Samyang SY12M-E-BK 12mm F2.0 Ultra Wide Angle Lens for Sony E Cameras, Black

I'd been searching for a good wide angle lens for full body portraits because of the cool angles that can be achieved with it and WOW this is a purchase I do *not* regret!! I was a little scared to buy this because I'm not as financially secure as most everyone saying this is a "budget" lens plus none of the reviews on any sites featured portrait examples so this was a big gamble for me lol but it soooo paid off. As you can see by the billion example photos I've uploaded, this lens works really well for photographing people in close quarters. Almost all of these pics were taken up close and personal which allows for a really nice field of depth while not distorting facial features or limbs and keeping the subject nice and sharp. I've had this lens for almost a year and it has not let up!! Anyway, I decided to write this review for anyone else looking for wide angle lens for portraits rather than landscape or architectural photography. I use this lens in my Sony a6300 which is cropped sensor 1.5x so it's not as wide as it could be btw!

Have used this for landscape, astro, stitched panos and combinations of the above. Good for walk around general purpose on F8 F9, set focus at infinity and most everything is in focus. Great value for the money, would buy again.

This lens is not for people who are looking for autofocus features, this is MANUAL LENS. Do your research before you buy then complain here when it disappoints you. This lens for sony by samyang is indeed cheap, Glass materials used for this lens may not be as prime as sony branded lenses as this one but this gets the job done, Ideally good for Real Estate photos as well as astrophotography or taking milky way photos. Repeatedly IT DOES NOT HAVE AF, but is well on manual focus. Aperture is also manual. Overall is good one for me. No chromatic aberration to notice.

I always do research before laying out money for any of my photo equipment, everything pointed to this being a great little lens. I have started using it for landscape with excellent results, no auto-focus is not a problem for me, I set it at f5 and everything is in focus. I also have a Tamron 17-70 2.8 but 12mm makes a big difference. For the money, this is a well-constructed, lightweight lens for when you're looking for a dramatic wide-angle composition. No regrets.

The focus ring needs to be stiffer. Focus can chance every time the camera is removed from the bag.