Rokinon 14mm 2.8

Postman158 · Oct 13, 2011

What do you guys think of this lens? Anyone have any experience with it? The reviews are pretty good, and this wide angle lens is definitely within my price range. Any replacements you'd suggest I hold off for a little bit to save up for?

Amazon.com: Rokinon FE14M-C 14mm F2.8 Ultra Wide Lens for Canon (Black): Camera & Photo

Markw · Oct 13, 2011

Just know that you will not only have to focus, but meter manually with that lens. Which may not be such a bad thing for landscapes, but isn't so good for, well, any other time.

Mark

Postman158 · Oct 13, 2011

Markw said:
Just know that you will not only have to focus, but meter manually with that lens. Which may not be such a bad thing for landscapes, but isn't so good for, well, any other time.

Mark

I see. Thanks!

Anyone else?

analog.universe · Oct 13, 2011

Those lenses are pretty sharp but usually distort quite a bit. Check out a site like photozone.de or lenstip.com for details about how much distortion you'll actually have to deal with.

480sparky · Oct 13, 2011

I can't speak for that particular lens, but when it came time to plunk down the cash for a FE, I opted for the Nikkor. Just as fast, but the Nikkor is smaller & lighter. Not sure about the Canon counterpart, but I figured I'd be carrying the lens no matter the price I paid. And the Nikkor is, well, smaller & lighter, and that's what tipped the scales for me.

Postman158 · Oct 13, 2011

480sparky said:
I can't speak for that particular lens, but when it came time to plunk down the cash for a FE, I opted for the Nikkor. Just as fast, but the Nikkor is smaller & lighter. Not sure about the Canon counterpart, but I figured I'd be carrying the lens no matter the price I paid. And the Nikkor is, well, smaller & lighter, and that's what tipped the scales for me.

Oh okay. I might just save up for a Canon lens then. What does the FE signify, and/or stand for?

480sparky · Oct 13, 2011

Postman158 said:
Oh okay. I might just save up for a Canon lens then. What does the FE signify, and/or stand for?

FishEye

Postman158 · Oct 13, 2011

Oh i see. This 14mm isn't a fisheye though, right? They have an 8mm Fisheye, I didn't think this was considered one..

Markw · Oct 14, 2011

Postman158 said:
Oh i see. This 14mm isn't a fisheye though, right? They have an 8mm Fisheye, I didn't think this was considered one..

Right.

Tokina makes a 10-17mm Fisheye, and Canon now makes an 8-16mm Fisheye, which looks to be a badass lens. That is, if you're considering a fisheye. If not, I'd still go for something you're not going to want to be replacing after a month's time of frustrating (fully manual, in every sense of the word) use. The choice is, of course, yours, though.

Mark

analog.universe · Oct 14, 2011

This 14mm is not a fisheye, but due to it's distortion, it doesn't really look like a rectilinear, even though it is. The Canon counterpart is >$2200... it's a big jump, but it's also a much nicer lens.

Are you shooting full frame? or do you intend to? If not you'd probably be better suited with something like a Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, or a Sigma 10-20 f/3.5, even the Sigma 8-16 f/4-5.6.

Markw · Oct 14, 2011

That's a good question I didn't think about asking. If you're shooting DX or whatever Canon's acronym is for it, definitely go for the Tokina 11-16/2.8. It's a spectacular lens. The best rectilinear UWA made in terms of distortion, image quality, speed, and construction, by far. It's got a SLIGHT CA problem, but not really a big deal.

Mark