The camera industry has a funny relationship with aperture. Bigger is often presumed better. An f/1.2 must surely be superior to an f/1.4, which must be superior to an f/1.8. It's almost a reflex; like assuming a heavier car is safer, or that a thicker steak is tastier. Samyang's new AF 35mm F1.8 P FE is a direct, confident challenge to that logic.
The lens joins the Korean manufacturer's growing Prima Series for Sony full-frame E-mount mirrorless cameras will be sold (as usual under the Rokinon brand in the USA. It sits at a deliberately slower maximum aperture than Samyang's own AF 35mm F1.4 P FE; a lens the company launched just two years ago. On paper, that reads as a downgrade. In practice, it could be the smarter choice for many.
