Samyang SY12M-N
The 12mm full-frame fisheye provides a 180° diagonal field of view and an f/2.8 aperture, with an optical design incorporating three ED and two aspherical elements with Nano Coating to suppress aberrations. Its manual-focus-only build with an integrated AE chip gives full exposure control on Nikon F bodies while keeping weight at 500g. Best for architectural interior photographers and creative shooters pursuing extreme, immersive barrel distortion without needing autofocus or weather sealing.
Snapshot
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong user sentiment (91st percentile) 91st
- Strong macro (84th percentile) 84th
- Strong optical (78th percentile) 78th
Cons
- Below average af (14th percentile)
- Below average bokeh (15th percentile)
- Below average aperture (23rd percentile)
- Below average versatility (34th percentile)
What owners think
How owner sentiment changed over time
ExclusiveBased on when customers actually wrote their reviews - so you can see whether early praise held up.
Based on 8 dated customer reviews, grouped by calendar quarter. Period analysis is in English.
The proof
Performance
Specifications
Full Specifications
Optics
| Type | Fisheye |
| Focal Length Min | 12 |
| Focal Length Max | 12 |
| Elements | 12 |
| Groups | 8 |
| Aspherical Elements | 2 |
| ED Elements | 3 |
| Coating | ナノクリスタルコーティングシステム(NCS) + ウルトラマルチコーティング(UMC) |
Aperture
| Max Aperture | f/22 |
| Min Aperture | f/2.8 |
| Constant | Yes |
| Diaphragm Blades | 7 |
Build
| Mount | Nikon F |
| Format | full-frame |
| Weight | 0.5 kg / 1.1 lbs |
AF & Stabilization
| AF Type | manual focus only |
| Stabilization | No |
Focus
| Min Focus Distance | 200 |
vs Competition
| Spec | Samyang SY12M-N | Nikon NIKKOR Z 17-28mm f/2.8 | Tamron Di III 28-75mm f/2.8 VXD G2 | Sigma Contemporary 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN | Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit H-ES12060 | Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focal Length | 12mm | 17-28mm | 28-75mm | 10-18mm | 12-60mm | 28-70mm |
| Max Aperture | f/22 | f/2.8 | f/2.8 | f/2.8 | f/2.8 | f/22 |
| Mount | Nikon F | Nikon Z | Sony E | Sony E | Micro Four Thirds | Canon RF |
| Stabilization | false | false | false | false | true | true |
| Weather Sealed | false | true | true | true | true | true |
| Weight (g) | 499 | 450 | 540 | 260 | 320 | 495 |
| AF Type | manual focus only | Stepping Motor | VXD | Autofocus | linear motor | STM |
| Lens Type | fisheye | zoom | zoom | zoom | zoom | zoom |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | AF | Bokeh | Build | Macro | Optical | Aperture | User Sentiment | Versatility | Social Proof | Stabilization |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samyang SY12M-N | 13.9 | 14.5 | 35.6 | 84.1 | 77.6 | 22.6 | 90.8 | 33.6 | 53.5 | 38 |
| Nikon NIKKOR Z 17-28mm f/2.8 Compare | 87 | 88.1 | 73.6 | 86.3 | 87 | 85.8 | 90.8 | 68.1 | 64.6 | 38 |
| Tamron Di III 28-75mm f/2.8 VXD G2 Compare | 54.6 | 88.1 | 67.2 | 87.3 | 87.8 | 85.8 | 80.4 | 78.2 | 83.1 | 38 |
| Sigma Contemporary 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Compare | 54.6 | 83.5 | 87.3 | 93.3 | 81.6 | 85.8 | 80.4 | 69.1 | 68.8 | 38 |
| Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit H-ES12060 Compare | 98 | 88.1 | 83.1 | 50.4 | 90.2 | 85.8 | 44.2 | 93.1 | 63.5 | 83.2 |
| Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM Compare | 87 | 25.9 | 70.2 | 80.4 | 85 | 22.6 | 98.1 | 77.2 | 87.9 | 98.5 |
Usage Scores
A full written review is coming soon. The specs, scores, prices and charts above are always up to date.
