Boy oh boy! at DVinfo.net

Don Litten · August 3rd, 2012, 04:56 PM

I just got through testing this:

Rokinon 85mm F1.4 Aspherical Lens

Built like a tank, fast, sharp as a tack and less than 300 bucks!

Chip Thome · August 4th, 2012, 12:36 AM

Welcome to the Rok family !!! :-)

I have heard others say it was way under priced and I agree, it's under priced by close to half. I personally think it was a marketing ploy to price it at that to get people to look at the brand. Rokinon sure figured out how to charge as soon as they introduced the rest of their lineup !!! :-)

Noa Put · August 4th, 2012, 01:16 AM

Here they are called "Samyang" and the 85mm is also one of my favorites to get close-ups from guests at weddings (I use a 550d with a 1.6 cropfactor)
I also think they priced the 85mm that low to get attention, the 35mm which I also got is not that sharp wide open, it gets softer at f1.4 but nevertheless a very good lens for closeups with shallow dof.
Only disadvantage with the 85mm is that the minimal distance you can focus on is often too wide so you need to keep your distance.

Jeff Harper · August 6th, 2012, 08:34 AM

The lens is well known as as best buy for a third party lens, as-is the Sigma 50mm F/1.4, two of the best values out there.

I had a 85mm F/1.2L lens from Canon that was also very nice, but it was much too hard to work with for weddings. The DOF on the lenses is huge, and at an effective 170mm I just didn't get the use out of my lens I would have liked. It ended up as a novelty for me and I sold it. Great lens though, especially if you have a use for them.

Don Litten · August 6th, 2012, 02:27 PM

Almost everything I do benefits from a longer lens Jeff...(One of many reasons I don't do weddings),

Hopefully I can get a profile using the 85mm in the GH2, to match up with the AC130. I'm rapidly falling in love with that thing.

August 3rd, 2012, 04:56 PM	#1
Don Litten Major Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Richmond Va Posts: 400	Boy oh boy! I just got through testing this: Rokinon 85mm F1.4 Aspherical Lens Built like a tank, fast, sharp as a tack and less than 300 bucks!

August 4th, 2012, 12:36 AM	#2
Chip Thome Major Player Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Green Bay Wisconsin Posts: 553	Re: Boy oh boy! Welcome to the Rok family !!! :-) I have heard others say it was way under priced and I agree, it's under priced by close to half. I personally think it was a marketing ploy to price it at that to get people to look at the brand. Rokinon sure figured out how to charge as soon as they introduced the rest of their lineup !!! :-)

August 4th, 2012, 01:16 AM	#3
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	Re: Boy oh boy! Here they are called "Samyang" and the 85mm is also one of my favorites to get close-ups from guests at weddings (I use a 550d with a 1.6 cropfactor) I also think they priced the 85mm that low to get attention, the 35mm which I also got is not that sharp wide open, it gets softer at f1.4 but nevertheless a very good lens for closeups with shallow dof. Only disadvantage with the 85mm is that the minimal distance you can focus on is often too wide so you need to keep your distance.

August 6th, 2012, 08:34 AM	#4
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: Boy oh boy! The lens is well known as as best buy for a third party lens, as-is the Sigma 50mm F/1.4, two of the best values out there. I had a 85mm F/1.2L lens from Canon that was also very nice, but it was much too hard to work with for weddings. The DOF on the lenses is huge, and at an effective 170mm I just didn't get the use out of my lens I would have liked. It ended up as a novelty for me and I sold it. Great lens though, especially if you have a use for them.

August 6th, 2012, 02:27 PM	#5
Don Litten Major Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Richmond Va Posts: 400	Re: Boy oh boy! Almost everything I do benefits from a longer lens Jeff...(One of many reasons I don't do weddings), Hopefully I can get a profile using the 85mm in the GH2, to match up with the AC130. I'm rapidly falling in love with that thing.