L-mount shooters, this one is for you. On April 30, LK Samyang officially launched its AF 14-24mm F2.8 super-wide zoom on L-mount, finally bringing the co-developed Schneider-Kreuznach optic to Panasonic, Sigma, and Leica bodies after a long run as a Sony FE exclusive. And spoiler: the spec sheet is annoyingly good. It is small, it is light, and it is the only 14-24mm f/2.8 on the L-mount platform that takes regular front filters. Sigma's Art version cannot do that. Panasonic's S Pro 16-35mm f/2.8 is wider but does not start at 14mm. Samyang just walked into a gap and parked.
We have been waiting for this one for months. The FE version landed back in 2024 and was an instant favorite for landscape, astro, and architecture shooters who wanted constant f/2.8 without a giant bulbous front element. Bringing it to L-mount opens up a real budget-friendly ultra-wide option for anyone shooting on a Lumix S5 II, S5 IIX, S1 II, S1R II, S9, or even the Sigma fp. And yes, it works on Leica SL bodies for the brave or the well-funded.
The Spec Sheet Is the Story
Here is what makes this lens interesting and not just another release. It is 441 grams. That is roughly 70 grams lighter than the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art and noticeably more pocketable than the Panasonic 16-35mm f/2.8 S Pro. The body is just under 87mm long. It accepts 77mm screw-in filters, which means you can finally use a circular polarizer or a variable ND on a 14mm without resorting to a bracket-and-square-filter system that costs more than the lens.
Optically, you get 15 elements in 11 groups, with three aspherical, five high-refractive, and three ED elements. Minimum focusing distance is 0.18 meters, which gives you those exaggerated foreground-to-horizon shots that are the entire reason ultra-wides exist. And it has a full set of customizable focus and function controls, which is something we have been seeing more of from Samyang lately and it is welcome.
The Price Is the Other Story
The L-mount version is expected to land at the same approximate $1,200 USD as the Sony FE version. That number puts it in a really uncomfortable spot for the competition. The Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art on L-mount is still around $1,400, and the Panasonic 16-35mm f/2.8 S Pro is around $2,200. Even compared to the older Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6, which is $800 but only opens to f/4 at the wide end, the Samyang feels like a more capable choice for not that much more money.
If you shoot astro, this is enormous. A 14mm f/2.8 with filter threads at this weight on a Panasonic body with the new sensor stack and dual native ISO is a real-deal travel astro kit. If you are doing real estate or architecture, the same. If you are a hybrid shooter doing landscapes by day and interviews by night, this slots in nicely as your wide end without weighing down the bag.
Where This Hurts the Most
We will be blunt: this lens is not about beating Leica's Super-Vario-Elmarit or Panasonic's S Pro halo glass. It is about taking Sigma's lunch money. Sigma has been the de facto third-party king on L-mount because Sigma helped found the alliance. Samyang is now the cheaper, lighter, filter-friendlier alternative, and that is going to peel away buyers who were only on Sigma because Samyang did not show up. Sigma still has the build quality edge and the brand cachet for some shooters, and the optical performance comparison is going to be the actual review story over the next few weeks.
Who Should Buy It
If you already own the Sigma 14-24mm and you love it, you are not the target. Stay where you are. If you have been looking at the Sigma and waffling on the price, weight, or the lack of front filters, the Samyang is now objectively the more practical buy for most shooters. If you are a new L-mount user coming over from Sony or Canon, this is probably your first ultra-wide. And if you are a Lumix S9 owner looking to actually do something dramatic with that tiny body, putting a 441-gram ultra-wide on it is the workflow.
We are going to try to get our hands on a copy for a real test against the Sigma in the next couple of weeks. The thing we are most curious about is coma performance for astro, because that is where Schneider-Kreuznach badging usually earns its keep, and where Samyang's previous primes have been a mixed bag.
So, L-mount crew: are you grabbing this, or holding tight on the Sigma? Because at this price, with these specs, on this mount, Samyang just made the decision a lot harder than it needed to be.