Here’s the procedure – put the camera on a tripod or other stable surface and measure the distance to an object fairly close to the camera. I have heard that a box cutter blade will work for turning these tiny screws too. The fix was very simple, and all you need is a tape measure and an eyeglass screwdriver. I decided to do some research and found that the focus scale on these lenses is typically off, and by a wide margin, especially for the Nikon version for some reason. Everything was soft, no matter what aperture I set it to. My first outing with this lens was exhilarating, seeing all it takes in and playing with different angles, but when I viewed the images on my computer the sharpness was lacking, to say the least. The aperture scale goes from f/3.5 to f/22, but using apertures smaller than f/11 will bring on diffraction, which robs the lens of sharpness. I don’t recommend shooting this lens wide open. This lens is VERY sharp stopped down to f/8-f/11, but it is somewhat soft at f/5.6 and very soft at f/3.5. I find that I get the best infinity focus with the lens set to 1.2 feet and f/11. There is incredible DOF available with any fisheye, and this one is no different. This being a manual focus lens, to me, makes it easier to use than an AF lens. It doesn’t move unless you move it, which is important on a manual focus lens. The lens feels good in your hand, with a nice heft, and the focus ring is very well dampened with a wide rubber grip. The lens hood is permanently attached too, so no screw-on filters can be used on it. The majority of the lens is metal, with the lens hood being the major plastic part of it’s construction. This lens is made to fit all camera mounts, but since I shoot Nikon this review will be specific to that version. All lenses are the same construction and optics. I bought the Rokinon version of this lens, but it’s also marketed as Samyang, Bower, Pro Optic, Vivitar, and Falcon. It is actually very easy to use, just set the focus and aperture, and you don’t have to worry about it again – just shoot away! I used manual cameras and lenses long before digital, but for someone who’s just starting out it will take some getting used to. For under $300, this lens is an absolute steal, if you can do without autofocus and metering on cameras without an aperture-sensing ring. The bottom line is that if you are looking for a fisheye lens for your crop sensor camera, look no further. I want to focus on the performance of this lens as it stands after the adjustment. It’s not nearly as hard as it sounds, and all it involves is just loosening some screws and rotating the loosened focus ring to the correct position. A short version of this review is – this lens ROCKS! – after some initial adjustment to the focus scale. Wide angle options are somewhat limited for us DX shooters, and I wanted a really wide lens. I recently bought a copy of this lens after looking for a viable superwide angle option for Nikon DX cameras, and after having it for a month or so I feel like it’s time for me to share my thoughts.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |