Samyang AF 24mm F/2.8 FE

This Samyang prime gives Sony E full-frame bodies a fixed 24mm wide view. That focal length suits street scenes, travel, interiors and landscapes, where the surroundings matter as much as the subject. You can keep a whole scene in frame even in a tight space.

The main draw is size rather than speed. The lens weighs just 3.3 oz (93 g), so it adds little to a bag or a walk-around setup. In exchange, it offers a modest f/2.8 maximum and a short list of extras, which narrows its appeal for low-light and rough-weather work.

Samyang introduced the lens in 2018, and it remains in production, so it is a current design rather than an older one.

The lens measures 2.43 in (61.8 mm) across and 1.46 in (37 mm) long. Combined with the 3.3 oz (93 g) weight, it feels like a small extension of the camera rather than a separate lens.

It takes 49mm screw-in filters, so filters stay small and light.

At 24mm, this lens keeps buildings, streets and skylines in frame. It works well when you cannot step back, such as inside rooms or on narrow city streets. It is a prime, so you set the framing with your feet rather than a zoom ring. Wide views also invite a near foreground, which gives depth to travel and landscape pictures.

The f/2.8 maximum is modest for a prime. It covers daylight, overcast streets and lit interiors comfortably, but dim evening scenes call for higher ISO settings. Depth of field stays deep at 24mm even wide open, so background separation is limited. For landscape work you will usually stop down anyway, since deep focus suits the style.

You can focus as close as 0.8 ft (24 cm). A flower or a foreground texture can sit near the lens and still form part of a wide scene. Close work here suits a near foreground rather than a frame-filling subject. Its optics score is 76 out of 100.

The features list is short. There is no built-in stabilization, so steady handheld frames depend on your shutter speed and how you hold the camera. Blur from small movements shows less at 24mm than it would at longer focal lengths, but night scenes still need support or a higher ISO.

There is no weather sealing either, so keep the lens dry in rain, spray or dust. A pocket or a sleeve covers most street and travel days. The front element also lacks a fluorine coating, so fingerprints and moisture need more patient cleaning. The features score is 19 out of 100.

Among the seven elements are aspherical ones, whose specially shaped surfaces help reduce distortion and spherical aberration. Wide views often place buildings, door frames and horizons across the frame. Distortion would curve those straight edges, and the aspherical elements are shaped to counter it.

Focusing is internal, with elements moving inside the barrel as you focus.