Rokinon CV85M-C 85mm t/1.5 Aspherical Lens for Canon with De-Clicked Aperture and Follow Focus Compatibility Fixed Lens

(Note: My review on all of these lenses are pretty much the same just a few minor technical differences)I'm no lens guru, and I don't have much of a budget, so these lenses are perfect.Coming from shooting DSLR to the Black Magic Cinema Camera, I was at least familiar with the functionality of these lenses. First thing I shot with them was a wedding and these were the only lenses I used on my camera. It takes a bit of getting used to working with all primes, but, with a t1.5 aperture, it's worth giving up the zoom since lighting isn't always the best.I would recommend getting some super-wide angle lenses if you are shooting on a crop sensor like the BMCC as it more than doubles the focal length on these cameras (this one equates to about a 200mm).The lenses are nice and heavy, suggesting a good build, and the focus is smooth. I haven't tried them with a follow-focus yet, but, anticipate doing so in the near future.The de-clicked aperture is a nice feature too. It adds a smoothness to changing exposures while shooting that you cannot get with a regular DSLR lens, but, that can also be a problem if you are not paying attention because the aperture ring is easy to bump. That is in no way a complaint, just an observation and an issue I chalk up to user error and must get used to.The only issue I ran into with this particular lens was that the filter ring is smaller than the 24mm and the 35mm. I wish they were all the same, but, that's a minor issue that a step-ring would fixAll in all, I really like these lenses and would recommend them to anyone on a budget. They are what they are, and what they are is an affordable tool to help you tell your story. I'm sure there are gear snobs who would frown on these, but, I feel that gear snobbery comes from a lack of vision and skill.

I'm using this lens on a Sony a99 to shoot both stills and video. The lens is manual focus. This means you have to focus it with your hand and watch in the finder until you get it sharp. Really. Tha Sony cameras offer focus peaking which shows you in the finders of the SLT cameras what is in focus by outlining the focused areas in a color. Once you master this technique it's as fast as AF in most situations. This lens has totally manual aperture settings. You turn the aperture ring to change apertures. On the Sony, in auto modes, the camera changes the shutter speed to compensate for changes in aperture so the on screen brightness stays the same. But if you hit the stop down button you see exactly what will be in focus and what won't. I knew about the "restrictions" of this lens going into the purchase. The lens is made for use in video as the aperture ring is clickless so you can change exposures during filming without making noise or excess vibration. Today I shot products with the lens. Here's the good part: The lens is very sharp and images are very well defined. the out of focus areas are just beautiful. The product works exactly as it is supposed to. It feels very solid and seems well built.The not so good: Trying to find the point of sharp focus while stopped down can be a bit problematic with an electronic viewfinder and a fully manual lens. When I wanted to be certain at f16 I opened the lens up to f4 and fine focused and then stopped down again.If you must have auto focus and you must have program automation then this lens is so definitely not for you. If you understand the benefits of manually focusing, zone focusing, fine focusing and depth of field control it might be made for you. If you understand the benefit of a de-clicked aperture ring and the above caveats about manual focus and you want a very fast, sharp lens then this is a worthy contender. I like mine on the Sony a99 and I'm using it a lot.If you are lazy, moving up from a point and shoot, unwilling to learn new stuff. Do not buy this lens. I don't want to read a review from yet another idiot who marks down a perfectly good lens because he doesn't understand the meaning of manual focus......really.

I bought this lens based on the reviews, and I am happy that I did. You can read the other reviews as to quality and such. This is a great lens from that perspective.I wanted a lens that could give our videos a different look for some shots. I use this lens on a Canon 5DIII as part of a 3 or 4 camera setup. I can get a narrow DOF and the 85mm is great for mid range shots of 10-20 feet. The images are nice and sharp and it has really great color coming through. We get some really nice closeups of our participants.The de-clicked aperture is really smooth and it is a hoot. You can do some interesting effects with it including dynamic ones in which the aperture is opened or closed during the actual movie take. Hey, you are in the movie business now, and it is a lot of fun.I would recommend this lens also to people who want to better understand the interplay between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO with regard to exposure. There is something that strikes home when you manually dial in the aperture and you see what happens to the exposure meter in the camera. So it is a great learning experience too. Suddenly, now you realize you have this completely manual lens feeding light into the camera's sensor. You get a lot of feedback shooting that way and it gives you a better understanding as to what the camera can do. That is a very good thing.So give this lens a try and have some fun with it.

Stiff focus, more stiff than the 35 and 50mm, thats my only issue with this lens. Not super sharp at 1.4, but VERY sharp at 2.8 (sweet spot). Great for interviews with that beautiful bokeh. Minimum focus distance around 1m, but that's to be expected.

Compared to what the same lens would cost with the manufacturer, this buy is a no brainer… Big fan of the click free aperture, and beautiful photos and videos from this lens… Highly recommend

LOVE this lens. Has become my go to for shooting interviews, and handheld work that needs to be a bit punched in. Great image, nice build. love it.

Picture quality guranteed.However I ccouldn't use F1.5 because of too much chromatic aberation. Those purple edges are like ghost. However even f2.0 it's super bright and takes in more than enough light. Just awesome.

For 174SGD this lens was a steal and the picture is pretty great. I wouldn't say it has zeiss level sharpness but it doesn't have the blooming issues that plague vintage lenses either.