Wide lenses are so much fun. So much fun for travel! I bought a Sigma 10-20 way back when I was going to visit NYC for the first time and it really helped make the trip.
Yes, that's how I feel too. I had the X100VI on the trip too (23mm APS-C, 35mm FOV), but it never seemed wide enough to tell the story, I alway felt like I was missing the context of the location.
The Viltrox 13mm 1.4 is a very impressive lens that I enjoy thoroughly. Although a bit bulky and heavy for an ASPC, the quality results make it worthwhile, especially if you spend a little time setting up landscape or architectural shots. For video, you have more to work with after stabilization cropping. Plus the auto focus never hurts to have handy. (I have no sponsors, btw).
I shoot APS-C and got a 12mm lens almost right away. Used it a fair bit, but since I got my 9mm Laowa (rectilinear) it sits on the shelf except for the occasional astrophotography.
TAMRON 11-20mm 2.8 is an incredible lens for APS-C sensors. They designed the lens for Sony and FUJIFILM but easily adaptable to Nikon Z mount camera bodies.
Flares, aberrations, coma, distortions and vignette must be very well controlled in focal lengths like this. I had the Rokinon version but returned it. Haven’t tried the Brighten Star.
After lugging around my clunky older DSLR in Death Valley, I decided to move to an E-M10 iv. The Samyang 12mm f2 was one of the first lenses I picked up. I've only used it a few times, but it's one of those lenses that when it's the right lens, no other will do.
It is very easy for me to look at a scene and visualize how the scene will look if I were to use a lens that gave me a 90-degree horizontal angle-of-view. My Zeiss 12mm f/2.8 auto focus and my Rokinon 12mm f/2 manual focus wide-angle lenses on my Fuji X-Pro APS-C rmirrorless cameras give me a 90-degree horizontal angle-of-view. My 18mm lens on my full-frame camera also gives me a 90-degree horizontal angle-of-view.
I bought a Canon 24mm f1.4 mk 2 as it was in the "range" of lenses supposed to be good for astrophotography but I learned the hard way that it wasn't, after I had bought it, specifically for night work. Astrophotographers are very concerned about coma far more than the average photographer. Coma creates a start that looks very much like a very tiny flying saucer rather than a small dot. I wouldn't suggest recommending a "range" of lenses because some of them will not be suited to night work.
I use the Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 with my Fuji setup, and have to say I can see why it's your favorite for APS-C if I were to change systems I'd have to go to Sony or Nikon since I consider that lens to be an essential part of my kit now.
I already have the Rokinon autofocus 12mm F/2 and see no compelling reason to buy the Brightin Star 12mm, as good as it might be. Also, the MFT version of the Brightin Star will provide a 24mm FF-equivalent field of view which is substantially narrower than 12mm on APS-C. For an MFT shooter who wants the wider field of view that Mark so rightly praises, I can recommend the Panasonic-Leica 9mm F/1.7, a superb autofocus model that is also very small and light (and a little pricey). As far as i know it is the widest autofocus prime for MFT. It is also really fun to use.
Agreed - Brightin Star are making some good affordable lenses at the moment (the f0.9 35mm looks cool..) but I'd go with a Samyang / Rokinon AF. I had the 12mm MF a few years back as my first prime and really liked it. I got some great travel shots on trains and busses in India that I wouldn't have got with a narrower lens..
great shots of i presume New Zealand (Dunedin Railway Station, Milford Sound, etc). just got this lens and yet to try it out but will definitely use it on my upcoming trip.
Yes, I can confirm it's Dunedin. It's my hometown. Also: the botanical gardens, university of Otago, where I studied and later worked for a time (right next to the building with the angled glass walls--the Centre for Innovation). Don't recognise the churches. The gallery could be the main one in the Octagon? Speight's (local beer brand) signs could either be in the brewery itself or any local pub.
Looks amazing :) is there a FF Lumix L mount option you can think of... had a quick look and FF stuff like the Laowa 12mm F2.8 is AU1200 or US$800 eeeek
Wish I watched the first half of this video before I took my 14mm lens on a walk yesterday. Even with the M4/3 crop, I was struggling with the wide FOV. 😅 So yeah, probably won't be buying this lens anytime soon; but I have a couple of other Brightin Star lenses that I'm happy with, so I don't doubt the quality.
Hmm, have the complete opposite opinion: wide angle lenses are not for everyone. I mean, I had sigma 16mm for apsc (which is not even _that_ wide) and 20mm for full frame and I used 16mm for zoom calls and 20mm for meme photos, and that’s barely it. The problem with wide angle is that 1) it is hard to see the frame (we can easily imagine what is it to zoom into a picture, but try imagine zooming out! it’s hard (harder than you think) and 2) it is hard to separate a subject My problem with kind of videos (“you need this lens” type) is that their target audience is newbies and for a beginner wide angle lens is a waste of money, imo. Almost everyone has a smartphone nowadays and all smartphones have this type of lens. So if you need practice - do it with your phone. If you think your camera will make vastly different photos - nope, it wouldn’t. Basically, usually you know when you need a wide angle lens. If you don’t know if you need one - you probably don’t need one. Especially if you are starting out and mostly do portraits! And then again, manual focus lens would probably work ok for photos, but for videos it is something you definitely need practice with Long rant, tldr; think twice, maybe rent, maybe ask a friend, play with it a bit, otherwise it will be collecting dust
I agree that it takes more skill to compose wide. I actually think 12mm is better than 16mm as it creates a more interesting image. If you spend enough time with a specific focal length you will eventually "see" in that filed of view. It doesn't mean you will like it, as that's personal preference, but most people will be able to do it.
So, following the link to the lens on Amazon I noticed that when talking about shooting at 2.0 you can shoot in low light….. except the photo was obviously shot at a much smaller Aperture since the lights on the bridge were stars.
@@markwiemels I think you missed my intent. The photo the Amazon page uses for the f/2 example is not shot at f/2. It’s also possible to shoot in low light at f/22 and long shutter speeds, which is what the photo more closely resembles.
If I were choosing between the sigma 16mm f1.4 and this lens for landscape photography and astrophotography is there a clear benefit of one over the other, outside of the sigma lens having auto focus?
I think the quality is similar, the question is do you want a 10mm or 12mm, which is personal preference really. That tends to be hard question if you have not used a 10 or 12mm lens before, but they are both very good regardless, you can't go wrong with either.
This lens is for Micro 4/3 format (2X crop). I never refer to this format as APS-C because it is misleading. APS-C is 1.3X (defunct now) to 1.6X crop factor. This lens is rather like a 20mm f2. For an APS-C an equivalent would be a 12-14mm.
Wide angle is GOLD. Sony 1.8 11mm is my new favorite lens. It is 16.5 mm on crop sensors The auto focus is so good and manual is great too. 500 is a lot of money but worth every penney
The TT at 10mm is very different than 12mm, it’s crazy wide, so I do like that lens if you need the extra width. The other two at 12 are a little easier to use, due to the smaller field of view. I would have to test them side by side, which I don’t plan to do, but I think they are pretty similar. You can’t go wrong with any of them.
Which lens would you recommend for a cruise? Im using a a6400 with isteady mt2 gimbal, need a versatile lens/lenses that’s good for a bit of vlog and taking pictures
1. Sony 18-135mm kit lens, this covers most of the conditions 2. Prime lens - Sigma 30mm f1.4, good for videography, potrait. For vlogging 16mm one is also great 3. 7artisan 25mm f1.8 manual lens, as it's compact and easy to carry. Very good for street photography. I got these three. 4. Specificly for portrait you can get any 50mm, 70mm good lens. But for my usage 30mm Sigma one is enough
That's really hard. There is quite a difference between 10mm and 12mm. Spend some time looking at online samples photos from 10mm and 12mm (on APS-C) and see if you find one more appealing. They are both great, it's about which focal length you prefer. 12mm tends to be a little easier to use, with less stretch at the edges of the image, but 10mm in the right situations is pretty epic.
They are actually different optics and designs. I use to think they were all the same too. Rokinon and Samyang are the same company, so same lenses. Not sure about Walimex, but it’s not the same as Samyang.
Hi Mark. Is the hard stop on your copy right at infinity or does it go past infinity? Do you think this lens is significantly better than the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f2?
That’s a great question. Plenty, I only make videos about the good ones. Part of my deal, when they send out lenses, is that I’m under no obligation to make a video. At a guess I would have another 60 lenses that didn’t get videos. I have been meaning to make a video about that actually.
I have used a SAMYANG 12mm manual for a while (mainly for astrophotography), it has quite a lot of cormatic aberration on the edge. I ended up upgrade to SEL11F18 since I also used it for selfy a lot, and it's a pain in the ass usecase for manual lens.
It was shot hand held, on a moving ship, with 50 ft swells. I should have included a couple of outside clips so there was a reference and the movement made sense. Hand holding the mic is for cleaner/better audio, it makes a huge difference.
