With the right tilt movements, you'll have sharp landscapes and still life shots from front to back. It pairs well with my Vivitar 2x macro focusing teleconverter as well, allowing tilt movements for "stackless" closeup shots. An example with the Vivitar TC attached:
Going to try it on extension tubes too, but they haven't arrived yet. Obviously, you can tilt to decrease DOF as well, with interesting effects like a fake miniature picture, or to better isolate foreground elements - such as the snow in this shot:
The main thrust behind purchasing the lens was for the shift movements, which are invaluable for architecture or indoor photography - but they are also extremely helpful to fine-tune your composition in macro shooting as well. The lens performs very well in this regard, the amount of vignetting at the most extreme ends does not bother me in the slightest. Mounted on a K-1, upward shift movements in horizontal orientation are limited to 11mm instead of the full 12mm, because the lens touches the prism housing. For the longest time I was using perspective correcting tools in Lightroom and DxO Photolab to simulate the effect of the shift movement, but was constantly disappointed by the loss of foreground that occurs when correcting images with tall buildings. The stretching of the upper corners of the image is also disappointing when you use software correction. You'll have none of these ill effects when making these corrections "in-lens". This next image is a vertical panorama [2 images, handheld], captured solely by changing the shift position, note the abundance of foreground and even sharpness across the surface of the buildings:
The next image is a heavy crop of a 3-image tilt and shift pano done on a tripod, with a bit of software perspective correction added too since I didn't line it up perfectly on location.. With a slight amount of downward tilt, the uncropped image is sharp from the foreground stairs less than 1m from my position, all the way out to infinity at a relatively wide aperture, around f/5.6 if I remember correctly...this is a good time to mention this lens does not have an "A" setting like other Samyang/Rokinon lenses, so the aperture value is not recorded in camera.
and the uncropped and uncorrected [perspective] framing:
Optically I can't complain much. Really, you can't, besides switching systems, what other T/S choice do you have at this focal length? None. It's not as sharp as a D-FA 24-70 at 24mm. f/3.5 - f/5.6 on the Rokinon does not compare well with the same range on the D-FA. Past f/8 both lenses are similar. I'm not saying f/3.5-f.5.6 is unusable, I shoot in this range all the time, just not as sharp as the best 24mm lenses available. Here is a sharpened example at f/3.5 with the focal plane carefully positioned by tilt across the petals, leaf, and bud:
The only minor disappointment I've had with this lens so far is regarding the combination of a shift-movement and a typical tripod-rotation panorama. I think because the distortion profile of the shifted-lens is uneven, the stitching software [I've tried Microsoft ICE and Affinity Photo] cannot work as well as compared with an un-shifted or conventional lens. I've had many perfect stitches with conventional lenses shot handheld, but my first attempt with an upward-shift movement combined with normal rotation on a tripod was less than ideal. It is possible to correct distortion in shifted images, which would probably fix the stitching issue, but it is a laborious process. Here's the image, there is a nasty misalignment right in the centre with the small orange building with the white balconies. I was able to do some creative clone-stamping to mask the problem, but a closeup look [the original file on flickr is over 10000 pixels long] reveals my fix if you've got an eye for it.
Overall I'm totally happy so far, the lens is lots of fun and delivers fantastic results. I had briefly considered the Laowa 15mm f/4 1:1 Macro w/ Shift instead, since the wider field of view better suits what I shoot, but I would have been disappointed with the lack of tilt movement, and I won't buy a lens with mustache distortion. Before ordering, I didn't think I would enjoy the tilt movements as much as I have, so I have now also ordered a Pentacon-Six to K-mount tilt adapter with a Vega 12B 90mm f/2.8 lens to expand my tilt-shooting arsenal!
As I continue using the lens, you may view more samples here: Kurayba's images tagged with Rokinon and TS.
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Review Date: July 3, 2014 Recommended | Price: $874.00 | Rating: 8 Pros: Uniquely useful offering for K-mount; full frame; build quality; close focus Cons: Sharpness wide open, barrel distortion, no metering on aperture-coupled bodies, restricted movements on some bodies Sharpness: 7 Aberrations: 7 Bokeh: 9 Handling: 7 Value: 9 Camera Used: K-5, KX, MX I give this lens a high overall rating and high value rating because it is the only wide-angle tilt/shift lens available for K-mount, it is about half the price of comparable Nikon and Canon offerings, and it is a good performer if you work within its limitations. I have long wanted a tilt/shift lens, so when the street price on this model dropped below USD1000 I bought one immediately.
First, some functional limitations. The flash/prism hump on some Pentax bodies interferes with the lens movements. On the K10D upward shift is limited. No issues with the K-5. The lens is of course completely manual; it is not practical to have an aperture coupling or actuator on a lens that tilts and shifts away from the lens mount axis. However, as a pre-set lens you can use it in Av mode, and of course you can also meter with the Green Button. Note that if the lens is shifted this will affect metering accuracy. Unfortunately, on an aperture-coupled manual body [e.g. Pentax MX, KX] the Rokinon's mount is not designed correctly to allow metering. This design defect means that these older bodies are tricked into thinking that the lens is fully stopped down, perhaps even beyond the smallest actual aperture of the lens [f/22]. It would certainly be possible to modify the lens to restore correct behavior on these bodies�the slot on the lens mount where the aperture coupling would normally go just needs to be mostly closed off, as it is on fully manual K-mount extension tubes.
Build quality seems high. There is an in-depth review and teardown on lensrentals.com that any prospective buyer of this lens should read. Executive summary: build quality looks good but it is an open question how durable some of the small mechanical parts will be. The large focus ring is nicely damped and turns smoothly. The aperture ring is immediately next to the focus ring, such that is easy to accidentally move the latter while trying to turn the former. This wouldn't be such an issue on an ordinary lens, but as a pre-set lens where one turns the aperture ring before most every shot, and where considerable care is required in focusing with the lens tilted, it is quite annoying. The knobs for shift [one to lock, one to move the lens] are small and can be hard to turn in some lens/tripod configurations, but there's only so large you could make these before they would interfere with lens movements, so I think it is a reasonable compromise. I wish the locking knob were distinguishable by feel from the gear knob. This is more an issue with the tilt knobs, because the tilt and shift mechanisms each have 90� of rotation available, and when combined this means the tilt mechanism can be rotated a full 180�, making it impossible to memorize the positions of the tilt knobs. It's probably a bad idea to crank on the gear knob while the locking knob is locked, but I've done this several times by accident.
The lens is at its sharpest in the f/8 to f/11 range. This is a distinct weakness as compared to the Canon and Nikon 24mm t/s lenses, and is undoubtedly much of the reason for the massive price difference. Given my main uses for the lens this isn't much of a concern. Either I want the wacky "tilt-shift effect", where tack sharpness is hardly needed, or I am going for maximum focus using the Scheimpflug principle, hence a tripod and stopping down to increase DOF, moving into the lens's sweet spot. Aberrations seem well controlled, although there is certainly some flare when shooting into the light. The lens does not come with a hood, and it would be tricky to find a hood that would work without vignetting, especially when the lens is shifted. My rating for bokeh quality is based on using extreme lens tilt and here I find it plenty smooth. Update: With the lens stopped down at extreme shift the bokeh in the corners can be a bit odd.
The lens can focus very close, nearly into macro territory. At minimum focus the working distance is very small and the reproduction ratio approaches 1:2.
Update: after trying some more architectural shots, I have downgraded the Aberrations rating and overall rating because of the pronounced barrel distortion. If the lens is shifted and/or tilted this is challenging to correct in post, and of course the whole point of using this lens for architecture is to use the shift function.
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Review Date: April 26, 2014 Recommended | Price: $999.00 | Rating: 9 Pros: both tlt & shift Cons: expensive Sharpness: 8 Aberrations: 8 Bokeh: 7 Handling: 6 Value: 8 I have the Rokinon branded version of this lens. I agree with most comments of the preceding very thorough review. This lens has neither the fit & finish nor the optical quality of the Canon TSS I used in the 90's. Although rather bulky, it is smaller & lighter than the Pentax 28mm shift-only that I also once owned. The latter was far too big to transport unless specifically doing an architectural shoot. This lens is small & light enough to bring along when traveling just in case an opportunity to use its unique abilities arises. Although this lens is good for straightening converging verticals of tall structures, its primary value for me is great apparent* depth of field in scenics by applying the Scheimpflug principle. The lens must be both tilted forward and shifted down [to keep the image in the sharp center of the circle of confusion]. This brings light in at a steep angle which throws off the metering in A-mode. The three images posted are a first test using a line of daffodils There are enlarged crops from the lower left and upper right of the image to demonstrate the depth of field that can be obtained at f8 with this lens, although 1] a tripod is a MUST; 2] a pan-tilt head is preferable; 3] tilt, shift, focus, and alignment must all be fiddled repeatedly to get the desired result. Using Scheimpflug is a view-camera trick to obtain great apparent* DOF, and view camera technique and patience are required. The IQ seems to be very good, more than sufficient. Build quality is decent, especially considering the cost relative to similar lenses from Canikon.
*tilting does not actually increase] DOF, it simply reorients the zone of sharp focus - notice that the trees above the cyclist are far outside the plane of focus
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Review Date: October 1, 2013 Recommended | Price: $1,323.00 | Rating: 8 Pros: Build quality, price, ease of use, tight aperture ring Cons: Limited shift posibilities, flare, metering Sharpness: 8 Aberrations: 7 Bokeh: 7 Handling: 7 Value: 9 I've been anticipating this lens for a long time. I already own a Pentax K28/3.5 Shift but didn't use it much. 28mm was a bit too tight for what I was looking for in a Shift lens, but since I had always like the FOV that I got with my lowly Vivitar MC24/2.8, I was eager to find out whether the Samyang 24/3.5 T/S would be my perfect T/S lens. It took some time after the announcement at Photokina 2012 for this lens to appear in Pentax mount, but finally two weeks ago [September 2013] I received my pre-ordered copy [roughly 6 months after it was available in the mounts of the big two].
Build Build quality is excellent. It's a heavy lens, but it balances OK on the K-5 [with grip is best]. The only parts that feel less firm are the knobs for Tilt and Shift and corresponding lock/unlock knobs. These are plastic, but after one day use I have no worries about this. The rotation lock tabs, which I read were a bendable [!!] plastic in first copies [for other mounts], seem metal in my Pentax mount copy of the lens, at least I find them impossible to bend.
Tilt and Shift Both Tilt and Shift are achieved in a similar way. On one side of the lens there is a black plastic knob that can be turned to change the amount of shift or the angle of tilt. On the opposite side a corresponding light grey plastic knob serves to lock/unlock the Tilt or Shift movement.
Shifting is up or down per default [camera in landscape mode, lens rotated with logo up, shift controls on the side]. The shift mechanism isn't very tight when unlocked, and as such it tends to be pulled down by gravity when not in its central position [there is a click stop in the central position to ensure this]. When unlocked it is possible to shift by pushing the lens up or down rather than turning the Shift knob, and by doing so I found it easy to keep the lens in its shift position using my normal camera holding grip, and a such the gravity thing was much less of an issue than anticipated.
Tilting is left or right per default [camera in landscape mode, lens rotated with logo up, tilt controls on top and bottom]. The Tilt mechanism has the largest knob sitting on top of the lens. It turns easily, so there I did use the knob mostly instead of pushing the lens left or right. Tilting all the way retains a nicely sharp vertical section in the middle of the scene with both left and right in a blur.
There are two metal tabs that unlock the lens to allow rotation of 90 degrees each, with 30 degrees click stops. The one on the Shift part of the mechanism closest to the body allows clockwise rotation from the default position. The one on the Tilt section allows counterclockwise rotation from the default position.
Rotating for Shift is rather limited. Actually this is the most important downside to the lens for me. The default position allows Shift up [12 o'clock] and down [6 o'clock], and rotating the full 90 degrees gives left [9 o'clock] and right [3 o'clock] shift. It's the intermediate shift directions that are limited though. With the camera in landscape position, the lens only allows for shift between 12 and 3 o'clock in one direction [click stops at 1 and 2 o'clock], and between 6 and 9 o'clock in the opposite direction [click stops at 7 and 8 o'clock]. This means shifting to 4, 5, 10 and 11 o'clock isn't possible, which is a shame because I regularly do require shift in these directions. Fortunately I personally shoot mostly for a square 1:1 crop, so holding my camera in portrait mode allows me to shift in the remaining directions, but for 3:2 shooters this is not a possible solution.
The limitation for Tilt rotation is also 90 degrees, but when combined with a 90 degrees rotation of the Shift mechanism, the lens can be tilted all the way around. It's not a one turn operation, but at least all options are available.
Focusing and composing The focus ring moves smooth and just tight enough for precise manual focus. The focus throw is generously large.
Using focus confirmation in the view finder works fine in the normal position or when only shifting. It takes some getting used to first pointing the camera parallel to a subject and keeping the camera position fixed while shifting to compose. I did find the operation easier than on my other shift lenses that require a ring to be rotated for shift. The ring mechanism is sturdier and less gravity sensitive, but pushing the lens up or down makes me less prone to moving the camera from the original position when shooting hand held.
Once Tilt comes into the picture, focusing through the viewfinder becomes much harder. I recommend switching to live view and zooming in on the areas that need to be in focus [info button in Lv] esp when critical Tilt is desired, e.g. when tilting the focal plane to coincide precisely with a non-parallel surface in the scene. This requires an iterative technique to get focus right, which I won't get into as there are great tutorials on-line. One thing's clear: Live view and a tripod are essential for critical Tilt.
For 'creative' Tilt [e.g. for the so-called Toy City effect] this is not necessary, and the lens can be used hand held.
Metering The aperture ring is fully manual. It moves with gentle click stops, and it's just tight enough to avoid accidentally changing the aperture while handling the lens, a typical problem I have on most lenses that require setting the aperture on-lens.
Metering is a bit tricky. The non-coupled aperture ring means you should be able to use the lens in Av mode on Pentax DSLRs, but Shifting and Tilting seems to make the light do strange things [I'm no scientist
Optics Sharpness and contrast are excellent to my observation. Note that I didn't measure this, but I derive this from my initial non-scientific results. Also, I used the lens stopped down to f/5.6 or f/8 mostly. Wide open it was a bit soft, but for a 24mm Tilt/Shift I expect never to use it wide open anyway. The results are not stellar like some of Pentax's own primes, but very noticeably better than my K28/3.5 Shift or Hartblei 65/3.5 Super Rotator, my other two Shift[/Tilt] lenses.
One thing the lens does suffer from is flare. Of course a 24mm lens covering an image circle large enough to allow tilt and shift on a 135format camera, means a bulging front element, so the sun is easily caught by it. I really should look into a hood for this lens, which shouldn't be a problem since I'm only using the center part of the image because of the APS-C crop.
There is a little distortion, but I haven't shot a brick wall yet so I cannot fully quantify it. However, I did shift a great deal to get the lines in my shots as vertical/horizontal as possible, and I didn't find I noticed the distortion really. I might still look closer into this, esp to find out whether Lightroom's lens correction tools allow for manual correction [distortion being off center because of Tilt and Shift may make things more complicated to fix]. But as I wrote, I personally haven't noticed anything that bothered me.
Conclusion For me, this Samyang seems to answer my hopes. I found the 24mm FOV on APS-C sufficiently wide for the architecture shots that I did last week-end, though I must say I was working in a rather spacious industrial site. Since 24mm is also a nice street photography FOV on APS-C, the lens may even work as a [not so discrete] creative walk about lens. I certainly liked the first results I got out of it.
hth, Wim
PS: the price I paid is obviously the European price converted to USD. I paid �823.06 [incl shipping and with discount]. I purchased from UK Digital.