Samyang/Rokinon 12mm F/2 Fujifilm Landscape Photography Is it any good?

[@matthewstorerphotography]

What do you think of the Samyang 12mm F2 for landscape photography?

[@davidburchettephotography6513]

Matthew Storer I love mine for my aps-c Sony 6300. Bought it for Astro and it hasn’t disappointed. I don’t use the 6300 much now as I bought an A7Riii but this little lens is a great one for the price (maybe just great 😀).

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Yeah its an exceptional lens for astro work for sure

[@CharlesDunkley]

This was the first lens I bought last year right after buying a used Fujifilm X-T1. It's such a fantastic lens. It's fun to play around with interesting angels but I especially like to photograph the ocean from the beach with it. I haven't given astro photography a try with it yet but it's definitely something I want to learn and enjoy.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Awsome Charles, super glad yo loved this lens. Make sure to stick around on my channel because I will be running a lot of night sky photography with this lens when the Milky Way season starts - hopefully youll get some information from that :D

[@stoneblue1795]

I like pictures with the so-called dead space vs. the heavily-cropped look. If the dead space is some nice clouds or weather filled sky, you are golden. I'm also fine with just grasses, etc. in the foreground, thank you.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Thanks for your feedback I really appreciate it :D

[@Audimann]

Great lens for the xt30. Sharp as hell. Tested it against the 10-24 and can not see any real faults. Ok vignetting wide open but which lens does not vignet wide open. Manual focus, with focuspeaking on the Fuji absolute nu problem. Real winner!

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Totally agree

[@juligonzalez686]

I just purchased this lens along with a X-T10 from KEH. I think I got a pretty good deal, although I think MPB had the lens cheaper, but I forgot to check there before I purchased. Oh well, the camera was a lot cheaper. Anyway, was excited to learn from your video that this lens is great for Astro as we were just in Australia, out at Uluru and the night sky was fabulous. Sadly, I had not researched how to shoot the night sky so I could not get any shots with the cameras and lenses I had, but my son got some decent pics with my iPhone 14 Pro. We are now very interested in taking pics of the night sly and want to learn, and now we will have this great lens. I was also planning on using it for walk around city shots and nature/landscape shots. I will look more into your channel and your more recent videos. Thanks for sharing info on older, less expensive lenses. This lens seems like a winner.

[@FlorianCortese]

Thanks. Mathew! This lens will more than likely be my next lens purchase for my XT3 for night/astrophotography. You've given me some thoughts about expanding its use!

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Super cool! Can not wait to see what you come up with :)

[@erikfarkas7868]

It looks so sexy on that silver x-t3 with the silver color!

[@matthewstorerphotography]

100% glad someone else cares about that haha!

[@volkerarminhafner8530]

I m using the XF 10-24 F4 because in landscape Fotography you don t need a fast lens. But I should give the samyang a try. Could be a very light combo for walking/climbing: XT 20, and Samyang 12 mm, XC 15-45, XC 50-230.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Yeah that is what I find also, infinity is super easy and on hiking camping trips works perfectly for night photography and landscape!

[@jakemyers6415]

@Chris Sears the XC series lenses are so underrated too. specifically the 50-230. one of the most sharp lenses ive ever use

[@briankavo]

Stunning location, great insights on the Samyang 12mm. Am thinking of picking up the latest version with AF.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Good choice!

[@rhysholley8289]

Hi Matthew sorry I am late to the party but I have just subscribed. What are your night time settings for this lens. Thanks

[@markielinhart]

I’ve just bought this lens to use on my mft Lumix. Can’t wait for the postie!✌️🇦🇺🎄

[@theothoughts]

It makes me smile to see you share all this knowledge with us, and to see you respond to every comment, including gibberish. As a new X-T3 user, I have a question I hope you can help with: how do you "punch in" (zoom the viewfinder) while focusing with a manual lens?

[@matthewstorerphotography]

No problem Theo it is my pleasure! Personally I have set a button to action for me, as they are all customisable. The back scroll wheel on the X-T3 has a function that when you push it in, that is a button and for me that is the MF Assist mode for me and works a treat. If you need further help let me know and I can send you a short video or something to help!

[@theothoughts]

@@matthewstorerphotography You're awesome, thank you!

[@Jimages_uk]

I know this is 3 years down the line, but I just pick up one of these as I am going to one of the dark sky countries, and I am intending to use it for some astrophotography, but being as I am travelling a long way, it will have to do more than just that. I hope it will work well in a few different scenarios.

[@versescapes4385]

I just came across your channel, watching a video from 2018 where you used the X-T1, using the Samyang for star photography. I have the X-T1 and the samyang (Rokinon here) and i love milky way photography with this setup (season's coming up!). An excellent lens for landscapes as well, i am learning to use an ultra wide for landscapes, but i find myself using it more and more. If you can get away with f5.6, it is the sharpest, but really it is sharp from f2.0 (not so much in the edges) all the way to f11

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Yeah its an amazing lens :) absolutely love this lens for milky way photography as you said :)

[@summers9218]

Matthew i come across this channel and found it nice as well as simple and clear.I am curious how sharp it is and how does it do in glare wise. Is it better than the 7artisan?

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Hey never used the 7artisan lenses sorry, can not comment but many people online have used both. Its sharp for landscape at f/8 and amazing for night photography which is great - perfect for the price I think

[@bjure8111]

Just over 200 euros brand new from eglobal.... I owned it before when I still was in the Fuji clan, its a great lens.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Yeah it is an amazing lens.

[@MacM545]

I was thinking about purchasing and reviewing the possibly upcoming Viltrox wide angle lenses. The Rokinon 12mm F/2 has become very inexpensive though. The main reason for Viltrox? AF can enable me to finally use my camera focus bracketing feature, and the lens might be able to render more details. Sure, it might be a little more expensive than the Rokinon currently is, but the Rokinon isn’t as new of a lens. The focal length of the Viltrox is supposed to be 23mm instead of the Rokinon’s 10mm so the depth of field Possible isn’t as excellent but lowlight ability of the Viltrox should be better, which for my type of photography is great. The only major concern about the Viltrox is build quality which might not be great. The retail price of the Rokinon was once about 399 dollars compared to the retail price of Viltrox, at about 155 dollars. It’s been a long Time for me without a wide angle lens for my Fuji XT2, but it’s not until late Spring or summer that I was thinking about using wide focal length.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Sounds really interesting :)

[@sebastianriquelme3513]

Nice video. Do you think its worth investing in this samyang when I have an xc 15-45? I know the samyang is faster but is there a huge difference with a tripod?

[@tomduncan3547]

I have the Samsung 12 mm for my Sony a6000 and love it. Wonderful for night work and landscape as well. I think under $400 in Australia when I got mine.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Yeah that are fantastic, I can not wait to come home and do some night sky stuff in Aus

[@tomduncan3547]

@@matthewstorerphotography Tassie is fantastic, so little light pollution.

[@tjkrueger2655]

Same predicament. My 12mm stays behind in favor of the 10-24 unless I'm shooting astro, and even then I sometimes prefer the 16 1.4. Something about the 12mm feels muddy in high DNR shots and golden hour. Great for the money though, I just wish they'd release an updated version with better coatings, materials and mount plate

[@iconictools2059]

TJ Krueger how about 16 1.4 for Astro?

[@tjkrueger2655]

@@iconictools2059 I like it better than the Rokinon/samyang 12mm for astro... the files seem to have better color and clarity

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Yeah I sort of get that, but you can clean up the images in Post Production through a technique which I will go through soon when Milky Way season starts

[@matthewstorerphotography]

The 16mm 1.4 suffers from really bad coma wide open all the way through until around f2.8

[@oneworldliving9198]

Hey Matthew Great work 🤙🏾 What are your complete settings here ? Shutter speed iso ..?? Thanks 🙏🏾

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Hey mate, thanks so much! I can not fully remember. But I would have shot on F/8 - ISO:160 and automatic shutter speeed and probably exposure bracketed :D

[@lawcch]

Samyang 12 mm or 16 mm lens can be used for portrait shots. depend where and how far the subject is.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Super nice! :D

[@aditya_das]

Great video but I couldn't find the link the full sized image. Would love to take a look at it.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Done! www.matthewstorer.com/samyang-12mm-f-2-landscape-photography/

[@Narsuitus]

I do not use my 12mm f/2 for landscapes because I do not usually use small format cameras for landscapes. I do, however, use my 12mm for architectural interiors, vehicle interiors, cropped panoramics, and videos. Thanks for the video.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Thanks for sharing!

[@TonySaunders]

I've been thinking of getting one for the northern lights here in Iceland. And I guess you would give that idea the thumbs up.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Hey Tony! Yeah I use mine for the Northern Lights in Tromso earlier this year on my workshops. Didn't miss a beat, I always recommend this to people for astro/northern lights. Crazy good at an affordable price! P.S spend some time nailing infinity before you head out and you'll be set for life haha

[@TonySaunders]

@@matthewstorerphotography ill just gaffer tape the focus ring into infinity once I've got it right. One less thing to worry about when the lady is dancing 😉

[@davidburchettephotography6513]

Matthew Storer Because it’s NOT the infinity mark 😄.

[@89DavideB]

The video was really nice and really useful. What do you think about hyperfocal? Do you normally use it in your work?

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it! Nah I never worry about it alway concentrate just on the subject!

[@georgesmith3022]

where is the download link for the image? i want to see it on my pc

[@matthewstorerphotography]

CHanging over my website - will come very shortly - sorry

[@EbenPajanconi]

Awesome, detailed vid! I was thinking of using this lens on a gimbal for vids though. What would you say is the best aperture for just the sharpest vid quality? - set on infinity focus and all?

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Mhmmm great question I would say around that F4 or F5.6 thats why I have the 16mm 1.4 for video. There is no real all-rounder wide angle. I still think its a great lens for video on a budget however.

[@EbenPajanconi]

@@matthewstorerphotography Yeah the weight/size on a small set up wasn't the best for me personally. And the 16mm isn't as wide as I would have liked judging from my kitlens. Doesn't give me a that dramatic wide look while not having too much distortion. Too bad the 10-18 costs almost 3x lol. Thanks for the info though!

[@dandanu2526]

I'm undecided...I am looking to buy a lens for landscape photography .... I have to choose between Samyang 12 mm f 2.14 mm f 2.8 and 16 mm f 2 ... are there major differences between these three lenses?

[@PhilipBallGarry]

More important than sharpness Matt? Character 👍

[@jacobcarandang8618]

how would you compare this lens to the 10-24 in terms of just image quality and sharpness. Thinking of pairing it with a 16mm 1.4 and skipping the 10-24 entirely.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Yeah I get what you mean. The image quaility is not there compared to the 10-24mm but a huge positive for me is the low light. I use the Samyang a lot! Plus the 16mm 1.4. Landscape, night photography and low light filming fantastic lens! Ohhh plus the price. Crazy for what you get I agree with you

[@aznhippos]

Looking for cold weather hiking/photography pants. Can someone ID the ones in this video?

[@matthewstorerphotography]

They are from Decthlon. Very affordable and great quality for me. Never had an issue with stuff from there in the past.

[@khairunnasulfikri1512]

Great video! But I wonder would you choose this over the XC 15-45mm?

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Yes, absolutely - Samyang is a great lens but I also own the 10-24mm

[@andreika6681]

got mine with old but perfect condition nex5n (paid 200€ for the pack), excellent for shooting in "hot" places where risk of getting mobbed it quite real :-P for that price i don't care, i can use nex+12m as a weapon and next throw it away before running :-P

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Hahahah I understand what you mean - very good lens for an amazing price!

[@Gundolf300]

I usually don't comment before I see the video. But yes. It is that good!

[@matthewstorerphotography]

You're the best! HAHAHA I love this :D

[@Gundolf300]

@@matthewstorerphotography That warms my heart! Thank you! ♥️ I got a little sidestory about it though. I dropped mine in a river a week ago. Being "affordable" to replace is one of the reasons it's just that good 😂

[@matthewstorerphotography]

@@Gundolf300 OHHH NO! Hahaha this is a great story I wish I knew this before the video I could have thrown that one in it! If you drop it in the river using it, it's affordable to replace it! Happy shooting :D

[@Gundolf300]

@@matthewstorerphotography So you're saying I missed out on getting my monumental "Don't change lenses close to a stream f up-story out there" out there?! That makes it sting even harder! 😂 Jokes aside though. For the price it's an awesome lens with very good build and optical quality as well as record breaking portability. I've used mine mostly for landscapes but it also got me into my first milky-way photography. And yeah,, the new one is one the way with the mail 😉 Thanks yourself and good luck in the future mate! 😊📸 instagram.com/p/B2xNG_ZiGvt/?igshid=rtceyfxblf5a

[@scotty4418]

A Samyang lens has moved up on my list of purchases as I got the chance to buy a Canon 24mm Tilt Shift yesterday so, thats another lens ticked off my list, so hopefully pick up the Samyang soon

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Wow! Really nice tilt and shift! I would suggest looking for the Samyang second hand maybe picking it up really cheaply

[@temporal0044]

👍

[@wimair_at]

Love fast fixed wide lenses for astro but after some months of having just one wide angle fixed focus lense when I started landscape photography I‘d not recommend a fixed focal wide angle for starting. There are so many situations „in the field“ where a zoom comes in so handy 😍

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Yeah I agree thats why I use it as a specalised lens - more versatile for me every day of the week with the 10-24mm

[@scrolex]

Are the Samyang and rokinon the same because they are 50$ different in price of b&h?

[@matthewstorerphotography]

From my understanding they are yes

[@mixeddrinks8100]

Same thing, just cheaper sounding name...

[@lawcch]

i prefer Samyang 8mm f/2.8 lens for landscape and astro photography.

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Would love to try it out :D

[@dandanu2526]

Would to try it too...can I see some pictures?

[@wqdqwdification]

Hi Matthew, what tripod was used in that video?

[@matthewstorerphotography]

It was my New Genesis C3 Carbon Fibre Tripod. I have a video being released really soon, lovely tripod for an AMAZING price

[@franpm2547]

Wich ND filtrer can i use for this lens?

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Awww, many ND's out there that you can use as long as it suits the 62mm thread

[@PhotoTrekr]

Just purchased a Samyang 12mm. Hope to get some unusual shots with it. Love your videos. "Let a boy dream." :)

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Have fun!

[@jensgansbiller8119]

I was using it until now only for astro with my X-T3. Could somebody tell me with which PC programm I can prepare better my astropictures? Please not photoshop and lightroom

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Capture One I use

[@justquitebored]

*sigh* the silver lens...

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Hahaha no good?

[@matejmatej3554]

Živijo thumbs up from me heheh we slovenians need to support each other heheh stay awesome

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Thank you so much, I appreciate this so much love the support!

[@TW7]

great video, that location is crazy! I've just started my own channel and I would appreciate it so much if you could check out my recent video!

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Thank you! Will do!

[@conrod87]

Bla bla bla blaaaaaaa bla blaaaaaaa

[@matthewstorerphotography]

Thanks for the comment :)