The Samyang 100mm F2.8 ED UMC Macro ($599) comes in at an attractive price point when compared with many other autofocus macro lenses of similar focal lengths, and it's plenty sharp, especially at the narrower apertures used to achieve a reasonable depth of field when working at high magnification.

Quite sharp when stopped down; 1:1 magnification; Internal focus design; Compact; Available for multiple systems; Long focus throw; Attractive price point

Some edge softness at wide apertures; Manual focus design is not for everyone; Omits optical stabilization

You have to make changes to the camera settings in the menu so that exposure will occur without a lens attached. I felt that this is awkward and you have to remember to reset it for use with other lenses. I returned the lens.

This 100mm manual focus telephoto macro lens, offers a fast f/2.8 maximum and life-size magnification at its closest focus distance.

Very sharp from maximum aperture; Smooth manual focus action; Good build; Low CA; Low distortion

Lack of autofocus may be enough to put many off this lens; Priced higher than other alternatives that offer more features

Let's start by saying that this is not perfect and it is not so easy to use and get right, mainly because it is manual focusing - not necessarily a problem, but comes with no focusing aids other than you can see in live view. It is heavy - think, weighs a ton!

Excellent lens

I needed a macro lens to start a project on make-up artistry and naturally went for this one as I already own the 8mm fisheye from this brand. These are very unexpensives for the quality and the results we are getting from it.

Lightweight; Quick Focus; Sharp Focus; Strong Construction

The offer of independent producers is hardly worse: there is the stabilized Tamron 2.8/90 VC and the Sigma 2.8/105 OS, along with the Tokina 2.8/100 without any stabilization. If you care more about a superior aperture fastness at the expense of the 1:1 scale you might pay closer attention to the...

sensational resolution in the frame centre; good image quality on the edge of the APS-C/DX; imperceptible longitudinal chromatic aberration; low lateral chromatic aberration; lack of spherical aberration problems; practically zero distortion; moderate coma; low astigmatism; nice appearance of blurry...

the frame edge near the maximum relative aperture is noticeably worse than in the case of direct rivals; too high vignetting on full frame; manual focus ring could have been better

At a hefty 730g, this aluminium alloy lens is the third heaviest and second longest in test , owing to its whopping 15 elements in 12 groups. Historically, Samyang has favoured all-manual lenses, making them a great choice for serious videographers, and the same is true here, except for the...