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03-03-2015, 09:34 PM   #1
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Samyang 14mm fisheye or no fisheye?

I am very perplexed by what I am finding on the internet when searching out the best deal on a 14mm 2.8. I know that Samyang/Rokinon/Bower/Opteka/etc are all supposed to be the same lens, just rebranded. Why is it that some of the 14mm lenses I find say fisheye and some do not? Mainly the bower and Bell and Howell derivatives look identical to the Samyang, but say fisheye in the title and description of the lens, while having the same field of view markings (92 degrees) as the rectilinear lenses? Is this just a type and I shouldn't be scared to order or would I really get a 14mm fisheye? Just looking for someone to confirm if the 14mm Bower is fisheye, while the other are not.

03-03-2015, 09:44 PM   #2
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I think anyone calling it a fisheye (even the sellers) don't really know what they have, or think any ultra-wide angle is a fisheye. Anyway, it isn't one. I'd probably stick with dealers that can at least get that right...
03-03-2015, 09:51 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by vonBaloney Quote
I think anyone calling it a fisheye (even the sellers) don't really know what they have, or think any ultra-wide angle is a fisheye. Anyway, it isn't one. I'd probably stick with dealers that can at least get that right...
While I agree with sticking to dealers that can get that right, the Amazon prime price for one of the variants marked fisheye is quite good. It isn't labeled as fisheye on B&H, and the BH price is like 70 bucks less than the Adorama price for the Bower variant. Unfortunate, as I have some rewards points from my K3 purchase to spend with Adorama, butthere is another sale going on at Adorama, so I guess I have an excuse to spend more money there.

Thanks for clarifying!
03-03-2015, 10:07 PM   #4
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It's rectilinear, so it's also big! :-)

03-03-2015, 10:15 PM   #5
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It is getting messier now that Samyang makes short-register ultrawides too. One must read carefully to be sure, now more than ever! Their 12mm f2 for example is not for K cameras.
03-03-2015, 10:22 PM   #6
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I should point out that while it is not a fisheye, it does have rather heavy distortion...
03-03-2015, 10:34 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by vonBaloney Quote
I should point out that while it is not a fisheye, it does have rather heavy distortion...
I would expect that, but that should be more easily corrected in post than a fisheye, for what little correction you can do to a fisheye.

03-03-2015, 11:51 PM   #8
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It is a rectalinear lens with a high degree of barrel distortion but it is not to the same extent as a true fisheye. I know I have the samyang 14 and the zenitar 16mm fisheye
03-03-2015, 11:57 PM   #9
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Samyang has released a 12mm Fisheye lens that will come in Pentax K mount.
FF and APS-C compatible.
Maybe have a look at that lens?
03-04-2015, 12:37 AM   #10
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Afaik, Samyang makes 8/3.5 Fish Eye lens and 14/2.8 UWA lens for the Pentax PK/A, and I have them both. Both are great lenses, the 14/2.8 is outstanding the only fault being it's pronounced barrel distortion but it's not a Fish Eye lens and is not marketed as such.
03-04-2015, 12:53 AM   #11
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I have the 8mm fisheye. It is too wide and too much uncorrectable distortion for my tastes (I know, I know, it IS a fisheye) in most scenarios. I want a rectilinear for most cases, as the novelty shots I would take with the 8mm are something that I could do with my GoPro (sans the exposure controls of my K3). Looks like I'll be getting the 14/2.8 at some point. The deal on that sigma 10-20 adorama has right now is quite appealing, but unfortunately it is a slow lens, so i'd have to use it and buy an astrotracer. I'd love both, but college budget. Gotta pick and choose.

Thanks for all of your input, fellow Pentaxians.
03-04-2015, 07:50 AM   #12
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Who in their right mind calls it a fisheye?
03-04-2015, 07:53 AM   #13
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This was a pretty good video someone posted a while back, tangentially relevant:

The Best Way To 'DeFish' Your Fisheye Images | Video
03-04-2015, 08:36 AM   #14
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The Samyang/Rokinon/Bower 14mm f2.8 lens is not a fisheye lens. Maybe the people who mislabel it think fisheye = front glass looks like the eye of a fish. Or one person got it wrong and everyone else is copying the text.
03-04-2015, 09:01 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by jimr-pdx Quote
It is getting messier now that Samyang makes short-register ultrawides too. One must read carefully to be sure, now more than ever! Their 12mm f2 for example is not for K cameras.
Yep, I think this is the problem.
If you buy Samayang it has to be "for Pentax K-mount", not Q, not Nikon, Canon, m43.. unless you want a lens for one of those other mounts/cameras.
The Samyang 14mm f2.8 is not a fisheye, it is just ultra wide. The Samyang 8mm is a fisheye. The 14mm still has distortion and so on, as do all ultra wides, but it is rectilinear, which means straight lines. You might also want to think about the Samyang 16mm f2.0.

Also, Samyang lenses are sold under names like Rokinon, Bower, Walimex, ProOptic, Falcon, etc.
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