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

A bit of perspective distortion can work well unless you or the subject object :D but unless specifically looking to go for perspective distortion for artistic reasons I think wider lenses are best used when your including a bit more of the surroundings :D
 
New into Sony (with an A7R4) and this is my first post here. Hi, everyone.

I am looking for a light walk-around 50mm or similar. Tried the 50/2.5G which is okay but a bit too sharp and flat. So thinking of the Sigma 45/2.8 as an alternative. In the reviews it seems to divide opinion: some love it, others don't get the fuss. Does anyone have recent experience/views on this forum or can point me in the right direction? Thanks, Robert
 
Welcome Robert :D

I have the Sony 55mm f1.8. I've read that the Sigma 45mm f2.8 can give focus issues due to the properties which make its rendering attractive but I think I read that the issue affects continuous focusing and that single shot isn't affected? But I'm not sure. I think it's probably worth looking into this if you think you could be affected.
 
rob88 said:
New into Sony (with an A7R4) and this is my first post here. Hi, everyone.

I am looking for a light walk-around 50mm or similar. Tried the 50/2.5G which is okay but a bit too sharp and flat. So thinking of the Sigma 45/2.8 as an alternative. In the reviews it seems to divide opinion: some love it, others don't get the fuss. Does anyone have recent experience/views on this forum or can point me in the right direction? Thanks, Robert
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Someone will be along shortly to answer this Rob. It seems to have been a quiet day but I'm sure people will log on and post later.

PS.
I do like the look of the 40 and 50mm f2.5's. I have the 24mm f2.8 and I like it :D but I also have the 35mm f2.8 and 35 and 55mm f1.8's so going for the 40 or 50mm would mean that something has to go.

I hope you'll post some 50mm f2.5 G pictures when you get time :D
 
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GeordieStew said:
I need to send some stuff off to Sony for repair (insurance job).

What's the best way to ship £3k ish worth of gear? Bit concerned about it going missing. Do Sony offer any "pick up" options?

Ta
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I used Royal mail to send a £2,500 camera to Sony Repair Centre in Wales If I remember correctly -it cost me around £20 fully insured and next day pre-1pm

The FULLY INSURED bit is most important I think- so long as you have receipts to prove value should; a claim arise?

Les
 
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rob88 said:
New into Sony (with an A7R4) and this is my first post here. Hi, everyone.

I am looking for a light walk-around 50mm or similar. Tried the 50/2.5G which is okay but a bit too sharp and flat. So thinking of the Sigma 45/2.8 as an alternative. In the reviews it seems to divide opinion: some love it, others don't get the fuss. Does anyone have recent experience/views on this forum or can point me in the right direction? Thanks, Robert
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Depends what you want from a lens, shallow DOF, pop, colour rendition etc? If you want small, lightweight with nice rendering then the Samyang 45mm f1.8 is a great little lens.
 
GeordieStew said:
I need to send some stuff off to Sony for repair (insurance job).

What's the best way to ship £3k ish worth of gear? Bit concerned about it going missing. Do Sony offer any "pick up" options?

Ta
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You can book a repair via WEX with Fixation who WEX own, the local store can send it for you if you don’t want to post yourself.
 
For your viewing pleasure...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0gouqTbgWY

I never really seriously considered the Loxia 35mm f2 as I preferred the physical styling of the Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 and although the latter gets a lot of stick for its wild bokeh from what I've read and seen on credible reviewer blogs the rendering at f2 is similar.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp9E9j12sTk

Just watched it and he's pretty scathing. Unlike Christopher I do see the attraction as this lens is small and light, well made and it mounts straight to the camera and optical performance will very likely match or beat a film era lens of the same sort of spec. Being MF, expensive and not particularly good when compared to the optically very good but much larger top end lenses of recent times does make it and the similar Voigtlander I bought a bit niche though.
 
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GeordieStew said:
Need to discuss with insurance company and see what the craic is.

I don't mind paying £20-30. But paying any more starts to hurt a bit.
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And they say us Yorkshiremen are tight :)

I sent a lens direct to Sony as it had a fault- They charged me just to look at it :rolleyes:
 
GeordieStew said:
I'd like the gear back this decade! Too many Fixation horror stories...
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I personally had no issues with them- but its your choice after all buddy :)

So what is the issue with the gear ,if I might be so bold?
 
Oh dear. I think I have some gas.

Looking at pictures taken with longer macro lenses I'm missing my Sigma 150mm macro. I do like the look I got from that Sigma and much of the time I used it on APS-C. I have nothing that'll give that sort of look today. I have a film era 50mm f2.8 macro and it's very nice but of course you don't get the perspective you'd get from standing back and taking the picture from a longer lens distance and taking the picture with a 50mm from that longer distance and cropping doesn't really always work with a 24mp camera.

I've just tried my Minolta 135mm f2.8 and it does get a bit closer to the look I want but as the CFD is too long it can only give a hint of that look and not the real thing. I also have longer lenses for MFT but they'll be at f5.6 or so and give a harsher look.

Can anyone recommend something 150mm + with close focusing if not 1:1 macro ability?

I'm quite impressed how sharp this old Rokkor is at f2.8, 100% crop at about minimum focus distance. I hope it keeps its sharpness after posting.

Xuj1rj7.jpg


Meh. It's a bit sharper on my screen.
 
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SDK^ said:
Canon did a 180mm Macro lens - you just an adapter for it to work on a Sony body.
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Yeah, I thought about something like that and I suppose I could always go for another Sigma 150mm f2.8 but I'd rather not adapt. I don't know if the focus would work very well on my creaking old A7 but I suppose that wouldn't really matter all that much although what I used to do was use the AF to get somewhere near and MF from there.

I'll have a think.

It's just that looking through my old flower and detail shots the ones taken with that old Sigma are often my favourites, a 50mm just doesn't give the same look due to the distance the shot is taken from.
 
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The 50 arrived. Seems mildly different in styling to the first. I'd forgotten the high pitched but quiet noise it makes when focussing, but it does that quickly enough. Will test it later.
 
I've just seen that Lez325 is banned/suspended, anyone know why?
 
woof woof said:
For your viewing pleasure...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0gouqTbgWY

I never really seriously considered the Loxia 35mm f2 as I preferred the physical styling of the Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 and although the latter gets a lot of stick for its wild bokeh from what I've read and seen on credible reviewer blogs the rendering at f2 is similar.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp9E9j12sTk

Just watched it and he's pretty scathing. Unlike Christopher I do see the attraction as this lens is small and light, well made and it mounts straight to the camera and optical performance will very likely match or beat a film era lens of the same sort of spec. Being MF, expensive and not particularly good when compared to the optically very good but much larger top end lenses of recent times does make it and the similar Voigtlander I bought a bit niche though.
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My long term review of the Sammy AF 45mm is buy it, it's great and renders beautifully.
 
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GeordieStew said:
I'd like the gear back this decade! Too many Fixation horror stories...
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You might be in trouble then as most of the stuff sent to Sony for repair gets sent on to Fixation and the rest goes to another company whose name I can’t remember off hand. Sony don’t have any repair services themselves in the U.K.
 
Had little time to test the 50 f1.4 tonight. From first play I think it's a little decentred top left had corner, but need to test against a landscape that presents a properly straight line to me. Having had the 55 f1.8 for some time, I'm impressed at how sharply detailed images from this lens are, and stopped down to f5.6 or f8 it gives nothing away to the 55 in the centre.

This copy also has the rendering that I liked so much with the previous version. Unfortunately Carol wouldn't face the camera - image only given a gentle tweak in levels and a modest reduction of clarity.

Lens test 50 f1.4-02205.jpg
 
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