The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Samyang 12mm f2.0 and the Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye is the longer of the two lenses at 77mm. The Samyang 12mm f2.0 with a length of 59mm, is 18mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye also has a larger diameter of 75mm compared to the Samyang 12mm f2.0's 73mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Samyang 12mm f2.0 weighs 260g, which means it is 183g (41%) lighter than the Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye which has a weight of 443g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Prime Lenses in Samsung NX Mount for size comparison purposes.
Ultra-Wideangle Lenses in Samsung NX Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the Samyang 12mm f2.0 and the Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye has the same Samsung NX lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Samsung NX lenses are Samsung NX1, Samsung NX3000 and Samsung NX30.
Samyang 12mm f2.0 is also available in the Canon EF-M , Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds and Sony E mounts.
Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye is also available in Canon EF , Nikon F (FX), Four Thirds, Pentax KAF and Sony Alpha mounts.
Focal Range
Samyang 12mm f2.0 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 12mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
18mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 8mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 12mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
