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Samyang AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE Lens Review

I’ve been on the lookout for an 85mm lens for some time, and after reviewing a couple of 85mm options from different brands over the last few months, I was keen to get hands-on with the brand new Samyang AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE Lens for Sony as soon as it was announced.

While the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 usually takes most of the headlines, the new Samyang 85mm f/1.8 is bound to attract plenty of attention thanks to a few key advantages it offers over the larger f/1.4 model.

This hands-on Samyang AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE Lens Review starts on an unusual note, as after viewing the RAW files from the first shoot, I straight away asked to be added to the waitlist to buy my own copy, and I’ll explain why later.

So whether you’re considering adding this compact short telephoto prime to your own kit or simply here to browse sample images, join us as we take a closer look at the latest Samyang lens.

Sample 01. 1/2500. f/3.2. ISO 100

Samyang AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE at a Glance

• Very good centre sharpness from f/1.8
• Good resolving power that caters to Sony’s 60MP sensor
• Smooth, natural background blur with soft transitions between focus and defocus
• Lovely smooth and rounded bokeh thanks to a 9-blade aperture
• Accurate colour rendition with pleasing contrast throughout the aperture range
• Fast and quiet autofocus using a Linear STM motor
• Only slight chromatic aberration and very little longitudinal CA even wide open
• Compact 272g design perfect on Sony mirrorless bodies
• Works with Sony’s Face and Eye AF

Sample 02. 1/3200. f/2. ISO 100

Samyang AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE Lens Price

With a July 2025 release, this lens enters a highly competitive market, particularly for the Sony E mount, which has been established for years and is widely supported by several third‑party lens manufacturers. This no doubt influenced the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE Lens price of £348.00.

That is very good value and puts it below the cost of Sony’s own f/1.8, well under any 85mm f/1.4 for Sony, and amongst the most cost‑effective options available at this focal length. Does that mean there are major compromises? Let’s find out by taking a closer look at what this new ‘P’ lens is all about.

What is the ‘P’ Series from Samyang?

There’s inevitably a compromise to be made when buying any camera lens. That might be the inability to add filters with an ultra wide zoom, the weight (and price) of a telephoto prime, or lens flaring when shooting towards light.

The ‘P’ Series from Samyang is their new Prima lineup, which launched at the tail end of 2024 with the AF 35mm f/1.4 P FE lens. The name signifies ‘First’ and ‘Important’, with high‑quality autofocus lenses for Sony E‑mount cameras aiming to address the compromises by focusing on portability and performance.

It certainly lives up to its name, with a compact size and low weight of just 272g (without caps and hood), making it the lightest lens in its class at the time of launch, which is an advantage.

Sample 03. 1/2500. f/4. ISO 100

The AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE, along with the rest of the series, has been designed to complement smaller mirrorless cameras like the A7C II or other similarly compact bodies. That said, I used the Sony A7R V for this review, and the lens felt perfectly balanced and discreetly sized, making all‑day shooting easy without adding the size and weight you get with an 85mm f/1.4.

Performance is the second major focus for Samyang with the Prima series, but performance is quite a broad term regarding camera lenses, so we’ll break it down, starting with image quality which we explore next.

Sample 04. 1/1000. f/5.6. ISO 100

Image quality

There are a number of factors that contribute to image quality, and deciding which matter most can really help when choosing the best lenses for your style of shooting. Things like sharpness, contrast, colour rendering, autofocus speed, and image artefacts such as distortion all play a role to varying degrees.

For me, sharpness and AF speed are pretty important when it comes to modern glass (although there are plenty of benefits to using a manual focus lens). The Samyang AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE ticks both of those boxes comfortably. It shows very good sharpness and fine detail in the centre of the frame from its widest f/1.8 aperture onwards, resolving the 60MP Sony sensor well.

Corner sharpness is less of a concern for portraits or subjects that only fill part of the frame. If I’m shooting landscapes I do generally want edge-to-edge, front-to-back sharpness, but for portraits, my focus is on sharp detail around the eyes or main subject, with a smooth falloff into the out-of-focus areas. In those situations, background blur becomes almost as important as the focus point, which is equally true in genres like wildlife photography where strong subject-background separation is key.

This compact little Samyang achieves that beautifully. The way it renders transitions between in-focus and out-of-focus areas is especially nice. Some of the sample shots included here illustrate this perfectly, showing silky smooth defocused backgrounds alongside subjects that are completely tack-sharp. I was smitten by the rendering, especially considering the size, weight, and price of this lens.

Sample 05. 1/2500. f/4.5. ISO 100

Chromatic aberration is well controlled with just a little noticeable in high contrast areas when shooting wide open, with very little longitudinal CA to worry about, which is something I found more prominent during the Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 P FE review.

At the time of review, there was no lens profile available to automatically correct these types of artefacts, so what you see in these images here reflects how the lens handles aberrations and distortion naturally. Longitudinal CA is often the hardest to manage, so I was very pleased to find this lens shows almost none when shooting wide open.

Colours are rendered very accurately across the spectrum too, with pretty consistent contrast throughout the aperture range. While it doesn’t quite deliver the same level of micro-contrast as the latest G Master lenses, it also comes in at a fraction of the price. Vignetting is well controlled at wider apertures, and personally, I don’t mind some vignette as it naturally draws the viewer’s eye towards the centre of the frame, which suits a lot of portrait images.

There is a small amount of distortion, but I expect this will be corrected automatically once a lens profile is released, so it isn’t something to worry about. Overall, if you’re capturing portraits or similar shots from just a couple of metres away, this lens delivers outstanding image quality for the size and price.

It also performed very well at longer distances, whether I was photographing horses riding through waves or further down the beach, sharpness was very good and will satisfy the needs of most users.

That brings us nicely onto AF speed next.

Autofocus Performance

Autofocus (AF) isn’t everything, and with a bit of practice you can manually focus and achieve the same level of sharpness as you can with an AF lens. That said, if you want to concentrate on dialling in the right exposure or composing a shot with fast-moving subjects, it helps to have a lens that can keep up.

The Samyang does an excellent job here once again, using a linear stepping motor (STM) that performs very well in AF‑C (continuous autofocus) mode on Sony cameras. It works seamlessly with the A7R V’s superb subject detection, which is powered by a dedicated AI chip that is also found in plenty of other Sony models.

The lens had no trouble tracking my kids or the horses, which were running along the beach, and I’d describe its performance as more than adequate for these kinds of situations. That also means it should have no issues when shooting more traditional portraits, studio shots, or street photography, which is exactly where a lens like this excels.

One drawback of larger 85mm f/1.4 primes is that the focusing motors have to move heavier glass elements, which can slow AF down. By comparison, the Prima lens is compact and lightweight, allowing the STM to drive the focus group quickly enough to handle the vast majority of subjects you’re likely to encounter, so this is a big win for the small lens once again.

Another factor with a lens is handling, which we look at now.

Sample 06. 1/2500. f/2. ISO 100

Handling and ergonomics

Samyang has kept the AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE lens simple, using their new knurled plastic focus ring and removing almost all external controls to leave you entirely free from distractions. There is an AF/MF switch, which I do like to have on lens, but there isn’t an aperture ring nor any other physical controls.

At first glance this might feel like a drawback, but for many, controlling aperture via a dedicated control dial on the body is perfectly intuitive. Likewise the absence of customisable buttons or a focus hold button isn’t a big deal at this focal length. With a telephoto zoom you might want more controls on the barrel, but for portraits and similar subjects, it feels less important.

Despite the simplistic design, the lens feels suitably robust, especially considering how light it is. Yes everything’s plastic, but the focus ring is smooth, and nicely damped to use. The low weight is a large part of the appeal of this lens, especially when shooting handheld or for longer periods. It also comes with a lens hood, which is essential for educing reflections, while adding an element of protection. Speaking of which, Samyang notes that they have achieved IP5 protection from dust and water spray, which is decent enough to protect the lens from typical weather that you might experience while shooting outdoors.

Overall, this no-frills design works well and makes the lens easy to work with, even in environments where you’re trying to keep up with the action.

Sample 07. 1/4000. f/2. ISO 100

Samyang AF 85mm F/1.8 P FE Sample Images

The sample images in this review were captured in RAW using the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE lens on a Sony A7R V camera, which features a high-resolution 60MP sensor. That kind of resolution really shows how much detail the lens can resolve, and as mentioned earlier, the Samyang handled it impressively well.

The shots were taken at a variety of shutter speeds and apertures, using either full manual control or shutter priority with Auto ISO and a minimum shutter speed set. It’s worth noting that when shooting in bright conditions with a fast-aperture lens like this, you can sometimes run into issues with the camera hitting its maximum shutter speed. When that happened, I either added an ND filter or stopped the lens down slightly, which I did on a couple of occasions while shooting outdoors.

The image samples have all been edited to taste, but with no lens profile available at launch, any aberration control you see comes purely from the optics. You can check the Content Credentials of each image, which shows the minor edits made during processing, as well as right click to get a larger view of each file.

I’ve also included some bokeh comparisons, along with a variety of near and far subjects, to give a better sense of the overall performance.

Speaking of which, what subjects can you shoot with an 85mm lens? We’ll cover that briefly next.

Sample 08. 1/8000. f/1.8. ISO 100

What is the Samyang 85mm f/1.8 for?

When I was solely focused on landscapes I would never have considered an 85mm prime lens. However, the more I photograph people and street scenes, the more I’ve come to appreciate this classic focal length, which feels just about perfect for those types of subjects.

It offers a good level of background compression without making you step as far back as you would with a 135mm lens, letting you work closer to your subject than a longer telephoto would.

You can also use the background blur this lens creates to completely remove distractions, helping your subject to really stand out or ‘pop’ from the frame with a striking 3D effect, which is something I’ve come to love. Thanks to these strengths, a lens like this is ideal for:

• Portraits and family photos 
• Lifestyle and fashion
• Weddings and events
• Street photography
• Product photography
• General purpose shooting
• Video

It’s quite a list and shows just how adept this lens can be for different subjects. If you’ve been holding back because it’s a prime and might seem restrictive, I say go for it, as you might be surprised at just how versatile an 85mm lens can be.

Sample 09. 1/6400. f/2. ISO 100

Filters and accessories 

The Samyang 85mm f/1.8 filter size is a compact 62mm, so you can add cost‑effective lens filters such as an ND, variable ND, polariser, UV, or any other, which you might need. It’s always worth keeping a selection in your bag, especially when shooting outdoors.

We weighed up the pros and cons of a UV filter in a previous post, which may help you decide whether to use one. Other useful accessories to consider include a blower, such as the award‑winning VSGO Imp Air Blower Black as well as a ZEISS lens cleaning kit to keep your optics spotless.

The lens doesn’t come with any kind of protective lens case, so if you prefer to use one, I’d recommend a wrap like the 3 Legged Thing Wrapz 12x12 Small Adhesive Reusable Wrap in Woodland Camo (and there are plenty of other designs available too).

It’s unusual for me to buy a lens as spontaneously as I did with the Samyang AF 85mm f/1.8 P FE, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. The key deciding factors were its compact size, low weight, fast autofocus, and image quality, which make it excellent value for a brand-new fast prime. It’s also versatile enough to cover a broad range of everyday subjects while giving more expensive lenses a serious run for their money.

Discover the Samyang AF 85mm F/1.8 P FE Lens For Sony E for yourself and see what it can do for your photography.

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By Nick Dautlich on 02/09/2025

Nick Dautlich

Senior Content Writer and Product Reviewer

Nick Dautlich is the Senior Content Writer and Product Reviewer at Park Cameras, with over 15 years of photography experience. A Sony Imaging Professional and expert reviewer, Nick has worked with major brands such as Canon, Sony and Nikon. His work is also featured on Vanguard World UK’s website, Capture Landscapes, and Shutter Evolve. Nick’s photography includes National Trust projects and magazine covers and he is passionate about landscapes and storytelling. Nick also enjoys hiking and teaching his children about nature. Learn more on his profile page.