Rokinon Series II 14mm F2.8 Weather Sealed Ultra Wide Angle Lens

[JimFox]

I don't know where I have been, but I just came across this Series 2 version of the old reliable Rokinon 14mm. It looks to have been updated somewhat, not sure internally how it might have been upgraded, but externally the ability to lock the focus is really cool.

It looks like it was released in 2020, so well over a year ago? Again, it's odd I just never noticed it, as window shopping for 14mm Wide Angles is something I do just about every month.

If anyone has any info on it, the best I could find is a couple of mediocre YouTube reviews.

Here is a link to Rokinon's site and the 14mm detail page. Rokinon

 

[Jameel Hyder]

I had looked at this a while ago. Optically it is the same. In addition to locking focus, it also has the declicking of the aperture which is geared toward video. My copy of this lens has the infinity set accurately - I just turn to infinity for all astro work. Didn't find this offered too much of an upgrade.

That said I am surprised you are window shopping since you already have the fantastic Sigma 14/1.8.

 

[JimFox]

I had looked at this a while ago. Optically it is the same. In addition to locking focus, it also has the declicking of the aperture which is geared toward video. My copy of this lens has the infinity set accurately - I just turn to infinity for all astro work. Didn't find this offered too much of an upgrade.

That said I am surprised you are window shopping since you already have the fantastic Sigma 14/1.8.

I have 1 Sigma 14mm f1.8 but I have 3 camera bodies that I like using at night...

I do have a 14-24mm f2.8 that is permanently stuck at 14mm since it crashed with my D810 the night it got blown over in Valley of Fire. It works, but is a tank of a lens, I wouldn't mind having a lighter weight 14mm, and I need one anyway as it would be good to have a spare 14mm just in case.

What I am wanting to know is if it's as prone to decentering as the original 14mm f2.8? Optically it's the same, but that doesn't mean it's housed internally with the same plastic mechanisms. I wish there were more reviews on this where maybe they disassembled it.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Get one and try. You can always return if it is a bad copy.

 

[JimFox]

Get one and try. You can always return if it is a bad copy.

If the lens has the same decentering issue as the original, I wouldn't get it. Because it's not about getting a good copy at that point, it's about getting a copy that stays good.

With the original, my worst case was a good copy (I had to return 2 of them before the 3rd one was a good copy) and then I had gone up to Glacier and had photographed Triple Falls and that hanging valley before the dicatators who run Glacier completely closed it off. So it's my last photos from there. When I got back I found that the lens had gone from perfect to having shifted internally and now was decentered. So all of my night time star shots had the left 1/3rd of the frame out of focus. It took so much processing just to be able to get 1 workable image from there.

So if the lens has the propensity for being decentered still, then not being able to trust that it will stay centered is my issue.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Interesting. My copy was good as I bought them and after a few years it still is as it was when I bought it. Maybe I got lucky. The construction of the series II is a bit different it appears as they advertise weather sealing as well.

 

[JimFox]

Interesting. My copy was good as I bought them and after a few years it still is as it was when I bought it. Maybe I got lucky. The construction of the series II is a bit different it appears as they advertise weather sealing as well.

You got very lucky from my experience. That's good!

Yeah, I was hoping that with the different construction they improved the internals to hold the lenses more securely, but I would like to find some review that addresses it. I may have to write to Rokinon and ask.