Samyang 60-180mm f/2.8 Review: Sharp, Light, Unrefined

By Nathan Brooks

At $1,099 and 730 grams, the new Samyang X Schneider Kreuznach AF 60-180mm f/2.8 completes Samyang’s trio of full-frame professional zooms, matching the $1,099 price of Tamron’s competing 70-180mm in Sony E-mount.

Sigma has long offered a complete three-lens set of full-frame, constant f/2.8 zooms, and Tamron has now finalized its G2 series. Samyang has joined the two established Japanese third-party makers with the same coverage, while Chinese manufacturers are only now entering the autofocusing professional-zoom market.

Based in Korea, Samyang reached that position with its 14-24mm and 24-60mm, plus the new 60-180mm. The review described both existing zooms as capable of great images, but said the Korean brand may struggle for a foothold against fierce competition.

What does this lens change for working photographers?

The practical answer is to buy the 60-180mm when compactness, maximum sharpness and low weight matter more than polished controls, stabilization or quick autofocus.

For working photographers, that makes it a credible long zoom for a three-lens kit, but not the strongest choice for rapid sports or action assignments. A body with in-body stabilization can offset the missing optical stabilizer, reducing one of the lens’s main workflow compromises.

Handling and controls

Construction reflects Samyang’s budget-price history. Also sold as Rokinon in North America, the lenses rely heavily on plastic, and this model’s buttons and controls feel flimsy while making obtrusive clicking noises. The plastic hood twists into place with some coercion. The reviewer nevertheless said many Rokinon users have enjoyed years of reliable service, so the basic feel does not imply poor build quality.

The focusing and zoom rings use two rubber textures. A custom button, an AF/MF switch and an unexpected zoom-lock switch handle basic operation. The manual-focus ring turns smoothly, but the zoom ring needs force to start and lacks refinement.

The lock holds the zoom at 60mm until the photographer unlocks it. There is no aperture ring, although that omission is standard at this price. Baffles and a small amount of weather sealing sit around the lens mount, while 77mm filter threads cover the front.

At 180mm, the barrel extends only slightly and the balance point changes little. Those handling traits, plus the 730-gram weight, make it lighter than the Tamron and Sigma alternatives.

Autofocus and stabilization

Focusing uses a basic stepping motor. It stays smooth and accurate, but it runs noticeably slower than the competing systems, making the Tamron the safer choice for fast-moving subjects.

The lens has no optical image stabilization, so results depend heavily on the camera body. In-body stabilization can compensate, and omitting the lens mechanism also cuts weight and helps keep the $1,099 price down. That trade-off favors photographers who can accept slower autofocus and stabilized long-end shooting from the body.

Optical performance

Specular highlights are the weak point in the bokeh. At the widest apertures, they look truncated and show slight onion rings; stopping down makes them fairly round. The out-of-focus areas themselves render smoothly, with soft, pleasant backgrounds, so shallow depth of field looks attractive apart from those highlights.

At f/2.8, green ghosting and veiled flare wash out the image. A green cast remains at tighter apertures, though it stays mild, and the hood blocks stray light well. Overall flare control remains decent. Longitudinal chromatic aberration appears at wider apertures as a slight green-magenta split, but the effect remains minimal.

Sharpness leads the review. The center records excellent detail from the start, and the 180mm end is particularly strong at f/2.8, with slight gains from stopping down. Its long-end corners also retain impressive detail and low vignetting at f/2.8; closing the aperture improves performance further.

At 60mm, the center is slightly softer but still acceptable, while the corners deliver better-than-expected detail. Across both ends, the review found the most consistent corners and overall detail among the third-party contemporaries.

Mount-by-mount buying case

For Sony E-mount, the direct rival is Tamron’s 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2, which almost exactly matches the Samyang at $1,099. The reviewer would choose the Tamron for faster autofocus and optical stabilization. The Samyang makes more sense for buyers who prioritize maximum sharpness, slightly lower weight and a stabilized camera body.

In L-mount, the Samyang competes with the much larger, more expensive Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 Sports and Panasonic S 70-200mm f/2.8. The reviewer sees the Sigma as making sense only for teleconverter use, with the Panasonic offering a similar size-and-price argument.

Tamron delivers similar optical performance with better autofocus and stabilization, and the reviewer calls it even more compact and manageable. For L-mount buyers, the Samyang remains an attractive option where maximum sharpness and low weight outweigh quicker focusing and built-in stabilization.

The buying verdict

Completing the trilogy does not erase the Samyang feel. The review’s blunt assessment was: “Samyang lenses are well-built but lack refinement, and tend to lack extra controls and aperture rings.” The 60-180mm is compact and very sharp, yet the reviewer found its performance beyond sharpness merely acceptable.

The verdict is nevertheless a buy. The review concluded: “This lens is still going to deliver excellent images at a good price and in a compact chassis.”

For gear buyers, Samyang can pressure Sigma on price, weight and sharpness in L-mount, while Tamron retains the advantage for action work. The $1,099 lens changes the calculation for professionals who can live with slower focusing and body-based stabilization.