List Price: $599.00
Sale Price: $429.00
Today's Bonus: 28% Off
I picked up the Rokinon (Samyang) 35mm f/1.4 lens for EOS mount cameras as soon as it was available, anticipating high demand. It has been tested on several review sites to be comparable to Canon's phenomenal 35mm f/1.4 L lens, which is one of the "essentials" for pro photographers. The Rokinon lens is heavy, well built, very sharp, almost no distortion, and looks professional. It has a long focus throw, making it much easier to use for DSLR videography. It works on EF and EF-S bodies, so it's safe if you move up from APS-C to full frame. On a Canon 7D or 60D it's a 56mm-equivalent lens, standard focal length. On a full frame body it is a medium-wide angle that is the classic focal length for photojournalism. The focus ring is very smooth, and the manual aperture ring is great if you're used to a pro video camera and need a quick aperture adjustment on the fly. The Duclos lens company in California will de-click the manual aperture ring for $60.00 plus tax plus shipping there and back. This would be useful for DSLR cinema, preventing sudden sharp increases or decreases in exposure. A fader-type ND filter on the front would accomplish the same result without a reduction in depth of field.
As good as this lens is for the money, I would not advise a purchase if you are primarily a photographer. This lens is cater-made for videographers who need a sharp, fast, manual lens for DSLR cinematography without breaking the bank. It is manual focus, manual aperture, and your camera will not even see it, so if you're needing a fast lens in this focal length I would recommend the Canon 35mm f/2.0 or the 35mm L lens if you can afford it. Lensrentals dot com is a great service that will let you rent and test lenses before buying.
If you need a wider lens, I read on the Rokinon web site that a 24mm f/1.4 lens is expected from the manufacturer Samyang in October 2011. They also make an 85mm f/1.4 lens that has gotten great reviews. Rokinon/Samyang looks to be gunning for the exploding DSLR cinema market, producing excellent manual lenses that provide all the quality a budget filmmaker needs without the expensive addition of autofocus motors that are useless for motion picture making. I had been wishing for the Canon L class 35mm lens for a long time; now I have a worthy substitute that should hold its resale value very well.
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