(NEW) Rokinon AF 35mm F1.8 Auto Focus Full Frame Lens

In more than 30 years as a well-known pro, I had never desired to use a non-Nikon, Canon or Sony lens. Until now. New lens designs by third party manufacturers are beginning to equal and occasionally surpass the famous names. Of more than a dozen Sony FE mount lenses I own, my first non-Sony lenses were the Tamron 70-180mm f2.8 and the Sigma 105mm f2.8 macro. Both have distinct advantages over their Sony branded counterparts. For an easy to carry street lens, I have been very happy with my Sony 35mm f1.8. So why did I just purchase this Rokinon? Read on: When I made the decision to go mirrorless, saving weight to lighten camera bag load was a major factor. At almost all focal lengths, the Sony lens options and speed truly blow away the otherwise superb Canon and Nikon lenses I have used throughout my career. The Sony 35mm f1.8 is excellent—yet this Rokinon has distinct advantages. You likely already know Rokinon and the Samyang are identical lenses skillfully manufactured in Korea. You are safe to shop by price for either of this two twin brothers. It’s an extraordinary best buy at under $400—just over half the price of the Sony. Let’s discuss details to help you make your best decision: WEIGHT AND BUILD QUALITY COMPARISONS: ROKINON VS. SONY For me, shooting comfort and non-fatiguing weight are high priorities when reaching for the right lens for the job. Although the Sony is lightweight at 9.9 ounces, the Rokinon is a true feather at only 7.2 ounces. I don’t even realize when it’s in my camera bag. Do you give up any build quality for the lighter weight? Very little. Both are weather sealed and solidly constructed. I don’t mind plastic as long as it is of the quality of recent lens designs by credible brands. Both Rokinon and Sony are impact resistant and look and feel excellent in hand. The focus ring on the Sony is very slightly smoother in normal operation and silent when auto focusing. The Rokinon ring is also smooth yet there is a very faint auto focus sound until full focus is achieved. This is a non-factor unless auto focusing as you shoot video. MOST IMPORTANT: IS THE ROKINON AS SHARP AS SONY? This was the true deal maker for me. I use a 61 megapixel Sony A7R4 that really reveals the finer points of sharpness. I’ve had zero complaints with my Sony 35mm f1.8 yet when compared head to head—Rokinon is sharper yet, particularly in the corners. With any lens with a shallow max aperture of f1.8, I recommend taking advantage of those shallow depth-of-field creamy out of focus backgrounds, especially for portraiture and selectively focused nature photography. I am not one of those “pixel-peepin’ bokeh boys” but when shopping for lenses there’s nothing wrong with comparing background transitions. Remember that smooth bokeh will never trump content. Captivating image making is key. Having judged many of the world’s leading competitions, I can tell you that not even once has a jury conversation mentioned bokeh or “jittery background transitions” when choosing a winner. If you are an intrepid pixel peeper, the Rokinon may be slightly smoother in these out of focus areas yet to my eye, any difference is nearly imperceptible. Honestly, nobody viewing your photos will notice either way. To clarify, sharpness is the primary must have lens quality. Without hesitation, I can say that the Rokinon gives Sony a run for its money in all situations except at the very closest focus possible. OTHER BUYING CHOICE COMPARISONS: ROKINON VS. SONY VS. SIGMA One other Rokinon advantage is the wonderful ability to convert the ring on the lens to change the f-stop. I love how my Sony GM lenses have a dedicated f-stop ring—changing the aperture on the lens is my most natural way to shoot. A Sony can’t do this unless you spend nearly $1,000 more for the triple the weight yet absolutely superb Sony 35mm f1.4 GM. However, the new Sigma 35mm f2 also has an aperture ring and is another excellent option to consider. But it costs $300 more than the Rokinon and with a max f2 les in 33% less light. To allow the Rokinon to adjust aperture at the lens, you’ll need to also pick up the useful Rokinon Lens Station at just over $50. In which areas is the Sony f1.8 better than the Rokinon? Only if used often for extreme closeups or with specialized video work. The Sony can shoot to a max magnification of .24X while the Rokinon shoots to .17X. In real world composition, this is still quite tight. It focuses to about a foot away while the Sony focuses to 9 inches. If you shoot primarily video and often do focus pull transitions from foreground to background, the Sony’s f1.8 has virtually zero “focus breathing” and beats the Rokinon and even the Sony f1.4. This is not a need for me but if you desire a pure cine lens, consider the Sony f1.8 first. Although both lenses open up to an impressively bright f1.8, comparing files side by side shows the Sony to be a tiny bit brighter. This is known as lens transmission and translates to the true maximum f-stop of the lens. The difference is almost imperceptible, perhaps 1/6th of an f-stop and nothing to worry about. With each lens set to f1.8 the shutter speeds chosen by the camera are identical. CONCLUSION: Is this a glowing review? You betcha. For me, there are few tradeoffs and several advantages to the Rokinon. I’m seriously considering selling my Sony 35mm f1.8 in favor of this light and sharp gem. Hope this too long review has been of some small help. HAPPY SHOOTING!