FlyPenFly wrote:
Well they do make a 200mm F2.8 zoom where focus is critical.
Where Sigma manages to get big AF problems again... Never heard of front/backfocus with the Tamron or Tokina 70-200 / 80-200 2.8 zooms. (I guess they're not as popular as the Sigma though.)
More of the same. Not really sure yet if Flickr deteriorates the images. First a Merc-star and a bokeh sample, and then a long longbow shot. The last one looks a bit poppy to me.
Alee18 wrote:
The problem with screw drive AF lenses is that you need to switch the body to MF to do manual focusing and I have to learn to refrain from touching the focus ring on my FA 31f1.8 Ltd when on AF. With ring type ultra sonic motors, real time manual focus override is a big plus.
That depends on the body, any Minolta or Sony with DMF support will switch to MF once focus is locked in DMF mode (which replaces AF-A if enabled) and most of those have an AF button on the back which switches modes with a thumb-press. I actually prefer this to FTM focusing as you never have to worry about fighting the AF system.
In Pentax land, most screwdrive DA lenses and all D-FA lenses have a clutched focus ring which allows FTM focusing. The older lenses like the FA Limiteds lack this.
This may be a little off-topic, but I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on how the Samyang 35 compares to the Rokkor MC HG 35mm 2.8. I have a chance to pick up a good copy of the latter and might get it adapted for EOS.
msshea wrote:
This may be a little off-topic, but I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on how the Samyang 35 compares to the Rokkor MC HG 35mm 2.8. I have a chance to pick up a good copy of the latter and might get it adapted for EOS.
Merrill
99% likely that the Rokinon would clobber the Rokkor on FF optically, particularly with regard to across the frame sharpness at bright F stops, starting even at F2.8. Quite amazing given that you also enjoy beautiful bokeh and contrast and color at least the equal of some fo the best Minolta lenses ever made.
If you missed it, here was a test I did comparing the Rokinon to the Minolta Maxxum AF 35/2, along with commentary (Makes sense it should be in this thread as well I guess):
Well, yesterday while putting the Minolta 35 AF F2 through some testing, I decided to do a quick and dirty comparison against the Rokinon 35 1.4 I was thinking about returning (due to size and lack of AF). That was a mistake because now I realize there is a reason for the size of the Rokinon - amazing corner performance even at fast F-stops. Below is a quick comparison, hand held at fast shutter speeds so framing is not exact, though part of that is also due to the fact that the Rokinon is not quite as wide as the Minolta. I will add some observations and notes as well which you can take or leave.
Conclusion. Both lenses are exceptional. If you require ultimate extreme corner sharpness on FF, particularly at brighter F-stops, I doubt there is a better lens available than the Rokinon at this focal length. The Minolta requires F5.6 for decent corner performance. The Minolta is sharp over about 60% of the frame wide open at F2 and, in the center, it is sharper at that f-stop compared to the Rokinon. So, no free lunch as usual. Minolta: compact/ light lens, though very well made, very fast to AF, great central sharpness wide open but border/corner performance requires stopping down. Rokinon: Large, bulky and slow to focus but you get very good F1.4 performance (not shown) and quite amazing across the frame performance even at very bright F-stops. Also note color and contrast is remarkably similar with both of these lenses. One knock against the Rokinon is that it tends to underexpose on my a900 in A mode for some reason (I corrected exposure for posted samples, no additional sharpening beyond default ACR).
paulesko wrote:
Thank you for the test! This lens looks like a keeper, I like what I see.
Your welcome.
I actually tried to get rid of the lens and replace it with the smaller and slightly slower Minolta AF 35/2 above but the damn Rokinon was just too good! Indeed, it is a keeper.
Never heard of front/backfocus with the Tamron or Tokina 70-200 / 80-200 2.8 zooms. (I guess they're not as popular as the Sigma though.)
