ƒ/2.0 it's a draw.
I'm not a Samsung NX shooter, but even if I was, I wouldn't buy this lens because it's too long, too large and too heavy for me. However, if you think you want a relatively compact camera system with an 85mm ƒ/1.4 lens, Samsung NX is your best bet. Of course, you can use adapted lenses with other mirrorless cameras, but I definitely wouldn't want to focus such a lens manually.
Sample shots
The optical construction of this lens features 10 elements in 8 groups, including one element of the extra-low dispersion type (hence the letters ED in the lens name). Minimum focusing distance is 0.81m, maximum magnification — 1:7.7. The lens ships with a nice matched carrying case and deep hood.
Design and build
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First things first: this lens is both large and heavy. It weighs ~700g without the hood and takes 67mm filters. It looks funny on tiny Samsung NX bodies and one-handed shooting with NX 85mm is a big no. (I also don't recommend using this lens on a tripod because it will put an inordinate strain on the camera's lens mount. Those small mirrorless cameras are delicate, delicate things.)
The build quality of Samsung NX 85mm ƒ/1.4 is excellent. The lens barrel is mostly made of metal and the mount is metal as well, but filter threads are plastic, which is a bit disappointing. The focus ring is very broad, well-dampened and covered in rubber. Focusing throw is very generous for an autofocus lens. There even is a distance scale.
NX 85mm ƒ/1.4 is also equipped with the so-called "i-Function" button and command ring, which is a common feature of Samsung NX lenses that allows you to change certain shooting parameters using on-lens controls instead of pressing buttons on the back of your camera. In my opinion, it's nothing more than a gimmick.
Performance
Samsung NX 85mm ƒ/1.4 features an ultrasonic motor ("SuperSonic Actuator") which is completely silent, but you will definitely hear some sliding and also an occasional soft "thud" as the lens reaches the limits of its focus range. The AF speed is very decent, but not instantaneous, although it depends on the camera body. Recent bodies, such as NX300 and NX2000, will focus this lens faster than older cameras.
Shooting with this lens wide open requires some skill, because at ƒ/1.4 the DOF is razor-thin and even the slightest movement of either the camera or the subject will result in misfocused photos. But if you manage to nail focus, you will discover that NX 85mm ƒ/1.4 is actually pretty darn sharp even wide open (100% crop):
At ƒ/2.8 the lens already reaches its peak performance and becomes too sharp for portraits (100% crop):
The rendering of out-of-focus areas is very smooth both in the background and the foreground:
Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)
There is some slight spherochromatism (magenta/green outlines around contrasty OOF areas) wide open which, surprisingly, doesn't go away as you stop down. Axial color fringing, on the other hand, is almost nonexistent.
Conslusion
Samsung NX 85mm ƒ/1.4 is a great lens and one that is worth buying into Samsung NX system alone. Currently no other mirrorless system offers direct counterpart of this lens, with its closest competitor probably being Olympus M.Zuiko 75mm ƒ/1.8 for Micro 4/3. Samsung NX 85mm is slightly wider (~130mm EFL vs. 150mm). I don't usually shoot with telephotos (I think they're too claustrophobic) and for me personally those 20mm are the difference between "long, but still manageable" and "almost unusable," although I suspect great many folks will either not care or actually prefer the Olympus lens because of its longer reach. The Samsung lens is faster, but much bigger and heavier. It's also less sharp wide open, but at ƒ/2.0 it's a draw.
I'm not a Samsung NX shooter, but even if I was, I wouldn't buy this lens because it's too long, too large and too heavy for me. However, if you think you want a relatively compact camera system with an 85mm ƒ/1.4 lens, Samsung NX is your best bet. Of course, you can use adapted lenses with other mirrorless cameras, but I definitely wouldn't want to focus such a lens manually.
Sample shots
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