Rokinon has launched an ultra wide-angle prime lens for Canon RF-S mirrorless cameras. The company says that the new autofocus 12mm lens offers the widest field of view within Canon’s RF-S lens lineup.
Compact design
The Rokinon AF 12mm F2 RF-S prime lens is compact, measuring only 2.25 inches (57.2 mm) in length. It’s also lightweight at 7.5 ounces (213g). The lens has a wide focus ring and a physical switch to choose between manual and autofocus.
Despite its small size, the 12 mm lens is weather-sealed for protection against light rain, snow and dust. This means you don’t have to worry about filming outside when the weather turns bad.
Wide maximum aperture
The Rokinon AF 12mm RF-S prime lens has a wide maximum aperture of F2. As a result, it will be great for filming in low-light conditions. You will also be able to create a shallow depth of field to isolate your subject from the background. However, with such a wide-angle lens this will only really happen with subjects close to your lens. Rokinon says that the seven-bladed aperture creates smooth, natural-looking bokeh and can produce beautiful star-burst effects when stopped down.
Optical construction
The Rokinon AF 12mm F2 RF-S prime lens is constructed with 12 lens elements in 10 groups. These include one hybrid aspherical lens element, one aspherical lens element and three extra-low dispersion lens elements. This also effectively minimizes chromatic aberration, distortion and other optical imperfections. The filter size is 62 mm.
Autofocus
The Rokinon AF 12mm F2 RF-S prime lens uses a Linear STM (Stepping Motor) for the autofocus system. The company says that this delivers precise and near-silent focusing. It also quickly and accurately tracks subjects, while operating quietly and smoothly. In addition, the minimum focus distance is around eight inches (0.2 meters) which can help create a shallow depth of field.
What we think
The Rokinon AF 12mm F2 RF-S prime lens is great for landscape, architecture and interior videography. This means it would be an ideal choice for shooting real estate videos. With its compact design, the lens would also be perfect for use on a gimbal. Although designed for use with APS-C sensor RF-S mirrorless cameras, you can use the lens on a full-frame RF mount camera. However, a full-frame camera automatically switches to 1.6x crop mode when it detects that you have attached an RF-S lens. If you want an ultra wide-angle lens for your RF-S camera, the new Rokinon 12mm prime lens is one to consider.
Pricing and availability
The Rokinon AF 12mm F2 RF-S prime lens is available to pre-order now. The list price is $499 but you can pre-order for $449 from the Rokinon website.
