There is always one lens I recommend to someone looking to get into landscape photography and when they own a cropped mirrorless camera., that is the Samyang (also branded Rokinon) 12mm f2 lens. Ok that’s the article done. Thanks for your time. Bye!
The Samyang 12mm F2 Ultrawide Lens (I have the declicked version with the T-Stop markings instead of the F-Stop markings but besides that basically the same lens.
Oh, you’re still here? I guess you want sort of justification as to why I recommend this I assume. My word alone is not good enough? Riiiiiightio then.
First of all this is a non-paid review and I paid for this lens out of my own pocket, so rest assured there are no biases in this article.
Despite being a fixed focal length lens I have found it amazingly versatile for all sorts of conditions and subjects. From simple street photography, where you want to immerse the viewer in the scene or landscapes where you want to encapsulate the grandeur of nature’s splendor.
The lens offers a very fast F2 aperture and can be stopped down to F22, so you can shoot from day to night. Sunrises to the milky way all with the one lens. Being a fairly light lens it is ideal if you are hiking or doing a lot of walking throughout the day without it feeling burdensome or you requiring the fortitude of a pack mule.
A shot of the milky way taken in the Blue Mountains, NSW on a Fujifilm X-T100
I had the misfortune of dropping my Fujifilm X-H1 and 10-24mm F4 lens on my first full day in Dublin whilst packing to head out for the day. The body survived but the lens was in two, the mount left attached to the body and the rest of the lens laying beside it. Luckily though I had the Samyang 12mm in my bag too in preparation for some astro-photography I had planned at a world renowned dark site in Kerry County. This lens was what I used to shoot all my landscapes and rarely did I feel I was held back by it and its perceived limitations.
Shot on a Fujifilm X-H1 with a NiSi V5 Filter Kit, CPL and 6 Stop ND Filter
Shot on a Fujifilm X-H1 with a NiSi V5 Filter Kit, CPL and 10 Stop ND Filter
Shot on a Fujifilm X-T2 with a NiSi V5 Filter Kit, CPL
The icing on the cake I think is the fact that this lens is extremely affordable in terms of photography gear and can be had for as low as $350 AUD and even cheaper if you look on the used market. If they were to make a Mark II, Auto-focus would be nice and weather sealing would definitely be appreciated.
So it’s lightweight, compact, sports a fast aperture, offers a wide field of view with minimal distortion and is very affordable for someone starting out. For these reasons it is the one lens to rule them all!
Shot on a Fujifilm X-H1 with a NiSi V5 Filter Kit, CPL and 6 Stop ND Filter