The Rokinon 85mm f1.4 Manual Lens
One thing that can really hurt you (more than falling off the roof!) is having to pay more for a lens to do your camera work, than the actual camera costs.
The first thing you have to do, is to not be lazy relying on “Auto Focus” on your lens in order to get the shots you are wanting. One of the best lenses you can get for your Canon DSLR is the Rokinon 85mm f1.4 . It is very sharp and has many uses for both photos and video.
At f1.4 you are using a prime lens that provides a very nice boketh effect and depth of field to make images stand out. This places this lens on a short list of lenses that are below f1.8. For $259.00 new ($209.00 used) you can add quite a bit to your gear bag with this lens.
Here are some notes:
1) There is no “Auto Focus” option, it goes out the window ! – You will need to focus the lens yourself. Get a reasonable, $12.00 magnetic 3x eye piece from ebay like the one shown. It will allow you to focus the lens for crisp and sharp images.
2) Aperture, there is a ring for this now! – You will now control your f-stops with a ring (similar to focus). At f1.4 you are letting the most light in, it is easy to lose focus on other things in the shot if you are not careful. If I am photographing people or doing an interview for video, I light for an aperture of f2.0-f2.8 that keeps the subject in focus and still allows for plenty of depth of field.
3) Get a nice glass UV filter for it – you just paid over $200.00 for this lens, respect it and protect it with a UV filter that costs about $6.00 on ebay with shipping.
4) This lens has become a staple in my bag for both photos and video interviews as well due to the nice portrait look it provides.
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