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Archive 2013 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.

  
 
Jman13
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


Sorry...need to vent. I ordered a Rokinon 8mm fisheye for Fuji X on Monday...came Tuesday, and it was quickly apparent that there was a misaligned element...the right side was soft when the center and left were focused properly...probably a tilted element - you could work by focusing the right side then relying on DOF to make the left and center pretty sharp, but still...something not quite good.

So I initiated an exchange with Amazon, which was great because they sent me the replacement and I just needed to return the original within 30 days. Cool!

So the replacement gets here today.

Good news: Optically perfect (confirming that my previous lens did have an issue)...but it's a used lens. It came with a Fuji rear cap (not a fuji-type rear cap, but the actual original branded Fuji rear cap....new ones come with a Rokinon rear cap branded with an X)...there are scuffs all over the hood and scratches on the focus ring, and the front element was filthy - looked like it was smeared with fingerprints.

Frustrating. I have to say, Amazon is taking care of me...I've called them and they are shipping yet another lens, which will be here tomorrow, and I'll send the other two back (though I'm keeping the used one until the new one gets here just in case there's an optical problem with the next replacement.)

Argh....



Jul 25, 2013 at 11:56 AM
fotographiq
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


Frustrating, absolutely. Luckily, Amazon's return/exchange process is second to none, IMO.


Jul 25, 2013 at 12:00 PM
Tariq Gibran
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


Hopefully, the new one on it's way is optically as good as the used one! Very frustrating indeed.

Amazon is great, particularly if you have Prime, but they do screw up from time to time. Case in point... Last December I ordered a new 15" Retina Pro Macbook. It came and all was fine until about a month later I note on my Amazon order page they show I just ordered two more! Yikes! I had not placed that order and, oddly, even though the order page showed two were shipping to me, Amazon only charged my card for one of them!

My first thought was that someone had hacked my Amazon acct so I immediately called them. They did some research (supposedly) and called me back to say it was an error with their system. WOW, that would have been one expensive error for them. So, had I never called them, I would have ended up with a $2K+ free Macbook! They have also duplicated other orders where they only charged me for one, all of which I ended up returning the duplicates (honest to a fault).



Jul 25, 2013 at 12:47 PM
millsart
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


I think its a bit of a double edged sword in that while its great they can issue replacements so fast, have such a nice return policy, credit back to your account and such, it does have the downside of more errors happening due to all that speed and volume.

On a given day, I can only image how many thousands of return items they must get, and the need to have someone check them in and make sure everything is correctly graded for the outlet, and tagged correctly etc.

Can't be too surprising that a returned item might of gotten sent as a new one, but also, given how we'd surely hear about that happening from anyone on the forums, and we don't, means they are doing a pretty good job overall.

Its kind of like if you asked who on this forum has ordered from Amazon before I think everyone here would raise a hand, and if you then asked who had a problem, not too many would still be holding their hand up.

Then, of that minority still holding their hand up, how many didn't get it resolved ? Probably no one.


I ordered a strap from Adorama and the wrong model arrived. Totally wrong product and I had to call them and their CS person said I had to email a photo showing the strap I got, and also a link to the webpage.

So then I had to take and email a photo them, after which the next day I get an offer back that how about I keep that one and they take $10 off ?

I email back that no, I just want what I ordered, and another day goes by, no response.

Finally called and got an return label set up to send the wrong product back.

They made it right in the end as well, but certainly was far more work that Amazon would of been.



Jul 25, 2013 at 12:56 PM
Jman13
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


Yeah...It's frustrating, but as I said, they are definitely taking care of me. Considering I initiated the original exchange yesterday, and by tomorrow I will have received my SECOND replacement lens, is rather remarkable. The fact I have time to return the two others is nice too.


Jul 25, 2013 at 01:03 PM
zhangyue
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


fotographiq wrote:
Frustrating, absolutely. Luckily, Amazon's return/exchange process is second to none, IMO.

Only you might get one from Jordan in exchange



Jul 25, 2013 at 01:18 PM
anscochrome
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


Once it is all settled you should truly enjoy that lens. I use mine a lot with this plug-in, so it doubles as an ultrawide, as well as a fisheye: http://www.imagetrendsinc.com/products/prodpage_hemi.asp


Jul 25, 2013 at 05:16 PM
Helen Oster
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


millsart wrote:
I ordered a strap from Adorama and the wrong model arrived. Totally wrong product and I had to call them and their CS person said I had to email a photo showing the strap I got, and also a link to the webpage.

So then I had to take and email a photo them, after which the next day I get an offer back that how about I keep that one and they take $10 off ?

I email back that no, I just want what I ordered, and another day goes by, no response.

Finally called and got an return label
...Show more

Wish you'd known to email me directly [email protected]

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador



Jul 25, 2013 at 10:32 PM
Jman13
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


So, fisheye #3 came in today. Good news: It's new! Good news: No obvious optical issues. So-so-ish news: I think the second (used) one is ever so slightly sharper. It's a VERY small difference, and only visible peering at 100% on identical photos for several minutes....so I still think I'm keeping the third...mainly for this other fact.

In order to make sure I didn't mix up the lenses, I noted the serial numbers. Interestingly enough, the second (used) lens has no serial number. None. Anywhere. So, I feel that the potential for denial of warranty work due to it being a truly used lens with no serial number, plus I don't know what it's been through, so there's probably a higher chance of something going wrong with it in the future. That's not worth the barely perceptible difference in optical quality.

Anyway, since I have three copies of the same lens sitting here right now, I had to take some pics!

http://www.jordansteele.com/2013/three_fisheyes.jpg

http://www.jordansteele.com/2013/three_fisheyes2.jpg



Jul 26, 2013 at 09:47 AM
freaklikeme
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


I don't know, Jordan. The aperture ring looks broken on all three of them.


Jul 26, 2013 at 10:02 AM
Jman13
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


?? Huh? Am I being whooshed? Aperture ring works just fine, looks just fine, closes aperture just fine.


Jul 26, 2013 at 10:27 AM
apsphoto
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


Interesting they all have slightly different end caps..... I am really happy with my fisheye, too bad you had all of those hassles. Glad they responded so quickly.

Alan



Jul 26, 2013 at 10:37 AM
Jman13
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


apsphoto wrote:
Interesting they all have slightly different end caps..... I am really happy with my fisheye, too bad you had all of those hassles. Glad they responded so quickly.

Alan


Well, the first and third came with the same rear cap...I just hadn't swapped back to it on the new lens...so it has a third party rear cap that I've ordered to add to my adapters. The second one came with a Fuji brand cap...one of the first tip-offs that it had been a return and not a new lens.



Jul 26, 2013 at 10:47 AM
digicosmos86
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


Well, fortunately you are dealing with Amazon. I bought a fuji X-E1 from BH. When I opened it, it was obviously used. There was a huge fingerprint on the EVF. Time was already set to Eastern (We use Central here), and the menu background was set to blue (which is actually pretty nice...) The scratches on the metal contacts on the battery clearly suggests that it was used for a long time. Of course I had to return the camera, and they did send me a brand new one. However, it was about two weeks later, as they had to have the return package in their warehouse before they could ship me the new one.


Jul 26, 2013 at 11:22 AM
freaklikeme
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


Jman13 wrote:
?? Huh? Am I being whooshed? Aperture ring works just fine, looks just fine, closes aperture just fine.


But they turn in the wrong direction.



Jul 26, 2013 at 11:31 AM
cputeq
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


Interesting you say some of your Rok's have serial numbers.

I've owned the Rok 7.5mm for m43 and two copies of the Rok 85 1.4 and none have ever had a serial number...and trust me, I checked like crazy to find them.



Jul 26, 2013 at 12:49 PM
Jman13
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


freaklikeme wrote:
But they turn in the wrong direction.


They're the same direction as all Fuji aperture rings.



Jul 26, 2013 at 12:59 PM
freaklikeme
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


Jman13 wrote:
They're the same direction as all Fuji aperture rings.


The Fujis are broken too?



Jul 26, 2013 at 01:22 PM
kzoockof
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


Sorry about the mishaps with Amazon. But as you have suggested, they have always come through and unlike the NYC stores, you don't have to argue with them to get what you ordered and jump through hoops in the process.

To my point, I just received from B&H the Samyang 8mm fisheye, f/3.5. It is manual focus, manual aperture (just like shown on the photos of your lenses). This is a lens for my daughter's birthday next week.

I put the lens on the Canon T4i which is what she shoots. I get no aperture reading (0 in viewfinder), what are the best methods for shooting with this lens? Any tips, tricks, etc. . . so that I can help my daughter get comfortable with it quickly? She is only turning 13 and is pretty inexperienced. She really wanted a fisheye, against my recommendations of using it for a month then putting it away. So I want to be able to teach her some tricks to getting good shots.

Advice, suggestions, settings, etc



Sep 19, 2013 at 09:13 PM
alwang
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Fun with Amazon and the Rokinon 8mm Fisheye.


As a beginner, I'd just set the camera to aperture priority, f10, focus at about 1m, and then just click away. The depth of field is so deep you rarely need to even focus.


Sep 19, 2013 at 09:25 PM
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