Faster, sharper, cheaper… that’s the mantra sung by those photographers today who want more out of there cameras than just ordinary. This is something extraordinarily new. We have now reached a point in the evolution of photography where technology has begun to walk hand and hand with affordability.

No longer do we have to “settle” between quality glass and our mortgages. It is an extraordinary time to be making photographs.

Before we get started, here are the specifications from Rokinon as well as a schematic of the lens element array.

Information	Values
Model	FE14M-E
MSRP	$449
UPC	0-84438-76179-5
Focal Length	14mm
Maximum Aperture	f/2.8
Coverage	Full Frame (FX)
Optical Construction	14 Glass Elements in 10 Groups
Aperture Range	f/2.8 to f/22
Diaphragm Blades	6
Coating	Ultra Multi-Coating
Minimum Focusing Distance	11″ (0.28m)
Filter Size	n/a
Lens Hood	Built-In Petal Shaped
Maximum Diameter	3.4″ (87mm)
Weight	20.1oz (570g)
Length	4.61″ (122.1mm)

Element Array in the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8

This is foremost a review of the Rokinon 14mm 2.8 lens for Sony full-frame (FE). I’ll give a little bit away on the front end by saying that it will be difficult not to make this article an exercise in praise. Rokinon has packed in some strong features that will either make you like or possibly dislike the 14mm 2.8. Now, let’s get down to cases about why this lens has become a staple of my shooting kit and why it might find a welcomed home in yours.

Build Quality

The optics of the lens are clean and free of any dust or debris right out of the box. Included in the packaging was a fairly robust lens cap to protect both the front lens element and the built in lens hood (more on that later). Speaking of the front element…

This lens has an absolutely enormous front element which is possibly why the folks at Rokinon chose to integrate the lens hood directly with the lens body itself. If you’re accustomed with being able to remove your lens hood for storage, a non-removable lens hood of this type can be a little frustrating at first due to the additional real estate it will require in your bag. Rest assured though, given the prominence of the front element the built in lens hood is a wise addition in my opinion.

Let’s not kid ourselves here, this is considered to be a budget lens by common definition. That being said, I see no real correlation between the relatively small price tag and the performance. The Rokinon 14mm 2.8 is a full manual lens and built as tough as the proverbial tank. Everything is made for the photographer’s photographer with very clean lines and crisp details. The mounting bayonet appears to be well machined without burrs or nicks and mates tightly with the body.

All the markings are well done and finely painted but are otherwise unremarkable. The aperture ring and focusing are all manually controlled and very crisp. All the workings of the lens appear to be well engineered and exude a satisfying “click” when manipulated. The focusing ring turns smoothly and very deliberately. The ring has a very long travel which is good for those wanting to achieve absolute sharpness but not so beneficial for speedy focusing.

Image Quality

The Rokinon 14mm has been touted as one of the best lenses available for low light wide-angle photography on a budget and it doesn’t disappoint. The 14mm focal length gives the shooter the ability to obtain sweeping panoramas in less than optimal lighting conditions with very low coma.

Coma is the optical distortion effect sometimes present when shooting points of light (stars) prominent in scenes such as astrophotography. Coma usually worsens the further off-axis you move (toward the edges) of a frame. It is here, that the Rokinon has been reported to outclass its high-end counterparts. The sharpness of the lens is impressive across all apertures and the vignetting is very acceptable for this short (wide) of a lens. The corners do get a little soft when opened up at or near the largest aperture of 2.8 but the lens is tack sharp when stopped down into the f/8 to f/11 range.

The following series shows the sharpness of the lens across five aperture sizes all cropped to approximately 1:1:

And here is a shot of an uncropped sample image as it appears from the minimum focusing distance of the Rokinon 14mm.

And that distance is shown here. It’s amazing just how wide a field of view can be obtained from such a distance.

Something that I did notice about the image quality is the moderate amount of chromatic aberration present. This fringing is quite obvious at 3:1 magnification but it is largely acceptable with a lens of this short focal length. That being said, pixel peepers (I’m one of you) will rejoice in the knowledge that the aberrations were completely removed with one click in Lightroom. Overall, the chromatic aberration likely won’t be an issue for most shooters.

Here is the chromatic aberration before and after removal in Lightroom.

With Aberration
No Aberration

The Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 is an extremely capable super wide angle lens that will certainly fit the bill as a general landscape and night sky lens.

The shooter will be pleased with the heartiness of its construct and superb image sharpness… both of which, in my opinion, rate virtually on par with some other lenses of similar focal range and speed that sell for three to four times the price. The manual functionality could somewhat present as a deterrent for those photographers who either aren’t accustomed to on-lens aperture selection or who require fast autofocusing.

Chromatic aberrations are somewhat more prominent than I would like but are very easily removable in post processing. The built-in lens hood is a nice feature in my opinion but keep in mind it will require additional space for storage given that the lens cap is the size of a soup bowl.

What You Might Like

• Sturdy build
• Very smooth focus ring function
• Excellent sharpness and contrast
• Low Coma
• Affordable

What You Might Not Like

• Manual focusing and manual aperture control only
• Moderate chromatic aberration
• Non-detachable lens hood

Bottom Line

Overall, Rokinon has produced a fantastic wide angle piece of glass which is great for low light situations. At an average price range of around $329 USD (here it is on Amazon) you will be hard pressed to find a more capable wide angle workhorse.

Last but not least are some photographs shot with the Rokinon 14mm 2.8 using the Sony A7r and processed with Lightroom CC.