135mm Samyang / Rokinon alternatives

Equipment Buying Advice
10 replies•513 views
jacquesdeacon avatar
jacquesdeacon avatar
Hi everybody,

Trust all is well at the end of what felt like a very long year…

So a goal for next year is to put together a wide-field setup.

Top of the list is obviously the Samyang / Rokinon 135mm. Problem is, in South Africa where I live, it seems impossible to source. Cant find it anywhere… so I will have to go the B&H route or something.

There are stories of sample variation on the samyangs, so it feels a bit like a gamble, and shipping stuff between continents trying to draw a good copy, seems like both an expensive and frustrating experience.

I was exploring alternatives to the Samyang, and would like to hear if anybody have some learnings that they are willing to share on these.

1) Sigma 135mm F1.8 Art - looks like a great optic, but more than twice the price of the Samyang. However, a up-side to the argument is I kind of like the idea pairing this up with the Astromechanic adapter, and then having autofocus and aperture control, without a belt mod on the lens, which I feel is a little fiddly.

2) Canon 135 F2 L - questionable performance really, but can probably source it easier for a godd deal on the used market. Autofocus capability applies as well.

3) Sigma 105mm F1.4 Art. What a beast! But might actually be getting too wide, losing fine resolution detail. Eye-watering expensive, but can be the dream wide field setup…

Looking forward to your comments!
Engaging
Dan H. M. avatar
Dan H. M. avatar
I have the Sigma 105. A couple of my recent images were taken with it. If you can get an Astromechanics adapter for it that fits your camera, it’s an awesome setup.  I struggled with mine for a while until I was finally able to get the right Astromechanics adapters that could be used with an IMX571-based camera.  While I like the Samyang 135 a lot, I probably won’t be going back to it. The need for a belt drive has always annoyed me. I know many use it with success but I’m not fond of it. 

The Sigma 135 also looks good. My only preference is that the 105 has a fully rotatable Arca swiss tripod collar, obviating the need for any custom made mounting setup. 

Also the Sigma Art lenses really aren’t that expensive for what you’re getting. Consider that a typical mass market refractor is about the same price but offers a much narrower FOV. 

One thing to be aware of is that the Astromechanics driver has some compatibility issues with the Sigma Art lenses. When changing the aperture in the driver, the AF control will sometimes disable. You just need to disconnect the USB cable and restart the driver to fix this. It’s a nuisance, but still far better than dealing with a belt drive or similar setup in my opinion. Astromechanics told me they are working on a fix.
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jacquesdeacon avatar
jacquesdeacon avatar
Thanks for the reply @Eteocles,

Yes the 105 also has the collar and foot… forgot about that, thats a great plus.

Thanks for the heads-up regarding the Sigma lenses with the adapter. I will ask Astromechanics if there is any update on that.
Nick Grundy avatar
Nick Grundy avatar
I just reached out to Astromechanicsgroup and Sergey responded to my request. I have a Sigma 105 F1.4 and i'm looking for aperture control when i used it with a ZWO ASI2600MM. It sounds like this the only real option.

However, they mentioned they can only receive payment via crypto currency right now (being in Russia), which feels slightly less than legit. 

Does anyone know of alternative methods/devices? Or has anyone ordered from them recently?
Well Written Engaging
andrea tasselli avatar
andrea tasselli avatar
For those who are still interested in the subject: the Olympus OM Zuiko T 135 f/2.8 can be used fully open with just a minimum of chromatic aberration (a semi APO filter will correct that) and fully corrected field up to APS-C. Not that you can use any of those gizmos with it but the focusing action is very precise. And it is very cheap.
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Dan H. M. avatar
Dan H. M. avatar
Nick Grundy:
I just reached out to Astromechanicsgroup and Sergey responded to my request. I have a Sigma 105 F1.4 and i'm looking for aperture control when i used it with a ZWO ASI2600MM. It sounds like this the only real option.

However, they mentioned they can only receive payment via crypto currency right now (being in Russia), which feels slightly less than legit. 

Does anyone know of alternative methods/devices? Or has anyone ordered from them recently?

Others have said they paid through crypto and it worked. Sergey is definitely legit and dedicated to his customers. If you’re willing to go the crypto route I’d recommend getting an AM adapter. There is no alternative. You’re also unlikely to ever find one on the used market. 

Interestingly, I’ve found that Touptek cameras are best suited to AM adapters because of their ability to be reduced to 12.5mm backfocus. My current travel setup is a Touptek camera connected to a Touptek filter drawer and AM’s 11.5mm adapter bolted to the drawer. Really nice, sturdy setup.
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Nick Grundy avatar
Nick Grundy avatar
thanks Dan

I found a temporary work around which is manually setting the F stop while connected to the canon EOS in preview mode, then disconnecting the lense. This seems to hold the aperture ring there. Going to test it out this evening
Concise
Jan Erik Vallestad avatar
Jan Erik Vallestad avatar
andrea tasselli:
For those who are still interested in the subject: the Olympus OM Zuiko T 135 f/2.8 can be used fully open with just a minimum of chromatic aberration (a semi APO filter will correct that) and fully corrected field up to APS-C. Not that you can use any of those gizmos with it but the focusing action is very precise. And it is very cheap.


That's an interesting option, would it be this version (the Auto-T) or another one?
andrea tasselli avatar
andrea tasselli avatar
Yes, that's him!
Tomvp avatar
Tomvp avatar
Here are two alternatives:

There is an Askar 135mm. I have no experience with it, but I am sure people have posted images here using that lens. Downside: f4.5.

And since you mentioned the Sigma: I have been using a Zeiss Makro Planar 100mm f2, and that was a lot of fun. It is a manual focus lens with a well damped focus ring, which accurate focusing very easy. CA and distortion are very low. And as long as you don’t use a full frame camera, you shouldn’t see any vignetting. You can find this lens on eBay.
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andrea tasselli avatar
andrea tasselli avatar
Yes, but that's more expensive than the Samyang by quite a bit (and can it be used at full aperture?). If we forgo focal length a cheaper (than the Zeiss) is the Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 AFS Macro which should be easier to trace in SA and can be used fully open.