By Michael Hession

Te fsheye lens is a staple of anyone photographing

skateboarding and BMX. Rokinons latest lensthe
8mm T3.8 Cine Lensshould please DSLR videogra-
phers looking to get in on the action footage.
What Is It?
A $400 DSLR prime lens with a short focal length that
produces an ultra-wide, exaggerated perspective.
Whos It For?
Photographers and videographers on a budget who
plan to shoot a lot of close-up action.
Design
Te lens looks plenty nice. Te red ring would make
people think you are a pro who only uses Canon L
glass. Te exterior is plastic, but it feels solid and sturdy.
Using It
Fisheye lenses are just plain fun. Te Rokinons 180-de-
gree feld-of-view is a joy just to point at various things
it is almost impossible to miss the action in front you.
Te Best Part
Te manual aperture ring has a great feelits smooth
adjustments while shooting video make a diference
compared to the abrupt clicks of most apertures.
Rokinon 8mm Fisheye Cine-Lens Lightning
Review: Extreme Wide Angle on a Budget
ELECTRONICALLY REPRINTED FROM JULY 6, 2012
Tragic Flaw
Te lens doesnt communicate at all with your camera.
Precise focusing is difcult with this lens, so access to
auto-focus would really come in handy, especially when
shooting photos. But sadly, you are limited to full manual.
Tis Is Weird...
Occasionally, a Canon 7D didnt recognize the lens. Te
LCD said to make sure a lens is attached. It doesnt hin-
der shooting, but it is an alarming message.
Test Notes
Te Rokinon Fisheye was tested on a Canon 7D.
Te lens cap is a bit fnicky. It has to be positioned
vertically or it wont stay on. You might think youre
losing your mind for about 10 minutes before fgur-
ing this out.
You cannot mount threaded flters to this lens due
to the protruding front element.
Te focus-depth is looong, and when you are shoot-
ing stopped all the way down, there is virtually no
diference from one end of the focus ring to the other.
If you are only shooting photos, and you dont care
about the smooth aperture adjustment feature, or
the focus ring teeth, Rokinon makes a similar lens
for over $100 cheaper.
Should You Buy It?
Yeah, if you shoot this kind of distorted footage on a
regular basis. It is a great option for the price. Tink
about it, a comparable fsheye made by Canon is over
$1300, while Sigmas 8mm fsheye is $900. Face it: You
arent buying this to shoot magazine spreads or feature
flms. It is a budget lens, and within that context, the
image quality is just fne.
Rokinon 8mm t/3.8 Fisheye Cine Lens
Price: $399
Max Aperture T/3.8
Mount: Canon or Nikon versions available
Field of View: 180 degrees
Gizrank: 3.5
Posted with permission from the July 6, 2012 issue of Gizmodo

www.gizmodo.com. Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.

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