Rokinon 35mm f/1.4 Wide-Angle Aspherical Lens for Canon or Sony SLR $369 AC, Nikon $399 + Free Shipping! *it's back*

$399 for Nikon.

The Nikon version has the AF confirmation chip though which is normally more money anyway.

Quote from Mattsgarage : $399 for Nikon.

Checking....

*Update*

I corrected the title to reflect. Thank you for catching that

Very tempting. I've been waiting on a deal similar to the B&H $350 for Sigma 30mm 1.4 on Dec 06. Anybody have data/opinions on one versus the other? I have twins due in June and a 3 year old now that the nifty fifty 1.8 just isn't fast enough AF for right now, and the 50mm is too close for indoors use. Using a T2i atm, hoping to upgrade to 7D or something in the next year.

Quote from xenomega : Very tempting. I've been waiting on a deal similar to the B&H $350 for Sigma 30mm 1.4 on Dec 06. Anybody have data/opinions on one versus the other? I have twins due in June and a 3 year old now that the nifty fifty 1.8 just isn't fast enough AF for right now, and the 50mm is too close for indoors use. Using a T2i atm, hoping to upgrade to 7D or something in the next year.

Unless you are experienced in manual focus, or are planning to move to full-frame, I'd go the Sigma route. The twins won't be very mobile for a year or two, but, when you've got a multiple kids in the 3-6yr old range, trying to manual focus while keeping up with them is gonna be a nightmare.

Sigma being 30mm also gives you a little wider FOV while keeping the f/1.4. This Rokinon is better if you shoot a lot of video, shoot less mobile subjects (landscapes, stars, etc), or are using full-frame

Quote from preppyak : Unless you are experienced in manual focus, or are planning to move to full-frame, I'd go the Sigma route. The twins won't be very mobile for a year or two, but, when you've got a multiple kids in the 3-6yr old range, trying to manual focus while keeping up with them is gonna be a nightmare. Sigma being 30mm also gives you a little wider FOV while keeping the f/1.4. This Rokinon is better if you shoot a lot of video, shoot less mobile subjects (landscapes, stars, etc), or are using full-frame

Whoa completely missed the fact that it's MF only. Repped for the help. Gonna pass on this one.

Other than the wider aperture, how does this compare to the Nikon 35mm 1.8 DX?

Quote from xenomega : Whoa completely missed the fact that it's MF only. Repped for the help. Gonna pass on this one.

Unless something has recently changed, all Rokinon lenses are MF. They were popularized with the release of the relatively cheap, sharp as a tack, 85mm f/1.4. You'd have a hard time finding a better portrait lens for the money outside of scoring a vintage find.

Quote from gwlaw99 : Other than the wider aperture, how does this compare to the Nikon 35mm 1.8 DX?

Similar to the Sigma, the Nikon 35mm is auto-focus and made for APS-C cameras; this is manual only, but can work on full-frame cameras. They are basically two completely different lenses with different uses, sharing only focal length

One other gripe, is that I don't believe you can easily select apertures between those listed on the aperture ring. I believe there's f/1.4 and then f/2, no f/1.6, f/1.8 etc. Same for f/2 and f/2.8, nothing in between.

I tried the 85mm Rokinon, and it was super-sharp, really nice images, but I ended up returning it since focusing manually just took too much time. For Video I'm sure these lenses would be a different story.

Quote from xenomega : Very tempting. I've been waiting on a deal similar to the B&H $350 for Sigma 30mm 1.4 on Dec 06. Anybody have data/opinions on one versus the other? I have twins due in June and a 3 year old now that the nifty fifty 1.8 just isn't fast enough AF for right now, and the 50mm is too close for indoors use. Using a T2i atm, hoping to upgrade to 7D or something in the next year.

Stick with the Sigma 30mm 1.4 especially if you are going to stay with an APS-C sensor. Motion tracking on 7D will be really beneficial once your kids start getting mobile but for now, the T2i is more than adequate. Picture quality is really similar between both cameras so keep in mind that you are mainly upgrading just the AF system (although there are lots of other benefits as well).

Quote from xenomega : Very tempting. I've been waiting on a deal similar to the B&H $350 for Sigma 30mm 1.4 on Dec 06. Anybody have data/opinions on one versus the other? I have twins due in June and a 3 year old now that the nifty fifty 1.8 just isn't fast enough AF for right now, and the 50mm is too close for indoors use. Using a T2i atm, hoping to upgrade to 7D or something in the next year.

the 30mm all day long. it has af, this doesn't. you'll miss a lot of shots otherwise.

Quote from proppat : Unless something has recently changed, all Rokinon lenses are MF. They were popularized with the release of the relatively cheap, sharp as a tack, 85mm f/1.4. You'd have a hard time finding a better portrait lens for the money outside of scoring a vintage find.

I learn something new everyday. Since I can only justify lens purchases to the wife with "it's for the kids", I'll be avoiding Rokinon's for a while.

Quote from SoCalTiger68 : Stick with the Sigma 30mm 1.4 especially if you are going to stay with an APS-C sensor. Motion tracking on 7D will be really beneficial once your kids start getting mobile but for now, the T2i is more than adequate. Picture quality is really similar between both cameras so keep in mind that you are mainly upgrading just the AF system (although there are lots of other benefits as well).

The 8 fps burst, micro-adjust AF and larger body size are the biggest reasons for wanting to move. I realize they're both based on similar/same sensor and DIGIC IV processor(s) so from that aspect it makes sense to stick with what I have for a while. At least until I can get a steal on the 7D.