Rokinon RK12M-FX-SIL 12mm F2.0 Ultra Wide Angle Lens for Fujifilm X-Mount Cameras

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Bought this for my EOS M3 camera, mostly to be used for astrophotography and landscape pictures. I also do some infrared landscape photography on the side. This one functions well for the aforementioned tasks. Its pretty sharp, its small, relatively light, and the build quality doesnt disappoint either. But one of the more common flaws Ive read from other reviews is that the infinity focus isnt where it should be - and it isnt. Mine is slightly after where the line is marked on the lens barrel. No biggie, but if youre trying to rely on that for nighttime focusing, it can be a pain. Also, its not that good for infrared photography (using a filter, camera is not converted); theres a very visible hotspot in the middle of the image when used. Otherwise, its a great third party lens for the EOS camera system.

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Nice and wide, compact but solid lens. The focus ring is nice and weighty to turn, and the aperture ring has clicks every half stop (not great for video, but perfect for stills). I got some great astro shots after I finally figured out what I was doing. Manual focus only, and no connections for lens metadata. While Im happy with this for its purpose, looking back, I dont think Id get it again. I got an Olympus 12-40 PRO around the same time, which at f2.8 wide open vs. f/2 for this, wouldnt have made thaaaat big of a difference. If I could do it all over again, I would have shelled out a couple hundred more and gotten the Laowa 7.5mm f/2 instead, to go really wide and have something a bit more differentiated from the 12-40 PRO. However, if you dont have a lens that is close to this, its an absolutely fantastic value and quality.

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My Title has nothing to do with this review. Surprisingly well constructed (mine, at least-maybe they vary-I dont know). The lens is nice and heavy, and the focus and aperture ring both feel good. The lens is especially good when youre crammed in the middle of the action, whatever kind of action that might be, because its so wide without being a fisheye. There is ever-so-slight distortion around the edges but this must be expected with such a wide angle lens. More often than not, its unnoticeable. Unless youre shooting vertical and are really REALLY close to your subject. This results in hilarity. Also its a wide angle that goes to f2. F2!!!

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Amazing lens at this price point! I bought this lens to take Milky Way photos and it did not disappoint.

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This lens is so good and easy to use, even though it is manual focus. Even at f2.0, due to the amount of wide angle, it is easy to find focus in the dark, especially if you live view that zooms in. I use it on the fuji X system and i have zero complains about this lens. A near-perfect lens for astrophotography, specifically Milky Way photograhy. there is some coma in the corners, but if you can find a lens at this wide angle that does not have coma at the edges, especially at this price point, you are buying your lenses in lala land. Honestly, the coma is so well controlled, you will not notice it unless you know what you are looking for. It is SHARP, even sharper at f4-f-11, great for landscapes and architectural photography! If your camera has focus peaking, manual focusing is extremely easy and fast Build quality is great, all metal and the included lens hood is a nice addon.

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After reading countless great reviews of this lens, I decided to give it a shot and purchased it for architecture and astrophotography. I often thought to myself that the accolades of this lens seemed too good to be true for the price, and unfortunately, I found this to be the case. I didnt even get so far as to test it for astrophotography, as the quality from the images I shot in natural light proved to be enough for me to decide that this lens was not worth keeping. Even stopped all the way down to f/11 the Rokinon was somewhat soft and lacking in sharpness. Additionally, I noticed purple color fringing on high contrast edges at various apertures. Yes, I can address this in post, but I prefer to spend less time editing not more. Maybe Im spoiled by Fujinon glass, but I KNOW the quality of images that my Fujifilm cameras and lenses are capable of producing, so I do not want to settle. Perhaps expectations were too high, or my copy was defective, or maybe it was both. For now, Ill go back to using my XF 16-55mm for Astrophotography, which is fantastically sharp even wide open in low light, and then eventually buy the 14mm f/2.8 prime for a wider astro/architecture option. Too bad, because what good is the extra stop of light the Rokinon f/2 produces if the images pale in comparison?

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I was surprised at how well made this lens feels in spite of the low price, and I dont mind the manual focus - zone focusing works great on this kind of wide lens provided that you dont shoot it wide open ("focus peaking" on the Fuji X is also a great help if needed). The 12mm angle of view makes for some interesting effects (not necessarily "realistic" if that is what youre going for) as you will get quite a bit of distortion due to the wide angle of view, especially for objects located towards the edges of the frame. Additionally, the Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 is able to focus very close but then you need to choose your motifs carefully if the wide angle distortion bothers you. I was mostly considering to use this lens for landscapes, but found that it actually gives a bit too much distance for my taste. I might try some astro-photography with it later on since I read it is great for that purpose. Personally I seem to prefer 16mm as a general purpose walk-around lens for my Fuji X-T2, but this Rokinon is a fantastic lens so its only a matter of focal length preference whether or not you should go for it. If you can easily afford it, why not give it a try if you havent yet explored anything wider than 18mm on an APS-C camera - you might very well find that it opens up for some new picture-making possibilities and creative ideas.

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The clarity of the glass is amazing. The build quality is amazing. The lens in general is amazing. As long as you dont have an issue with using manual focus you will love this lens. For landscape and real estate photography its great!

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I am using it for landscape photography with XT2 and a as beginner I like the photo I am getting out of this lens. The look and feel of using this lens is good. It feels robust. Its not fair to compare its image quality to 16-55 mm lens I have (or other high end lens) but it cost only one forth and images are sharp. It does produce good images if you are looking for wide angle shots. There is one minor issue that I have, the lens cap is not always easy put on lens. Its not go to but I do find myself using this lens while going out for outdoors.

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Love it. I love wide angle lenses. And this one is f2. You cant ask for more for the price. Plus you can quickly get used to the manual focus after a few tries. Just set it at one of the focus points and youre good for anything from there to a few feet. So you dont have to be constantly adjusting it. Youll get the hang of it pretty quick. Im saying this from just using it today. I just got it in the mail today and have been using it for a few hours and I love it. I have the Canon EOS M, and just remember to go into the custom settings and enable the shutter release even without a lense option to be able to use it. The instructions didnt mention that. Great sharp, bright lens.

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