First party lenses almost always command astronomical price tags. That’s always been the case, and perhaps even more so today, especially if you look at flagship lens releases for newer mirrorless systems.

But with an ever expanding roster of competitive third party lenses today, you can now easily get budget-friendly alternatives that should give you more than 90% of what the name-brand glass does without even coming close to the native lens’ sticker price.

We’ve recently rounded up some of The Best Value Legacy Lenses you can get, and you may be interested in checking that out if you’re also looking into vintage glass. Today, we’re going to explore Samyang’s modern offerings that will reliably deliver amazing results without breaking the bank.

Note: for the sake of clarity, we will be referring to Samyang/Rokinon lenses as simply Samyang as both brands are literally one and the same. It gets a little confusing, but Samyang, a South Korea-based lens manufacturer, has made private-label deals with other companies to sell their lenses in different markets (such is the case for Rokinon who distributes Samyang lenses to North and Central America). So regardless which part of the world you’re in, know that Samyang and Rokinon lenses are indeed the same product, just under different brands.

Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 FE

This is what third party glass is all about — lenses that deliver a lot of performance at a fraction of the native glass’ cost.

Our first pick is the Samyang AF 85mm f1.4, in terms of sheer sharpness, produces almost identical results to the Sony G Master alternative.

Note that it’s also available for Canon, I’m just a Sony shooter (at the moment). 

At it’s current price, it’s at least $1100 cheaper than the Sony G Master 85mm f1.4 and about half the price of the highly-touted Sigma Art 85mm f1.4.

I started with the manual focus version of this lens back on the original Sony A7 when 85mm options were limited, I was impressed with it’s performance then, but if you know me, you know for my shoots I much prefer to take advantage of the AF performance of modern cameras. I eventually upgraded to the Sigma Art 85mm f1.4, though now I shoot most of my professional work with the Tamron 35-150mm f2.0-2.8.

Personally, if I were starting today, and I were shopping specifically for the best 85mm lens for the price, this would be it. 

Now if your budget allows for it, and you need a wider focal range, I’d consider the Tamron 35-150mm, it’s literally become one of my all time faves. Or if you’re on Canon, the 28-70mm f2.0 has had me considering a switch for a while now.

Lee Morris, professional wedding photographer and Fstoppers co-founder finds the Sony version to be only marginally better on corner sharpness and flaring than the Samyang, but for almost $1,100 less, I think most people will give the third party alternative a pass.

“For the average photographer, I’d recommend buying the Samyang 85mm f/1.4. For 40% of the cost, you are getting 90% of the results. With the extra money, you could buy another camera body, lens, or light.”

AF speed is also a non-issue, as Lee Morris’ testing showed how the Samyang felt faster to him when acquiring focus than the native Sony G Master prime. For non-Sony shooters, you’ll be happy to know that the Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 is available for Canon RF/EF and Nikon F mounts.

Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 FE

Our 2nd pick for is Samyang’s newest addition to their “Tiny Series” lineup. True to its name, the AF 35mm F1.8 FE is light and compact for such a fast prime, even coming in smaller than Sony’s already compact 35mm f1.8 offering. Samyang’s commitment to improving their lenses’ build quality is also apparent from the newly added weather sealing in the lens mount, AF/MF/MODE switch, focusing ring, and front element.

At it’s current price, it’s less than half the price of the Sony G Master 35mm f1.4. It’s even cheaper than the highly touted Sony 35mm f1.8.

Optically, this little gem does not disappoint. It’s even a little sharper than the native 35mm alternative, and vignetting, flaring and chromatic aberration are all minimal. For almost half the price of the Sony, the Samyang AF 35mm F1.8 FE is an easy choice.

Here’s what professional photographer Dustin Abbot has to say about this compact, wide standard prime:

“All things considered, this is a nice optical performance for the price. The Samyang AF35 delivered me a lot of beautiful images even though I tested primarily in the period where autumn was mostly ended and in that bare season before winter begins. It has the potential to be intensely sharp, and creates nice environmental portraits for a relatively small budget.”

For more in-depth testing and sample shots, see Christopher Frost’s review and see just how much this little lens punches above its weight class:

Samyang XP 14mm f/2.4 (Canon EF, Nikon F mount)

Here we see Samyang taking a swing at the “high end” segment of the market. Belonging in the XP line (or Rokinon SP), the Samyang XP 14mm f/2.4 is positioned as a “premium” manual focus lens that is faster than its competitors and geared towards higher megapixel camera shooters. Its solid, aluminum alloy build also really does add to that Zeiss look they may be going for.

With an improved distortion handling over its predecessors, well-controlled chromatic aberration, faster f2.4 max aperture, and impressive image quality that is consistent across the frame, this might be the dream lens for landscape and astrophotography use cases.

In a comparison test that pits all Samyang/Rokinon lenses against each other plus other wide angle primes, landscape-astrophotographer/wedding photographer Matthew Saville has this to say about this lens:

“When it comes to sheer resolving power, the bigger and pricier Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 SP (aka, the [Samyang] 14mm f/2.4 XP) is a champion. In fact, it’s so sharp, its extreme corners actually look better than the absolutely massive (and even more expensive) Sigma 14mm f/1.8, even when the Sigma is stopped down to f/2.8. So, if you want the absolute highest resolving power, get the Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 SP.”

Samyang AF 45mm F1.8 FE

The 45mm focal length falls in the standard prime category which the classic 50mm focal length usually

fills in. While admittedly an odd focal length (if not unpopular), the Samyang AF 45mm F1.8 FE offers respectable image quality that can keep up with the demands of a high-megapixel body like the A7RIV.

Perhaps what’s even more impressive is how Samyang crammed this level of performance in such a tiny package — at 2.43 x 2.21 inches, this 45mm prime bordering pancake lens territory. It’s quite possibly the best walkaround, travel, environmental portrait and street photography lens you could get for the Sony FE mount. With smooth and flattering bokeh, awesome contrast and good sharpness especially when stopped down to f2.8, this little lens is a great addition to every photographer’s bag.

In his review, Matthew Saville writes:

“For casual photographers of all types, and even for serious photographers who may already own a massive, expensive standard prime that they just don’t want to lug around in their spare time, I can totally envision this lens being your favorite walk-around-prime whenever you just want to snap casually yet still get professional quality results.”

Samyang 35mm F1.2 ED AS UMC CS

Last on the list is a standard prime equivalent for crop sensor cameras. Wide-open at f1.2, the Samyang 35mm F1.2 ED AS UMC CS is surprisingly sharp in the center. Corner sharpness performance is no-slouch as well, as the lens still resolves good detail and produces little to no chromatic aberration even when shot wide open. Sure, it could do with more contrast but at f1.2, the image quality is nothing short of stellar. Stopping it down to f2 and f2.8 improves contrast in the center and corners even more.

The super fast f1.2 aperture will keep your shutterspeeds up and ISO down in low light situations, but realistically, you’ll be getting this lens for that bokeh magic. In this regard, this little light hog does not disappoint. Christopher Frost’s testing showed Samyang 35mm F1.2 rendering buttery smooth and non-distracting bokeh, especially when you get in close to your subject. Have a look at Frost’s video for more sample shots and in-depth testing for the Samyang 35mm F1.2 ED AS UMC CS.

Landscape photographer Martin Wolfert shares some real world experience with this underrated manual focus lens in his blog:

“In my opinion the Samyang 35mm f/1.2 is a very good lens for every photographic situation and every topic: the lens produces very natural-looking pictures, with minimal to no distortions and aberrations. The aperture 1.2 offers an immense reserve to easily take photos without a tripod even in low light conditions.

… If the focal point is put precisely, the Samyang 35mm f/1.2 delivers a sharp result, and I did not notice any chromatic aberrations or disturbing lens flares.”

For about $500, you can get a sharp and incredibly fast lens for your APS-C or MFT mirrorless system. It’s available in Canon M, Fujifilm X, Sony E, and MFT mounts.

The 4 Essential Rokinon Cine Lenses – 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm

They are many more cine lenses in Rokinon’s line, but these 4 are arguably the most practical for filmmaking. Each lens has a T-Stop of t1.5 (also see: Why T-Stops Are Better Than F-Stops), and are a fraction of a cost of other cinema lenses on the market. Filmmaker Noam Kroll has an excellent overview on these 4 lenses, along with thoughts on some others as well. He does note that, “They will never perform as well in a test situation as a $25,000 cinema lens package, and that’s to be expected. But the fact that they are able to come so close is pretty amazing.”

Final Thoughts

As Samyang/Rokinon has demonstrated, great optics shouldn’t always cost an arm and a leg. The lenses showcased in this list should give every budget-conscious pros and hobbyists alike the best bang for their buck. If all third-party players keep on their course and consistently produce high quality glass at more reasonable prices, then we can be sure that the camera industry will always remain competitive. And as you know, market competition is always good for us consumers.