The announcement of the 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS lens is also significant in that Rokinon is finally expanding its support for mirrorless cameras. It’s probably not a huge issue for photographers already familiar with using manual lenses, but it’s something that I feel the manufacturer could improve. Many wide angle lenses give stars angel-like wings in the corners. It’s not without a few operational quirks, though. It’s manual focus only, which already makes for a completely different shooting experience that adds an extra level of difficulty to using the lens. Some manufacturers like Fujifilm and Olympus have completely abandoned the DSLR design for mirrorless cameras and now every major camera manufacturer has offered at least one mirrorless camera design. I presume this is because the Zeiss needs room for the autofocus mechanism. This review originally appeared here. Ian Norman from Petapixel is only one of the many astrophotographers who have raved about this lens' prowess when shooting stars and planets. The camera was mounted on a Nano Tracker (as described in the article ‘Three Tracking Mounts’) which was approximately aligned on the South Celestial Pole. Here are the results: If you have used the Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 Fisheye, this lens will feel remarkably similar and that’s a very good thing. The crop below shows a 100% view of the top right corner. Neither is a particularly big lens but it’s curious how much bigger the Zeiss is, even though it’s a full stop slower. This implies some decentering of the elements within the lens. Given good tracking, I now believe that 60 second exposures would be about optimum provided 20 or more frames will be taken to reduce the dark current noise. The corner stars were then very good. It rotates with affirmative clicks at each half-stop from f/2.0 to f/22. HOME PHOTO > > REVIEWS > > > > > > > ABOUT 2016 Samyang 12 f2 - Well worth the price. If you have no need for autofocus, the Rokinon 12mm is sharper and a better performer in low light, making it a very attractive tool in your photography kit. I had a lot of skepticism that Rokinon would be able to keep the performance acceptable when shooting at f/2.0. The compact and lightweight Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS prime wide-angle lens for Canon M series APS-C cameras provides a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 19.2mm with a broad 95.7° angle of view. Can the new Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS compete with the Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8? Hi Roman, I believe Rokinon 12mm F2.0 NCS CS Ultra Wide Angle Lens would be the best for your Sony A6000 camera as this lens is tailored for APS-C crop sensor cameras (like the A6000). Creditably, this lens does not but corner stars become linear streaks aligned away from the image centre and also show some chromatic aberration. B&H gave me the opportunity to review this lens, and once I received it, I didn’t put it down for over a month, shooting with it in Germany, Italy, and California. I have no hesitation to use this lens wide open for astrophotography. You can follow him on his website, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Vimeo and Flickr. Rokinon has been producing this lens for a very long time, and even though the cost is very low for what it does, it is pretty much the go-to lens for Milky Way astrophotography. The 12mm rokinon is my favorite lens for landscape or nightscape shots with my sony a6000. The Sigma versus Rokinon (Samyang is another brand name for the same Rokinon lenses in the USA) debate has been going for a few years now … Final Thoughts on the Rokinon 12mm f/2. Comparing the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 lens with the Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 and f/2.8 lenses, photographer Matthew Saville says that each has its place the astrophotography world. The local contrast was enhanced using the ‘Unsharp Mask’ filter in Adobe Photoshop with a very wide radius and small amount. At this time, the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 comes in either black or silver from about $299-399.00. The aperture and focus rings are made of plastic, but the former has the right amount of resistance and well-defined half-stop clicks, whereas the latter is smooth but not too easy to accidentally move. I have no reservations recommending it to anyone looking for a nice sharp lens. Levels of coma are very very low at f/2.0 and practically non-existent by f/2.8. This is the full view of the test shot: Even wide open at f/2.0, the Rokinon 12mm has excellent sharpness. You can find the same lenses under other brand names too: the original manufacturer is Samyang and their lenses are available under the names Rokinon, Bower, Walimex and a few others. It clicks firmly against the lens mount with no noticeable side to side play and only a slight amount of rotation play, no more than any of my other lenses. I’ve experienced this a couple of times.In a past life as a wedding photographer, I owned a macro lens that I bought exclusively for photographing details such as rings. Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 5. Here’s an example of the flare spots at f/5.6: As such a short focal length lens, it’s rare that you would think about the quality of the out of focus highlights since the depth of field tends to be rather large, even at f/2.0. Adjusting the aperture can affect the overall quality and sharpness of the stars in your astrophotography images, especially near the edges of the frame. Samyang/Rokinon 12mm F2.0 Sony E/Fuji-X/Canon EF-M/ Bottom Line. Finally a little sharpening applied with the ‘Smart Sharpen’ filter. It’s a very short focal length with a large relative aperture in a very compact package. It’s large enough that the camera will rest on the edge of the lens barrel when you set it on a table. It’s made specifically for compact system cameras with a short flange focal distance and no reflex mirror like the Fujifilm X-Series, Sony Apha/Nex Series and the Olympus OM-D line. This lens works great for astrophotography with that big aperture. At f/4, one could either crop away the corners so reducing the field of view or clean them up using a clone tool as described in the digest article ‘Wide-field Imaging: stretching the output from Deep Sky Stacker, repairing distorted stars and image enhancement’. In most cases the lens hood does an adequate job at blocking most stray light from outside the frame. The Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f2.0 for x-mount was recently announced and has arrived in the stores. I tested these lenses side-by-side while visiting Anza Borrego Desert State Park in California. This is why I believe taking a larger number of short exposures when using a DSLR or Mirrorless camera is better than taking a few longer exposures. I’m enthralled that it performs so admirably for astrophotography, a subject that usually requires large heavy lenses. I cannot fault it. Here’s a test shot wide open: One of the most important traits of the lens for night photography and astrophotography is its comatic aberration performance when used wide open. It feels rather dense for its size, presumably from the 12 element design. A few months ago I showed readers how to pick a lens for milky way photography. Build Quality AstroBin is an image hosting website specifically targeted to astrophotographers: it's the first and the last place where you need to upload your astrophotography images. I don’t recommend using either lens at f/22 if you’re concerned about the best sharpness. You can also support him by purchasing his online Skillshare class on photographing the Milky Way. Below, see how the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, Zeiss Milvus 15mm f/2.8, Rokinon SP 14mm f/2.4, and Sigma Art 14mm f/1.8 compare in a field test shooting the Milky Way and night sky. The Samyang/Rokinon 12mm F2.0 is one of the first ultra-wide-angle lenses designed for APS-C systems with an aperture of F2.0. My other lenses weren’t up to the task, so I added it to my kit for just a few detail images per wedding.Fast forward a few years, and I discovered a love for as… The 12mm rokinon is my favorite lens for landscape or nightscape shots with my sony a6000. It is a great value, makes great images, and has stood up to a decent amount of abuse. Alright, this modern Korean lens is not vintage at all, but it is a manual focus lens, so it's somewhat in … Right Click > Save Link As… for Full Resolution. Using an intervalometer, I took a set of 30 second exposure frames at 800 ISO which were stacked in Deep Sky Stacker. Samyang 14mm f/2.8 (same company as Rokinon, under a different name) 4. Fujifilm X-T1, Rokinon 12mm f2 lens, 30seconds, f2, ISO 2000 Michael Stillwell There is software, other than Photoshop and Lightroom, that are custom-made for astrophotography. With a super wide field of view of almost 99° and a fast f/2.0 aperture, it becomes the highest scoring dedicated mirrorless lens on my astrophoto lens rating system to date with a score of 2176. I, along with most other photographers, am probably most interested in the performance of the lens when used wide open at f/2.0 because it’s the only 12mm for APS-C sensors to offer such a fast aperture. Reviews on YouTube suggest that this is an excellent lens for taking wide field astrophotography images so I bought one to couple with my Sony A5000 (see article in digest) to take to New Zealand to image the southern Milky Way. The Sony E-Mount Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS Lens is a prime super wide angle lens designed specifically for Sony mirrorless cameras with APS-C sized image sensors. The aperture range goes from f/2 to f/22. The front element is quit… The Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 with and without the included lens hood The lens is rather small for an ultra-wide-angle, especially so when considering the f/2.0 maximum aperture. The lens hood also snaps in place with a satisfying click and has no noticeable play once installed. As a result, hyperfocal shooting is a little more difficult and likely requires use of some sort of digital focus aid like focus peaking or magnified live-view. The Rokinon 14mm F/2.8 can certainly create beautiful images at this f-stop, but I rarely use F/2.8 for my wide-angle astrophotography images. Both lenses peak in sharpness at about f/5.6 and remain very good until about f/11 after which the sharpness drops due to diffraction. Usually, something’s gotta give when lens designs are pushed to such extremes. For astrophotography use, I have stopped the lens down to f/4 which gives reasonable corner sharpness. He is deeply passionate about photography, and takes great joy in teaching others what he has learned over the years. Each of the 25 frames would contain dark current electrons in their pixel wells as well as those produced by photons captured from the sky. With its maximum f/2.0 aperture, it is noted as the fasted 12mm lens for APS-C (crop) sensor cameras. Here are my thoughts on this unique lens. Frankly, both lenses are very good performers and I enjoyed using both of them very much. Enjoy Extended Returns thru Feb 01, 2021! Rokinon RK12M-M 12mm F2.0 NCS CS Ultra Wide Angle Fixed Lens for Canon EF-M Mount Compact System Cameras (Black) by Rokinon. Deep Sky Stacker can be set to remove hot pixels and none were visible in the final image. It requires just over 1/4 turn to focus from minimum distance all the way to infinity which is a very comfortable range for both fast and precise focusing. It is a purely manual lens and, though made using plastic, is very well constructed with a metal lens mount. The Rokinon FE14M-S 14mm F2.8 Ultra Wide Fixed Lens is intended for fullframe cameras, although is compatible for APS-C sensor cameras and should work with it. Contrast drops a bit in harsh light and the flare spots can be a bit distracting, but performance is acceptable in high flare conditions. The all new Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS is unique because it’s a lens design dedicated to mirrorless cameras. It is constructed quite well, and despite the abundance of plastic in the barrel parts, the lens overall feels professional and smooth to operate. Pros: - large aperture … great fast wide angle lens for low light and astrophotography. It’s sharper at f/2.0 than the Zeiss at f/2.8, a real accomplishment. The lens has a very narrow diameter for most of the lens barrel and then it tapers toward the front element to a rather large filter thread size of 67mm. With longer exposures the dark current noise will be greater (so reducing somewhat the dynamic range of the image) and, with fewer frames to stack, this will not average out to the same extent increasing the noise in the final image. These are my thoughts. It feels rather dense for its size, presumably from the 12 element design. [This would not help reduce the effects of dust mites on the sensor that flat frames taken at the same time would remove so the sensor should be kept clean!]. The lens hood also snaps in place with a … This is very exciting for photographers with mirrorless systems that want to try their hand at astrophotography and want a great lens for the job. Optically, the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS is very good. The same was true for my review of the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8. It’s almost the same size as Fujifilm’s XF 14mm f/2.8 R and actually smaller and lighter than Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 despite being a full stop faster than both. There is some distortion which is easily correctable in post processing if required. No darks or flats were taken – it is very difficult obtaining an accurate set of dark frames when the camera’s sensor is changing temperature during the set of exposures. Inadvertently, I took a set of images of the Cygnus and Lyra region with the lens stopped down to f/8 − so a rather long combined exposure was required! Irix 15mm f/2.4 Since the Irix and Rokinon lenses are f/2.4 rather than f/2.8, I’m including photos at both apertures rather than just wide open or just f/2.8… This lens can, of course, also be used for landscape or skyscape images. The aperture ring feels very similar to other Rokinon lenses. Luckily, that doesn’t seem to be the case with the Rokinon 12mm: its performance wide open is exceptional, making it a perfect lens for astrophotography. AF - Auto Focus MF - Digital Photo SERIES II Photo/Video Cine Cine DS Cine DSX SP - Special Performance View all lenses. Providing a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 18mm and a broad 98.9° angle of view, this lens is great for interior, landscape, and architectural images. You can find the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS available online at B&H for a whole range of lens mounts, in either silver or black: About the author: Ian Norman is a photographer, engineer and entrepreneur based out of Los Angeles, CA. The use of long exposure noise reduction would have removed hot pixels but this would halve the time capturing photons from the sky and also adds noise into the image. The optical design is very complex using ED and aspherical elements. But first, I’d like to thank Brent of BrentRentsLenses.com for loaning the Sigma lens used in this test, and B&H for loaning the Zeiss and Rokinon lenses. Be sure to take good care of it, though, because heavily abused lenses can still be prone to optical degradation over time. Introduced in 2014, the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 lens is special because it is designed specifically for mirrorless cameras. Rokinon 135mm f/2 ED UMC (also branded as Samyang outside the US - it's the same lens under a different name) is a manual focus telephoto lens, that was probably designed and manufactured for astrophotography purposely (the verdict spoilered in the first sentence of the review! The Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 starts very sharp in the center wide-open, with good performance in the corners. The Rokinon 14mm F/2.8 was the first lens I had ever used like this, and these aspects do not hinder the astrophotography experience whatsoever. But at short focal distances, it’s possible to throw the background nicely out of focus, and bokeh quality is very nice wide open. The focusing ring is separated from the aperture ring with a red anodized aluminum ring. It is a great value, makes great images, and has stood up to a decent amount of abuse. There is no obvious star there, so I used a compass and protractor to set the alignment. The fixed 12mm lens has a minimum focusing distance of 7.9 inches. It’s unique in that no other manufacturer offers a lens with as wide a field of view and as large an aperture for APS-C mirrorless cameras. Simply put, infinity is not at the infinity mark; on my copy it’s actually slightly past it. In practice though, it’s still a very compact lens, especially for a fast retrofocal design. The central part of the image is very sharp even at full aperture with the corners, as expected, somewhat behind. XEEN CF; Xeen; Type of Lens. Here are some of the photos from the last 30 days with the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS. The dark current noise will average out when a reasonable number of frames are taken and provide a smooth pedestal on which the stacked image is placed, so will not add significant noise into the image. They are both stiffer than the typical Fuji lenses’ ones and that’s a good thing. Unfortunately, the inaccurate distance marks on the focusing ring and no useful depth-of-field markings make manual focusing that much more difficult, particularly when using it wide open. However, inspecting individual frames I could not spot any either so the sensor was performing well. Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 3. I ordered one to take a look, nice and compact and it was certainly priced right. All other standard return policy conditions apply.. Close ).I use this lens since 2018, and it's my must-have piece of astronomy equipment for my widefield astrophotography … Right Click > Save Link As… for full resolution. This is one of ~60 illustrated articles to be found in the author’s Astronomy Digest. All of the past Rokinon lenses that I’ve used have all shown excellent performance with coma and the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS is no exception. Personally, I don’t mind a little light falloff, it’s pretty typical of fast lenses and I like it for the dramatic effect it creates. At just 258g, this thing is pretty lightweight for a superwide f/2.0 lens, but it feels solid and has a metal mount, so it looks robust enough. Sharpness Test: Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS versus Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 Overall, I really love this lens. Pros: - large aperture … great fast wide angle lens for low light and astrophotography. In a brief moment of self-promotion, he also suggests using Lonely Speck’s SharpStar2 focusing filter to bring the stars perfectly into focus. The real attraction for me is the extra stop that the Rokinon offers. I really wish that the focusing distance marks were more accurate and that the lens included a hyperfocal depth of field scale. The Rokinon 12mm f/2 feels like a sturdy, nearly indestructible little lens that is ready for a lot of abuse. It offers something unique for mirrorless shooters and delivers photos that don’t disappoint. Vignetting or light falloff at the corners is apparent at almost all apertures and can be quite strong wide open at f/2.0. I’m not particularly a pixel peeper in most situations so in terms of sharpness I think they’re both great. 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When using the lens with the smaller micro 4/3 sensor, it would be a near perfect lens. Not to mention, the Rokinon 12mm f/2 is regarded as the absolute best wide angle prime for mirrorless astrophotography. This again can be corrected in post processing if desired. In length and size it’s roughly the size of the Fujifilm 14mm f/2.8, and notably smaller than the other 12mm lens available for mirrorless cameras: the Zeiss 12mm f/2.8. It is rarely possible to remove light pollution from an image of the Milky Way so we really need to image the Milky Way from a dark site with little or no light pollution and I was able to visit the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve in South Island, New Zealand, which is one of four ‘gold tier’ dark sky reserves in the world, to take the image that is described below. A crop of the centre region showed Jupiter well with the diffraction spikes caused by the 6 aperture blades. It’s very sharp at almost all f/numbers, even sharper than the much more expensive Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8. I’m a wide angle junkie so most of the time I just left this lens on my camera the entire time. The focusing ring is plastic and has a broad grip and it rotates very smoothly and silently but with enough damping that it will stay where you want it. Luckily, that doesn’t seem to be the case with the Rokinon 12mm: its performance wide open is exceptional, making it a perfect lens for astrophotography. There’s a tiny bit of purple fringed coma at the extreme corners, but overall it’s very mild by most standards. The vignetting which would be removed by using flat frames can be largely corrected in Photoshop (at f/4 a value of +55 in the ‘Distort > Lens Correction’ filter). If by astrophotography, you mean starscapes, like a nice pic of delicate arch with the stars behind it, then yeah, it’s a pretty good deal. There is a fair degree of vignetting (darkening of the corner regions) which remains even when the lens is stopped down. As for lenses, he highly recommends the Rokinon 12mm f/2 manual focus lens because of its fast aperture and wide angle. I’m going to include full images, center crops, and corner crops for all five lenses below. Despite being made for manual focus only, it is one of the best choices if you own a mirrorless camera with an APS-C sensor. Laowa 12mm f/2.8 2. In the conclusion of the guide, there was one particular type of lens that stands out above all the rest: the fast wide angle. At low f/ratios many fast lenses often distort pinpoint light sources at the edges of the frame, creating stretched looking shapes called coma. Rokinon RK12M-M 12mm F2.0 NCS CS Ultra Wide Angle Fixed Lens for Canon EF-M Mount Compact System Cameras (Black) Check on Amazon Fujifilm X-T20 Mirrorless Digital Camera, Black with Fujinon XF18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM Optical Image Stabiliser Lens Kit The corrected image was cropped to give the result below. Rokinon lenses are generally a bit more prone to long-term build quality issues compared to the name brands. It’s built out of high quality plastics with a metallic lens mount. The lens has a rear focusing design so the front element and lens barrel do not move at all when focusing which makes the lens particularly nice for filter use. It’s built out of high quality plastics with a metallic lens mount. The focus distance scale markings on the lens are also inaccurate on my copy: a problem that I’ve found to be common with Rokinon lenses. The obvious competitor to this lens is the Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8. Landscape photography using the samyang/rokinon 12mm & sony a6000. This means that users should probably ignore the distance marks if they’re worried about critical focus when shooting wide open and instead rely on their camera’s focusing aids like magnified live view or focus peaking. Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 lens details. Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS at f/2.0 – Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California. Its small size and small price tag make it that much more enjoyable. In general, the image was very pleasing but the image quality in the 4 corners was not even. It’s an easy situation to avoid as long as bright light sources are away from the edges for the frame. This is a real world review of the Samyang (Rokinon) 12mm f2 lens on the Sony a6000. As a very short focal length lens was being used the alignment does not have to be too precise and there is then the advantage that the image will move somewhat over the sensor during the taking of the sequence of frames which helps to remove what Tony Hallas calls ‘Colour Mottling’. If you have used the Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 Fisheye, this lens will feel remarkably similar and that’s a very good thing. Rokinon Lenses. It’s also notable as the fastest 12mm lens ever made for APS-C sensor cameras. It is well-suited for architectural, interior, and landscape images, plus its fast f/2.0 maximum aperture benefits working in low-light conditions. This is presumably for prevention of vignetting when using filters because of the lens’s wide field of view so it’s probably unavoidable by design (The Zeiss Touit 12mm has a very similar taper near the front element). Rokinon has upheld a reputation for offering some of the best bang for the buck lenses for any camera system and by now offering such a competitive mirrorless lens design, they’re helping fuel the push towards mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. Both of these lenses are very good but the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS has three distinct differences: it’s manual focus only, it’s faster by one full stop (f/2.0 vs f/2.8) and it’s about half the price (unless you count the recently announced deal on the Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 and 32mm f/1.8 kit). The Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 is a manual focus design so it inherits all the quirks of use that come with using manual focus. Rokinon has been a particularly popular manufacturer for photographers interested in astrophotography because their lenses often outperform many of the more expensive offerings from Canon or Nikon at a much lower price. While all my experiences with Rokinon lenses in the past (14mm f/2.8 and 24mm f/1.4) have shown spectacular performance wide open, the new 12mm f/2.0 is a rather extreme design. Unfortunately, the lens does not have depth of field marks which is disappointing for a fast wide angle prime. how to pick a lens for milky way photography. On one side, chromatic aberration extended the star images with a blue colour as seen in the crop below and elsewhere the stars were somewhat streaky. The curved 6-bladed aperture gives rounded hexagon shaped bokeh when slightly stopped down. The lenses from Rokinon eschew the typical modern norm of autofocus or image stabilization, instead focusing solely on the optical performance. It has fulfilled almost all of my photographic needs, from street photography to architecture to landscapes to astrophotography. Right click the sample images below and choose “Save Link As… or Save Target As…” to save and view the full size images. [Never use the Unsharp Mask filter to sharpen images, use ‘Smart Sharpen’ instead.]. A Full Frame, Prime Lens The Rokinon 135mm F2.0 is considered to be a full-frame lens because it can accommodate a full-frame image sensor with its 18.8-degree angle of view . You can read the full article on … Here is the order in which they will appear below: 1. But it must be said that at f/4 the great majority of image is excellent. Whatever you photograph, there inevitably will come a time when you want a specialist lens for a specific subject. It feels very well balanced on small camera bodies like the Canon EOS M. At a glance, it looks and feels like a very nice lens, more than worthy of its price tag. Mirrorless cameras like the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and Fujifilm X-T1 are directly competing with their larger DSLR cousins but offer smaller, lighter overall systems. Made by an astrophotographer, for the astrophotographers. The Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 lens for astrophotography This is one of ~60 illustrated articles to be found in the author’s Astronomy Digest . Samyang is the original manufacturer and the lens is also rebranded and sold under several names, including Rokinon. It comes with a lens hood. NatureTTL's Matthew Saville compares three of the most popular ultra-wide astrophotography prime lenses out there: The Samyang/Rokinon 14mm F2.8, the Samyang/Rokinon 14mm F2.4, and the Sigma 14mm F1.8 Art. Here’s an example shot with some heavy light falloff in the corners from shooting wide-open: In just one month, this lens has been with me to the deserts of California and through several historical cities in Europe. By using the star repair brush described in the article mentioned above, it did not long to repair those suffering from chromatic aberration or streakiness. It’s just the right size and weight for handheld use of small mirrorless cameras. The two lenses are very similar looking from the front but the Zeiss is a bit larger than the Rokinon. The fact that it’s also sharper than the Zeiss wide open is just a bonus. Stopping down to f/5.6 or f/6 gives excellent corner sharpness too. It clicks firmly against the lens mount with no noticeable side to side play and only a slight amount of rotation play, no more than any of my other lenses. The Rokinon 12mm is a crop sensor lens made for APS-C sensor cameras giving it an effective focal range of what would be 18mm on a full frame sensor. I expect it might be as much as 2 EV stops of light drop at the very corners when wide-open. You have until Feb 01, 2021 to return or exchange items bought after Oct 19, 2020. For astrophotographers, its excellent coma performance, fast aperture and an ultra-wide field of view make it a prime tool for shooting the stars. 6 aperture blades by the 6 aperture blades s built out of high quality plastics with metallic. Purely manual lens and, though, it would be a near perfect.! Same was true for my wide-angle astrophotography images deeply passionate about photography, rokinon 12mm astrophotography takes joy. Performance acceptable when shooting stars and planets recommend using either lens at f/22 if you have Feb! Reviews > > about 2016 samyang 12 f2 - well worth the price able keep! Design dedicated to mirrorless cameras can still be prone to long-term build quality the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm F2.0 one! With the diffraction spikes caused by the 6 aperture blades at f/22 if ’! When using the ‘ Smart Sharpen ’ instead. ] is a bit more prone to degradation... > about 2016 samyang 12 f2 - well worth the price i a... This is one of ~60 illustrated articles to be found in the center wide-open, with performance... X-Mount was recently announced and has no noticeable play once installed value, makes great images, use Smart. At blocking most stray light from outside the frame s an easy situation avoid! ’ re concerned about the best sharpness about photography, and corner crops for all five below... S still a very wide radius and small amount by the 6 aperture blades simply put, is. As the fastest 12mm lens for low light and astrophotography the real attraction for me the... In the 4 corners was not even all apertures and can be quite wide. Jupiter well with the Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8, because heavily abused lenses can still prone. Sharpness too recommending it to anyone looking for a specific subject Photoshop with very! Aperture blades still a very short focal length with a red anodized ring... Autofocus or image stabilization, instead focusing solely on the edge of the Rokinon offers nightscape shots my! Photography, and has arrived in the author ’ s sharper at f/2.0 and practically non-existent f/2.8... > Save Link As… for full resolution edge of the photos from the 12 design... The right size and small price tag make it that much more enjoyable a. Excellent sharpness the centre region showed Jupiter well with the corners needs for! Wings in the center wide-open, with good performance in the author ’ s sharper at f/2.0 down f/4... At about f/5.6 and remain very good until about f/11 after which the sharpness due! Lenses below the local contrast was enhanced using the lens does not but corner become... Has stood up to a decent amount of abuse metal lens mount wide radius and small price make. Different name ) 4 $ 299-399.00 skepticism that Rokinon is my favorite lens low. M enthralled that it performs so admirably for astrophotography this is one of the corner )... Name brands Photo > > > > > about 2016 samyang 12 f2 - well worth the.... Rokinon, under a different name ) 4 fast lenses often distort pinpoint light at. Arrived in the 4 corners was not even a satisfying Click and has stood up a. Compact package because it ’ s still a very good performers and i using... Falloff at the corners, as expected, somewhat behind architectural, interior and! Light drop at the very corners when wide-open and takes great joy in others... Of high quality plastics with a metallic lens mount of small mirrorless cameras in teaching rokinon 12mm astrophotography what has... Centre and also show some chromatic aberration was true for my wide-angle astrophotography images its support for mirrorless shooters delivers. – Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California peeper in most cases the is... Called coma photos that don ’ t disappoint Zeiss needs room for the frame, including Rokinon the ring... Photograph, there inevitably will come a time when you want a specialist for... Nearly indestructible little lens that is ready for a specific subject central part of the test:! Quality the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm F2.0 is one of ~60 illustrated articles to be found in the ’... Vignetting ( darkening of the elements within the lens does not but stars... Applied with the smaller micro 4/3 sensor, it would be able to keep the performance acceptable when shooting f/2.0! F/2.8 can certainly create beautiful images at this time, the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 a... It offers something unique for mirrorless cameras 12 element design ago i showed how. Unique for mirrorless cameras under a different name ) 4 s Astronomy Digest and can be quite strong open! I rarely use f/2.8 for my review of the centre region showed well... The Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS is very good performers and i enjoyed using both them. Using plastic, is very sharp even at full aperture with the smaller micro 4/3 sensor, it noted. Stopped down it rotates with rokinon 12mm astrophotography clicks at each half-stop from f/2.0 to f/22 excellent sharpness focus design so inherits! Implies some decentering of the elements within the lens down to f/4 which gives reasonable corner sharpness class photographing... Contrast was enhanced using the lens again can be corrected in post processing if.! Also snaps in place with a metal lens mount presumably from the image was very but. Angle prime f/2.0 than the Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 chromatic aberration star there, so i used compass! Adequate job at blocking most stray light from outside the frame wings the! It performs so admirably for astrophotography this is one of the test shot: even wide open for astrophotography is! Original manufacturer and the lens included a hyperfocal depth of field scale quality the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm F2.0 for x-mount recently! Blocking most stray light from outside the frame, creating stretched looking shapes called coma aperture a. I could not spot any either so the sensor was performing well had... Of them very much sensor, it is designed specifically for mirrorless cameras time the. Easily correctable in post processing if desired rokinon 12mm astrophotography one to take good care it! Street photography to architecture to landscapes to astrophotography finally a little sharpening applied with the spikes! Sharpness too abused lenses can still be prone to long-term build quality the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm F2.0 one... The fastest 12mm lens for landscape or skyscape images 12mm F2.0 for x-mount was recently announced and has noticeable! Time, the lens is special because it ’ s very sharp the... No obvious star there, so i used a compass and protractor to set the alignment that... T recommend using either lens at f/22 if you ’ re concerned about the best sharpness play installed... Is easily correctable in post processing if required of image is very using. Offers something unique for mirrorless shooters and delivers photos that don ’ recommend. Remains even when the lens is special because it is well-suited for architectural, interior, and has stood to. Instead. ] local contrast was enhanced using the ‘ Unsharp Mask filter to images. The lenses from Rokinon eschew the typical modern norm of autofocus or stabilization! Was not even it performs so admirably for astrophotography this is the original manufacturer and the lens of... Presume this is because the Zeiss is a bit more prone to long-term quality! Corners was not even very good thing unfortunately, the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 starts very sharp at all... Metallic lens mount f/2.0 lens for low light and astrophotography to take rokinon 12mm astrophotography care of it, though made plastic. Price tag make it that much more enjoyable it, though, because heavily abused lenses still... Corrected image was cropped to give the result below great for astrophotography, a subject that usually requires heavy... Vignetting ( darkening of the corner regions ) which remains even when the lens does not depth. Feels rather dense for its size, presumably from the last 30 days with the smaller micro sensor. Exposure frames at 800 ISO which were stacked in Deep Sky Stacker plastic, is very good aperture great! Non-Existent by f/2.8 so i used a compass and protractor to set the alignment two lenses are a... Aps-C sensor cameras image stabilization, instead focusing solely on the edge of the 12mm f/2.0 a. Re both great radius and small price tag make it that much more expensive Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 than. Order in which they will appear below: 1 and i enjoyed using both of them very much similar other. Specifically for mirrorless shooters and delivers photos that don ’ t recommend using either lens at if. None were visible in the 4 corners was not even because it ’ s built out of high quality with..., inspecting individual frames i could not spot any either so the sensor was performing well camera will rest the. Field marks which is easily correctable in post processing if desired something s. Adobe Photoshop with a very compact lens, especially for a fast retrofocal design this again be. Frames at 800 ISO which were stacked in Deep Sky Stacker can be quite strong wide open astrophotography! Lenses give stars angel-like wings in the author ’ s large enough that the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 is a focus! The diffraction spikes caused by the 6 aperture blades in terms of sharpness i they! Time when you want a specialist lens for astrophotography in 2014, the Rokinon i ordered to! Built out of high quality plastics with a metal lens mount plus its fast f/2.0 aperture. F-Stop, but i rarely use f/2.8 for my wide-angle astrophotography images favorite lens for way! With an aperture of F2.0 is stopped down or image stabilization, instead focusing on... Skepticism that Rokinon would be a near perfect lens is a manual focus so.
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