The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Samyang 35mm F1.4 and the Nikon Micro 40mm F2.8 for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses. Samyang 35mm F1.4 is the longer of the two lenses at 112mm. The Nikon Micro 40mm F2.8 with a length of 65mm, is 47mm shorter. On the other hand, the Nikon Micro 40mm F2.8 has a larger diameter of 69mm compared to the Samyang 35mm F1.4's 63mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Nikon Micro 40mm F2.8 weighs 235g, 64% (425g) lighter than the Samyang 35mm F1.4's weight of 660g.
Lens Mounts
The Samyang 35mm F1.4 has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Nikon Micro 40mm F2.8 has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Samyang 35mm F1.4 is also available in Canon EF , Four Thirds, Pentax KAF, Sony Alpha, Sony E and Samsung NX mounts.
Focal Range
Samyang 35mm F1.4 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 35mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 52.5mm.
Nikon Micro 40mm F2.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 40mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 60mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.