Review on Samyang SYHD8M-C 8mm f/3.5 HD Lens with Detachable Hood for Canon by Jay Sterns

I originally ordered this lens in the Rokinon version of Revain. Samyang makes the same lens and it's rebranded under different names, but it's exactly the same except it's stamped with a different name. Reviews of this lens under different brand names are scattered all over the map. The copy of Rokinon I received earlier could not be focused under any circumstances. Now this lens is fully manual and the only way to focus is in live view and even then the focus is very fine. Anything over two or three feet for the most part and you can safely leave focus at infinity and you'll be fine. The previous version of the Rokinon was soft near and far, as if the focus ring wasn't working at all, or maybe there was some sort of misalignment preventing the lens from reaching infinity. If you poke around the internet you can find information on how to press other than the rubber focus ring and a couple of screws underneath to adjust the focus, but I didn't have that much strength so I returned it. However, there are many rave reviews for this lens, so I decided to give it another try. As it turns out, I'm glad I did. The copy of the Samyang brand that I received in the second round works great. Now remember that this is a fully manual lens. I used it in the camera's manual mode and all the reviews seem to say that the best results are at f/5.6 or f/8, so I start with that and then just dial in the ISO and shutter speed as needed. Using Live View mode it's pretty easy to get an exposure on a baseball field and then take a few test shots and/or look at the histogram. The attached picture of the dog was taken in fairly low light from less than a foot away. I played around with the live view focus a bit. The focus ring seemed to make a difference. The other image was simply set to infinity with no deliberate attempt at focusing. Both endings (near and far) seem pretty good and way, way better than the Rokinon version. This lens appears to be well made. I'm not a professional photographer, so there's no way I can justify $1,250 for a Canon version that's essentially a custom or new lens. But at this price point it seems to produce fairly sharp images and is well made if you get a working copy. I would recommend this lens but plan to use it as soon as I receive it and before the return deadline to ensure you get a good example. Happy shooting!