Panny Fish eye 8mm 3.5 vs Others 7.5 mm 3.5 -- Any thoughts?

[Bhupinder2002]

Hi Guys :smile:
I was just looking at BH MFT lenses catalogue and Panasonic 8mm 3.5 Fish eye sells at USD 639 where as other others like Rokinon , samyang etc sell around USD 279 to USD 299 mark. I was just wondering if anyone has used both and can tell us why what exactly makes it different apart from a high price tag ?
Cheers
Bhupinder

 

[elavon]

The Panasonic has AF and OIS. Both are not needed in such lenses since they have big DOF. I have a Rokinon=Smayang and set it to F/5.6 focus at 1 Meter, every think from about .5 meter to infinity is sharp.
I need to focus only if I shoot something that is nearer then .5 meter.
I highly recommend the Rokinon=Smayang=Bower lens it is a great lens that serve me very well. You can see some examples at my Flicker stream that in my signature.

 

[Anthonys]

I haven't used the Panasonic but when I bought the Samyang I thought the same thing. There's a good comparison on the m43 photography blog here.

The Panasonic has all the electronics in it for AF, which increases the price. Plus the brand name, and suspect it's better built. Not that the Samyang is badly built at all, though it's in-built lens hood seems to be a cheaper grade of plastic and the lens cap is badly designed in that it grips it with plastic teeth meaning it can damage easily.

 

[wonglp]

Samyang any day, no AF no problem, it's sharp even at the corners and starburst is pretty cute this lens changed my perception of the brand.
Have a set here on Samyang FE lens

 

[mangomonster]

I could be wrong but isn't the Rokinon 7.5mm lens much smaller than buying the 8mm for a Nikon mount and adapting it to m43?

 

[elavon]

I could be wrong but isn't the Rokinon 7.5mm lens much smaller than buying the 8mm for a Nikon mount and adapting it to m43?

The Rokinon is very small, it size is a bit bigger then the P20 pancake.

 

[marcl]

I have and like the Rokinon. It's fun to use. As noted above, the lack of AF is not a problem at all. It's been on sale before on amazon for less than $230 making it in my opinion a no brainer choice versus the Panasonic.

 

[Azon]

Panasonic has no any OIS, but AF and noticeably better resolution (not sharpness).
Samyang very good and small lens and for SWA auto focus is not a feature that make your decision. If you not willing to print posters from what you shoot definitely Samyang is a better choice.

 

[Amin]

I have the Rokinon, and it is outstanding.

 

[hazwing]

how do you find using the lens defished? If you plan on defishing... is it hard trying to figure out composition

 

[elavon]

how do you find using the lens defished? If you plan on defishing... is it hard trying to figure out composition

It is very easy to defish and it gives nice results.
I use this LR plugin Rokinon/Samyang 7.5 Lens Profiles: Micro Four Thirds Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review.

You can see another tool and at this link
Micro 4/3rds Photography: Defishing fisheye images

Micro 4/3rds Photography: Defished fisheye compared with ultra-wide

 

[Talanis]

Thank you elavon. I'm waiting for the delivery of my Fisheye today so the LR plugin link is awesome

 

[elavon]

Thank you elavon. I'm waiting for the delivery of my Fisheye today so the LR plugin link is awesome

You will enjoy this lens.
I have just looked at your blog, there are very good portraits there, don't expect to use the 7.5mm for portraits.

 

[wonglp]

I use it for portraits too :tongue:

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[Talanis]

You will enjoy this lens.
I have just looked at your blog, there are very good portraits there, don't expect to use the 7.5mm for portraits.

Just received it and there was some noises when I was unpacking (not the type you like to hear). The pins holding the lens cap in place were both broken and the pieces were shaking between it and the lens. I will have to send it back to B&H. It must have been dropped somewhere.

 

[FastCorner]

No love for the Panasonic? I snatched a used 8mm f/3.5 for a little more than the cost of a new Rokinon/Samyang/Bower and couldn't be happier about the deal. Have yet to use it seriously though ...

 

[steve16823]

No love for the Panasonic?

It's not a matter of not loving the Panasonic. I think, all things being equal, EVERYONE would prefer to have the Panasonic lens.

But, all things are not equal, because the Samyang version is generally less than half the cost, and has optical properties that are nearly as excellent. It's an easy compromise, especially for a specialty lens.

 

[Vivalo]

Samyang 7.5mm: Well made, great IQ, reasonable price and compact size. The second best thing from Korea after my cellphone.

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[hazwing]

Considering you usually need to crop out a lot of the corners, doesn't this make composition harder?

 

[marcl]

Considering you usually need to crop out a lot of the corners, doesn't this make composition harder?

For me, it's more about getting the center right, especially the horizon. The periphery of the picture just follows.