Samyang 12mm f/2 NCS CS lens review with samples

Here's a slightly older lens from Samyang, for mirrorless, APS-C cameras, which has become very popular among Sony and Fuji owners (it's also available for Canon EOS M, and Micro 4/3), and I've been itching to get my hands on one for a long time. This review was fun to put together.
Find it here (Amazon affiliate link) (Be sure to get the right lens for your camera system):
geni.us/samyang12mmf2sweeeet
By the way, this review is not sponsored by Samyang or Marumi or anyone else! I just love this lens, hehe (even though it's not perfect).
All pictures taken by me on a Sony a6300 camera.
Support me on Patreon! / christopherfrost
Equipment I use to make my videos (Amazon affiliate links):
Canon EOS R5: geni.us/CanonEOSR5Body
Canon EF-RF Adaptor: geni.us/CanonEFtoRF
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 'Art': geni.us/Sigma50mm14Art
Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS STM: geni.us/CanonRF35mm18Macro
Marumi Fit and Slim CPL Filter: geni.us/MarumiFitSlim77
AudioTechnica AT2020USB+ Microphone: geni.us/AT2020USBPlusMic
Rode Smartlav+ Microphone: geni.us/RodeSmartLavalierPlus
Rode SC3 adapter: geni.us/RodeSC3MicAdaptor
Zoom H1n Recorder: geni.us/ZoomH1nMiniRecorder
DJI Mini 2 Drone: geni.us/DJIMini2FlyMore
Music:
'Opportunity Walks', Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

[@christopherjhall]

I have to say of all the camera/lens review channels I've watched over the last 8 or so years yours is the best. Peace

[@ferdigrafie]

I´ve been waiting long for you to review this lens. Thank you very much, especially for testing it´s star and coma performance!

[@JohnJonesRocketCity]

Nice review and quality images! It’s good to see reviews from people who actually know how to shoot.

[@actualkiwi]

Wow. Was weighing this up over the Sony 10-18mm F4 for my next lens. I think I have a winner. Thanks for the great review!

[@tinaavantis6900]

Didi you buy it? Considering the same two...

[@littlemochef]

Yay! I was hoping you would review this lens. And thanks for adding info about coma distortion.

[@gmoeller18]

What a straight forward review. You are always helpful. Thanks!

[@Tuggad]

This video was the video that made sure I was gonna buy this lens. Always in my bag and one of my absolute favourite lens ever. Have had it for about 2 years now. 5/5 lens

[@OMARCONDE]

Beautifull lens!! Tnaks a lot for the review!!

[@kristiyangeorgiev4902]

I really like your informative content on various lenses! I've just found your channel while looking for a few lenses for my fuji x pro 2. Great videos!

[@keithprice6581]

After watching 5 of your videos or so, I've finally decided to subscribe! Love your content, keep up the good work! Cheers

[@richardpcrowe]

I am amazed at the image quality at the price point of this lens... As you mentioned, manual focus is easy - especially with Sony's focus assist and image peaking... I am not a dedicated wide angle photographer but, I have been using and enjoying this lens from the moment I unpacked it. It is small enough to throw in my bag until I need it!

[@fadzerhamm.f5036]

Thanks for the awesome review, you cover all of the information we need to know about the lens, as always. I'm getting this lens for my a6300 today.

[@christopherfrost]

Nice :-)

[@YAH_ONLY]

Me too

[@gunlokman]

I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your reviews. They are always factual, easy to watch and very much to the point with none of the annoying waffle and self-promoting stuff that is all too common. Thank you - keep up the excellent work.

[@christopherfrost]

Thanks, glad you find them interesting!

[@johnft8746]

Thx Christopher for this great review. One key point for the lens is that is the one of the very very rare 3rd party lenses for the EF-M mount. I love my copy and I am going to review it soon...

[@smarthousetech8593]

You're an Amazing reviewer I'm getting into photography and you are my go to source from now on. Subbed

[@marklong691]

Great review as usual Chris. I've had this lens now on my A6000 for almost a year and love it.

[@Azzurro650]

Thank you very much for this review., which has more good looking samples than other reviews have! 👍🏻😃 Cool!

[@prostreet123321]

Thanks for the short and informative review, got the objective

[@dayneellison3533]

I'm literally waiting for this lens to arrive in the mail today

[@knifeyboy82]

The first lens that I ever bought. I love it. Great video

[@Termidryna]

Thanks, as always i appreciate for this review.

[@TroyKelley517]

Great review, you just sold me on this lense ! !

[@nidakashifvlogs]

its really useful review because i was going to buy after watch your video. thanks

[@thefilmplane4896]

Picked up one of these after watching your video, you should use amazon affiliate links since your reviewing lenses that are currently available for sale. The extra income would definitely help the channel, keep up the good work and thank you!!

[@JadeBuaya]

great work. always so relieving that there are youtubers out there like you whos doing very informative and easy to understand video reviews like these. thumbs up!

[@abuanwp]

The build quality alone makes me wanna go to the mountains and look for falls. lol! Paired with my X-T3, the pair looks so amazing!!!

[@michellemccartney6124]

Nice review. Thanks Christopher!

[@jetlag1488]

Got one today. Used, $182 and just like new. I'm already in love with it and I've only been shooting indoors and just outside my house.

[@michaelm1]

Bought it at your recommendation and I love this lens. Sharp even wide open, straightforward to work with, a gem for it's price.

[@jgfthsxgh]

Hi boss. Is it a good lens to take photos of an event indoor..like a wedding ceremony in church? Or is it mainly meant for portrait when it comes to take picture of people

[@michaelm1]

@@jgfthsxgh Greetings, fellow photographer. At 12mm, it is an ultra-wide lens, and thus not a lens best suited to take portraits. Indoor events are fine, though it is a manual focus lens. If that is a problem, I think Samyang has recently released an autofocusing version of this lens, though I'm completely unfamiliar with that version.

[@jgfthsxgh]

@@michaelm1 Thank youuuj

[@Jasan57]

Just another good no-nonsense lens review from Christopher Frost - with some great non-disturbing music underneath.

[@daoquang900]

I have this lens on my Fuji xt2 and xt20. It's hands down the best wide lens ever for mirrorless. Plus the f2.0 is killer!

[@INtangiblesoluciones]

Thank you for the information excellent review!

[@chukman4918]

Awesome review! The sharpness tests have been a huge help. Thanks!

[@drdelica7196]

your a legend thanks for the awesome review

[@ferruhk]

Im happy to see sample images from Turkey

[@ar2romanuel]

Another excellent review!! Thanks

[@TylerPalmerFilmmaker]

Just uploaded a film about this lens. Travelled over 250 miles to discover I had forgotten my adapter for my canon lenses. Only had the 12mm that I was able to use so had to haha I was pleasantly surprised after not using it for a good while. Great lens!

[@vandal_ross]

I used this lens on my old A6000 for Astrophotography and got some brilliant results, highly recommended for that purpose!

[@judellacer334]

Hi! Do you have an ig account?

[@richardpcrowe]

I just started using the Rokinon (Samyang) 12mm f/2.0 NCS CS lens with my Sony A6500 and I absolutely LOVE IT! Sharp, great colors and it is easy (because of the A6500 Focus Assist and Focus Peaking combined with the exceptionally wide DOF of this lens) to focus manually! I paid just about $250 USD for this lens (new from Adorama) making it a great value for money...

[@rainardpearsonp395]

I really liked the stole at 6:18? Wish i had one!! As usual great review.

[@ColinBloodworth]

this looks amazing.

[@slr7075]

Gorgeous lens. This with the new Sigma 16mm f1.4 will be great together.

[@Fre1maurer]

Damn great lens. Bought it this year as a cheap wide angle for my Fuji X-T10 and X-T20. I don't regret it. What they saved in electronics (the lens is fully manual), Samyang invested in sharp glass. I totally recommend this lens if you like manual focus lenses.

[@jgfthsxgh]

Hi boss. Is it a good lens to take photos of an event indoor..like a wedding ceremony in church? Or is it mainly meant for portrait when it comes to take picture of people

[@theizza68]

Can you review the Sigma 30mm f1.4 DC DN?

[@andreacristoforetti2061]

I own this lens since almost 2 years and it is unbelievable! If you have a mirrorless and like Wide angle lenses you should buy it

[@TR6Telos]

At 2.49 I saw the filter that I have never heard of. As I needed one for yet another lens I thought I would investigate. Well the reviews were good with 8 layer multi coating which is critical for less reflection so ordered one of ebay for £13 (58mm). When it arrived I was at first disappointed as it appeared I had been sent an empty case, until I noticed a metal ring, lifting it up the glass was indeed there, it was that the multi coatings were so anti reflective in the case it was impossible to see the glass! Brilliant, from now these are my filter of choice at a rock bottom price , and I have many filters much higher in price from the the usual well known brands. "Highly recommended!".

[@tskcthulhu]

nice video, i also liked the photos of my city, Izmir

[@zoltanszoke2676]

I wish we could have a comparison with the similar offerings. For Sony and Fuji APS-C, it seems to me like a no brainer, as both of those systems cost an arm and a leg if you want to get the uw, standard and tele covered with a portrait prime, but for m43 and Canon EOS-M it would be interesting to see how it compares to the offerings. I'm tempted to get the UW zoom for EOS-M along with the superzoom they have, or a similar setup for m43.

[@skatertwig26]

Have this lens and love it

[@Cooliodude714]

Chris please do a best lenses of 2017. In the video maybe include full frame half budget half not and the same apsc? That would be great and I'm sure other would agree

[@senged]

I see you have visited my city İzmir. Would have liked to meet you :) Thanks for reviewing this lens.

[@Werelingpoon]

Can you review few more Fuji prime lenses, especially the 56mm f/1.2? Thanks a lot!!!

[@justoalejandrogonzalez5097]

This is a toughful, lovely, useful review. Thanks for that. Liked and Suscribed. I think that I'll check more videos from this channel... well done!

[@janseidl]

Will test it!

[@symoonjugz9656]

can you do a review of a 12mm f/2.8 7artisans lens? you always do a great review on lenses, you're always been my go-to guy when it comes to lens review. :D

[@yasinbalc1531]

itislovely to see Turkey in your review :) thanks for great review...

[@eddiespectral]

A must have for my Fuji XT-3

[@stevey500]

I absolutely adored this lens before I had all my APSC gear stolen. The only thing I do not miss about this lens is the chromatic aberrations in the corners, depending on the angle of the light source, it could get a whole lot worse or become minimal. This was fixable most the time in post, some situations were impossible to repair without noticing something strange going on such as foliage against a deep blue background sky.

[@Alexandra-Rex]

It used to be available for Samsung NX as well. I have it, and I had it for my Fujifilm X-T1 as well (which I sold to get my NX1). It's an amazing lens, its biggest weakness is the number of aperture blades I think, only 6, makes it not great for night shots with bright light sources in it. 7 or 9 blades would look at lot better. Other than that, it's simply an amazing lens that beats pretty much any lens that cost more with the same focal length.

[@seancannell9003]

1:55 What that hand held footage on a Canon EOS M camera?

[@christopherfrost]

Sony a6300, with the Zhiyun M gimbal

[@joeltunnah]

I bought this Rokinon 12mm instead of the Olympus 12/2 or PanaLeica 12/1.4. No regrets, it’s fantastic.

[@DrumToTheBassWoop]

5:15 I know that lump of stones. That’s Pentre Ifan. I got a beautiful sunset picture between the rocks there. 😎

[@niru4524]

My favorite Samyang lens

[@stevenli8414]

I don't know if it's just me, I hope that in the future you can add the parameters of the photos, like the shutter speed, aperture, something like this. That would be really helpful.

[@airgliderz]

Never found this data useful or helpful. Though commonly provided, I find it useless. Not planning to ever look at someone's photo then try to duplicate/copy there art.

[@jasonparker4965]

@@airgliderz can be really helpful to learn and understnd photography. ofc most u learn by trying. but when ur able to understand and copy you learning curve will be much faster. and i think for beginners its easier to develope own creativity from there.

[@FortyTwoAnswerToEverything]

What do you recommend for a full framer a7iii?

[@dgoc81]

Can you recommend a filter adapter for 67mm to 77mm? Is this lens filter adapter needed for the Samyang 12mm F/2 on the Sony A6500 to prevent or reduce vignetting? Also would a variable ND filter or regular ND filter (at what strength) be good to pair with this lens if taking landscape photographs in bright settings?

[@adrianthomas2132]

Hi Chris, after watching you reviews on this and laowa 9mm...i went to go pick the loawa up.. but completely shocked at how bad the laowa built is... i left undecided between the samyang 12 and laowa 9mm.. have you a comparison between them? I just don't know if spending so much on the laowa9mm... thoughts pls

[@jacobdaube6483]

would you be able to check this lense out on the m6 mk2? would be interesting!

[@videoart-studio7193]

Please tell me which is better for sharpness on F6-8 Canon 10-18mm or Rokinon/Samyang 12mm (And vignetting) .

[@sommeone]

Haha this showed up when I was looking for reviews of CS mount lens reviews... I have one of these, they're great :D

[@calmingchannelbillbistak]

Just picked one up today -- after distortion correction & aberration correction -- very sharp -- very clear

[@letsreviewhouston]

How did you correct? On camara settings or in post ?

[@calmingchannelbillbistak]

@@letsreviewhouston in post. And wasn't easy.

[@joeltunnah]

@@calmingchannelbillbistak I just do +10 barrel, and leave CA correction at default in DxO PhotoLab 5. Super easy, why do you say it’s hard?

[@janzagar2957]

Do you plan on reviewing Tamron 35mm 1.8 with vibration reduction in the future?

[@gur262]

This is (one of) the answer(s) when someone points out the smaller lens selection of mirrorless compared to dslr.

[@greengwietube]

Thanks for this wonderful review. How would you compare this lens to the Sigma 16mm 1.4?

[@christopherfrost]

Haven't tested the Sigma lens yet, although a review is coming

[@lazerman121]

That Image at 6:02 Where is that ? Looks really cool.

[@luisfeliperoccosanchez7000]

does the focus ring turn forever or is there an end?

[@Askorbian]

Must Have lens for every APS-C Mirrorless owner

[@paulscottfilms]

Thanks very much Mr. Frost . Yes, I needed to find the APS-C Rokinon 12mm lens and thank you for these great Samyang reviews. For some time I was going to replace my 16mm Sony lends with the sharp Sigma 16mm lens, but it is big. For a street photographer, this lens looks ok for me, although I shoot into lights a lot.. I come for the 1970's Pentax SLR 's so Iived with manual focus most of my life. Some times we get too carried away with technical detail. When I look at the best picture I have printed in the last few years, most of then are from my girl friend's Samsung, arrggh. Paul Scott New Zealand

[@d481184m]

This is the best & most comprehensive review of the Sanyang I have come across.

[@drdimento]

Thanks for this review. i'm sticking with the Venus lens.

[@photohiker81]

So for m43 there is a wider opportunity the Laowa 7.5mm f2.0

[@PaulFisherMedia]

I'm debating on this or Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 (for video with GH5s) What do you think

[@joeltunnah]

I’m using it on my G9. Loving it. The panaleica 12mm is completely overpriced, unless you absolutely need f1.4.

[@AhmedRecon]

Thanks alot

[@jhc6608]

Is it the Marumi Fit + Slim 49mm Circular PL Filter for this Samyang 12mm??

[@hustonsingletary402]

I love this lens but for some reason it won't connect with my Sony A-5100. So I can't use any of the focus features manually. Keeps prompting that I need to "mount" the lens.... Otherwise a great lens in auto mode for the most part. Great review.

[@AgnostosGnostos]

The filter polarization effect of sunlight with such an ultra-wide lens isn't uniform. However for the reflection of water, glass windows, foliage or museum paintings and exhibits the polarization filter does great job even with ultra wide lenses.

[@richardpcrowe]

This is a consideration that is seldom mentioned when recommendations against using a CPL on a UWA lens are mentioned... It is nice that this lens fits a 67mm filter since I have several which I use for my Canon 70-200mm f/4 L IS Mk-1 lens...

[@andreygerasimenko8197]

Could you please make a review of sony 35 1.8 or sigma 30 1.4 for sony e mount?

[@christopherfrost]

I'm working on a review of the Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS

[@roni910]

Sigma 30mm 1.4 vs sony 35mm 1.8 E mount please

[@sajanmeetsingh1264]

Yeah pls do that for us and from these two which is best for video and low light with a6300 ?

[@calebwhite681]

Use mine for astro, it's definitely a bright lens for my a6300, easily get properly exposed shots at ISO 1600 and like 20-25 second shutter speeds. *Christopher Frost Photography* will you be review ing the Sigma 16mm F1.4 Contemporary for Sony E-mount and micro 4/3rds when it comes out? I'm debating whether or not it would be worth it to sell my Samyang 12mm and get that one since the autofocus would be handy for what little video work I do.

[@christopherfrost]

I almost certainly will cover the new Sigma 16mm lens, in a few month's time

[@TheMetalButcher]

What an awesome lens. Shame about the flaring though.

[@tarekdelmoreno]

Hey dude thx for the review , ROkinon 12mm f12 is the same lense?

[@christopherfrost]

Yes

[@JunaidKureshi]

But i have seen reviews of Rokinon 12mm its not as good as this one

[@eckhar2]

Thanks for the great review. Where did you get the polarizing filter?

[@christopherfrost]

You can buy them everywhere

[@danieleandronico8391]

Hey Chris, nice review! I have a couple of questions: I got this lens and I don't understand if it's faulty or not. First of all, when it sets on infinity all the way...isn't on focus!?!? Also, when open wide at F2 I find it blurry in the center when too close to the subject, even at 1 meter far. Do you know if I got a defective one? Thanks

[@christopherfrost]

Hmm, not sure, really. I would have to look at it myself I'm afraid.

[@Francoisbienaime1]

Hi Christopher Frost gret video i just wanted to know is a 12 mm lens a really 12 mm on aps-c camera or not ? Thanks Christopher

[@joeltunnah]

It’s really a 12mm, but on aps-c it has the field of view of an 18mm.

[@TheHutchMusic]

Hi Chris... is this lens suitable for indoor real estate video & stills. I was think manual focus on video pans not so good? What do you think?

[@christopherfrost]

Sure, if you're happy to manually focus

[@princeharbinger]

Do you know if it's normal when focus peaking for the reds not to show up in your subjects eyes when you are photographing them from a distance? This is really bothering me. The lens isn't decentered. I have already tested it for that. I'm finding it a real pain to nail focus in the eyes without being able to see the red. I'm using it on my A6300. My peaking level is set to low. I have heard keeping it low is the most accurate.

[@nerdMike]

I'm still wondering why most of online shops have this specific lens name but in fact they list the Samyang 12mm T2.2 Cine style lens with different manual rings. What's the truth?

[@bogidrau676]

Can I use this on a cropped sensor DSLR if I get an adapter?

[@JulianAzcarate]

Please make a vs with samyang 10mm and 14mm

[@maxmonte5840]

Can anyone help me decide which owns to get for my 77D? Should I get a Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 or a Canon 70-200 f/4 IS? I currently don't have a telephoto lens, nor a prime lens, so both lenses will be useful to me. Thanks!

[@LucisPictor]

Fantastic lens. However, I didn't use it a lot on my Fujis for whatever reason, so I sold it again.