Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 21mm

Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 21mm

Rokinon
50 Overall Score
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony
92 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 21mm

60 out of 100 low confidence 5 reviews

The lens is praised as a great upgrade for the Sony a6000, especially for street photography. However, it is noted to be somewhat heavy and one user hasn't fully tested image quality yet. A Q&A confirms it is manual focus only and compatible with full-frame Sony A7II.

Pros
  • Great upgrade for a6000
  • Well-constructed build
  • Suitable for street photography
Cons
  • Heavier than desired
  • Untested image quality
  • Manual focus only
👍 Build quality 1
👎 Weight 1
🤔 Image quality 1
👍 Compatibility 1
👎 Focus type 1

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

82 out of 100 high confidence 117 reviews

The Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens is widely praised as an excellent all-in-one travel and walkaround lens for APS-C E-mount cameras. Users consistently highlight its sharpness, compact size, light weight, and versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range. While many note it is not ideal for low light and some report significant vignetting at the wide end, the overall sentiment is very positive, with most considering it a great value kit lens upgrade.

Pros
  • Sharp image quality
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Versatile 27-200mm equivalent zoom range
  • Effective optical image stabilization
  • Fast and accurate autofocus
Cons
  • Significant vignetting at 18mm wide end
  • Not ideal for low light photography
  • Variable aperture limits brightness at telephoto
  • Some copies may have quality control issues
  • Slight autofocus lag compared to premium lenses
👍 Image quality 35
👍 Build quality 12
👍 Value for money 18
👎 Vignetting 6
👎 Low light performance 10
👍 Zoom range 25

Scores

Budget
Rokinon
45
Sony
96
Street
Rokinon
67
Sony
89
Portrait
Rokinon
76
Sony
89
Travel
Rokinon
42
Sony
89
Wildlife Sports
Rokinon
35
Sony
84
Video Cinema
Rokinon
58
Sony
82
Landscape
Rokinon
44
Sony
76
Professional
Rokinon
58
Sony
74
Macro
Rokinon
61
Sony
68

Specifications

Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 21mmSony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
Optics
Typewide-anglezoom
Focal Length Min21 mm18 mm
Focal Length Max21 mm135 mm
Elements816
Groups712
Aspherical Elements3★1
ED Elements12★
CoatingUltra Multi Coating—
Aperture
Max Aperturef/1.4f/3.5
Min Aperturef/1.43.5-5.6
Constant✓★✗
Diaphragm Blades9★7
Build
MountSony ESony E
FormatAPS-CAPS-C
Weather Sealed—✗
Weight0.28 kg★0.33 kg
Filter Thread58 mm55 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF Typemanual focus onlyLinear motor★
Stabilization✗✓★
Focus
Min Focus Distance300 mm★450 mm
Max Magnification—0.29x★

Pros & Cons

Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 21mm

  • Strong aperture (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong bokeh (97th percentile)97th %ile
  • Strong build (76th percentile)
  • Strong macro (69th percentile)
  • Below average user sentiment (5th percentile)5th %ile
  • Below average social proof (13th percentile)13th %ile
  • Below average af (15th percentile)15th %ile
  • Below average versatility (33rd percentile)

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

  • Strong af (98th percentile)98th %ile
  • Strong versatility (96th percentile)96th %ile
  • Strong social proof (91st percentile)91st %ile
  • Strong aperture (83rd percentile)83rd %ile

Pricing

Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 21mm is $171 cheaper (1.5x less).

Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 21mm0.151score per dollar
vs
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS0.183score per dollar

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS offers 1.2x better value for money

Verdict

★ Winner: Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Scores 92 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 4 of 21 specs.

Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Better at:

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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