Here we are going to compare a Samyang 12mm f2.0 against the Panasonic 12-60 f3.5-5.6. Having recently traded in my old Panasonic GH4 for a newer model (I decided to go for the Panasonic G80 as I did not need the features of the GH5) I have been pleasantly surprised by the 12-60 kit lens that came with the G80. I mostly shoot with primes but have been thinking about switching to a zoom lens as I mostly use my camera for filming these days and have a zoom makes things much easier when it comes to framing your shots I find.

I’ve had the Samyang 12mm f2.0 for a number of years and used it for a few holidays and also some shooting for my youtube channel. I wondered if the Panasonic 12-60 kit lens would be able to replace this prime. The main reasons being:

  • I don’t like filming with manual focus lens as I record all my videos by myself so its a pain in the ass to focus yourself.
  • It doesn’t have image stabilization. The 12-60 makes use of the G80 dual IS feature.

I have taken images and videos ranging from f2 – f16 and compared the corner sharpness and centre sharpness of these 2 lenses. I think the 12-60 is the clear winner but I’ll let you decide for yourself.

Here are the full res pics (both at f3.5)

Panasonic

Samyang

And here are 100% crops for comparison:

Centre

And here is a centre comparison of the 2 lenses at their highest f stop.

Corner

And here is a corner comparison of the 2 lenses at their highest f stop.

Conclusion

So what do you think? For me the corner sharpness of the Samyang 12mm is pretty bad up to f5.6 and starts to be comparable with the Panasonic 12-60 at f8-11. There is quite a bit difference in corner sharpness of the 2 lenses at their highest f stop capable on the lenses (f2.0 & f3.5).

In the centre they are both about the same but I see a little more detail and contrast in the brick texture on the Panasonic 12-60 compared to the Samyang.

Vignetting is more apparent on the Panasonic.

After conducting this small test I decided to sell my Samyang. For me I had most of what it offered already in the Panasonic 12-60 for a cheaper price.

You can bag the 12-60 via the link below if you like what you see from these tests