Rokinon 35mm f1.4: Is this lens flare normal?

Douge · 01-01-2013, 12:37 PM

Before I picked up the Rokinon 35mm f1.4, I read a few reviews. Here is what they said about Lens with respect to flares/ghosting.

“Flare and Ghosts
There are none.
Even pointed directly into the sun (I have my blind neighbor do this for me), ghosts are still nearly nonexistent.”
Samyang 35mm f/1.4 (a. k.a. Rokinon, ProOptic or Bower)

“The lens is nicely resistant to obvious flare from bright light sources such as the sun, but the hood works well to reduce generalized veiling flare.”
Samyang/Rokinon Lens: Primes - Samyang/Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 Aspherical UMC (Tested) - SLRgear.com!

“I never got any flare or ghost with the Rokinon 35mm f1.4, even when shooting on super bright days.”
Review: Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 (Nikon With Focus Confirm Chip)

I did some test shots with my K5, and wasn't expecting these results given the reviewers comments.. Should I be concerned about my particular copy of this lens, or am I expecting too much? Does anyone else see this behavior with their copy of the lens?
This is with no filter and with a lens hood (not that a lens hood would matter for some of the shots).

F5.6

F8

This I can live with.

Very small. Can be removed easily. F16

F16 Cropped
http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/9120/imgp3161q.jpg

Also, I guess this sort of fringing at F1.4 is expected.

100% crop. With and without corrections:
http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/8908/fringing.jpg

Last edited by Douge; 01-01-2013 at 01:13 PM.

Aegon · 01-01-2013, 12:55 PM

Understanding Lens Flare & Ghosting - Music Photography

I don't know if the above link is 100% right according to industry standards, but according to the above link you have flare and not ghosting.

I realize this isn't super helpful for answering your question, I'm trying to work out what the reviewers meant and what you are seeing.

Douge · 01-01-2013, 01:08 PM

Originally posted by Aegon

Understanding Lens Flare & Ghosting - Music Photography

I don't know if the above link is 100% right according to industry standards, but according to the above link you have flare and not ghosting.

I realize this isn't super helpful for answering your question, I'm trying to work out what the reviewers meant and what you are seeing.

Ya I wasn't sure if my example should be referred to as flare or ghosting. At first I described it as flare but changed it.

I guess I should have left it as flare.

Thanks

lytrytyr · 01-01-2013, 01:18 PM

Originally posted by Douge

Should I be concerned about my particular copy of this lens, or am I expecting too much?

Compare with the samples in Lenstip's review:

Samyang 35 mm f/1.4 AS UMC review - Ghosting and flares - Lenstip.com

Given all the sun and reflected light off the snow in your shots,
it doesn't seem like your copy is way off the norm.

Douge · 01-01-2013, 01:27 PM

Originally posted by lytrytyr

Compare with the samples in Lenstip's review:

Samyang 35 mm f/1.4 AS UMC review - Ghosting and flares - Lenstip.com

Given all the sun and reflected light off the snow in your shots,
it doesn't seem like your copy is way off the norm.

Thanks! That looks similar to what I got.

I don't see how other reviews said they got "None" or "Never". Maybe they didn't test the lens in the same conditions... When I read some of those other reviews I was thinking "Wow virtually no flaring! That's really impressive!"

lytrytyr · 01-01-2013, 02:21 PM

Originally posted by Douge

I don't see how other reviews said they got "None" or "Never". Maybe they didn't test the lens in the same conditions.

It's sometimes hard to predict where flare will show up in a new lens that you don't know very well,
so even experienced reviewers may not be able to produce it on demand.
The combination of low, strong sun and snow is one good recipe for it,
but a lens may get tested on a dull fall day instead.

Douge · 01-01-2013, 02:48 PM

Originally posted by lytrytyr

It's sometimes hard to predict where flare will show up in a new lens that you don't know very well,
so even experienced reviewers may not be able to produce it on demand.
The combination of low, strong sun and snow is one good recipe for it,
but a lens may get tested on a dull fall day instead.

I'll have to consider that in that future.

The 3 reviews I read had similar results. I guess ideally you can try out the lens yourself before you buy. (I remember seeing a store where you can put some of your rental fee towards your purchase)

post_eos · 01-01-2013, 05:30 PM

I'm in Southern California so I don't know a lot about shooting in the snow. But, is it possible the lens had a slight amount of condensation on the front? That's just the first thing I thought when I saw the pictures. I could be way off though.

Douge · 01-01-2013, 06:51 PM

Originally posted by post_eos

I'm in Southern California so I don't know a lot about shooting in the snow. But, is it possible the lens had a slight amount of condensation on the front? That's just the first thing I thought when I saw the pictures. I could be way off though.

I don't think so since I went from a warm house into the cold. First time being out that day. It was probably about -5C. Had been walking for about 20 minutes. I'll have to try again another day with various aperture settings. I never cleaned the lens after I got it (I've heard of people getting dirty lenses from the factory from different manufacturers.) But it does appear to be clean.

I went back to look at other test photos from the same walk and this one has the sun in it (not at the same angle) but the same type of flare does not appear. (Looks like it handles the sun quite well here). And there is less snow in the area because of the road and houses. So maybe the snow is helping to create this flare as suggested.

F11

fuent104 · 01-01-2013, 08:05 PM

I haven't had any flare problems with my copy of the lens.

01-01-2013, 12:37 PM	#1
Douge Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 301	Rokinon 35mm f1.4: Is this lens flare normal? Before I picked up the Rokinon 35mm f1.4, I read a few reviews. Here is what they said about Lens with respect to flares/ghosting. “Flare and Ghosts There are none. Even pointed directly into the sun (I have my blind neighbor do this for me), ghosts are still nearly nonexistent.” Samyang 35mm f/1.4 (a. k.a. Rokinon, ProOptic or Bower) “The lens is nicely resistant to obvious flare from bright light sources such as the sun, but the hood works well to reduce generalized veiling flare.” Samyang/Rokinon Lens: Primes - Samyang/Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 Aspherical UMC (Tested) - SLRgear.com! “I never got any flare or ghost with the Rokinon 35mm f1.4, even when shooting on super bright days.” Review: Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 (Nikon With Focus Confirm Chip) I did some test shots with my K5, and wasn't expecting these results given the reviewers comments.. Should I be concerned about my particular copy of this lens, or am I expecting too much? Does anyone else see this behavior with their copy of the lens? This is with no filter and with a lens hood (not that a lens hood would matter for some of the shots). F5.6 F8 F8 This I can live with. Very small. Can be removed easily. F16 F16 Cropped http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/9120/imgp3161q.jpg Also, I guess this sort of fringing at F1.4 is expected. 100% crop. With and without corrections: http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/8908/fringing.jpg Last edited by Douge; 01-01-2013 at 01:13 PM.

01-01-2013, 12:55 PM	#2
Aegon Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,414	Understanding Lens Flare & Ghosting - Music Photography I don't know if the above link is 100% right according to industry standards, but according to the above link you have flare and not ghosting. I realize this isn't super helpful for answering your question, I'm trying to work out what the reviewers meant and what you are seeing. Last edited by Aegon; 01-01-2013 at 01:03 PM.

01-01-2013, 02:48 PM	#7
Douge Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 301 Original Poster	Originally posted by lytrytyr It's sometimes hard to predict where flare will show up in a new lens that you don't know very well, so even experienced reviewers may not be able to produce it on demand. The combination of low, strong sun and snow is one good recipe for it, but a lens may get tested on a dull fall day instead. I'll have to consider that in that future. The 3 reviews I read had similar results. I guess ideally you can try out the lens yourself before you buy. (I remember seeing a store where you can put some of your rental fee towards your purchase) Last edited by Douge; 01-01-2013 at 03:51 PM.

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01-01-2013, 01:08 PM	#3
Douge Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 301 Original Poster	Originally posted by Aegon Understanding Lens Flare & Ghosting - Music Photography I don't know if the above link is 100% right according to industry standards, but according to the above link you have flare and not ghosting. I realize this isn't super helpful for answering your question, I'm trying to work out what the reviewers meant and what you are seeing. Ya I wasn't sure if my example should be referred to as flare or ghosting. At first I described it as flare but changed it. I guess I should have left it as flare. Thanks

01-01-2013, 01:18 PM	#4
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,034	Originally posted by Douge Should I be concerned about my particular copy of this lens, or am I expecting too much? Compare with the samples in Lenstip's review: Samyang 35 mm f/1.4 AS UMC review - Ghosting and flares - Lenstip.com Given all the sun and reflected light off the snow in your shots, it doesn't seem like your copy is way off the norm.

01-01-2013, 01:27 PM	#5
Douge Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 301 Original Poster	Originally posted by lytrytyr Compare with the samples in Lenstip's review: Samyang 35 mm f/1.4 AS UMC review - Ghosting and flares - Lenstip.com Given all the sun and reflected light off the snow in your shots, it doesn't seem like your copy is way off the norm. Thanks! That looks similar to what I got. I don't see how other reviews said they got "None" or "Never". Maybe they didn't test the lens in the same conditions... When I read some of those other reviews I was thinking "Wow virtually no flaring! That's really impressive!"

01-01-2013, 02:21 PM	#6
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,034	Originally posted by Douge I don't see how other reviews said they got "None" or "Never". Maybe they didn't test the lens in the same conditions. It's sometimes hard to predict where flare will show up in a new lens that you don't know very well, so even experienced reviewers may not be able to produce it on demand. The combination of low, strong sun and snow is one good recipe for it, but a lens may get tested on a dull fall day instead.

01-01-2013, 05:30 PM	#8
post_eos Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Riverside CA Photos: Albums Posts: 269	I'm in Southern California so I don't know a lot about shooting in the snow. But, is it possible the lens had a slight amount of condensation on the front? That's just the first thing I thought when I saw the pictures. I could be way off though.

01-01-2013, 06:51 PM	#9
Douge Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 301 Original Poster	Originally posted by post_eos I'm in Southern California so I don't know a lot about shooting in the snow. But, is it possible the lens had a slight amount of condensation on the front? That's just the first thing I thought when I saw the pictures. I could be way off though. I don't think so since I went from a warm house into the cold. First time being out that day. It was probably about -5C. Had been walking for about 20 minutes. I'll have to try again another day with various aperture settings. I never cleaned the lens after I got it (I've heard of people getting dirty lenses from the factory from different manufacturers.) But it does appear to be clean. I went back to look at other test photos from the same walk and this one has the sun in it (not at the same angle) but the same type of flare does not appear. (Looks like it handles the sun quite well here). And there is less snow in the area because of the road and houses. So maybe the snow is helping to create this flare as suggested. F11

01-01-2013, 08:05 PM	#10
fuent104 Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: California Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,356	I haven't had any flare problems with my copy of the lens.

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