{"id":3491,"date":"2014-06-07T14:13:56","date_gmt":"2014-06-07T19:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/?p=3491"},"modified":"2014-06-08T08:47:13","modified_gmt":"2014-06-08T13:47:13","slug":"review-rokinon-samyang-8mm-f2-8-fisheye-ii-fujifilm-x-mount","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/review-rokinon-samyang-8mm-f2-8-fisheye-ii-fujifilm-x-mount\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Rokinon (Samyang) 8mm f\/2.8 Fisheye II (Fujifilm X-Mount)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since mirrorless is still so early in its development, it’s rare that I get the opportunity to review a second version of the same lens. \u00a0That’s the case today, however, as I take a look at the Samyang 8mm f\/2.8 Fisheye II. \u00a0The second version of this fisheye lens for mirrorless cameras is not a minor revision, at least not with regards to the lens design. \u00a0The lens has a completely new optical design to go with its slightly revised exterior. \u00a0I reviewed version I of this lens last year<\/a>, and again the reviewed version of this lens falls under the Rokinon brand name. \u00a0Samyang also produces this lens under other brands such as Walimex and Bower. So is it worth it to go for the second version of this tiny wide gem?<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Rokinon 8mm f\/2.8 Fisheye II on the Fujifilm X-T1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with my reviews, I review from a real world shooting perspective. \u00a0You won\u2019t find lens charts or resolution numbers here. \u00a0There are plenty of other sites that cover those. \u00a0I review products on how they act for me as a photographic tool in real-world shooting.<\/em><\/p>\n

Around the Lens – Construction<\/h3>\n

The 8mm Fisheye II has a similar construction to the first version of the lens, though it appears that Samyang has upgraded things a bit as well. \u00a0The lens is constructed of metal and high quality plastics, and this new version feels a bit more robust than the original model. \u00a0The lens is tightly assembled and very solid.<\/p>\n

\"Rokinon<\/a>
Rokinon 8mm f\/2.8 Fisheye II<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s also gained about a half an inch of length due to the new optical design. The lens hood, which scratched if you looked at it wrong with the first version, appears to have a bit more hardness this time around. \u00a0While scuffs from the lens cap can and do still occur, they happen far less frequently. \u00a0My version II fisheye looks better after a month or two of shooting than my original version did after the first 3 days.<\/p>\n

Above the metal mounting base sits the aperture ring, which is operable in 1\/2 stop increments and is solid and features firm clicking detents. \u00a0There is little chance of accidentally moving the aperture ring. \u00a0The focus ring has been redesigned and has gone to a more pleasing ribbed design instead of the scalloped ring present on the first version. \u00a0The focus ring is also very well damped. For quick focusing, indeed it may be a little too stiff, but I believe that is likely by design, as a lens this wide is often set to the hyperfocal distance and left there for most shooting, so the stiff focus ring makes sure that focus stays where you set it.<\/p>\n

The 8mm fisheye II is still a small lens, despite having grown a bit. \u00a0It is barely larger than the diameter of the Fuji X-Mount, and is about 2.5 inches in length. \u00a0As I mentioned earlier, the lack off autofocus is not really an issue with a fisheye lens, as you can generally set it to about 0.8m and f\/8 and shoot to your heart’s content.<\/p>\n

One thing Samyang did not update when revising the lens is the relatively long minimum focus distance, which limits the close-up ability of the lens. \u00a0Still, given the cost of this lens, I’m not complaining.<\/p>\n

Continue: Image Quality<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Fisheye<\/a>
Fisheye Ball – Fujifilm X-E2 with Rokinon 8mm f\/2.8 Fisheye II<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Image Quality<\/h3>\n

In my review of the Rokinon 8mm f\/2.8 (version I), I spent a fair bit of time discussing the importance of the projection used for a fisheye. \u00a0I’m not going to fully rehash that here, but if you missed it the first time around, take a look here<\/a>. \u00a0As part of the new optical formula with version II, Samyang has changed the projection of the 8mm fisheye very slightly. \u00a0It isn’t a big change, and I still believe it would be in the ‘stereographic’ projection style. \u00a0It is slightly more relaxed, however, and as a result, the second version of the lens has a\u00a0very<\/em> slightly narrower field of view. \u00a0I’d guess that it amounts to a degree at most, so you would only notice this if directly comparing two images shot with the lens side by side on the same scene, but it is worth noting.<\/p>\n

Sharpness<\/h4>\n

As a result of the new optical design, Samyang has managed to improve on the already excellent performance of the first version. \u00a0The 8mm f\/2.8 Fisheye II is quite sharp right from f\/2.8, and on stopping down to f\/5.6-f\/8, yields images that are extremely sharp corner to corner. \u00a0This is really an excellent performance, and there’s really very little more that could be asked from a lens such as this.<\/p>\n

Bokeh<\/h4>\n

As with the first version of this lens, the rather long minimum focus distance makes generating any sort of background blur difficult. \u00a0When focused at the closest focusing distance and shot at f\/2.8, some mild blur can be observed, and it is mostly non-objectionable, though there’s nothing particularly special to speak of either.<\/p>\n

Color, Contrast and Chromatic Aberration<\/h4>\n

Like its predecessor, the Rokinon 8mm f\/2.8 Fisheye II generates images with strong contrast and good color response. \u00a0The lens maintains high contrast at all apertures, allowing for great pop to the images. \u00a0The lens also separates tones well, providing some extra clarity to scenes.<\/p>\n

\"Strong<\/a>
Strong contrast and rich color – but also some heavy flare ghosts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Overall chromatic aberration control is also outstanding. \u00a0Lateral chromatic aberration is only very rarely observed (in most images, even viewed at 100%, it doesn’t appear to crop up). \u00a0In the few instances where a very slight level of CA can be seen, a single click in Lightroom or from any other CA correction tool can easily take care of it.<\/p>\n

Distortion, Flare and Vignetting<\/h4>\n

Obviously, a fisheye is designed to create significant distortion in order to expand the field of view. \u00a0As such, straight lines that do not pass through the image center will be rendered as curved lines. \u00a0When shooting with a fisheye lens, you can either use the distortion to further an effect in the image, or you can take care to try to minimize distortion by setting horizons close to the center and composing such that there aren’t a lot of very straight lines. \u00a0Often these shots are hard to even discern as fisheye shots. \u00a0(For an example, check out the “Milky Way” photo in the Image Samples, which was taken with the horizon centered. I then cropped the bottom to frame the final picture.)<\/p>\n

The Rokinon 8mm f\/2.8 Fisheye II does have one weakness, and that’s with its flare control. \u00a0Most of the time, flare doesn’t seem to pose a problem for the lens. \u00a0Indeed, even in situations where flare is quite visible, there is limited veiling flare, such that image contrast stays on a high level. \u00a0However, if the sun is the frame a certain way from the image center, strong ghosting can occur, as seen in the image to the left. \u00a0Most of the frame looks OK, but with this angle, a very large multi-colored flare ghost can be seen at the bottom of the frame. \u00a0This can be seen in the viewfinder, so keep an eye out for it, and in situations where it arises, adjust your framing a bit to avoid the problem.<\/p>\n

The Rokinon 8mm does exhibit very low vignetting, with shading even at f\/2.8 essentially negligible.<\/p>\n

Continue: Conclusion and Image Samples<\/a><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

Pros<\/h4>\n