Samsung 16mm f/2.4 NX Ultra Wide Pancake Lens (Black) with 32GB

Samsung 16mm f/2.4 NX Ultra Wide Pancake Lens with 32GB Card + Tripod + 3 UV/FLD/CPL + Accessory Kit for NX200, NX210, NX300, NX1100, NX2000 Digital Cameras
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
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*** This review is for the lens itself only and not the bundle ***

OK, so this lens has some mild vignetting, some softness in corners when wide open (but cured by stopping down to f4), and so on. Compared to the 20mm and the 30mm, it is generally the lowest rated overall of the three (though it seems to be moving up the ranks lately). But...it has something they don't -a very wide field of view! It's center sharpness is excellent, by the way, and it compares very well to other manufacturer's 16mm lenses (beating most, if not all, in a similar price range, and even a few more expensive competitors). Plus it's the fastest (at f2.4) 16mm available currently. Overall it is very good to excellent, I'd say.

So, for someone like me, who shoots a lot of landscapes, street scenes, flowers, insects, sometimes at weird angles, and some far shots, again at a creative angle usually, this is an interesting tool. As someone who likes to be able to cover a wide angle of view in his compositions and who can live with the very minor shortcomings noted above...this lens is a good choice. Especially if you can find a good used one at a low price, as I did.

It also makes your NX1000/NX1100 a slimmer, nicer looking camera which is great for walk-abouts and quick off the cuff shots. So, as pretty much the only choice for a really wide angle prime for your NX1000/1100, I give this 4 stars. As I gain more experience with it, I will come back and update with comments on actual image quality in real life situations.

*** Update: Raised my rating to 5 stars as I am very pleased with the shots I am getting. Also, the AF (Auto-focus) is faster than the 20-50mm Zoom (and less finicky) and the manual focus works well. Overall, I like the handling better than the (excellent) 20-50mm Zoom and I very much like the more compact profile. But the big win remains the wider field of view. I am enjoying that aspect very much. This is the lens that will be mounted on my NX1000 by default.

*** Update: It was a beautiful, sunny day this past Sunday and I had a chance to take my Samsung NX1000 and this new lens to a local park for some test shots. I've uploaded a few (in "customer images" and downsized for web) to give you an idea of the field of view you get with this lens. I loved every minute shooting with it. These are posted under my review for the lens itself here: Samsung 16mm f/2.4 NX Ultra Wide Pancake Lens (Black)

*** Update: I continue to be very happy with this lens. It's a true joy to shoot with. More versatile than I expected. I get good close-ups and gorgeous landscapes. I am having a blast with it and that's what it's all about, right? This lens opens new doors in terms of composition and really broadens the creative options at my disposal.

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