Rokinon has been killing it lately with their Sony FE AF lenses, and today they launch a new Rokinon 85mm F1.4 AF lens for Canon.
Rokinon is, in many ways, the new Sigma. A third-party lensmaker with affordable lenses and a hit or miss reputation that has reinvented themselves, now providing excellent lenses at an affordable cost without sacrificing much. Yes, Sigma and Rokinon are different, but the parallels in their recent histories are hard to miss. Which is what makes todayâs announcement from Rokinon of their new Rokinon AF 85mm F1.4 EF so interesting.
Featuring a 77mm front filter thread sitting in front of an optical layout consisting of 9 glass elements in 7 groupings. The Rokinon 85mm F1.4 AF EF, as you would expect of any lens aimed at portrait photographers, features 9 aperture blades to help create that dreamy and creamy bokeh that most of us like to see in our portraits. In terms of visual design, the lens maintains the design aesthetic that Rokinon has been using of late with their Sony FE Autofocus lenses and their higher end premium manual focus lenses.
Rokinon AF 85mm F1.4 EF Features
- Full Frame
- 11oz
- 9 Glass Elements in 7 Groups
- 9 Aperture Blades
- F1.4-16 Aperture Range
- UMC Lens Coating
- 95ft Minimum Focusing Distance
- 11x Magnification
- 77mm Filter Thread
- Removable Lens Hood
The Rokinon 85mm F1.4 AF EF lens also includes an Ultrasonic Dual Linear USM motor which will allow for fast, accurate, and quiet AF performance on Canonâs vast array of EF mount cameras. This is a lens that has plenty of competition in that 85mm arena from the likes of Canon, Sigma, and Tamron. But one area where the Rokinon has an advantage, as you would expect given their history, is in the pricing.
The Korean company is launching the 85mm F1.4 AF EF at just $799, making it one of the more affordable 85mm lens options, and almost exactly half the price of the legendary Canon 85mm F1.4L. It will be interesting to see how the lens performs optically, yet if recent history is any indication, the image quality out of this lens will be good (though not the best, but you shouldnât expect it to be at this price tag).
In terms of availability, that information was not shared with us today, but knowing Rokinon it shouldnât be long before you are able to get your hands on one of these. So stay tuned for availability information once it is released.
