If you can live with the inherent distortion and the lack of autofocusing, the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 lens provides by far the cheapest way to get a really wide-angle lens that can produce sharp images.

Verdict: Korean optics company Samyang is known for fully manual lenses and superb optical quality, and this ultra-wide 14mm has a fast maximum aperture of f/2.8 which lets you capture stunning scenes in low light.

What could be written here? To tell you the truth I would recommend even the previous version of the Samyang 2.8/14 without scruple. The improved model, although a bit more expensive, has really much more to offer.

decent build quality,, sensational image quality in the frame centre,, very good image quality at the edge of an APS-C/DX sensor,, fully acceptable image resolution at the edge of full frame,, chromatic aberration medium at most,, well-corrected coma,, properly corrected vignetting on a small...

high and complicated distortion,, significant vignetting on full frame,, you can’t use any filters.

Although this basic lens may not be for everyone, those looking for an ultra-wide lens, which is capable of delivering excellent quality when used within its limitations can't go far wrong with this 14mm from Samyang.

Bought a red ring version for canon for about 230$ used.First thing I noticed is that 14mm on a full frame is considerably wider than 10mm on a crop.At f2.8 my copy is not usable. The sharpness gets much better at f4.

Decent sharpness when stopped down, dramatically wide on a ff

Inaccurate focus scale. It seems the lens barrel "breathes", giving you sharpness inconsistency from shot to shot

Most photographers would not put full frame 14mm at the top of their most-used focal length list, but most photographers can benefit by having this focal length in their kits. Images captured at 14mm can be very captivating and a welcome addition to one's photo portfolio.

Samyang 14mm f/2.8 IF ED Aspherical UMC is a very affordable lens yet performing up there with the very best big boys. Its primary strength is an extremely high resolution across the image frame combined with low CAs. There's a tiny bit of field curvature but it's really not overly field relevant.

The Rokinon 14mm ƒ/2.8 IF ED UMC is a surprising hidden gem of a lens. Producing very sharp images with great chromatic aberration control and good build quality, all for the unbelievably low price of around $330 , the Rokinon 14mm lens is a fantastic value.

Handling and features This lens is available to fit many different types of cameras, including Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony and Four Thirds SLRs as well as Samsung NX mirrorless cameras and costs around £260.

You should only consider buying this lens if you never switch to the green square on your mode dial. Also i would not recommend it for APS-C cameras, crop sensors, only use for full frame, you can get better lens at nearly this size. For example the 17-55 EF-S lens is better.