The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE and the Samyang 8mm F3.5 Fisheye 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 8mm F3.5 Fisheye is the longer of the two lenses at 77mm. The Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE with a length of 61mm, is 16mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Samyang 8mm F3.5 Fisheye also has a larger diameter of 75mm compared to the Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE's 64mm diameter.
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. Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE weighs 145g, which means it is 298g (67%) lighter than the Samyang 8mm F3.5 Fisheye which has a weight of 443g.
Lens Mounts
The Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE has the Sony E lens mount whereas the Samyang 8mm F3.5 Fisheye has the Samsung NX lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Sony FX5, Sony A7R VI and Sony A7 V for the Sony E Mount and Samsung NX1, Samsung NX3000 and Samsung NX30 for the Samsung NX Mount.
Samyang 8mm F3.5 Fisheye is also available in Canon EF , Nikon F (DX), Four Thirds, Pentax KAF and Sony Alpha mounts.
Focal Range
Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 18mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
27mm.
On the other hand, the Samyang 8mm F3.5 Fisheye is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 8mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 12mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
