Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC Lens For Canon EF

<p>I'm considering the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC Lens For Canon EF. I have no problems with it being a manual lens given its infinity distance. Also, I find the sharpness data on the lens very encouraging considering how the lens is priced.<br>

Should I consider getting the version with the AE-chip that gives some of the lens data back to the body?</p>

<p>Sure, you might as well. There was a lot of excitement about this lens, some think it incredibly sharp, others find it pretty bad. My assumption is that QC is not great, so you need to find a good one. The manual focus scale is not accurate (infinity on the lens is not infinity)- probably not a big deal. Of course there is no auto aperture, is you will have to stop it down before taking the shot. Again, probably not a big deal for a 14mm (it would be a pain for a "normal" lens). Distortion is pretty bad by all accounts and not easily fixed in post - this point is agreed by most users. This is probably partly accounts for why its resolution is good. Probably does not matter for landscapes, but would annoy me for anything else, particularly buildings. The price is excellent. I don't think you have much to lose by trying one out. There is no particular use in having the chip other than it will provide EXIF data, but it would seem you might as well have it as not.</p>

<p>Thanks for your input Robin!<br>

AE-chip would at least make the lens recognizable in LR and make it possible to apply the profile if needed.<br>

I'm very tempted at least. If there're quality issues I have to consider buying locally so that I can try it out. That takes a significant bite into the price temptation... <br>

I rarely shoot buildings... at least very rarely ONLY buildings.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that this lens was only recently added to Adobe's database. You need LR 6.4 or higher for a lens profile. </p>

<p>Thank you Jos. That is not an issue. I'm a CC subscriber and I already checked that the profile existed. </p>

<p>Robin summed it up quite well.</p>

<p>I really like my 14mm (Rokinon version). So much so that I cut off the permanent hood so I could dive it in a underwater enclosure. I rarely shoot f2.8, but at f4.0 it becomes quite sharp. I looked at two used copies, the first was soft on one side.</p>

<p>Take a picture straight on of a brick wall at f5.6. It should be crazy sharp just about everywhere. If it is soft all over or on one side, try another. You'll also see the moustache distortion right away. Power lines are about the worst!<br>

Actually, I like this lens enough that I have been contemplating buying a "Throttle" to adapt it to my A7rii. There aren't any really nice ND solutions for this lens. The throttle would put a variable ND between the rear of the lens and imager.</p>

<p>Oh yeah, this lens handles flare quite well too.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Another positive vote for the Rokinon/Bower/Samyang 14mm f/2.8. I bought a used Bower branded lens and am very pleased.<br>

Enough so that I bought a Rokinon 12mm f/2 for my EOS M5.<br>

Just be sure you have a return/exchange privilege when you buy. Both of mine were fine right out of the box, but that apparently isn't always the case.<br>

JD</p>

Bought this lens (Amazon had the Bower priced a lot less, for some reason) for astrophotography. Great lens for it! Can't

beat the price. Glad I bought it.

<p>Thank you Brad, Joseph and Mark for sharing your experiences. I do believe I will invest in this lens. I had a chance to look at it and test it at photokina, but a quick look at a fair can't really beat first hand use reviews .<br>

Have a nice weekend!</p>

<p>I have another Samyang lens without a chip. It is fairly fiddly to get the right exposure. By contrast fully manual lenses with a chip do at least get the exposure roughly correct in Av mode (though never quite as good as native Canon-mount lenses). So I would say definitely get the chipped version if you can. There are horror stories of camera electronics being fried by bad chips, but these anecdotes seem few in number compared to the number of chipped lenses out there.</p>

<p>The Samyang 14/2.8 is a great lens - well built and super sharp. It actually outperforms the mighty EF 14/2.8 L, and costs a small fraction of the price.</p>

<p>I sold mine to a friend who does ultra-wide work (while I seldom shoot wider than 24mm), and he loves it.</p>

Thanks everyone. Just wanted to update. The lens in question was on sale at one of the national web shops, so I got one. Sans chip though, but I don't mind. I've been playing around with it a little, although the light is really low it feels like it is ok. I'll try to go out tomorrow and really try it out.