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Bower 14mm f/2.8 Super-Wide Angle Lens for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras
Dec 8, 2016 23:19:46   #
Plieku69 Loc: The Gopher State, south end
 
Adorama has a nice used one at a decent price.

I would like a lens in this focal length for product photography, I can position the camera closer to the subject than a 50mm.

but, I have never heard of the brand. Is it any good?

Ken

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Dec 8, 2016 23:23:06   #
Plieku69 Loc: The Gopher State, south end
 
Never mind, I just Googled it and got a terrible review from Ken Rockwell.

Google first, ask question second.

Ken

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Dec 9, 2016 00:00:27   #
robertjerl Loc: Corona, California
 
Plieku69 wrote:
Never mind, I just Googled it and got a terrible review from Ken Rockwell.

Google first, ask question second.

Ken


Here I disagree with Rockwell. The Bower is just one of the names Samyang puts on their lenses for different distributors. I have one it is a very good lens, not a great lens, but very good. It's main drawback is that it is a manual lens.

Here are three I took with it, focus is the fault of my eyes. Funny that manual focus thing was so much easier back in the 60s when I got my first 35 mm slr in Tokyo on R&R in 67. (I take it you were in Pleiku in 69, I was in Qui Nhon Dec 66 to Jan 69.)

Since it is manual the exif does not ID the lens.

As to Rockwell saying it is the least sharp 14 mm lenses, remember that is of a field of 3 at the time he reviewed it. The other two being a $2300 Canon L and a $1800 Nikon. Sort of like saying a Corvette is the worst car reviewed when the other two were a Lamborghini and a Ferrari.

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Dec 9, 2016 00:26:49   #
mas24 Loc: Southern CA
 
Bower products are economy priced products. Their lenses are likely the same on another name brand. They make economy external flash units too. If you aren't wanting top quality, but need something better than nothing, Bower fits the bill. Go to B&H website and check out Bower products, and then read the B&H Reviews.

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Dec 9, 2016 00:38:00   #
The Watcher
 
Plieku69 wrote:
Never mind, I just Googled it and got a terrible review from Ken Rockwell.

Google first, ask question second.

Ken


I never rely on just one review when I'm interested in a lens. Here's one that says otherwise.

I've been considering this lens with the Rokinon label. Already own the Rokinon 90mm 1.4

http://www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/samyangrokinon/14mm-f2.8-if-ed-umc/review/

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Dec 9, 2016 07:45:08   #
Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
 
Plieku69 wrote:
Adorama has a nice used one at a decent price.

I would like a lens in this focal length for product photography, I can position the camera closer to the subject than a 50mm.

but, I have never heard of the brand. Is it any good?

Ken


Bower=Samyang=Rokinon = reasonably good build quality and optics, manual focus only. Some lenses are chipped to provide aperture information to the camera.

The 14 is quite good - probably one of their better lenses. It suffers from pretty bad complex distortion, but using the lens profile in DXOor PT Lens, most if not all of that is corrected. I think it is sharper than my 14-24mm F2.8 Nikkor when used wide open, which is why many who do night time sky photography like it. I would not use that focal length for product photography, unless I was going for a special effect.

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Dec 9, 2016 07:50:29   #
Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.
 
Plieku69 wrote:
Adorama has a nice used one at a decent price.

I would like a lens in this focal length for product photography, I can position the camera closer to the subject than a 50mm.

but, I have never heard of the brand. Is it any good?

Ken


Made by Samyang, it is sharper than the Canon L, but it is a completely manual lens, might take some getting use to.

http://www.photozone.de/canon_eos_ff/532-samyang14f28eosff

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Dec 9, 2016 07:50:44   #
mborn Loc: Massachusetts
 
I use the 14 mm model under the Rokinon label same lens I own also the 8 mm and the 24 mm models chipped for Nikon

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Dec 9, 2016 08:24:27   #
Plieku69 Loc: The Gopher State, south end
 
robertjerl wrote:
Here I disagree with Rockwell. The Bower is just one of the names Samyang puts on their lenses for different distributors. I have one it is a very good lens, not a great lens, but very good. It's main drawback is that it is a manual lens.

Here are three I took with it, focus is the fault of my eyes. Funny that manual focus thing was so much easier back in the 60s when I got my first 35 mm slr in Tokyo on R&R in 67. (I take it you were in Pleiku in 69, I was in Qui Nhon Dec 66 to Jan 69.)

Since it is manual the exif does not ID the lens.

As to Rockwell saying it is the least sharp 14 mm lenses, remember that is of a field of 3 at the time he reviewed it. The other two being a $2300 Canon L and a $1800 Nikon. Sort of like saying a Corvette is the worst car reviewed when the other two were a Lamborghini and a Ferrari.
Here I disagree with Rockwell. The Bower is just ... (show quote)


Good answers everyone, thank you. I think I will pass on this one. I am going to re-think this a bit then ask another question of the UHH group.

Robert, yes I spent 18 wonderful months there, most of it in the bush trying to keep that tank running.
Welcome home GI.

Ken

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Dec 9, 2016 12:30:00   #
amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
 
Plieku69 wrote:
Adorama has a nice used one at a decent price.

I would like a lens in this focal length for product photography, I can position the camera closer to the subject than a 50mm.

but, I have never heard of the brand. Is it any good?

Ken


Actually, you should ignore K. Rockwell's commentary about this lens for a couple reasons.

First, the Bower 14/2.8 is actually a Rokinon/Samyang lens and is sold under a bunch of different brand names. You'll also find it sold as a Vivitar 13mm f2.8, as well as 14mm Pro Optic (Adorama's house brand), Dot Line and probably some others I'm forgetting. Anyway, it's the same lens... and is strictly manual focus and manual aperture.

Contrary to K. Rockwell's thinking, a lot of people are using this lens quite successfully, to make great images. It's not "perfect", by any means, but it's a whole lot cheaper than the alternatives. Canon's own EF 14/2.8L costs 5X or 6X as much and their TS-E 17/4L Tilt-Shift runs about 8X or 10X as much!

The Rokinon/Samyang/Bower/etc. 14/2.8 is typically quite sharp, has good color rendition and is reasonably flare resistant for such a wide lens.

One of it's biggest "problems" is distortion: It has fairly strong, complex "mustache" distortion. That can be a problem with certain types of photos... particularly architectural. But, it's also possible to correct it to some extent in post-processing. There are "lens profiles" for some of the more common post-processing software, specifically for this lens. This might not be necessary, though, for someone shooting landscapes or other types of photos where the distortion isn't really an issue.

Not surprisingly considering it's cost, it's also not as well built as the premium-quality Canon lenses. And, there appear to be some quality control issues. It's not uncommon for buyers to find they got a "bad copy" that has uneven sharpness, probably due to a de-centered element, and need to exchange the lens in hopes of getting a better one. It's not always the case, but happens enough that you should always buy from a reputible dealer who allows exchange or returns (such as Adorama), make it a point to test the lens immediately when you receive it, and be prepared to go through the hassle of the exchange/return process if necessary. Take some test shots with the lens at max aperture, focused to various distances, and see if there is softness on one side of the image or the other.

Maybe K. Rockwell got a "bad copy" that he tested and didn't go through the exchange process, which is actually rather well-documented by other users of the lens. It's just "the cost", to get a bargain priced lens.

Another "cost", which might have been part of K. Rockwell's bad review, is that the lens is manual focus and manual aperture. Now, with an ultrawide such as this, depth of field is so great that manual focus probably isn't an issue for most people. You might need to use Live View and it's magnified view capabilities for more critical focus situations, especially if focused close and using a large aperture.

Manual aperture may be a problem for some people too. However, so long as it's a "chipped" lens (which I think it is, not aware if they make or ever made an "unchipped" version in Canon mount), you should also be able to use Av auto exposure mode, in addition to M. You won't be able to use Tv, P or any of the "Scene Modes" your camera might offer.

Note: "Chipped" manual focus/aperture lenses have a set of contacts on the rear, similar to those on Canon EF/EF-S lenses. However, these "chips" don't provide any means of focusing or adjusting the aperture, or even enable the camera to display what aperture has been set. All they do is tell the camera that there's a lens installed, which allows use of Av (aperture priority auto exposure) and Focus Confirmation feature of Canon cameras In all cases where I've used them, with "chipped" lenses the camera must be set to One Shot prior to installing the lens... while a fully compatible EF/EF-S lens is still on the camera. You cannot change the camera's focus mode, when there is no lens or when a "chipped" lens is installed. And, even if a lens isn't chipped, it's possible to buy the chips separately and install them yourself (with some epoxy and care!).

You specifically mention wanting the lens to do product photography. The "mustache" distortion of this lens might be a problem, at best requiring more image post-processing work. But I question needing such an ultrawide lens in general, for that type of work. Especially for small products and close work, virtually any 14mm (or 17mm, for that matter) is going to have fairly strong perspective exaggeration, which I personally wouldn't want with most product photography.

With crop cameras, for small product photography I use TS-E 45mm (also manual focus, though the aperture is not)... or 60mm or 100mm macro lens with especially small items. For full frame cameras and particularly small items, I've also used TS-E 90mm.

Another third party ultrawide is the Laowa Venus 15mm f4 Macro lens. Like the Canon TS-E lenses, this has some shift movement available, which can partially correct perspective keystoning effect, for example. That might be useful for product or architectural subjects. This lens is also manual focus and manual aperture only. It doesn't have the tilt correction movement, that the Canon TS-E lenses do. If you Google it, you'll find some reviews and sample photos done with this lens. It's relatively new on the market. The Venus Laowa 15mm can use a standard, screw-in 77mm filter (the Rokinon/Samyang/Bower/etc. 14mm cannot, nor can the Canon 14/2.8L, both due to strongly convex front lens elements). Some reviews of the 15mm lens suggest it's useful for macro and small products, but less so for architecture because it's not sharp enough in the corners and at the edges, especially if use on full frame. It's a little, but not a lot more expensive than the Rokinon/etc. 14mm lens.

Some years ago both Tamron and Sigma made 14mm f2.8 lenses in various mounts, including Canon EOS/EF. You might come across them pretty cheap, if you are shopping used. Basically, there's a fairly simple reason they both were discontinued: Their image quality was terrible. The Rokinon/etc. is much, much better... even if it ain't perfect.

In my opinion, Mr. Rockwell can be too judgmental, too quick to dismiss things or do the opposite and get overly enthusiastic about minor details, or simply be too lazy to go beyond the obvious or basics in his reviews. The info he compiles on products can be useful, often includes more details and observations than can be found anywhere else... But his hands-on testing and opinions about products often leave a whole lot to be desired. Read em, but only with a grain of salt. (And read others, such as dpreview.com and the-digital-picture.com, for more comprehensive and well-balanced testing and opinions. Personally I like to read actual user reviews at Adorama, B&H, Amazon, etc., too.)

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Dec 9, 2016 12:46:11   #
jackm1943 Loc: Omaha, Nebraska
 
Plieku69 wrote:
Adorama has a nice used one at a decent price.

I would like a lens in this focal length for product photography, I can position the camera closer to the subject than a 50mm.

but, I have never heard of the brand. Is it any good?

Ken

Hi Ken. I have one that I've used for interior photos. The sharpness was acceptable but there was lots of distortion which could not be completely fixed. It's probably fine for scenic photos, but I'm not sure how it would work for product photography. I replaced it with a much, much more expensive Canon 16-35 which has quite a bit less distortion to deal with.

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Dec 9, 2016 13:36:37   #
JPL
 
Plieku69 wrote:
Adorama has a nice used one at a decent price.

I would like a lens in this focal length for product photography, I can position the camera closer to the subject than a 50mm.

but, I have never heard of the brand. Is it any good?

Ken


This is a good lens, but I seriously doubt it is the right choice for product photography. This is generally a bad focal length for product photography, way to wide, unless you are using it on a crop sensor camera, then it is a bit better but still not a very good choice.

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Dec 9, 2016 14:46:32   #
Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire
 
I really don't have any experience with this, or any other lens of this nature, except a fish eye, Rokinon. I am eyeing the Venus Optics 12mm zero distortion lens. It is marketed as a Laowa lens. On Canonwatch.com, or Canonrumors.com it was reviewed and it does live up to the zero distortion. Just a new player in the 12mm range.

B

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Dec 15, 2016 18:36:22   #
topcat Loc: Alameda, CA
 
I have a Rokinon 8mm. Very nice lens. If you can live with a manual lens, go for it.

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