Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC Telephoto Lens for Canon EF Digital SLR Cameras

There is no auto-anything with this lens. But if you're comfortable with manual settings, then absolutely buy this lens. I'm not a professional photographer by any means, but I did take an online course to learn about the manual settings. You *must* use this lens on the M setting of a Canon camera.This is my only lens that is not loyal to the Canon brand, but since the Canon option is $2,000, I decided to try this one for $450 back in April 2021. It's absolutely the best camera decision that I've made! It's now April 2024 and the lens is up to $550, but still a great value considering the alternatives.I use it almost exclusively for flower photography, and it's absolutely my favorite lens. Hands down, it's my go-to EVERY time for flowers. For a full three years now. So, when I upgraded last week from a Canon Rebel T6 DSLR to a Canon R50 (mirror-less), my biggest concern was whether this lens would still work. I bought the "Canon Mount Adapter EF - EOS R, Compatible with EOS RP, EOS R, EOS R6, EOS R5" (the nicer one with the control ring) and Canon assured me that my other Canon lenses would still work fine, without any issues. And the adapter DID work immediately with my other lenses. But not with this one, my favorite. Everything worked except the shutter button would not release to actually capture the photo. I was heart-broken. It took some research, but thankfully someone answered my Amazon Q&A and explained that you must change the camera setting to turn on “release shutter w/o lens”. (FYI, This setting is only available in manual mode.) That fixed it immediately!Other than manual mode only, the other drawback is that it's a heavy lens. I think that's to be expected though. On my Canon Rebel T6 DSLR, it wasn't as big of a deal. On my new Canon R50 mirrorless, it's really lens heavy since the camera body is smaller and lighter. But it still does a fantastic job.All of these photos are un-edited, original files straight from my camera. The two daffodil photos, the lilac buds, the three crocus photos, and the last two orchid photos are with my new R50 mirrorless camera. The others are with my T6 DSLR camera.

This review is based on two weeks of use and about 650 exposures. Being my second Samyang manual lens my usage technique was already established based on the Samyang 85mm F1.4. This 135mm lens like the 85mm is all manual, no EXIF data (including distance, F stop and focal length) is transmitted to the camera. Some other mounts can be chipped for EXIF data and focus confirmation.Currently this lens is being used on my Sony A99SLT. The A99SLT provides focusing aids including viewfinder zoom and focus peaking and allows for easy and precise focusing. This technique however is much slower paced than a fast focusing autofocus lens, and not adept at capturing fast moving action. It will take some practice to get optimum results with this or any manual focus lens.The Samyang lens is of a basic and solid design reminiscent of older generation manual lenses designed for 35mm film cameras. This modern design uses a combination of metal parts and engineered plastics and feels solid and rugged. Samyang makes no claims as to water resistance and should be properly shielded from wet weather conditions. The F stop ring clicks in 1/2 stop increments from F2 to F22 and provides both visible (via scale) and mechanical (one click per 1/2 stop) feedback that allows for adjustment without looking directly at the aperture ring.The lens handles well on the A99 which is a full size camera but its weight is noticeable and moves the center of gravity about an inch or so ahead of the lens mount. The focus ring has a long throw and requires a significant force to rotate. The up side is the focus ring won't be easily jarred but requires a solid grip on the camera and focusing ring to get the task accomplished. The image quality is exceptionally good across the full frame from F2 to F16, softening slightly at F22. The out of focus area (bokeh) is pleasing and smooth, rendering a soft colorfully and non distracting background ideal for portraiture.Updated May 24, 2017: After 8 weeks of use the focusing ring that originally felt very stiff is now much easier to rotate and feels silky smooth throughout the entire rotation range. The amount of resistance is just about perfect now.Summary: Highly Recommended For Manual Focus Fans• Razor sharp images with beautifully pleasing bokeh are achievable with careful technique. Image quality is comparable to the best 135mm lenses.• Lens is fairly heavy and requires a firm grip to both camera and focusing ring.• No EXIF data available using Sony A-mount but image quality easily makes up for that. Keeping notes manually would be required if EXIF data is a critical need.• Reasonably priced based on build and image quality.• Recommended for photographers who don't mind manual focus and have cameras that allow for interchangeable focusing screens or provide electronic focusing aids.• The sharpest lens in my collection, with very little chromatic aberration.

Great lens for the price.

A solid lens that can help create *beautiful* photos.It takes some concentration and effort to manually focus at f2, but I think it's worth it. I can't overstate how impressed I am with the level of detail that is captured within the focused area. The blurred part of the image is exquisitely smooth.This lens takes a tiny bit more work (it's kinda heavy, focusing requires effort, it's large) but it's a nice investment IMHO.edit: I spent many hours trying to find a suitable traveling case for this lens. I took a gamble on the Ruggard 6 x 3.5" case Ruggard Lens Case 6.0 x 3.5" (Black) and it fits! (including the lens hood) I have Canon mount, some of the other brands of mounts a cm or two longer on this lens, so the case may or may not fit non-Canon mount lenses.

I was able to pick one of these up like-new from the Amazon used section for $315. I would have easily paid full price for this lens as it is one of the best In my arsenal under $1000. If you’ve used Sony systems with MF lenses before, you know how easy it is to use focus peaking. This is my go-to lens for wildlife and nature photography. Don’t hesitate to pick this lens up if you want extremely sharp, high quality, good color shots at a great price. You could definitely pay an extra $1000 to have a Canon adapted lens, or spend a weekend fine tuning your MF skills and have a lens that would cost $1500 with a motor inside

This is an incredibly sharp lens. Focus is hard to get when wide open because it is so shallow. But when you nail it it's very sharp. Great bokeh also. If you can deal with the manual focus then you will love this lens.