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 Pentax 40mm F2.8 L for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Samyang 35mm F1.4 is the longer of the two lenses at 112mm. The Pentax 40mm F2.8 L with a length of 15mm, is 97mm shorter. On the other hand, there is no difference between the max diameters of these lenses, both coming at 63mm.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Pentax 40mm F2.8 L weighs 90g, 86% (570g) lighter than the Samyang 35mm F1.4's weight of 660g.
Filter Threads
The Samyang 35mm F1.4 has a filter size of 77mm whereas the Pentax 40mm F2.8 L has a 49mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Samyang 35mm F1.4:
And these are the 49mm filters that we recommend for the Pentax 40mm F2.8 L:
Lens Mounts
Both the Samyang 35mm F1.4 and the Pentax 40mm F2.8 L has the same Pentax KAF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Pentax KAF lenses are Pentax K-3 III Monochrome, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III.
Samyang 35mm F1.4 is also available in Canon EF , Nikon F (FX), Four Thirds, Sony Alpha, Sony E and Samsung NX mounts.
Pentax 40mm F2.8 L is also available in Pentax KAF mount.
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.
On the other hand, the Pentax 40mm F2.8 L 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.