I bought this lens for astrophotography, seeing plenty of reviews and recommendations online. What I didn’t see at the time or ignored are the issues relating to focusing. Mine would not reach a sharp infinity focus, feeling like it needed to go beyond the end stop. The issue I now know needs an adjustment to the lens calibration, instructions for which can be found on the internet. I changed mine so that I can go beyond the optimum infinity focus and dial it back to fine tune. With this done the lens has gone from being unusable to just fine. We shouldn’t have to do this of course but seems quite common for this lens.

I was interested by the good reviews for this lens so thought I’d take a look. Been a pro for a long time. A quick assessment of this lens showed it produced poor and very unsatisfactory results. 3 people had a look at the lens and tried on several different camera bodies. Independently comments were “muddy image” x 2, “that sucks”, “that’s awful”.I can’t understand the good reviews. It’s not a good lens in my experience and returned item after looking at it. Perhaps it took a knock in transit but if that’s the case.. get some else for you kit bag (build quality didn’t seem good to me). I have 20+ yr old canon l series lens that works great. I don’t like leaving poor reviews but I also have some experience in this field and would prefer people to see a counterpoint to the “good”. I might say buy cheap buy twice but I have handled cheaper lenses than this that are better. Apologies for the negative but very disappointing.

I was interested by the good reviews for this lens so thought I’d take a look. Been a pro for a long time. A quick assessment of this lens showed it produced poor and very unsatisfactory results. 3 people had a look at the lens and tried on several different camera bodies. Independently comments were “muddy image” x 2, “that sucks”, “that’s awful”.
I can’t understand the good reviews. It’s not a good lens in my experience and returned item after looking at it. Perhaps it took a knock in transit but if that’s the case.. get some else for you kit bag (build quality didn’t seem good to me). I have 20+ yr old canon l series lens that works great. I don’t like leaving poor reviews but I also have some experience in this field and would prefer people to see a counterpoint to the “good”. I might say buy cheap buy twice but I have handled cheaper lenses than this that are better. Apologies for the negative but very disappointing.

if you need a wide angle lens, look no further. don't be concerned too much about the manual controls, its easy. Downsides are. its big, heavy, and doesn't accept filters. Upsides are, its well built, fantastic image quality and is super wide. Don't expect this to be very versatile however, wide angle primes are a one trick pony, but this does exactly what I wanted it to do so for me its a no brainer.

I love the wide capability of this lens, although it can be tricky to tell if things are in focus even with an external monitor. I have used it to shoot a music video in some abandoned castles and Ireland and it worked perfectly for some creepy shots and haunted effects. The lens is a lot larger then I imagined it to be as it came with a Sony attachment to it that is nearly the same length as the lens itself. I sort of wish I got it fitted for a canon and stuck to using my metabones adapter instead simply because it feels really clunky. Other then that it’s amazing quality for photo and video, I love the manual focus feature and it arrived just in time for my shoot! Tracking was very accurate from amazon for my order.

Based on research online and my limited on budget, I purchased the Samyang 14mm, and have been on the most part happy with the purchase. However, very slow to focus in sports events and easily flares in sunlight. I found the colours not as great as other glassware I have. Lens vignettes from f2.8-5.6 thereafter it's nice and crisp. I personally only use it for architectural interiors where light is more controlled.

I have used this lens with my Sony A7ii. On the positive it's a well made lens, heavy and feels robust. Most images are sharpish once you have mastered the manual focus...but not as sharp as I hoped for.BUT..............I do not understand why Samyang let lenses out with focus calibration so far out you wouldn't go as far on your holidays!!! I mean when I'm focused at infinity it reads 0.315M / 1.1FT!!! Eh? Twisting the focus ring past this then infinity goes out of focus. And my nearest focal range reads something before the first figure of 0.28M when the subject is approx 0.5M away. I just didn't bother looking at the focus ring.It is not sharp.I have read the reviews and see how some people attack their lenses with screwdrivers to re-calibrate it. Not for me. I don't know if I'll try another one of these, in case the same problems exist.Then when I use the focus magnifier I sometimes get a message that the lens isn't fitted properly!!!I am a bit disappointed in this lens after all I have read about it. It has fors and againsts but for me there are too many against's and I feel I have to return it. I was so looking forward to taking this to Venice on my holidays, but now I wont.Come on SAMYANG, you potentially have a super lens here, sort out these issues!

I have used this lens with my Sony A7ii. On the positive it's a well made lens, heavy and feels robust. Most images are sharpish once you have mastered the manual focus...but not as sharp as I hoped for.

BUT..............
I do not understand why Samyang let lenses out with focus calibration so far out you wouldn't go as far on your holidays!!! I mean when I'm focused at infinity it reads 0.315M / 1.1FT!!! Eh? Twisting the focus ring past this then infinity goes out of focus. And my nearest focal range reads something before the first figure of 0.28M when the subject is approx 0.5M away. I just didn't bother looking at the focus ring.

It is not sharp.

I have read the reviews and see how some people attack their lenses with screwdrivers to re-calibrate it. Not for me. I don't know if I'll try another one of these, in case the same problems exist.

Then when I use the focus magnifier I sometimes get a message that the lens isn't fitted properly!!!

I am a bit disappointed in this lens after all I have read about it. It has fors and againsts but for me there are too many against's and I feel I have to return it. I was so looking forward to taking this to Venice on my holidays, but now I wont.

Come on SAMYANG, you potentially have a super lens here, sort out these issues!

You should only consider buying this lens if you never switch to the green square on your mode dial.Also i would not recommend it for APS-C cameras, crop sensors, only use for full frame, you can get better lens at nearly this size. For example the 17-55 EF-S lens is better.You need to use this in manual as the lens does not communicate with your camera.I use the canon version of this lens.There is an aperture ring and as you adjust this, the cameras meter will give you a shutter speed to match the amount of light going through the lens. Linked obviously to whatever ISO you are using too.A lot of people assume, as I have, with a very wide angle lens you don't need to focus so accurately, if you use a small enough aperture, this is probably true in the past in some cases, however in the short experience I have had with this lens, focusing does make a difference and with the resolution of the cameras, it will make a difference, best way, is to use live view, x10 magnification and focus where you want to, then switch back to normal view and shoot.There is going to be some distortion at this size on FF but its to be expected and the quality for the expected shots is great.Not going to be as quick to use as a dedicated lens, but for the effects you are going to use this for, that wont be a problem.

This is my 3rd Samyang lens. I also have the 135mm and the 85mm versions so you might think I am a fan - well you would be correct. This 14mm UWA lens is excellent value for money, providing super sharp image quality and good build quality. Yes there's a bit more work involved in taking a photo as it's fully manual but it's highly satisfying and the results can be very pleasing. It's certainly not really a walk-around lens as shots 'from the hip' are often a waste of time unless you're dead lucky. A tripod or steady support is a must to get the best results. If you are certain a fully manual lens is for you then this will not disappoint.

Love it! I am a professional photographer who has been photographing for 7 years I have studyed photography for 5 years with a ND, FDA, BA (HONS) I use a canon 5dmkII and I love this lens. I recently focus on night time photography from stars to light painting etc, and this lens is perfect its easy to focus at night, I enjoy the aperture being on the lens, Feels as wide as it can be without a fish eye (which I really didnt want) there is little distortion for the photos I am taking and I have heard its easy to correct on Photoshop although I've never had the need to so far. Fantastic price I recommend this to anyone!

The lens is really really nice, im using it for astro-photography, but i took quite a few panoramic and i love it.Its sharp and easy to use. Manual Focus can be scary at first but after a few attempts you will be ok.The packaging where it came was really nice, and the lens arrived in mint conditions. Inside the box you have the manuals, the lens, and a nice bag to carry the lens or protect it from scratches and dust.Nice, somehow affordable fast lens.

This is a brilliant budget wide angle lens. Please note that this lens is completely manual and would not communicate with your camera. It is, therefore, very essential that you are proficient in DSLR photography before thinking of getting this. If you have an external stabiliser on your camera, you could also use this for your videos and you will have very good results. Note to Lightroom users, this lens does not have a profile on Lightroom; you will need to download a profile or build one yourself if you know how. Please check the photos I managed to capture with this lens.

This is a brilliant budget wide angle lens. Please note that this lens is completely manual and would not communicate with your camera. It is, therefore, very essential that you are proficient in DSLR photography before thinking of getting this. If you have an external stabiliser on your camera, you could also use this for your videos and you will have very good results. Note to Lightroom users, this lens does not have a profile on Lightroom; you will need to download a profile or build one yourself if you know how. Please check the photos I managed to capture with this lens.

Like many other reviewers here I was somewhat doubtful of this lens given it's excellent price, I needn't have worried. Samyang have produced an excellent, sharp and well built lens and at this price I would suggest it's a must buy for astrophotography or landscapes. I have used the lens on a Canon 6d and 7d and have been very happy with image quality. Sure there is vignetting but no more than my Canon 17-40 and the Samyang is sharper wide open than that lens. Of course, it's main use is as a massive light gatherer when used in darkness for nightscapes. At F2.8 and with the focus set to infinity the results are excellent (see attached image).Of course it's fully manual but for most landscapers thats no big deal. I use manual focus and exposure all the time and so should you if you want make the most of your images. This lens pushes you to think which for me helps with creativity.

Like many other reviewers here I was somewhat doubtful of this lens given it's excellent price, I needn't have worried. Samyang have produced an excellent, sharp and well built lens and at this price I would suggest it's a must buy for astrophotography or landscapes. I have used the lens on a Canon 6d and 7d and have been very happy with image quality. Sure there is vignetting but no more than my Canon 17-40 and the Samyang is sharper wide open than that lens. Of course, it's main use is as a massive light gatherer when used in darkness for nightscapes. At F2.8 and with the focus set to infinity the results are excellent (see attached image).
Of course it's fully manual but for most landscapers thats no big deal. I use manual focus and exposure all the time and so should you if you want make the most of your images. This lens pushes you to think which for me helps with creativity.

It's a well constructed lens and fun to use. It gives a different perspective to the pictures you take with this ultra wide angle. I use it on a full frame Canon EOS 6D and have taken some very extraordinary pictures with it. The downside is that being manual it has steep learning curve to master and doesn't take a filter. The edges will seem stretched out but I hope to get Lightroom to see if it corrects this distortion. Still need to work more with this lens.

Absolutley amazing lens for the money ! I've been keen on astronomy for some time and never really sparked up any major interest due to other commitments. I took the lens out tonight under clouded sky and heavy town sky glow and nearby glare from adjacent street lighting (pesky metal halide lamps) and within my first 10 frames nailed a very respectable image.The clarity at infinity and F2.8 is mind blowing for the money purchased, and being a novice photographer was very apprehensive about using a fully manual lens, but can honestly say I've learned more about F stops exposure in the last few days than I have in the last year in using it.Some minor things to consider is damn its heavy ! can't imagine lugging this one round your neck all day, but then again at 14mm and the type of photography its more suited to (Landscapes and Astrophotography) then a tripod should take the weight.The build quality is excellent with a real mechanical engineered feeling to it very robust and also sits well on my Pentax K-50.Setup is very easy with Pentax setup, select aperture enable within menu system and your away.I would also say I'm one of these people who will ponder every lens purchases with a fine tooth comb trolling forums, reviews, youtube prior to buying and just glade I made the jump ! cheers Samyang. :-)

This is a fantastically sharp lens which I bought to use for my trip to Iceland - mainly for the northern lights and astrophotography by making full use of the lack of light pollution.I've installed an AF confirmation chip (Dandelion) and it seems to work flawlessly. The lens focus and aperture rings are a joy to use as is the build quality. A few test photos confirm this is indeed a VERY sharp wide angle lens, even more so than my Canon 17-55 - of course this is due to the almost non-existent coma on the Samyang and the Canon being prone to coma.

I'd like to preface this review with a short explanation to put things in context: Firstly, I am an experienced photographer with many years of practice, experimentation and mastery (or at least attempted mastery) of various fields in photography. I know how equipment works and how to test a lens in my own home. Secondly, I am not an impulsive buyer. In fact, I prefer to research every aspect of something before I press the 'Buy Now' button. I am sure there is a name for this condition. It was for these reasons that, when I ordered this lens, I was fully aware of both the amazing AND the disappointing experiences other people have had with it. However, ordering through an Amazon reseller (fulfilled by Amazon) I was confident that should I be able to properly test it and it appear faulty, I would be able to exchange it for another copy.I had read so many positive things about this lens (the price, sharpness wide open and lack of coma - which is so essential for astrophotography) but also some negative reviews as well (most frequent and notable the number of copies exhibiting decentring of lens elements causing uneven sharpness across the frame and the sloppy calibration of the focus scale). It was with apprehension and a nervous optimism that I opened the box when the package arrived a few days ago.There are many online resources that will help you with how to test a new lens so I will not bore you with it here. However, it is definitely worth noting that the sharpness/decentring test went very well, eventually. Working with such a wide angle lens is not easy, so if you end up with one of these arriving through your letterbox take note... Test twice, return once. Initially, there appeared to be some decentring when viewing images of a flat wall at 100%, so like any good new lens owner I went back to the tripod and tested again. It appeared that I had not aligned the camera horizontally to the plain of testing the first time as corners were much sharper the second time around. Not perfect, but better.Next came the