Rokinon 8MM Short Review

[Rupert]

I got this in yesterday and haven't really had time to learn much about using it, but it is already fun and hopefully will provide some entertainment and some useful shots too.
I had some bonus points etc, and my final cost was about $187 so it was plenty cheap to experiment.
This is the nice detailed report that led me to purchase it..... http://www.lenstip.com/in...obiektywu&test_ob=160

If you don't like distortion and a little fun, this is not for you! If you are adventurous and like to try different  looks, it lives up to the report above in my opinion....very well.

Inside my messy office...with the 540 flash attached

Same here..backside view.

West side of my house....wood for winter! Wish I didn't need it, I hate cold!

Where I eat lunch every day at the "SAK"

Seen from the front...

My Jeep

It gets everything in front of you.....shadows and sometimes even your feet.

My wife doesn't like it...says it makes her look fat....she isn't.

Granbury Courthouse .....straightened a little in ShiftN.


Any questions...I will try to answer, I haven't really had time to use it much and the sun has been brutally harsh yesterday and today, which is not a friend to a big glass front like this one.
Regards
Rupert

[spyglass]

Right on Rupert !   That looks like fun (so how many times did you  take pictures of your feet ..... I know that it is something that I have to be careful of at 10mm. At 8m and 180 deg I think all my shots would be wearing Nike, hiking boots, or lounging slippers.   

Look forward to seeing more images from the lens as you explore its ability.


Spyglass

[Mike Pearson]

Rupert,

That looks like a fun lens to have - great shots - and your wife DOESN'T look fat 

Your office can't be as messy as mine - you can see the floor in yours 

Mike

[JIMBO]

I agree with Mike. Look at how clean that office is. Better get mine cleaned up. JIM

[JIMBO]

Crap, I just noticed those cabinets with all those beautiful lenses and Pentax on the glass doors too. Cool Rubert. JIM

[Rupert]

Yes, I do spend a lot of time in my office. The doors on the lens cabinet are etched glass.....so not much chance of me leaving Pentax! LOL!


An interesting note on the Rokinon.....when I read the review, it was a full manual operation...you set everything including speed and F stops manually. So I got mine and shot all the above using M setting and full manual operation on my K20D. Then this afternoon, as I was about to trash the small "instruction manual", I glanced through it and saw....on Pentax lenses there is an "A" setting! I felt like an idiot! It sure will make shooting with it easier and faster. Sometimes it takes several shots to get it right using the Green button, but now I can shoot in AV, TV, SV etc.........
Regards

[blackcloudbrew]

OMG OMG OMG a lens cabinet! This is what I've needed. Thanks for sharing this but you've got me envying this.

Tim

[Rupert]

Tim, you might look at this one, Al (member here and at Flickr) used my design to build himself one from his own Cherry wood. It is a little bigger than mine, which I recommend. Very nice cabinet.....all he needs now its the Pentax etched glass! He did a great job on this cabinet, and I know he will enjoy it as I do mine. http://www.flickr.com/pho...eidjr/4099880216/sizes/o/
Regards!

[Rupert]

One more Rokinon shot.....I was watching Texas beat Nebraska (barely) and shot this quick snap with the 540 Flash mounted. You have to move the camera well forward or your feet and legs will be in the shot...it gets everything in front of it! I think this will be a useful lens, particularly for inside work where you want to get the whole room in one shot. Sure, it is distorted, but you still "get the picture"!
Regards!

[daacon]

Love it Rupert well done and I am with Tim most jelous on the Lens Cabinet! Stunning pictures a big fan of the fisheye and as you have shown there is not always distoration ......

[spyglass]

OMG OMG OMG a lens cabinet! This is what I've needed. Thanks for sharing this but you've got me envying this.

Tim

Hey Tim, this puts a whole new spin on LBA. It is like a second tier of the addiction. I want a lens cabinet too (and the etched glass is very cool)

Two thumbs up Rupert !!!


Spyglass (I will go look at the case once more to torture myself)

[calsan]

You have a nice house, I like all the timber work.
I could do with THAT cupboard as well...

[Mike Pearson]

Rupert,

I keep looking at the last image and the curves remind me of Bilbo Baggins' under ground cottage in Lord of the Rings - any Hobbits down there with the Squirrels ? 

Mike

[enhaw82]

There's a LOMO feel to the shots

Love it

[Rupert]

The lens cabinet is not that hard to make or not that expensive to have made (less than the Rokinon lens) and it is so useful! If you don't have one, you should consider one as part of your gear. Just make it a little bigger than mine, more like the size of Al's.
Even handier is the "Gear Shelf" (on the left in the second photo) where I keep my most used lenses and Flash units ready for quick use. I usually load it with my lenses of choice for the week and rotate them on my K20D as needed. It was inexpensive too, and is a most used addition to my office.
Regards!