Rokinon lenses, otherwise called Samyang lenses, are recognized for their decent quality lenses with good image quality at remarkably low prices. In North and South America, the lenses are sold under the brand name Rokinon.
However, the lenses are sold under Samyang or Bower lenses in other locations outside America. There is no difference between the lenses regardless of the name on the lens.
Therefore, when you stumble upon one with a different name, please do not fret. It still has the same quality and will give the same results.
The company has been in the photography business for a while and continues to make quality lenses. The quality of their lenses is way better than their competitors, yet they sell at a much lower price tag.
Rokinon lenses are available for all types of cameras, including DSLRs, Mirrorless, and point-and-shoot cameras. With that said, even if it’s not mentioned on the lens, the lens will work perfectly fine with your camera.
The lenses can be used for both professional-level photography as well as casual everyday use. As a result, they are considered one of the most versatile lenses on the market.
Rokinon makes different types of lenses with different focal lengths and aperture sizes.
The 3 Best Rokinon Lenses
The company has made quite a few interesting, innovative lenses for the low-end market.
Best Rokinon Lens
Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC CS Lens
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Best Fisheye Lens
Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens
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Best Wide-Angle Lens
Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 Lens
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- The 3 Best Rokinon Lenses
- Who Makes Rokinon Lenses?
- Overall Best Rokinon Lens – Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC CS Lens
- Best Fisheye Lens by Rokinon – Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens
- Best Wide-Angle Lens by Rokinon – Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 Lens
- Best Macro Lens by Rokinon- Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens
- Best Portrait Lens by Rokinon – Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 US UMC Lens
- Final Thoughts on The Best Rokinon Lenses Review
Who Makes Rokinon Lenses?
Samyang Optics manufactures Rokinon lenses. The Rokinon brand is owned and operated solely by Elite Brands Inc. Samyang Optics was founded in 1972 and is located in South Korea. The company manufacturers camera lenses for several major brands.
Samyang Optics is one of the few companies that are still making compact, ultra-wide-angle lenses. Jong Nam Kim founded the company. Although he has passed on, his sons continue to run the business.
Other brands that Samyang Optics produces include; Vivitar, Bower, and Rokinon (Rokinon lenses).
The company has made over 60 million lenses over the years and continues to make them every day. This is one of the reasons why their lenses are very popular among beginner and professional photographers alike.
The company specializes in developing high-quality lenses at affordable prices. They have been able to do this by capitalizing on the low labor cost and the low-cost materials required to produce lenses.
Because of their specialization, the company has dominated and taken over a huge chunk of the low-end lens market. This is despite competition from other lens manufacturers such as Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, and Carl Zeiss.
On top of that, Rokinon also manufactures SLR camera lenses and lenses for point and shoot cameras and video cameras. In addition to this, they also make various other accessories such as filters, among others.
Overall Best Rokinon Lens – Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC CS Lens
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What is the Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC CS Lens?
The Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC CS lens is their best-selling lens of all time.
The lens is a prime wide-angle lens. It has a manual focus and an aperture of f/1.4. The 85mm focal length is equivalent to approximately 128mm when shooting with a 35mm camera.
The Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 lens is made for DSLR cameras. The image circle of the lens can be used on full-frame digital cameras such as the Nikon D810 or Canon EOS 6D.
Many photographers consider it a good option though it is relatively inexpensive for a prime lens. They offer a very high optical quality, and they come at a very affordable price tag.
In my opinion, they are one of the best lenses for portraits when you’re trying to get professional results. They are also relatively good when shooting landscapes and when shooting scenic views.
Features of the Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC CS Lens
- The Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 is a relatively fast lens due to its large aperture of f/1.4. This allows you to have a very shallow depth of field and have the subject stand out from the background.
- The large aperture also allows you to shoot in low-light conditions without having to use a tripod, as well as using a very high ISO setting. Check out our informative article about aperture in photography to learn how to improve your photography skills.
- The large aperture also makes it easier for you to capture images that have been captured with a very short shutter speed.
- It features excellent image quality with very good colors and contrast, making it suitable for beginners and professional photographers alike. The lens has a fast aperture of f/1.4, which makes it also suitable for taking portraits.
- The Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 is also lightweight with a compact design. It has an autofocus motor that is fast and silent. Therefore, making it ideal for taking video or shooting in AF-C mode with your camera.
- The lens’s focusing ring also has a de-clicked feature that allows you to shoot in complete silence without making any noise.
Why Do I Recommend the Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC CS Lens?
The Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC CS lens is ideal for shooting landscapes. We have reviewed other lenses suitable for landscape photography under the 5 Best Lenses for Landscape Photography.
It offers excellent image quality and color rendering, and contrast. It has a fairly fast aperture of f/1.4, making it ideal for capturing scenic views, portraits, and landscapes.
It’s lightweight and compact, making it ideal for traveling photographers and beginners alike. The lens also has a manual focus and an aperture of f/1.4. These make it suitable for shooting in bright and low-light conditions.
The Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 AS IF UMC CS lens is also good when shooting portraits due to having a wide aperture of f/1.4. The wide aperture allows you to have a deep depth of field. Consequently, making the background stand out from the subject, making them stand out better.
It’s relatively affordable, making it ideal for beginners looking for a high-quality prime lens at an affordable price.
It also has a bright image circle, making it suitable for taking photographs of landscapes as well as scenic views.
Best Fisheye Lens by Rokinon – Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens
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What is the Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens?
When used with an APS-C camera, the 8mm Ultra Wide Angle f/3.5 Fisheye Lens from Rokinon gives you a 180° view with a dramatic, exaggerated perspective.
This lens is a manual focus lens, but it can be used with a full-frame camera. Although some vignetting may occur.
The lens has an aperture of f/3.5, which is very fast and ideal for photographing scenery at night or in low light conditions and shooting scenic views, landscapes, or astrophotography.
The lens also has an ultra-wide angle of 8mm, which allows you to capture images with minimal depth of field, making the subject stand out from the background.
The 8mm f/3.5 has a circular image which is very cool for capturing wide-angle images of landscapes, seascapes, and architecture. This makes it great for taking photographs in both good and low-light conditions.
Features of the Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens
- It has a maximum aperture of f/3.5, which is a very fast aperture and allows you to create some nice abstract images, especially when shooting in low-light conditions.
- This lens also has a circular image that creates a cool effect when photographing landscapes, seascapes, and architecture.
- The 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye MFT lens has a focal length of 35 mm, a very wide angle making it great for capturing landscape and seascapes. It also has a minimum focusing distance of 50 cm and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:9.
- The lens has a lens hood made specifically for this Fisheye Lens. The image circle is very large and allows you to take amazing landscape and seascape photos at night without the risk of vignetting.
- It has a manual focus and a manual aperture ring which allows you to control the focus and take photographs in complete silence without making any noise. The autofocus motor is very quiet, so it is ideal for taking video or shooting in AF-C mode with your camera.
- The Fisheye Lens from Rokinon is also lightweight with a compact design making it perfect for traveling photographers and beginners.
- It has a detachable lens hood which makes it easy to install and remove when required.
- The lens is designed for APS-C cameras, but it can be used on full-frame cameras. However, the lens hood should be removed.
Why Do I Recommend the Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens?
The Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye lens is a great lens for landscape and seascape photography.
It is ideal for taking landscape and seascape photos as it has a circular image, which allows you to photograph scenic views or landscapes without the risk of vignetting.
The lens is also a great lens for capturing nighttime landscapes as it has a circular image, which minimizes the amount of vignetting when shooting at night. This is ideal for traveling photographers and beginners.
Its ultra-wide-angle allows you to capture more scenery using less depth of field. This makes it ideal for photographing landscapes and seascapes during travel or family portraits.
The lens is lightweight making it ideal to take with you on your travels.
It also has a manual focus and an aperture of f/3.5, which makes it ideal for portrait photography as well as landscape photography.
It’s also relatively affordable making it ideal for beginners and travel photographers alike. All this makes it a high-quality prime lens with a wide range of uses and applications, making it the best fisheye lens out there.
Best Wide-Angle Lens by Rokinon – Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 Lens
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What is the Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 Lens?
This lens offers the same image quality and resolution as the Rokinon 14mm F2.8 but is easier to use due to improved autofocus capability.
The Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 is a manual focus lens with a minimum focusing distance of 0.7 m and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:4, meaning that it can focus from extremely close distances to infinity.
This lens has a circular image making it great for landscape, seascape, real-estate photography, and night photography due to its wide view-angle.
The Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 is one of the only wide-angle lenses available on the market today, with a maximum aperture of f/2.8. This means that the lens offers great image quality and detail even when shooting in low-light conditions and at night.
Features of the Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 Lens
- The Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 has an autofocus motor, which offers fast, accurate, and quiet focus performance.
- It also has an integrated petal-shaped lens hood that helps minimize flare and ghosting when shooting in conditions with backlighting.
- The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 0.7 m and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:4, which allows you to focus from extremely close distances to infinity, making it ideal for night photography, landscape photography, and seascape photography.
- This lens has a circular image that gives you an ultra-wide angle of 14 mm, creating some great landscape and seascape images and creating some cool, abstract images.
- The Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 is also very light with an exterior weight of only 270g, making it ideal for landscape photographers and beginners and novices alike.
Why Do I Recommend the Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 Lens?
The Rokinon AF 14mm f/2.8 is one of the best wide-angle lenses for image quality, making it perfect for landscapes, seascapes, and astrophotography.
Its maximum aperture of f/2.8 makes the lens ideal for night shots or when shooting in low-light conditions, making it ideal for photographers who mostly shoot at night or in low-light conditions.
The lens is affordable and lightweight, making it a perfect choice for beginner photographers looking for a great wide-angle lens at an affordable price.
It is compact and easy to use, making it ideal for travel or as a backup. The autofocus motor also makes it easy to use and is ideal for astrophotography and low-light photography.
Best Macro Lens by Rokinon- Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens
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What is the Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens?
The Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 is a manual focus lens with a minimum focusing distance of 1.5 ft and is designed for shooting close-up or macro photographs.
It has an aperture of f/2.8, which makes it ideal for shooting in low-light conditions and at night.
This lens is not weather-resistant nor dust-proof, which means you will need to be more careful when traveling with the lens if there is an increased chance of rain or dust.
Other lenses are faster than this lens. Using a manual focus offers a fast and accurate focus performance, which compensates for the slow lens.
Features of the Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens
- The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 1.5 ft and a maximum magnification ratio of 0.2x, which means that you will be able to focus on objects from extremely close distances to infinity.
- The Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 is an ideal choice for macro photographers who want to shoot close-up images and desire the same quality and sharpness as you would get from a standard lens.
- It can focus from extremely close distances to infinity and create images with a magnification ratio of up to 1:1.
- The Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 is the only macro lens available on the market today with a maximum aperture of f/2.8, which makes it ideal for shooting in low-light conditions or at night.
Why Do I Recommend the Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens?
The Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 is a manual focus lens with a minimum focusing distance of 1.5 ft and is designed for shooting close-up and macro photographs.
It has an aperture of f/2.8, which makes it ideal for shooting in low-light conditions and at night.
The lens also has a maximum magnification ratio of 0.2x which means that you will focus on objects from extremely close distances to infinity.
Having a maximum magnification ratio of 0.2x, this lens gives users the freedom to shoot close-up images with greater detail and sharpness.
The Rokinon 100mm f/2.8 is the only macro lens available on the market today with a maximum aperture of f/2.8, which makes it ideal for shooting in low-light conditions or at night.
Check out our review of the best lenses for product photography to see other lenses you can use to photograph products.
Best Portrait Lens by Rokinon – Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 US UMC Lens
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What is the Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 US UMC Lens?
The Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 is a prime standard lens with an aperture of f/1.4. It is designed for both APS-C and full-frame-sized sensors.
It has an angle of view of 64 degrees, making it perfect for shooting portraits with a natural blur background.
It’s also great when shooting in low-light conditions or night shooting without having to pump up the ISO capacity on your camera.
The Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 is also designed with a minimum focusing distance of 1.5 ft and a maximum magnification ratio of 0.22x, which means that you will be able to focus on subjects from extremely close distances and create shots with greater details when compared to other lenses with larger magnifications ratios.
Features of the Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 US UMC Lens
- The lens can focus from extremely close distances to infinity, making it ideal for shooting when you want the subject in the background to be blurred.
- It is designed with low distortion, which means that you will be able to shoot in any lighting conditions without ruining the quality of your pictures.
- The Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 is also designed with a minimum focusing distance of 1.5 ft and a maximum magnification ratio of 0.22x, which means that you will be able to focus on subjects from extremely close distances and create shots with greater details when compared to other lenses with larger magnifications ratios.
- The Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 works well with APS-C-sized and full-frame sensors.
- It is incredibly lightweight, making it easier for people traveling or hiking for hours at a time.
Why Do I Recommend the Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 US UMC Lens?
The Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 is a prime lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.4, making it ideal for shooting in low-light conditions or at night.
The lens has an angle of view of 64 degrees, making it perfect for shooting portraits with a natural blur background.
It’s also great when shooting in low-light conditions or night shooting without having to pump up the ISO capacity on your camera.
Check out our review of the best lenses for wedding photography to see other lenses you can use for taking pictures at weddings.
Portrait photography and landscape photography suit the lens.
The fast f/1.4 is beneficial for greater control over shallow depth of field and selective focusing effects.
Final Thoughts on The Best Rokinon Lenses Review
If you are searching for the best Rokinon lenses, I hope that this list helped you.
The Rokinon series consists of high-quality lenses that are suitable for photographers of all skill levels.
All of the lenses in this list are equipped with modern features and advanced technology, making them perfect for taking pictures in less than ideal lighting conditions.
In addition, these lenses are incredibly affordable, making them perfect for people who are trying to save money while still getting a high-quality lens.
Rokinon – a company known for providing high-quality glass at an affordable price manufactures all the lenses on this list.
Most of the lenses in this series have a maximum aperture of f/2.8, which is ideal for shooting in low-light conditions and at night.
In addition, they are designed to work well with both full-frame and APS-C sized sensors allowing you to experiment with different sized sensors based on your preference.
Whether you are looking for a macro lens, a landscape lens, or a portrait lens, I hope that the review of this article helped you find what you were looking for.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this article, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below, and I will be more than happy to help out.
Happy Shooting!
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