Lenses, like cameras, are purchased for a variety of reasons:

1. There are lenses out there that are impeccable, that deliver maximum image quality (loads of sharpness, great contrast, minimum distortion and excellent color reproduction) and are lightning fast (generally f/2.8 is considered fast, though with primes sometimes f/1.8 is considered sluggish), but those lenses tend to come with a few caveats also: they are heavy and expensive.  These lenses are specialists’ tools; their purpose is to be the best in the game for the pros that need them.

2. There are lenses that are the optical equivalent of a Swiss Army Knife, they cut, they saw, they open cans, but they’re often clunky and inefficient when compared to tools dedicated to those tasks.  They are your 18-400’s of the world.  These zoom lenses are generalists’ tools; their purpose is utility and convenience for the enthusiast.

3. There are lenses that you form an emotional attachment to.  These lenses can be zooms or primes, slow or fast, cheap or expensive, but they are always at your side.  These lenses are the ones you pick up when you are going out to take pictures for the day when there is no pressure on you for what you’ll bring back.  They make photography fun. They get out of your way, and let you think about composition and subject.  These lenses are seldom the first ones photographers buy. In fact, they almost always come into the bag after years of shooting, when you realize finally that what is truly missing from your kit isn’t its ability to cover fisheye to super telephoto or to be able to pixel peep every shot at 100%.

The Rokinon 12mm f/2 is this first category of lenses for me, even though it’s an inexpensive, third party option (you’ll see; it’s a lion in sheeps’ clothing, friends).

Full Name: Rokinon/Samyang/Bower 12mm F2.0 NCS CS Ultra Wide, for Fujifilm
Max/Min. Aperture: 2/22
Diaphragm Blades: 6
Lens Configuration: 12 Elements in 10 Groups
Filter Size: 67mm
Magnification Ratio: Not specified
Focuses Beyond: 7.87″

Durability: The lens is a combination of metal and plastic, though very robust, and with an all metal mount.  I must confess that I’ve actually dropped this lens (slipped out of my hand while I was switching lenses in a cave in the dark and fell about four feet), yet it still functions perfectly. The dirt in the pics above is from this tumble.

Over the last year, I’ve gradually replaced my former Nikon kit with an all-Fuji alternative. This decision was among the best photography gear decisions I’ve ever made. Even with apples to apples (APS-C at the same tier) being compared, my Fuji kit is lighter, smaller, less expensive and produces better image quality, all things considered.

When I was making this decision, I knew that there were certain lens in my Nikon kit that I had to have a Fuji variant for in order for the switch to be seamless. For several years, the Tokina 11-26mm was the go-to lens in my Nikon bag for much of the location work that I do. It is an incredible lens: sharp, moderately fast without being too bulky, not incredibly expensive, very well built, etc. Its only issues were flare and chromatic aberration (CA was pretty easy to correct in post). Fuji makes a 14mm and (now) two 16mm lenses, as well as, several zooms that cover the focal range of the Tokina, though those are much pricier. In short, I was a bit stymied right at the beginning of exploring the switch. That’s when I stumbled upon the Rokinon 12mm, and took a leap of faith.

As soon as I got the lens, I had two principle concerns: how would manual focusing be (the manual thing wasn’t too much of an issue because I often shoot in complete darkness, and manual focused with the Tokina- even though it had decent AF), and would the image quality on this much less expensive, third party lens measure up against my tried and true?

Turns out, the Roki is even better than the Tokina was. It was a lucky leap, but I have a new trusted partner that I don’t doubt will be with me for years to come.

So just how does the Rokinon 12mm f/2 lens perform?  It is surprisingly solid.  Check out the images below to see for yourself.

Gear used for product shots:

Fuji X-E3

Yashica Yashinon-DX 50mm f/1.7 Lens