Rokinon/Samyang lenses for EF-M

I have a Rokinon 8mm fisheye which I have enjoyed as a low-cost novelty lens; others have posted things about 2 other Rokinon lenses, such as Rlight’s discussion about their 21mm f1.4; and several others have mentioned the Rokinon 12mm (which I am interested in).

But Rokinon/Samyang have 11 lenses for EF-M, but I haven’t read anything about the other 8.

Here is the list:

https://rokinon.com/collections/canon-m

Several look interesting, such as the 10mm f2.8 and 85mm f1.4, but I find no mention of them here.  Anyone have one?  Are they any good?

Carl LaFong wrote:

I have a Rokinon 8mm fisheye which I have enjoyed as a low-cost novelty lens; others have posted things about 2 other Rokinon lenses, such as Rlight’s discussion about their 21mm f1.4; and several others have mentioned the Rokinon 12mm (which I am interested in).

But Rokinon/Samyang have 11 lenses for EF-M, but I haven’t read anything about the other 8.

Here is the list:

https://rokinon.com/collections/canon-m

Several look interesting, such as the 10mm f2.8 and 85mm f1.4, but I find no mention of them here. Anyone have one? Are they any good?

I'm curious as well. I didn't realize there were that many Rokinons.

I have three, the EF-M 8mm f2.8, the EF-M 12mm f2.0, and the EF 135mm f2.0. I'm very happy with all of them, they give very sharp images with a warmer, inviting color rendition than other lenses. I got the 135 from Amazon open box at a steep discount, and the others secondhand off eBay, but they all are like new --- I thought each of them was an incredible value.

After getting the 135, I gave up on vintage lenses (I had a few 'very good' 135mm f2.8 lenses, but the Roki was way better optically.) Similarly, the Sigma 16mm and 56mm f1.4 lenses were so good that I gave up on vintage nifty fifties and wides...

I got the 3 Rokis for astrophotography (which they excel at -- best in class), but also enjoy using them as all-around lenses as well.

I found that the 135mm f2.0 pairs very well with the Viltrox 0.71x EF - EOS M2 speed booster, yielding a surprisingly sharp 100mm f1.4 lens. The only such lens I know of is a Zeiss Otus 100mm f1.4 costing $3k - $4k USED.  I"m sure the Zeiss is optically better, but the Roki combo does very well!

I wished Samyang would release AF 12mm f/2.0. Sorry about the end of their support for EOS M and RF as well.

lumenite wrote:

I wished Samyang would release AF 12mm f/2.0. Sorry about the end of their support for EOS M and RF as well.

“… end of their support for EOS M …” ???  Was there some announcement about this?

My renewed interest in Rokinon/Samyang comes from my wanting another/better UWA lens, and the Rokinon 10mm f2.8 popped up, along with the Venus Laowa 9mm f2.8. Haven’t seen a lot of buzz about either.  Leaning slightly towards the Venus at the moment because the Rokinon is gigantic and can’t use filters.

But the Rokinon 12mm - for half the price - might be the winner (for me).  Still cogitating on this.

Sittatunga wrote:

Carl LaFong wrote:

lumenite wrote:

I wished Samyang would release AF 12mm f/2.0. Sorry about the end of their support for EOS M and RF as well.

“… end of their support for EOS M …” ??? Was there some announcement about this?

My renewed interest in Rokinon/Samyang comes from my wanting another/better UWA lens, and the Rokinon 10mm f2.8 popped up, along with the Venus Laowa 9mm f2.8. Haven’t seen a lot of buzz about either. Leaning slightly towards the Venus at the moment because the Rokinon is gigantic and can’t use filters.

But the Rokinon 12mm - for half the price - might be the winner (for me). Still cogitating on this.

The 10mm is basically a DSLR lens, hence its size. As a general rule I would rather adapt DSLR lenses than buy them in any mirrorless mount. The 12mm is a very nice lens with very slight, easily corrected barrel distortion and quite a following in astro circles - I don't miss the AF at all with that lens. Mind you, I generally use the Canon 11-22mm for the increased flexibility of its zoom. The 21mm f/1.4 is a really good lens with excellent geometry, as is the EF-M mount 50mm f/1.2, but they both suffer as general purpose lenses from their lack of AF. The 8mm f/2.8 is a gem, very sharp and its stereographic projection doesn't scream "fisheye lens".

Thanks much.  Another nudge towards the 12mm for me.

I have - and like - the 8mm.  I am careful with it, and sometimes use it as my UWA after de-fishing it.

Carl LaFong wrote:

lumenite wrote:

I wished Samyang would release AF 12mm f/2.0. Sorry about the end of their support for EOS M and RF as well.

“… end of their support for EOS M …” ??? Was there some announcement about this?

My renewed interest in Rokinon/Samyang comes from my wanting another/better UWA lens, and the Rokinon 10mm f2.8 popped up, along with the Venus Laowa 9mm f2.8. Haven’t seen a lot of buzz about either. Leaning slightly towards the Venus at the moment because the Rokinon is gigantic and can’t use filters.

But the Rokinon 12mm - for half the price - might be the winner (for me). Still cogitating on this.

I recently bought the 9mm f2.8 Laowa lens as well, and love it. It is pricey so if that is a concern, the Samyang is also a fantastic lens. I snagged a Laowa on ebay for $300 so if you are patient, don't mind secondhand, and are willing to keep looking for one (almost daily) you might be able to find one cheaper than new.

I like to get as wide as possible at times, and the 8mm fisheye is great but there are times when I don't want the curvature, and the Laowa gives much better shots than trying to correct the 8mm lens distortion in post, even with the hi-res m6ii.

What I like about the Laowa so much is not only is it sharp and ultra-ultra wide (quite a bit wider than the 12mm Sanyang) it's also a very small lens that can fit into side pockets of my camera bag the Samyang can't --- so is much more likely to get taken along. The best lens is the lens you have with you...

Here's a good, recent thread on the Laowa, if you haven't seen it:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4676299#forum-post-66546710

Larry Rexley wrote:

Carl LaFong wrote:

lumenite wrote:

I wished Samyang would release AF 12mm f/2.0. Sorry about the end of their support for EOS M and RF as well.

“… end of their support for EOS M …” ??? Was there some announcement about this?

My renewed interest in Rokinon/Samyang comes from my wanting another/better UWA lens, and the Rokinon 10mm f2.8 popped up, along with the Venus Laowa 9mm f2.8. Haven’t seen a lot of buzz about either. Leaning slightly towards the Venus at the moment because the Rokinon is gigantic and can’t use filters.

But the Rokinon 12mm - for half the price - might be the winner (for me). Still cogitating on this.

I recently bought the 9mm f2.8 Laowa lens as well, and love it. It is pricey so if that is a concern, the Samyang is also a fantastic lens. I snagged a Laowa on ebay for $300 so if you are patient, don't mind secondhand, and are willing to keep looking for one (almost daily) you might be able to find one cheaper than new.

I like to get as wide as possible at times, and the 8mm fisheye is great but there are times when I don't want the curvature, and the Laowa gives much better shots than trying to correct the 8mm lens distortion in post, even with the hi-res m6ii.

What I like about the Laowa so much is not only is it sharp and ultra-ultra wide (quite a bit wider than the 12mm Sanyang) it's also a very small lens that can fit into side pockets of my camera bag the Samyang can't --- so is much more likely to get taken along. The best lens is the lens you have with you...

Here's a good, recent thread on the Laowa, if you haven't seen it:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4676299#forum-post-66546710

So let me repeat myself - I love that 9 mm focal length.

Of the Rokinon/Samyang lenses, I also have the 85 mm f/1.8 (for astro work), and I think I got a very good copy of that lens. For starfields, the critical thing is the shape of the stars in the corners, and my copy looks great in that respect. I've done a few ordinary photos with the 85 mm, and compared them with the Sigma 56 mm. They aren't as sharp, but still perfectly OK.

David

The 85 mm f/1.8 lens.

This is a 10 second exposure, f/2 of a starfield in Cygnus. (For you astro-folk, you can faintly see a part of the veil nebula, plus ngc 6940.) I used an external tool to remove the fairly strong vignetting - it made a good improvement but left a faint donut-shaped intensity variation,

Down-rezzed to 3000 x 2000.

I took this today wide open (f/1.8) . Too shallow DOF for the entire rose. Again down=rezzed to 3000 x 2000

David

Larry Rexley wrote:

Carl LaFong wrote:

lumenite wrote:

I wished Samyang would release AF 12mm f/2.0. Sorry about the end of their support for EOS M and RF as well.

“… end of their support for EOS M …” ??? Was there some announcement about this?

My renewed interest in Rokinon/Samyang comes from my wanting another/better UWA lens, and the Rokinon 10mm f2.8 popped up, along with the Venus Laowa 9mm f2.8. Haven’t seen a lot of buzz about either. Leaning slightly towards the Venus at the moment because the Rokinon is gigantic and can’t use filters.

But the Rokinon 12mm - for half the price - might be the winner (for me). Still cogitating on this.

I recently bought the 9mm f2.8 Laowa lens as well, and love it. It is pricey so if that is a concern, the Samyang is also a fantastic lens. I snagged a Laowa on ebay for $300 so if you are patient, don't mind secondhand, and are willing to keep looking for one (almost daily) you might be able to find one cheaper than new.

I like to get as wide as possible at times, and the 8mm fisheye is great but there are times when I don't want the curvature, and the Laowa gives much better shots than trying to correct the 8mm lens distortion in post, even with the hi-res m6ii.

I like wide - really wide - as well.  That’s why I got the 8mm Rokinon in the first place - to use as an ultra-wide at low cost.  It works really well for me much of the time, but then it is a fisheye, so I end up trying to de-fish later.  I really prefer not having to do that, and for all the reasons I just mentioned, the lens I use most of the time is my 11-22.

But now that 9mm Laowa is starting to look more like it might be my next lens.

What I like about the Laowa so much is not only is it sharp and ultra-ultra wide (quite a bit wider than the 12mm Sanyang) it's also a very small lens that can fit into side pockets of my camera bag the Samyang can't --- so is much more likely to get taken along. The best lens is the lens you have with you...

So true about the size.  Yup.  So, another vote for the Laowa.

Here's a good, recent thread on the Laowa, if you haven't seen it:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4676299#forum-post-66546710

Thanks - I saw that nice piece of work earlier, but forgot, so it was good to review. Yet another vote for the Laowa.  I’m weakening.

DavidWright2010 wrote:

Larry Rexley wrote:

Carl LaFong wrote:

lumenite wrote:

I wished Samyang would release AF 12mm f/2.0. Sorry about the end of their support for EOS M and RF as well.

“… end of their support for EOS M …” ??? Was there some announcement about this?

My renewed interest in Rokinon/Samyang comes from my wanting another/better UWA lens, and the Rokinon 10mm f2.8 popped up, along with the Venus Laowa 9mm f2.8. Haven’t seen a lot of buzz about either. Leaning slightly towards the Venus at the moment because the Rokinon is gigantic and can’t use filters.

But the Rokinon 12mm - for half the price - might be the winner (for me). Still cogitating on this.

I recently bought the 9mm f2.8 Laowa lens as well, and love it. It is pricey so if that is a concern, the Samyang is also a fantastic lens. I snagged a Laowa on ebay for $300 so if you are patient, don't mind secondhand, and are willing to keep looking for one (almost daily) you might be able to find one cheaper than new.

I like to get as wide as possible at times, and the 8mm fisheye is great but there are times when I don't want the curvature, and the Laowa gives much better shots than trying to correct the 8mm lens distortion in post, even with the hi-res m6ii.

What I like about the Laowa so much is not only is it sharp and ultra-ultra wide (quite a bit wider than the 12mm Sanyang) it's also a very small lens that can fit into side pockets of my camera bag the Samyang can't --- so is much more likely to get taken along. The best lens is the lens you have with you...

Here's a good, recent thread on the Laowa, if you haven't seen it:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4676299#forum-post-66546710

So let me repeat myself - I love that 9 mm focal length.

And ANOTHER vote for the Laowa!  Very nice pictures in your other thread.

Of the Rokinon/Samyang lenses, I also have the 85 mm f/1.8 (for astro work), and I think I got a very good copy of that lens. For starfields, the critical thing is the shape of the stars in the corners, and my copy looks great in that respect. I've done a few ordinary photos with the 85 mm, and compared them with the Sigma 56 mm. They aren't as sharp, but still perfectly OK.

David

Larry Rexley wrote:

Carl LaFong wrote:

lumenite wrote:

I wished Samyang would release AF 12mm f/2.0. Sorry about the end of their support for EOS M and RF as well.

“… end of their support for EOS M …” ??? Was there some announcement about this?

My renewed interest in Rokinon/Samyang comes from my wanting another/better UWA lens, and the Rokinon 10mm f2.8 popped up, along with the Venus Laowa 9mm f2.8. Haven’t seen a lot of buzz about either. Leaning slightly towards the Venus at the moment because the Rokinon is gigantic and can’t use filters.

But the Rokinon 12mm - for half the price - might be the winner (for me). Still cogitating on this.

I recently bought the 9mm f2.8 Laowa lens as well, and love it. It is pricey so if that is a concern, the Samyang is also a fantastic lens. I snagged a Laowa on ebay for $300 so if you are patient, don't mind secondhand, and are willing to keep looking for one (almost daily) you might be able to find one cheaper than new.

Now B&H have the 9mm with a $100 holiday discount. Link

I like to get as wide as possible at times, and the 8mm fisheye is great but there are times when I don't want the curvature, and the Laowa gives much better shots than trying to correct the 8mm lens distortion in post, even with the hi-res m6ii.

What I like about the Laowa so much is not only is it sharp and ultra-ultra wide (quite a bit wider than the 12mm Sanyang) it's also a very small lens that can fit into side pockets of my camera bag the Samyang can't --- so is much more likely to get taken along. The best lens is the lens you have with you...

Here's a good, recent thread on the Laowa, if you haven't seen it:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4676299#forum-post-66546710

Yes, it is a lens that is on my wish list.
Since it is very wide, the lack of AF is not an issue.
Tempted to buy at $400

Photato wrote:

Larry Rexley wrote:

Carl LaFong wrote:

lumenite wrote:

I wished Samyang would release AF 12mm f/2.0. Sorry about the end of their support for EOS M and RF as well.

“… end of their support for EOS M …” ??? Was there some announcement about this?

My renewed interest in Rokinon/Samyang comes from my wanting another/better UWA lens, and the Rokinon 10mm f2.8 popped up, along with the Venus Laowa 9mm f2.8. Haven’t seen a lot of buzz about either. Leaning slightly towards the Venus at the moment because the Rokinon is gigantic and can’t use filters.

But the Rokinon 12mm - for half the price - might be the winner (for me). Still cogitating on this.

I recently bought the 9mm f2.8 Laowa lens as well, and love it. It is pricey so if that is a concern, the Samyang is also a fantastic lens. I snagged a Laowa on ebay for $300 so if you are patient, don't mind secondhand, and are willing to keep looking for one (almost daily) you might be able to find one cheaper than new.

Now B&H have the 9mm with a $100 holiday discount. Link

Thanks!  I see that Amazon (via a seller) has matched this price, too.

I like to get as wide as possible at times, and the 8mm fisheye is great but there are times when I don't want the curvature, and the Laowa gives much better shots than trying to correct the 8mm lens distortion in post, even with the hi-res m6ii.

What I like about the Laowa so much is not only is it sharp and ultra-ultra wide (quite a bit wider than the 12mm Sanyang) it's also a very small lens that can fit into side pockets of my camera bag the Samyang can't --- so is much more likely to get taken along. The best lens is the lens you have with you...

Here's a good, recent thread on the Laowa, if you haven't seen it:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4676299#forum-post-66546710

Yes, it is a lens that is on my wish list.
Since it is very wide, the lack of AF is not an issue.
Tempted to buy at $400

So … tempting …………..

Canon’s price reduction on the 32mm finally put me over the edge on that one, so I might not be able to resist on this one either.  SO many dilemmas in life!

Stay tuned….

Carl LaFong wrote:

DavidWright2010 wrote:

Larry Rexley wrote:

Carl LaFong wrote:

lumenite wrote:

I wished Samyang would release AF 12mm f/2.0. Sorry about the end of their support for EOS M and RF as well.

“… end of their support for EOS M …” ??? Was there some announcement about this?

My renewed interest in Rokinon/Samyang comes from my wanting another/better UWA lens, and the Rokinon 10mm f2.8 popped up, along with the Venus Laowa 9mm f2.8. Haven’t seen a lot of buzz about either. Leaning slightly towards the Venus at the moment because the Rokinon is gigantic and can’t use filters.

But the Rokinon 12mm - for half the price - might be the winner (for me). Still cogitating on this.

I recently bought the 9mm f2.8 Laowa lens as well, and love it. It is pricey so if that is a concern, the Samyang is also a fantastic lens. I snagged a Laowa on ebay for $300 so if you are patient, don't mind secondhand, and are willing to keep looking for one (almost daily) you might be able to find one cheaper than new.

I like to get as wide as possible at times, and the 8mm fisheye is great but there are times when I don't want the curvature, and the Laowa gives much better shots than trying to correct the 8mm lens distortion in post, even with the hi-res m6ii.

What I like about the Laowa so much is not only is it sharp and ultra-ultra wide (quite a bit wider than the 12mm Sanyang) it's also a very small lens that can fit into side pockets of my camera bag the Samyang can't --- so is much more likely to get taken along. The best lens is the lens you have with you...

Here's a good, recent thread on the Laowa, if you haven't seen it:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4676299#forum-post-66546710

So let me repeat myself - I love that 9 mm focal length.

And ANOTHER vote for the Laowa! Very nice pictures in your other thread.

And I'm another 8mm Samyang/9mm Laowa fan - great lenses.

To get back to the original thread, my other EF-M Samyang is the 300mm mirror - not in thr same league, but not bad for a mirror lens and very compact

I also own another Samyang lens , the 14mm RF AF, but that is very much another story...

Of the Rokinon/Samyang lenses, I also have the 85 mm f/1.8 (for astro work), and I think I got a very good copy of that lens. For starfields, the critical thing is the shape of the stars in the corners, and my copy looks great in that respect. I've done a few ordinary photos with the 85 mm, and compared them with the Sigma 56 mm. They aren't as sharp, but still perfectly OK.

David

Some Rokinon/Samyang lenses are now on sale for Black Friday on Amazon (USA), including the 12mm f2.0 in Canon M mount for $211.40.  Regular price has been $249.

I would have been tempted, except that I opted for the Laowa 9mm at its recent sale price. Now I need to concentrate on learning how to use better what I have, instead of buying more stuff.

Carl LaFong wrote:

Some Rokinon/Samyang lenses are now on sale for Black Friday on Amazon (USA), including the 12mm f2.0 in Canon M mount for $211.40. Regular price has been $249.

I would have been tempted, except that I opted for the Laowa 9mm at its recent sale price. Now I need to concentrate on learning how to use better what I have, instead of buying more stuff.

That's a great deal on the Sammy 12mm f2.0, especially for hose looking for a great astro lens.

I was out shooting with the Laowa 9mm this morning with full-spectrum M200 and Tiffen #47 blue filter, which passes both blue and infrared below about 700 nm. I really like the colors that filter yields. Processed with DxO using 'Velvia' color slide rendering, which really does remind me of the gorgeous colors I used to get from the real Velvia film.

Due to vignetting of the filter, this was cropped to 16:9 about 85% of frame width, then downsampled to 2160 pixels high. With the infrared filter the Laowa shows some CA near the frame edges -- but it's far less than the Canon EF-M 11-22 or 15-45 show with that filter.

Full-spectrum Canon M200, Laowa 9mm f2.8 lens at f5.6, Tiffen #47 filter 1/40s, ISO 100, processed in DxO PL 6 white balanced on the bridge concrete, Velvia rendering used, color saturation and contrast increased