Samyang Rokinon 16mm f/2.0 ED AS UMC CS Review

The Samyang (also sold as Rokinon) 16mm f/2.0 ED AS UMC CS is a wide-angle prime lens designed for APS-C and Micro Four Thirds crop-sensor cameras. At 16mm, it delivers a roughly 24mm full-frame equivalent field of view, making it a versatile choice for landscape, architecture, and street photography. The f/2.0 maximum aperture provides decent low-light performance and shallow depth of field control, while the ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass aims to minimize chromatic aberration. The UMC (Ultra Multi Coating) treatment is designed to reduce flare and ghosting. At $249, it sits in the budget-friendly manual-focus lens category, competing with other third-party primes that prioritize value over autofocus convenience. Samyang lenses are typically fully manual, so shooters will need to be comfortable with manual focus and aperture control. The build quality is generally solid for the price, though the all-manual operation and lack of electronic contacts mean no EXIF data transmission on some mounts.