I bought this lens hoping to photograph the sky. You know the kind of pictures I’m talking about. The ones that show the sweep of the Milky Way over a serene lake or dramatic mountains… Well, those kinds of pictures are yet to come but I did get that decent shot of the sky just sitting on my doorstep on a warm summer night. This lens is sharp. I’m told that sharpness can vary from copy to copy and if that is so then I got a good example. If you could see that second picture at full resolution you would see that the stars are fairly sharp almost to the edge when some mild coma appears, but that could be cropped out.
I got mine on sale back around tax refund time and did not really expect much but then again, I really could not afford much, either. And I really did not want to spend much. I planned on matching it with a battered Nikon D3 that I also got on the cheap. Right out of the box I was impressed. It came very well packaged and the build quality was also very good. It’s fairly bulky and the front element sticks way out there, somewhat protected by its petal-type lens hood. It leads one to believe that it will inevitably pick up a thumb print but it looks really cool. People who don’t know better will probably think you actually know what you are doing, so that’s a plus. The provided lens cap works well but it’s so big I bet it could hold half a pound of M&M’s. The regular kind, not the peanut ones.
It’s manual focus of course and mine seems to focus past infinity. That’s not a big deal in the daytime when its huge depth of field makes that moot but at night it could be a problem when trying to get correct focus. Just check for sharpness with your zoom function in between shots.
In conclusion, this lens punches above its weight. I have a Canon Series 1 16-35 zoom that of course provides a better image in every way but it cost five times as much as the Rokinon; it is not five times better than the Rokinon.
One last thing, this lens is also sold under the Samyang label. They are identical, I’m told; I bought the Rokinon because I thought the name sounded cooler.
Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 IF ED Super Lens with Automatic Chip for Nikon F
4.3
| 736 ratingsPrice: 299
Last update: 12-07-2024
About this item
Lens not Zoomable
Minimum Focusing Distance of 10.8 inches
Focal Length -14 mm
18 elements in 12 groups, Aperture range:f/2.8-F/22, 10 diaphragm blades
This lens is compatible with all Nikon cameras that have full frame or APS-C sensors (which is all Nikon DSLR models) Minimum Focusing Distance of 10.8 inches Focal Length -14 mm 18 elements in 12 groups Aperture range:f/2.8-F/22, 10 diaphragm blades This lens is compatible with all Nikon cameras that have full frame or APS-C sensors (which is all Nikon DSLR models)
Minimum Focusing Distance of 10.8 inches
Focal Length -14 mm
18 elements in 12 groups, Aperture range:f/2.8-F/22, 10 diaphragm blades
This lens is compatible with all Nikon cameras that have full frame or APS-C sensors (which is all Nikon DSLR models) Minimum Focusing Distance of 10.8 inches Focal Length -14 mm 18 elements in 12 groups Aperture range:f/2.8-F/22, 10 diaphragm blades This lens is compatible with all Nikon cameras that have full frame or APS-C sensors (which is all Nikon DSLR models)
Product information
Product Dimensions | 3.78 x 3.43 x 3.43 inches |
---|---|
Item Weight | 1.22 pounds |
ASIN | B004NNUN02 |
Item model number | FE14MAF-N |
Customer Reviews |
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars
736 ratings
4.3 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #851 in SLR Camera Lenses |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | February 10, 2011 |
Manufacturer | Rokinon |