Review on Samyang SY85M P 85Mm F1 4 Pentax by Michael Welborn

I have been using this lens almost exclusively for about 7 months. Briefly about my photography: I am currently a semi-professional portrait and wedding photographer. For me this means that although I work for paying clients, photography is not my main source of income. I mainly shoot individuals, but I've also shot couples and groups of three with this lens. However, I shoot with a crop sensor, which effectively makes this lens 127.5mm. This makes it difficult to shoot in groups larger than two or three. Build Quality: This is a tank. While the outside is mostly plastic, the lens feels solid and durable. I'm not the type of person who needs to be able to build a house with my equipment. I don't need an all metal structure, maybe you need that too. For my needs and purposes, the build quality is fantastic. The bracket is metal and feels solid when attached to the case. Focus and aperture rings are perfect. I like the long travel of the focus ring. It is perfectly damped, which makes focusing much easier. Getting acceptable focus at f/1.4 or f/1.8 is fairly easy with Nikon's focus confirmation chip. Image quality: excellent (see images and settings at the bottom of the review). The sharpness is really something incredible. When I focus I can count individual lashes 30 feet away. The photos hold up very well to a 1:1 check in Lightroom. Some people prefer lenses that are a bit softer for portraits. However, I like being able to rely on that sharpness when needed. I can always brush my face for more softness. For color rendering and contrast, please see the sample photos provided. My basic editing in Normal is to add a touch of contrast and color to my photos. I also usually add 1/3-2/3 stops of exposure. Also, the colors you see are very close to what this lens produces when shooting RAW with the D7100. The bokeh is also absolutely brilliant. I prefer 50mm background blur, like 1.8D which I also own, but it's still excellent. With the right background conditions, you can get wonderful bokeh spheres. I take a lot of photos in sunny weather and like to put trees in the background. They let through small glare and take really amazing shots (see first photo example). Some of the downsides I noticed: Harsh lighting combined with an aperture of 2 or lower results in noticeable color fringing. Let's talk about manual focus for a moment. You have to be good at moving objects. I'm not at that level yet. I rely on my Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 at weddings and don't feel confident choosing this lens for these conditions yet. However, this piece shines in engagement or wedding portraiture. I was an amateur photographer who took hundreds of photos with autofocus lenses just because it was so easy. It definitely took a few months to get used to this lens. On paid shoots I was worried what clients would think. I don't know what I'm doing because I don't take photo at a time, I take series of 3-4 pictures per set. However, after receiving some truly amazing images from these sessions, I allowed myself to relax and sink into the groove of this piece of glass. I recommend taking 4-5 shots while fine-tuning the focus. Then choose the sharpest one at the end. Who is this lens for? This is for those who want to experiment with professional quality but recognize the steep learning curve and limitations of this product. This is for the photographer who wants to really dive into the technical aspects and have a lot more control over their photos. This is not for parents who want to film their kid's sports game. It's not for those who are looking for a running glass for a family outing/holiday (take a closer look at something like 18-200). This piece has absolute limits, but where it excels, it's amazing.