The New Samyang 35mm f2.8 AF has an obvious direct competitor, the Sony Zeiss 35mm f2.8. Samyang lenses can be very hit or miss and most reviewers seem to think the new Samyang 35mm f2.8 will be a hit since the major difference is weather resistance and the Zeiss name.
photographyblog – 4.5 Stars – “The Samyang AF 35mm f/2.8 FE does have a natural competitor in the form of the almost identical Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 35mm F2.8 ZA lens, which was released along with the very first Sony Alpha E-mount camera back in 2013. The Samyang AF 35mm is significantly cheaper and slightly lighter, while the Sonnar T* FE 35mm additionally offers dust- and moisture-resistantance and doesn’t suffer so badly from chromatic aberrations. There really isn’t much else to choose between them, though, so unless you’re prepared to pay handsomely for the Zeiss name and a certain level of weather-proofing, we’d definitely recommend the Samyang AF 35mm f/2.8 FE instead.”
gippslandimages – “Lens choice is always based on needs of the photographer, this lens really suits my personal needs for small light weight option with excellent image quality, if you are after the same it really is a good option. I think I will be choosing this over the Sony/Zeiss on future adventures, I just can’t fault the image quality.”
Rokinon AF 35mm f/2.8 FE:
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony Zeiss 35mm F2.8 Sonnar T FE ZA:
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama