Samyang MF 12mm F2.0 Manual Focus Lens for Fuji X - Black

I used to have an Olympus E520 with a few lenses, one of which was a Sigma 10-20mm (actually, I still have it). It was a nice lens for landscapes, if a tad slow at f4-5.6, and I have some great photos from it. But that all that equipment got cumbersome and dated, so I bought myself an OMD EM5 Mk2. To carry on taking landscapes, I needed a wide angle lens and plumped for this little beauty.For the budget price of this lens, between f/4 and f/8 it’s nothing less than superb, with excellent sharpness in the centre when wide open. What helps is by setting the lens to infinity, anything further than about five feet is in focus. Pocket sized it might be, but it certainly packs a punch. Manual only, the focus ring travels about 140º and is separated from the aperture ring by an aesthetically pleasing red band. Not a deal breaker, but it does set it off nicely. It also has a metal mount. But that is all down the criteria list, top of which is (or should be) what the results are like.It’s easy to use as well; you just have to get used to it. The aperture ring has half click stops between f/2 and f/16 and the focus ring is well dampened, allowing for precise focusing. Though they aren’t rubber, the ridges help with your grip. It actually feels and looks far more expensive than it is. Using a manual focus only lens like this might even force you into becoming better at taking photos, as getting foreground to horizon depth of field right really requires a manual lens. But it’s not just a lens for landscapes; with a minimum focusing distance of about eight inches, in addition to astrophotography and portraiture, you can even try your hand at macro photography. Bear in mind, if you want to know the settings for any photos you’ll have to make a note of them, as there’s no electronic communication with the camera.Also sold under the Rokinon badge, it comes with a reversible petal hood, an unusual front cap, rear cap, a drawstring bag (and put the lens in mount first, or you’ll have trouble removing it with the hood in place) and a manual. Mine was in German but you can read it in English on the Samyang site. And at less than 9oz (or 245g), it’s not too much to carry around all day. The main competition in the Olympus 12mm f/2 might be smaller, lighter and have auto focus but it’s also double the price.

Unbeatable for the price. Very wide angle, not too heavy but still nicely made, good optics. There's some distortion, but it's generally very clear for this wide an angle.Really love the feel of the focus and aperture rings, these are really well designed to support manual focusing and aperture selection without needing to look at the lens.If you have the 18mm - 55mm as I do, the 12mm angle on this gives a significant extra view field, and the f/2 is quite a bit brighter, making it a really valuable addition and something I want to carry a lot of the time.

Yes it is fully manual, yes you do have to set the focus and aperture using the setting rings on the camera but what a small price to pay for a stunning quality wide angle lens.I bought this to fit my Sony a6000 which has an APS-C sensor rated as having a 1.6 crop factor. This makes this lens the 35mm film equivalent of roughly 19mm. Not an extreme wide angle, certainly no 'fish eye' effects but what a stunning performing lens this is.Certainly on the a6000, the manual setting and focusing is not an issue. In fact, set it at f8 and the focus near to infinity and forget about it. everything from a couple of feet to infinity will be sharp.Wide open at f2 the lens performs very well. Sweet spot is, like most modern lenses, around f5.6~f8. Image contrast is good and the lens performs way above its price point.It comes with a large plastic 'petal' lens hood which bayonet clips onto the front of the lens and, from experience, does what it should do in preventing flare. More importantly, it offer protection against accidental knocks to the large fairly exposed front element. The lens hood does not prevent the use of screw in filters (67mm filter thread) but as with most, if not all lens hoods, it does have to be removed to fit the rectangular system filter holders such as Lee etc. The lens hood can be reversed and clipped onto the lens for compact storage and, either way, still allows use of the pinch clip supplied lens capThe lens is solid, chunky and has a fair weight to it and a nice retro look. The focus ring has a definite feel to it and is not sloppy or lose and will stay put when set. The aperture ring has very definite click stops and, again, is not going to be accidently turned.All in all, this is a fantastic lens for the price. In fact, no, this is just a fantastic lens offering great picture quality and creative potential. I do not hesitate to recommend it.