The Amazing Sony A1/A7/A9/APS-C & Anything else welcome Mega Thread!

justa1972 said:
thanks - thats a great price !
Click to expand...

They're usually the cheapest of the grey importers or at least very close to, and ship from UK so no tax worries.
 
JJ! said:
35mm 2.8 is decent too. IQ good too.
Click to expand...
24mm is by far the best one of the lot. It's almost completely silent and keeps up with cameras focusing system. Though I haven't tried the 35mm F1.4 with latest fw v3.
The 35mm f2.8 was closely behind and does make some noise.

They have clearly improved up on their autofocus tech with each new lens. 50mm F1.4 wasn't so good and the latest 24mm f2.8 is nearly getting there. They may just nail it with the 85mm. I hope so anyway.
 
nandbytes said:
24mm is by far the best one of the lot. It's almost completely silent and keeps up with cameras focusing system. Though I haven't tried the 35mm F1.4 with latest fw v3.
The 35mm f2.8 was closely behind and does make some noise.

They have clearly improved up on their autofocus tech with each new lens. 50mm F1.4 wasn't so good and the latest 24mm f2.8 is nearly getting there. They may just nail it with the 85mm. I hope so anyway.
Click to expand...

Interesting that you say that, have only used my daughters 24mm which is awful. I bought it from Amazon for her and returned twice as I thought it was a copy issue but after reading a bit more about it online, it seems that this lens only ever get's sharp around f/8 and the corners never really get sharp. It's also the only lens that I have tried for Sony that doesn't have 100% accurate autofocus performance. Again this seems normal for this lens after reading reviews.

Most reviews seem to state that the Samyang 35mm f/2.8 is a much superior lens, although I haven't tried one myself. Maybe I have just been spoiled by all the good glass I have myself and it's a bit of a shock to see such poor performance. To be fair it's very cheap and it's form factor is an advantage. My daughter absolutely loves it because of the size even though it is absolute muck.
 
robj20 said:
That seems incredibly cheap. Even Panamoz are £1060.
Are they reliable, the A7III is only £1,369, very tempted.
Click to expand...

Personally I don't trust Efinity although I have bought from them in the past. They are the cheapest of the grey importers though. In saying that I have another A7III being delivered today which I bought from Panamoz and while they wouldn't match the Efinity price they did give me a decent discount of £105 so that there wasn't as big a difference between the two as you can see from the attached email from them. Might be worth getting in touch with them and seeing if they can drop the price for you.

Capture.JPG
 
Last edited:
f/2.8 said:
Interesting that you say that, have only used my daughters 24mm which is awful. I bought it from Amazon for her and returned twice as I thought it was a copy issue but after reading a bit more about it online, it seems that this lens only ever get's sharp around f/8 and the corners never really get sharp. It's also the only lens that I have tried for Sony that doesn't have 100% accurate autofocus performance. Again this seems normal for this lens after reading reviews.

Most reviews seem to state that the Samyang 35mm f/2.8 is a much superior lens, although I haven't tried one myself. Maybe I have just been spoiled by all the good glass I have myself and it's a bit of a shock to see such poor performance. To be fair it's very cheap and it's form factor is an advantage. My daughter absolutely loves it because of the size even though it is absolute muck.
Click to expand...

Most of the reviews I’ve seen are really positive about the lens to be fair. Yours seems to be by far the most critical I’ve seen anyone be about it so far. Will see for myself when my copy arrives :)
 
f/2.8 said:
Interesting that you say that, have only used my daughters 24mm which is awful. I bought it from Amazon for her and returned twice as I thought it was a copy issue but after reading a bit more about it online, it seems that this lens only ever get's sharp around f/8 and the corners never really get sharp. It's also the only lens that I have tried for Sony that doesn't have 100% accurate autofocus performance. Again this seems normal for this lens after reading reviews.

Most reviews seem to state that the Samyang 35mm f/2.8 is a much superior lens, although I haven't tried one myself. Maybe I have just been spoiled by all the good glass I have myself and it's a bit of a shock to see such poor performance. To be fair it's very cheap and it's form factor is an advantage. My daughter absolutely loves it because of the size even though it is absolute muck.
Click to expand...
You are right about the optical performance but I am purely talking about the AF performance. The 24mm is the best one of the lot but it's not as good as Sony's lenses.
I'd say you get about 80-85% of the native lens performance in terms of AF. Tamron and sigma (I've tried) in comparison gives 90-95%. If they do improve with the 85mm F1.4 it could be pretty close.
 
Last edited:
nandbytes said:
I am purely talking about the AF performance. The 24mm is the best one of the lot but it's not as good as Sony's lenses.
I'd say you get about 80-85% of the native lens performance in terms of AF. Tamron and sigma (I've tried) in comparison gives 90-95%. If they do improve with the 85mm F1.4 it could be pretty close.
Click to expand...

You seem to be talking about a.f speed though for me that no where near as important as a.f accuracy, something the Samyang 24mm really struggles with. I haven't used any of the other Samyang lenses are they all as bad as the 24mm in terms of a.f accuracy? The Samyang 24mm also hunts far more than any other Sony lens I have tried especially in backlit situations, do they all do that?
 
Last edited:
f/2.8 said:
Personally I don't trust Efinity although I have bought from them in the past. They are the cheapest of the grey importers though. In saying that I have another A7III being delivered today which I bought from Panamoz and while they wouldn't match the Efinity price they did give me a decent discount of £105 so that there wasn't as big a difference between the two as you can see from the attached email from them. Might be worth getting in touch with them and seeing if they can drop the price for you.

View attachment 239159
Click to expand...
That's certainly an option. I have used Panamoz for all my current A7R, 24-70, 16-35, and 35.

What peaks my interest with this E-infin, is it says they ship from a UK warehouse so zero chance of getting stung with import tax.
 
robj20 said:
That's certainly an option. I have used Panamoz for all my current A7R, 24-70, 16-35, and 35.

What peaks my interest with this E-infin, is it says they ship from a UK warehouse so zero chance of getting stung with import tax.
Click to expand...

Yeah they do say that but it doesn't make it true. I haven't ordered from them in a while but in the couple times I have both times the items where shipped too me direct from China. I know other people who have ordered from them recently and their orders where also shipped direct from China. Unless they count it going through custom's at Stanstead like most deleveries from China, they are shipping direct. They don't seem to have a U.K warehouse.

The reason I personally don't trust them is for things like this. Plus it says in their terms and conditions that if an item needs to be replaced it will be replaced with a reconditioned product. That along with some other tales of woe from people who have bought from them and received for example a camera that was not new and the box had a different serial number than the camera and even a few people on here who received lenses from them that had obvious signs of use puts me off purchasing from them again.
 
Last edited:
f/2.8 said:
You seem to be talking about a.f speed though for me that no where near as important as a.f accuracy, something the Samyang 24mm really struggles with. I haven't used any of the other Samyang lenses are they all as bad as the 24mm in terms of a.f accuracy? The Samyang 24mm also hunts far more than any other Sony lens I have tried especially in backlit situations, do they all do that?
Click to expand...
Yep. They are all not that great if you stress them lol.
Speed and accuracy are both important. At least for me. I decided to go with 24 GM and it's flawless in most situations and especially in low light where Samyang really struggled (even the 35mm f1.4!)
 
nandbytes said:
Yep. They are all not that great if you stress them lol.
Speed and accuracy are both important. At least for me. I decided to go with 24 GM and it's flawless in most situations and especially in low light where Samyang really struggled (even the 35mm f1.4!)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have the 24mm G.M too, one of the reasons I bought the Samyang for my daughter was to keep her away from the G.M. :LOL:
 
TGphoto said:
Most of the reviews I’ve seen are really positive about the lens to be fair. Yours seems to be by far the most critical I’ve seen anyone be about it so far. Will see for myself when my copy arrives :)
Click to expand...
Depends on your expectations really. I wouldn't class it as a bad lens for the size and price. Everything is a compromise whether it's performance, size or price. But It's definitely no 24GM ;)
 
nandbytes said:
Depends on your expectations really. I wouldn't class it as a bad lens for the size and price. Everything is a compromise whether it's performance, size or price. But It's definitely no 24GM ;)
Click to expand...

Like I said above perhaps I am just spoiled.

My daughter really does love the little Samyang 24mm that's why I went through the hassle of buying and returning it 3 times. When the third copy arrived the same as the others I wanted to just get a refund on it but she was adamant that she was going to keep it.
 
f/2.8 said:
Yeah they do say that but it doesn't make it true. I haven't ordered from them in a while but in the couple times I have both times the items where shipped too me direct from China. I know other people who have ordered from them recently and their orders where also shipped direct from China. Unless they count it going through custom's at Stanstead like most deleveries from China, they are shipping direct. They don't seem to have a U.K warehouse.

The reason I personally don't trust them is for things like this. Plus it says in their terms and conditions that if an item needs to be replaced it will be replaced with a reconditioned product. That along with some other tales of woe from people who have bought from them and received for example a camera that was not new and the box had a different serial number than the camera and even a few people on here who received lenses from them that had obvious signs of use puts me off purchasing from them again.
Click to expand...

I've just bought a Sigma 16/1.4 from EInfinity and it arrived within a week (their site already notified of delays following Chinese new year), brand new, boxed with instructions and came from a UK address via Royal Mail. Maybe I was just lucky but I'd certainly use them again.
 
f/2.8 said:
Like I said above perhaps I am just spoiled.

My daughter really does love the little Samyang 24mm that's why I went through the hassle of buying and returning it 3 times. When the third copy arrived the same as the others I wanted to just get a refund on it but she was adamant that she was going to keep it.
Click to expand...

I reckon comparing a £250 third party pancake lens to a £1450 Sony GM lens is going to highlight pretty obvious differences which come with the compromise of having £1200 still in your wallet :0)
 
robj20 said:
That seems incredibly cheap. Even Panamoz are £1060.
Are they reliable, the A7III is only £1,369, very tempted.
Click to expand...

I've used them a fair few times for lenses and have been very impressed with the service. All my items have been shipped from within the UK and took 5-7 days each time. Obviously the downside is a return to retailer warranty, which I have never had to use thankfully but the savings outweigh the downside to me. I did however use Panamoz for my A7 III body, I just prefer a better warranty for the body as rightly or wrongly I feel there is more chance of needing to use the warranty with the body.
 
nandbytes said:
Depends on your expectations really. I wouldn't class it as a bad lens for the size and price. Everything is a compromise whether it's performance, size or price. But It's definitely no 24GM ;)
Click to expand...

It depends on what purpose the lens is being used for. If you want a 24mm that'll fit into the pocket the gm is gash.
 
NewBeetle said:
I've used them a fair few times for lenses and have been very impressed with the service. All my items have been shipped from within the UK and took 5-7 days each time. Obviously the downside is a return to retailer warranty, which I have never had to use thankfully but the savings outweigh the downside to me. I did however use Panamoz for my A7 III body, I just prefer a better warranty for the body as rightly or wrongly I feel there is more chance of needing to use the warranty with the body.
Click to expand...
Hmm, one person says everything from the UK the other everything from China.
At least with Panamoz I know they will pay the import duty of it gets charged. Plus read some horror stories of used items and open boxes.
 
nandbytes said:
Jokes aside the current best travel combo (all compromises considered) is the the RP+RF35/1.8 IMO.
I'll wait till RP is £350 like A7 and but it just for this :p
Shouldn't be too long, say 6 months :D
Click to expand...

The lens might be that price in 6mths alright - If the combination was I'd buy it myself tomorrow! :O

On the Samyang AF pancakes, the few reiews I had a peek at were fairly positive, much as you'd expect - they're not going to blow anyone away, but travel photographers are going to adore them.
 
robj20 said:
Hmm, one person says everything from the UK the other everything from China.
At least with Panamoz I know they will pay the import duty of it gets charged. Plus read some horror stories of used items and open boxes.
Click to expand...

They ship to someone in the UK and then on to you, so as far as I can see there's no chance of a tax bill. (obviously it all comes via Hong Kong or China as with any grey importer). Again all I can say is all mine have come exactly as brand new without so much as a fingerprint. As for open boxes, this happens with UK official sellers all the time "Oh it was just opened to check etc" when in reality someones had their grubby mitts on it.
 
Does anyone else find there A73 sensor an absolute dust magnet ?

I hardly ever change lenses and there is almost always dust on it. Never had this problem with my m43 cameras !!

I'm always really careful when I change the lens but still end up with wiggly worms on pictures - a blower gets most of it off (apart from a bit in the bottom corner which I can't remove) but its ridiculous !

I bought it 2nd hand from LCE but I'm sure it was clean when I got it - is it worth having it professionally cleaned and see if it stays clean?

thanks
 
justa1972 said:
Does anyone else find there A73 sensor an absolute dust magnet ?

I hardly ever change lenses and there is almost always dust on it. Never had this problem with my m43 cameras !!

I'm always really careful when I change the lens but still end up with wiggly worms on pictures - a blower gets most of it off (apart from a bit in the bottom corner which I can't remove) but its ridiculous !

I bought it 2nd hand from LCE but I'm sure it was clean when I got it - is it worth having it professionally cleaned and see if it stays clean?

thanks
Click to expand...

Yeah it's a bigger sensor, so it collects 4x as much dust as m43 :D
 
NewBeetle said:
They ship to someone in the UK and then on to you, so as far as I can see there's no chance of a tax bill. (obviously it all comes via Hong Kong or China as with any grey importer). Again all I can say is all mine have come exactly as brand new without so much as a fingerprint. As for open boxes, this happens with UK official sellers all the time "Oh it was just opened to check etc" when in reality someones had their grubby mitts on it.
Click to expand...

Mine showed tracking from Heathrow so guessing it came from Far East.
 
justa1972 said:
I did wonder that but 4 x 0 should be 0 !
Click to expand...

Was going to post same :D Never had so much as a hint of a dust bunny on my G80 and often switched lenses outdoors in wind/rain- I guess the larger sensors are much more exposed without lens mounted. Canon tried to solve this with the R, the shutter closes when you remove a lens from the mount. This could be amazing, or disastrous in certain conditions. If say, dust or sand gets trapped in the shutter 'curtain' - might end up scratching the protective filter over the sensor - nobody has reported anything like this ... yet at least
 
justa1972 said:
Does anyone else find there A73 sensor an absolute dust magnet ?

I hardly ever change lenses and there is almost always dust on it. Never had this problem with my m43 cameras !!

I'm always really careful when I change the lens but still end up with wiggly worms on pictures - a blower gets most of it off (apart from a bit in the bottom corner which I can't remove) but its ridiculous !

I bought it 2nd hand from LCE but I'm sure it was clean when I got it - is it worth having it professionally cleaned and see if it stays clean?

thanks
Click to expand...
I can’t believe just how dirty my sensor gets, it’s not just dust bunnies but stuff that sticks to the sensor and requires a wet clean. I only ever change lenses at home in a clean environment, maybe it’s not so clean after all!
I’m quite certain that my previous full frame sensor on a 1Dx didn’t get half as dirty as this.
 
footman said:
I can’t believe just how dirty my sensor gets, it’s not just dust bunnies but stuff that sticks to the sensor and requires a wet clean. I only ever change lenses at home in a clean environment, maybe it’s not so clean after all!
I’m quite certain that my previous full frame sensor on a 1Dx didn’t get half as dirty as this.
Click to expand...
Do you turn the camera off while changing lenses?
 
footman said:
That's interesting, I'm almost certain I don't. Does that make it more likely to get dirty? Is the sensor electrostatically charged when turned on?
Click to expand...
to answer my own question I've just seen this:
Digital sensors carry a significant electrostatic charge when the camera is powered up. This makes them a dust magnet, and eventually any dust in the camera body or lens will make its way to the sensor.
Click to expand...
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4241613
 
Cagey75 said:
This could be amazing, or disastrous in certain conditions. If say, dust or sand gets trapped in the shutter 'curtain' - might end up scratching the protective filter over the sensor - nobody has reported anything like this ... yet at least
Click to expand...

That would presumably always be a risk every time the shutter is fired regardless of rest state. So I guess it just isn’t an issue generally.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top