Buying 35mm. Rokinon or Canon L?

G

grantw

Well-known member
I'm looking to buy a 35mm for video-only work. I was looking at the Canon 35 f2, but doesn't seem to be all that sharp. My biggest things are sharpness and color.

Anyone have any experience with the Canon 35 1.4 and the Rokinon 1.4?

I've seen mixed examples. Some people say its just as sharp when stopped down. But I've seen some examples where it looks pretty soft.
 
The samyang 35mm seems to be great, lots of happy users around (for example here: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?299123-Rokinon-Cine-lenses-vs-Zeiss-ZE-ZF-lenses/page3), and the tests I've seen put it on par or above the Canon L in terms of sharpness (http://www.the-digital-picture.com/...LensComp=121&CameraComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0). All manufacturers send out a bad copy from time to time, maybe Samyang has more of those, I have no idea.

A couple more posts about it:
http://www.steveoakley.net/template_permalink.asp?id=422
http://philipbloom.net/2011/05/12/samyang35mm/

And a few other comments here:
http://www.similaar.com/foto/equipment/us_lensc.html#samyang
 
I sold my Canon 35/1.4L for a Samyang 35/1.4.... It was waaay sharper than Canon (there IS such a thing as a bad L lens...)

I also own an amazing copy of Samyang (non-cine) 24/1.4... Just did a comparison against Canon 24/1.4L... It seems that the Canon has less spherical (only slightly) and less chromatic (green/purple) aberration wide open whereas Samyang has way better corner sharpness. Center sharpness was comparably great on both lenses.

There are strong SAMPLE VARIATIONS within any Samyang focal length, ESPECIALLY the 24...... I tested 7 (yes, seven) Samyang 24/1.4's, both cine and non-cine - the store owner was quite happy to open the boxes actually - and one 24/1.4 really stood out. I desperatelly wanted to buy a cine version but this non-cine sample was just...amazing... it is at least 3x cheaper than Canon and still produces equally great video and ultra-sharp images with manual focus.

The rule of thumb for getting a good Samyang copy is TEST AS MANY OF THEM AS POSSIBLE... Or order & return until you are happy...
 
The good 24's seem very elusive, good to know there are at least some of them out there, I'm in the market for a full frame 24mm once my metabones speedbooster arrives...
 
So the Samyang and Rokinon are the same lens? Correct? Or is there a difference?

Samyang: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/859175-REG/Samyang_SY35M_C_35mm_f_1_4_Wide_Angle_US.html
Rokinon: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/769569-REG/Rokinon_RK35M_C_35mm_f_1_4_Wide_Angle_US.html

Also, whats the difference between the Rokinon 35 f1.4 and Cine t1.5? Is it just t-stops instead of f-stops? Or is it a different build/quality?
Rokinon Cine T1.5: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/884099-REG/Rokinon_cv35_c_35mm_T1_5_Cine_Lens.html
 
the zeiss is awesome, but a lot more expensive

samyang, rokinon, bower, opteka, falcon, they're all the same (and samyang is the actual maker)

AFAIK 35 f/1.4 and T/1.5 are exactly the same glass the only difference is the cinema-style body of the T one
 
grantw said:
So the Samyang and Rokinon are the same lens? Correct? Or is there a difference?

Samyang: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/859175-REG/Samyang_SY35M_C_35mm_f_1_4_Wide_Angle_US.html
Rokinon: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/769569-REG/Rokinon_RK35M_C_35mm_f_1_4_Wide_Angle_US.html

Also, whats the difference between the Rokinon 35 f1.4 and Cine t1.5? Is it just t-stops instead of f-stops? Or is it a different build/quality?
Rokinon Cine T1.5: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/884099-REG/Rokinon_cv35_c_35mm_T1_5_Cine_Lens.html
Click to expand...
The F stop is usually the formula of focal length divided by the objective lens diameter ( 100mm objective on 400mm FL telephoto is F4.0 ) and T stop is the actual light transmission after deducting the light loss through the lens elements. So high quality lens coatings like on Zeiss have T stops better than lower quality lenses.

BTW my 35mm F1.4 Bower is also the same as the Samyang/Rokinon versions.
8194434390_32c4f1073a_b.jpg
 
If anyone is looking at 35's and considering the 35L, check the new Sigma 35/1.4. Roger at Lens Rentals posted about them just a short time ago and found the Sigma to be sharper than the best 35L he's ever tested.

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/11/sigma-35mm-f1-4-arrives-announces-new-world-order

I'm migrating back to Canon and the Sigma is worth 2x the cost of the Samyang for AF - but I shoot a lot of stills and 35mm is my favorite FL. YMMV.
 
alphaville said:
I tested 7 (yes, seven) Samyang 24/1.4's, both cine and non-cine - the store owner was quite happy to open the boxes actually - and one 24/1.4 really stood out. I desperatelly wanted to buy a cine version but this non-cine sample was just...amazing...

The rule of thumb for getting a good Samyang copy is TEST AS MANY OF THEM AS POSSIBLE... Or order & return until you are happy...
Click to expand...

Did you try adjusting any of the "bad" lenses? The Samyangs' focus mechanism is simple to adjust and is often the problem when you find a poorly performing sample.
 
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