Samyang AF 12mm 2.0

The Samyang AF 12mm f/2 E strikes a nice balance between quality and pricing. The border/corner performance is just Okay at f/2 - which isn't ideal for astrophotography despite the lens being marketed for this purpose. The heavy vignetting also requires quite some auto-correction at this setting. However, the image quality sharpens up nicely at f/2.8 already, and it's pretty darn good between f/4 to f/5.6. The native lateral CAs are somewhat on the high side, but auto-correction can do its magic here without losses. It doesn't have much to work on with respect to image distortions - these are quite low. Flare can be a bit of a problem in difficult scenes, so don't forget to use the provided lens hood. The bokeh is rather rough, unfortunately. Sun stars are nicely rendered, though. It's a rather low-budget lens, but you won't really notice this when picking up the lens. It's very lightweight, yet it feels solid, and the texture of the rubberized, focus ring is also quite nice. Additionally, it also features decent weather sealing, including a sealed rear element for extra protection. The AF is pretty snappy and quiet. The Samyang AF 12mm f/2 E may not be the best ultra-wide angle lens in its class, but if you are on a budget, it is a viable choice.

The Samyang AF 12mm f/2 E is a small and light ultra-wide lens for APS-C format that is well made and performs well.

Highly Recommended – A compact, fast ultrawide lens with weather sealing and an excellent performance.