Rokinon 85 mm or 35 mm 1.4?

Hey guys! I just need your advice. My birthday is around the corner. Actually, it's a couple of months but it's a good excuse to ask my wife that I'll be buying a new lens. I have d7000 with a 18-105 kit lens. I also have a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 and just last week got a Sigma APO 70-300 mm Macro (shhh.....I haven't told her yet).


I am now interested in buying a 1.4 lens. So I am looking at either a Rokinon 35mm or an 85mm. With my existing lens right now, which one should I get? Thanks.

My advice....get the 85mm.

Well, I got the 85 and am very impressed and happy with it. My reasoning was the price difference between the 85 1.8 D and the Rokinon. Now if you compare the price difference between Nikon's 35 1.8 G and Rokinon 35 1.4, the Rokinon is about 3 times the price of the Nikon.
And for me, in the 35mm range, the difference in bokeh between the 1.8 and 1.4 is not as important than the one at the 85mm length.

Let us know what your wife decides . That is if she doesn't find out about your 70-300 before she gets you the new Rokinon.

I'm all about the 35's to be honest. I love the fact I don't have to move much to compose. 85 would be a zoom lens, a short one, but a zoom nonetheless. Ask yourself what your kit needs, what do you NOT have? I think a 35 is just a staple, like a tripod.

eurotrash said:

I'm all about the 35's to be honest. I love the fact I don't have to move much to compose. 85 would be a zoom lens, a short one, but a zoom nonetheless. Ask yourself what your kit needs, what do you NOT have? I think a 35 is just a staple, like a tripod.

Click to expand...

A 85 might be a short "TELEPHOTO" lens, but it's certainly NOT a zoom. A zoom lens is a lens with variable focal length ex: 17-55, 18-200.

We might as well make sure we use the same concepts on this forum otherwise it'll get really confusing after a while.

Enjoy your Nikon!

Right, that's what I meant to say, derp

I'd ditch the 50 and the kit lens and go with both the 35 and the 85 and the Sigma...a 3 piece low light tour de force when used on the 7000...that would be a bad to the bone little system there...

just thought you might appreciate a bit of info here by any other name... and there are a few
these are samyang lenses. If you want to see them tested, they have tested most of them on photozone.
Unfortunatley.... you will need to go to cannon apsc lenses :grumpy: to see the results.
ive gotta say..... i couldnt beleive the results myself. Yup... they are outstanding lenses regardless of price.

Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical (EOS) - APS-C format Review / Lab Test

After reading all your comments , I am considering everybody's advice.
I've decided to get the Rokinon 85mm 1.4. Then maybe do some good deeds i.e. putting wax into my car (do women appreciate that?) to impress my wife so she could agree on the 35 mm. Then sell the 50mm 1.8 to raise funds for a Nikon 35mm 1.8. Thanks Marcel for reminding me about Nikon's 35 1.8.

Would your wife believe you if the 70-300 comes free with the 85mm?

Jon said:

After reading all your comments , I am considering everybody's advice.
I've decided to get the Rokinon 85mm 1.4. Then maybe do some good deeds i.e. putting wax into my car (do women appreciate that?) to impress my wife so she could agree on the 35 mm. Then sell the 50mm 1.8 to raise funds for a Nikon 35mm 1.8. Thanks Marcel for reminding me about Nikon's 35 1.8.

Would your wife believe you if the 70-300 comes free with the 85mm?

Click to expand...

It sure came free if you tell her that you just saved 1400$ by taking the manual Rokinon instead of the Nikon…