Rokinon lenses are sharp, they produce great colors, and they’re incredibly affordable.
Rokinon has been making third party lenses for multiple platforms for many years, and they have been giving photographers around the globe access to incredible glass at affordable prices. Wide-angle lenses aren’t always cheap, but somehow, Rokinon has found a way to make lenses that produce razor-sharp, detail-rich images, and don’t cost buyers an arm and a leg. If you love landscape or cityscape photography, but you don’t have a small fortune to spend on lenses, the three Rokinon lenses we list after the break should be high on your shopping list.
You may think that, because they are affordable, these Rokinon lenses may not produce quality images, and you couldn’t be further from the truth. Rokinon is known for its incredible optics and the images their lenses produce. Sure, they may not have the build quality of a luxury lens (newer lenses have come a long way in this regard, though), but they will not let you down when it comes to IQ. The three Rokinon lenses we are showcasing below are easy on the wallet, easy to use, and produce super-sharp images and lovely natural colors that landscape and cityscape photographers will love. There are a ton of Rokinon lenses out there, so we suggest you check out our Rokinon lenses buyer’s guide, but these are the three we would pack in our bags if we were to head out the door to shoot landscapes and cityscapes.
Rokinon 12mm f2
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Great colors
- Small build
- Lightweight
- Nice aperture clicks
- Sharp
Cons
- There are lenses with better bokeh for sure
Buy now Canon M ($249): Adorama
Buy now Fujifilm X ($249): Adorama
Buy now M4/3 ($249): Adorama
Buy now Sony E ($249): Adorama
Pro Tip: Ever get back home after a long day of shooting landscapes or cityscapes only to find that all of your images have dust, dirt, and maybe even fingerprints and water spots covering them? Trust us, we know there is nothing more annoying than finding this and then having to spend extra time in post removing those imperfections from your images. One thing we highly recommend having is a small, yet effective cleaning kit in your bag so that you can periodically clean your lenses while you’re out and about. Carrying a small cleaning kit can honestly save you so much time during post that it’s crazy to leave home without one. You don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good quality kit either.
Rokinon 14mm F2.8 AF
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Sharp output
- Accurate autofocus in most situations
- The clear, crisp color we’ve come to expect from Rokinon
- Bokeh when needed
- Weather sealing
Cons
- A few inconsistencies with the focus
Buy now Canon EF ($499): Adorama
Buy now Nikon F ($499): Adorama
Buy now Sony E ($499): Adorama
Pro Tip: Capturing striking images is one thing, but knowing how to edit them so they look their best is another thing entirely. No doubt the Rokinon lenses listed here will get you great results, but to really take your images over the edge, you need to know how to edit them. If you’re unsure about how to edit landscape or cityscape images, we highly recommend you invest in some learning materials that will help you understand how to make your pictures shine. Go through the course once, and you’ll have learned skills that can last you a lifetime.
Rokinon Tilt-Shift 24mm F3.5 ED AS UMC
Here are the pros and cons from our full review:
Pros
- Great price point for this type of lens
- Image quality is solid from f5.6 onwards
- Great range of movements for correcting perspective distortion
Cons
- Adjustment knobs are smaller than we would like
- Extensive use of plastic
- Extreme shifts show noticeable degradation of image quality (though this really shouldn’t be a surprise)
Buy now Canon EF ($799): Adorama
Buy now Nikon F ($699): Adorama