Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC Lens For Sony A
Fully manual? So, what? Amazing image!
1. Build qualityRegarding the lens durability and physical reliability, I understand it is 4.5 stars. Build quality seems to be great. It feels very solid and reliable. I read an Internet review of someone who left the lens in the snow for 5 days and when the snow melted he found the lens and it was working properly. But I would not do such a test :-)2. Image qualityI was a little worried about some reviews of people receiving bad copies, with so... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Smooth, sharp, excellent
This filled a financial and a performance need at the same time. Getting massively reduced hours at my adjunct job and suddenly strapped for dough I couldn't just replace what I was using but I work almost exclusively in the dark and in dark lighting situations with a lot of movement (almost all dance, on stage and in nightclubs and with lighting designers I've come to call darking designers). I can't use just any lens in those situations and len... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Sharper than my Nikkor 24-70
I've been looking to get a Super Wide Angle lens for some time now but the Nikkor 14-24mm lens is just so expensive. When I saw the Rokinon (also labelled as Samyang, but it's the same lens) 14mm with a great price and had an electronic chip in it, I was very tempted! I purchased from B&H and the lens arrived the other day. To some up my impressions so far: I'm *really* impressed.I've placed sample images here but I will discuss below: http://www... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Very good manual everything UWA for full-frame
I would recommend this lens to anyone who is comfortable using a fully manual lens who wants a sharp ultra wide full frame lens for a good price.PROS:Build quality is very good with smooth focus and aperture ring operation. The lens is generally very sharp right from f2.8 (see cons)CONS:Some slight right side extreme corner softness and some right side field curvature. Focus distance scale is a bit off for some distances.THE DETAILS:Build Quality... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great lens even with a crop sensor
I was looking for a super wide angle lens and the other lenses around like the tokina 11-16 are a little bit out of my price range. Normally I focus manually and have my camera on M so the full-manual aspect of this lens was not a problem. I was happy that this lens was much cheaper and the feel of the lens is really really great. It is heavy enough where you feel like you're not just holding a cheap lens but not heavy enough to tire out your han... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Rokinon 14mm (focus chip) on Nikon D7000
HOW I USE THIS LENS: I bought this for astrophotogaphy, on suggestion from a website and some reviews and also sample images. It has low coma compared to other lenses. PROS: -resolution and sharpness are stellar (groan) in my sample of this lens -it has very pleasing bokeh compared to some other wide-angle lenses; I am picky with very natural bokeh. Really, you only see bokeh with these lenses when focused on the closer things -although fairly he... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I wish I had found this lens sooner
I've always wanted the Nikon 14-24, but the price always put it out of reach for me. I also knew I would only ever use it at 14mm anyway. Recently I came across the Rokinon/Bower/Samyang (which are all identical except for the branding, by the way) and the general praise for them on the internet. I decided to give it a shot and was not disappointed. I use it on a D800 and if I could describe this lens in one word, it would be SHARP. Even wide ope... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not as sharp as expected
I purchased this lens specifically for the reputation is has for sharp astro-landscape photographs at f2.8, but returned it for the reasons listed below. For me the deal breaker was #5 and the reason I opted to return the lens for credit instead of exchanging it in hopes of getting a better build. I gave this lens 1 star, which in no way reflects on B&H. If there was a separate rating for B&H I would have given them 5 stars for their stellar serv... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great for Astrophotography
In my mind this lens is great for one specific purpose astrophotography. For nighttime photography this lens (and the price) can't be beat. At 14mm it has an incredibly wide field of view. The manual focus is not an issue because (at least on my copy) the focus ring stops at the true infinity focal point. Even wide open at f/2.8, everything from 8 feet and beyond is in focus. The fact that you have to manually set the aperture is also not a probl... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Incredibly Sharp and a great value
I read all of the reviews on this product plus a review on DxO and several articles posted on the web. The consensus: the lens is incredibly sharp but is manual focus only, and it has some very serious distortion issues. I have the Nikon 16-35 f4 VR, but passed on the more expensive 14-24 f2.8. I found my Nikon very versitile and a great lens, but I came to the conclusion that I really needed a wider view for some of my landscape work. This is wh... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent value if you get a good copy
I bought this lens mostly for wide field astrophotography with my D800. I had been considering the Tokina 16-28 f/2.8 for months, but decided to go with this Rokinon based on the advice of several prominent astrophotographers (plus some unexpected expenses came up and this lens was cheaper). To my dismay, the first copy I received was VERY soft at f/2.8, even in the center. I understand that the D800 is a very high resolution camera, but the lens... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Massive coverage, sharp, great deal.
This is the same lens as the Bower and Samyang 14mm, but the Rokinon branded version is 30-70 bucks cheaper. Hopefully people don't waste their money on the other versions. This is an awesomely wide, sharp lens for the money. Easy to capture entire buildings or rooms without moving. It's a lot of fun with animals, and will give a cool dramatic perspective for otherwise mundane objects. It is not perfect. At first I thought it wasn't sharp. Then I... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Crystal Sharp Images!
I bought this lens mainly for astrophotography. But put it through a series of shoots in different conditions to review the quality and sharpness of the lens. I was blown away! Lets start with the bad first... 1. The focus barrel/ ring on the lens has an incredibly long tort to get from minimum focusing lengths to an infinity focus. And being a manual focus only lens, it makes it hard to adjust focus if you are on the fly. It is near impossible i... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Excellent value
I'm giving this lens 5 stars based its value for the money spent. At this price, don't expect it to be as good as the Nikon lens that costs six times as much. That being said, I found this to be a very good lens and certainly up to the needs I have for an ultrawide lens, and I just couldn't justify spending as much as they want for the Nikon lens. I found the lens to perform exactly as Ken Rockwell described in his review and in line with many of... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Hard to pass this lens up...
I give this lens 5 stars for a few reasons... Mostly because it's inexpensive by comparison to other ultra widge angle lenses, especially compared directly to the 14mm f/2.8 L Canon lens. MUCH cheaper, obviously. But simply being cheap isn't all this lens has! It's quite sharp, and much sharper than my old 17-40L or 16-35L lenses, and from the various tests I've seen around the internet, it's ALSO sharper than the (much MUCH more expensive) Canon... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Takes a little getting use to, but...
The lens seems very sturdy and well-built, even heavy for its size. The lens hood is strong and the snap on lens cover that slides down over the hood fits well. I also liked the padded black cloth sack that came with it, as I often leave gear on the front seat of the truck under jackets etc, and it keeps it clean and ready to access. And because this is my habit, I also purchased the two-yr drops & spills warranty ($).The lens did take a little g... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great lens for the price
The Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC lens is my first wide-angle lens. I am using it on a Canon 5D Mark II, which has a full frame sensor. I bought the lens on an impulse because B&H offered it with a big discount, with a time limit on the discount, and I didnt have time to research what focal length would be best (11mm, 12mm, 17mm, 28mm etc). If I had, I might have chosen a longer focal length. I am pleased with the 14mm though, especially for small... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
You get what you pay for
So, before buying I was aware the lens was bargain basement and went in with that expectation, the main question is though: does it give great pictures?--------------------------YesIn as much sense as any lens gives great pictures ;)This is from my first night out with it getting some long exposures, since then I've got some great landscapes/cityscapes (cardinal sin I know using an ultra-wide for landscapes but I like it) and some great unusual p... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great value for the money
I like wide angles, and I like lens speed, and 14mm f/2.8 is a great combination. I have used UWA (Ultra Wide Angle) lenses quite a bit over the decades, so I am quite familiar with the pitfalls, mostly the placement of the subject in the frame, and the over-reliance on wide depth of field in focusing. This lens has provides a rectilinear image and what distortion if it subject to is within reach of software correction in Lightroom, Photoshop, et... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Bad Luck Times Three!
I bought this lens about three weeks ago based mostly on the recommendations (on the web) of many users. When I received the first copy, I tested it using the brick wall at my neighborhood's fire department (with their permission, of course). Upon examining the files (a total of 14--took 1 each in landscape and 1 each in portrait mode at each major f-stop for a total of 14 shots--all photos on a tripod), I discovered that the lens was defective a... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Rokinon 14MM f2.8 with AE Chip
This is a return/exchange for my first order. The first one had severe lens aberrations in the upper left hand quadrant making the lens useless for nightscapes as well as landscapes. Thanks to B&H convenient exchange policy, getting another copy was a simple affair (thanks B&H!). Anyway, the four stars was given instead of 5 stars due to the first lens. I bought this lens primarily for nightscape astrophotograhy. I had previously ordered the Rok... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I have mixed feelings
There are two aspects to my review of this lens. First is that the optics are sharp. For that I would rate the lens a 5. BUT, the other side of the usage coin is convenience. There are no contacts to provide through-the-lens metering, and that can be a problem if you don't have a separate, hand-held meter. No matter where I set the aperture and shutter speed, no matter what ISO I set the in-camera meter to, the in-camera meter reading is consiste... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
tricky learning curve
I use this lens on a fairly old Pentax K-X. The manual focus ring is a bit stiff in my opinion and the depth of field isn't much different from f2.8 to f22. I also don't notice any change in lighting from the range of aperture. There is a silver button on the aperture ring that locks in place when turned all the way to f2.8 but I have absolutely no idea what it does. You can assume that I have no idea what I'm doing in general. However, I am able... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Good buy for the price
I test this lens against the Branded 15 mm lens , and do it a really a good performance , considering that the other lens cost six times more , and Rokinon lens DOES NOT SHOW color fringing that the other lens have in excess. THe rokinon is a sharp lens even at the borders at wide open apertures , if you use 5.6 ot more is excellent, even the infamous mustache distortion dont show or you can't see if you don't have a square pattern in your image ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
