New Rokinon 14mm 2.8 w/ Red ring $275

sublimesun wrote in post #16647964
Any Canadian buyers take the plunge? Says an extra $57 import fee estimate to be confirmed on final payment. If that's the case doesn't make it that much of a deal...

That's probably (mostly) the sales tax, with a handling/brokerage fee mixed in.

Asterisk wrote in post #16648038
That's probably (mostly) the sales tax, with a handling/brokerage fee mixed in.

Yes tax and brokerage. No deal for us then.

Somehow the payment is not going thru. I dont know whats the problem. Sent message to seller. Lets see what he says.

I paid for it via PayPal without any problem, fyi.

Finally got it. Excited after looking at the photographs taken using this lens.

I just bought one... Hoping for a good copy, ever since my very first one that I stupidly sold I have yet to come across one as good... Original was a "Bell + Howell" version... Perfectly centered, sharp as can be... Powerhouse optically and mechanically. I sold it (again, stupid...) to fund some other lenses at the time...

When I tried to buy another a year later (Bower?) it was decentered on the right side quite bad. Got replacement right away and same issue, although improved some. It was quite softer though in general all over the frame. Returned and gave up...

A year and a half later (at least) I bought another, Rokinon brand this time... Was a good copy, but the focus ring had this "popping" issue... As you turn it, the tension would be smooth and then you would feel it "pop" and loosen up. Very strange... Returned it and gave up, again...

I am hoping this time I get a solid copy and I will keep it until it breaks... This lens is too awesome for the price... It's stunning, really. But for the price, as you can expect, quality control is not the best. When you find a good copy, KEEP IT. It is only $275 afterall... pennies in photography... lol

Is this a manual focus lens?

Just checked the listing on Ebay. They've sold almost a hundred copies since my order yesterday morning. I don't know when the listing started, but they've sold 567 lenses already. I haven't received shipping confirmation yet, so I wonder if there'll be a delay due to demand?

ptcanon3ti wrote in post #16649514
Is this a manual focus lens?

Yes, manual focus, manual aperture.

Don't let the manual focus be much of a hindrance... At 14mm, you don't even really need to focus.

What I do is put a small piece of tape with aperture markings on it... I set hyperfocal distances for each along with infinity. So when I want to maximize DOF, I will line up the focus scale with the hyperfocal distances at that aperture. Takes care of 95% of the shooting with this lens!

Note, the focus scale is usually off so that is why I self-calibrate it with the markings... Little piece of paper and scotch tape is all you need! (and a tape measure and target to set the distances).

Invertalon wrote in post #16649488
When I tried to buy another a year later (Bower?) it was decentered on the right side quite bad. Got replacement right away and same issue, although improved some. It was quite softer though in general all over the frame. Returned and gave up...

I have never tested my lenses for centering, so now that you brought it up I have questions.

I found this article about how to test for a decentered lens, what do you think? Do you use a similar test? Any advice? It says a UWA lens gives false positives, and I can understand that, what are your thoughts?

I'll be checking my current lenses, and the 14mm when it arrives. Thanks for bringing it to attention.

http://www.lensrentals​.com …technique-gets-a-makeover

StillCrazy wrote in post #16649831
I have never tested my lenses for centering, so now that you brought it up I have questions.

I found this article about how to test for a decentered lens, what do you think? Do you use a similar test? Any advice? It says a UWA lens gives false positives, and I can understand that, what are your thoughts?

I'll be checking my current lenses, and the 14mm when it arrives. Thanks for bringing it to attention.

http://www.lensrentals​.com …technique-gets-a-makeover

just some advice: do not check your current lenses that you are happy with. it's very likely you will find problems with at least some of your lenses, whether it's sharpness, centering, or af, etc. next thing you know you'll be buying 3 copies at a time to compare, spending hours and hours picking amongst 100's of test shots. it's a never ending cycle. ignorance is bliss with lenses.

just test your new lens as quality control seems to suck with these things.

Xyclopx wrote in post #16649846
just some advice: do not check your current lenses that you are happy with. it's very likely you will find problems with at least some of your lenses, whether it's sharpness, centering, or af, etc. next thing you know you'll be buying 3 copies at a time to compare, spending hours and hours picking amongst 100's of test shots. it's a never ending cycle. ignorance is bliss with lenses.

just test your new lens as quality control seems to suck with these things.

Thanks, I appreciate your advice. I failed to mention in my post, I have tested all my lenses for AF, and sharpness, already. I didn't find any problems with them, and I'm pleased with their results. I imagine if there was a decentering problem, I'd have noticed it, even though I was ignorant of the fact.

I'll leave well enough alone....

Decentering is easily seen with a UWA... All I do is shoot something distant away (for me, houses behind ours, probably 100 yards away) and make myself parallel to them. Since there are trees and plenty of other details that fill the frame left to right, it is easily seen. Take a shot and simply look at the right vs. left sharpness. Usually its close enough to not even worry, but one of these was quite bad... Right was mush and left was sharp.

My advise it test it against something far away, distant... Not a target on a wall, as slightly shifts in position can cause those "false positives".

That is how I do it with all my lenses, though.

^^ Thank you.