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

snerkler said:
I had that Nikon lens too, mine wasn’t as good as the FE 24-70mm. Mind you it appears (not for the first time) my memory’s not the best so maybe I need review my images taken with the 28-105mm :thinking: :LOL:
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I really wouldn't worry about it. Wide open the Sony lens is certainly better, but one of the problems for me was that stopping down appeared not to make enough difference.
 
ancient_mariner said:
I really wouldn't worry about it. Wide open the Sony lens is certainly better, but one of the problems for me was that stopping down appeared not to make enough difference.
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Yeah I definitely agree that it didn’t sharpen up a great deal stopping down (y)
 
For £100 I thought the Sony kit lens wasn't too bad stopped down to your typical 'landscape' apertures. I used it in the Brecon's a few years ago, certainly passable.

I wouldn't go for the f/4 Zeiss though. I think a zoom in that range would inch me towards the Tamron 28-70/75?mm - If I was actually after a zoom in that area of course!!
 
LeeRatters said:
For £100 I thought the Sony kit lens wasn't too bad stopped down to your typical 'landscape' apertures. I used it in the Brecon's a few years ago, certainly passable.

I wouldn't go for the f/4 Zeiss though. I think a zoom in that range would inch me towards the Tamron 28-70/75?mm - If I was actually after a zoom in that area of course!!
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The Tamron’s the better lens for sure, it’s just not wide enough for me :(
 
I found this article a bit surprising.

petapixel.com

Zelenska's Vogue Photoshoot Sparks 'Sit Like A Girl' Photo Trend

#SitLikeAGirl
petapixel.com petapixel.com

I was a little surprised when they posed for Vogue but then I thought that anything that raises the profile of the country has to be good, from their PoV. What never occurred to me was to criticise her pose and I'm surprised that people have.

I don't like the second shot in that article, she looks like she has a machete through her head.
 
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gilbouk said:
Considering in dabbling with Sony again - originally a Sony shooter starting my journey on the RX10 MKI, and the Sony A6300, I then moved onto to the Nikon D500, D750, and Z6 before jumping ship to the Canon R6. Reason for considering Sony once again is the AF options. I feel that the Canon R6 has really helped me acquire focus for these crucial moments during Weddings when there is a sudden unexpected opportunity which has helped me take my photography to the next level. Reason for wanting to try Sony - even more AF options!! I still find with my Canon R6 - it will jump from once person to another during crucial moments when eyes are still clearly visible on original subject so single spot is the preferred method. The touch screen drag focus spot is great though.

Do you think I should aim for one of the newer Sony bodies to get the best 'real time' AF capabilities? Unsure what to choose - A7III which is a bit old now, A9 (again a bit old now), or A7IV - or perhaps something with a little more resolution!! What do you guys recommend?
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You might be interested in this at around 8:55 when he talks about AF?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLP4YtfQbr0&ab_channel=JaredPolin
 
Going back to the 24-70mm f4 surely a new one is due soon, as this was released in the same year as the 16-35mm f4 which has been updated, and earlier than the 24-70mm f2.8 which has been updated. I'm guessing the 70-200mm F4 is due an update too.
 
chphoto said:
I had been waiting for a new 50mm f1.4, they already released DG DN models of the 35/1.4 and 85/1.4, wonder when the 50 gets the treatment?
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The Samyang FE II is a great lens if you’re after a 50mm f1.4.
 
chphoto said:
I had been waiting for a new 50mm f1.4, they already released DG DN models of the 35/1.4 and 85/1.4, wonder when the 50 gets the treatment?
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I am waiting on this as well for my missus to replace her 55 f/1.8.

The Sony 50mm f/1.8 is a bit rubbish.

The Samyangs don't have reliable autofocus so they are out for us.

The old Sigma is to large and heavy and struggles a bit in backlit situations.

The Planar is also a bit big and heavy and has a few other issues.

I already have the 50 f/1.2 GM and would happily buy another one but she says won't carry that around all day either.

Help me Sigma, you are my only hope!
 
f/2.8 said:
The Samyangs don't have reliable autofocus so they are out for us.
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This is certainly not my experience with the FE II, to date it’s actually been more reliable than my Sigma 85mm DG DN (y)
 
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I went for the 55 f1.8 in the end, the smaller size was quite appealing compared to the Sigma gear. Chuffed to bits so far to be honest!
 
ancient_mariner said:
I really wouldn't worry about it. Wide open the Sony lens is certainly better, but one of the problems for me was that stopping down appeared not to make enough difference.
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Looking back the 28-105mm was actually better than I thought (y)
 
chphoto said:
I went for the 55 f1.8 in the end, the smaller size was quite appealing compared to the Sigma gear. Chuffed to bits so far to be honest!
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The 55mm is a very sharp lens, it just lacks a bit of character for me but that's just a personal opinion (y)
 
chphoto said:
I went for the 55 f1.8 in the end, the smaller size was quite appealing compared to the Sigma gear. Chuffed to bits so far to be honest!
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I've had mine a long time but the fact that it's 55 and not 50mm niggles my ocd, it's also bigger than I'd like. I'm getting used to the size of the 35mm f1.8 now so the 55mm will be next to get a good try out.
 
chphoto said:
I went for the 55 f1.8 in the end, the smaller size was quite appealing compared to the Sigma gear. Chuffed to bits so far to be honest!
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If I need the last word in detail at wide-ish apertures, that's my go-to lens. Just prefer my 50 f1.4 for general use.
 
woof woof said:
I've had mine a long time but the fact that it's 55 and not 50mm niggles my ocd, it's also bigger than I'd like. I'm getting used to the size of the 35mm f1.8 now so the 55mm will be next to get a good try out.
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The 35mm f1.8 is a great size and weight, suits the FE bodies really well (y)

I’m interested to see what the Samyang 85mm f1.4 FE II’s like when it’s released as I could be tempted to swap my Sigma for it just for the weight saving alone. If it’s anything like the 50mm FE II then it could be a winner.
 
snerkler said:
This is certainly not my experience with the FE II, to date it’s actually been more reliable than my Sigma 85mm DG DN (y)
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Have tried two different copies of the newer Samyang 50mm and both were great at getting super sharp photos of eyelashes but struggled to get the Iris.

Most of the reviews I have read on it have said exactly the same thing. Maybe you fell lucky with yours.

Even Amazon reviews are quite scathing.

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On the 24-70 f2.8 discussion, I hadn’t realised that Sigma had brought out their version which seems to be on a par with the GM mark 1. That may be the answer I’m looking for - e-infinity have them for £799, or I could get an excellent used version from a dealer for £880. Decisions!
 
Pandster1981 said:
On the 24-70 f2.8 discussion, I hadn’t realised that Sigma had brought out their version which seems to be on a par with the GM mark 1. That may be the answer I’m looking for - e-infinity have them for £799, or I could get an excellent used version from a dealer for £880. Decisions!
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Personally I’d try and haggle down the dealer as Sigma lenses can occasionally be faulty/ decentered and it’s a PITA returning to HK. Sigma also sell refurbs which are as new through their eBay store.
 
Pandster1981 said:
On the 24-70 f2.8 discussion, I hadn’t realised that Sigma had brought out their version which seems to be on a par with the GM mark 1. That may be the answer I’m looking for - e-infinity have them for £799, or I could get an excellent used version from a dealer for £880. Decisions!
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if you are going to go for the Sigma 24-70 buy from a reputable dealer that has a good returns procedure. This lens is well known to be a bit of a vacune cleaner and even with minimal use sucks in lots of dust. So much so they rejigged the lens slightly but it didn’t cure the problem.
 
snerkler said:
The Tamron’s the better lens for sure, it’s just not wide enough for me :(
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Exactly my problem for the 28-200 it's now my telephoto lens, it's just not wide enough.
The 24-70 range does me well, I'll keep an eye on the Tamron 24-105.
 
f/2.8 said:
if you are going to go for the Sigma 24-70 buy from a reputable dealer that has a good returns procedure. This lens is well known to be a bit of a vacune cleaner and even with minimal use sucks in lots of dust. So much so they rejigged the lens slightly but it didn’t cure the problem.
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Thanks, this is a really useful comment. Done a bit of research and for a lens costing circa £1k that dust issue is awful. As you say, it looks like Sigma have improved it but still not completely fixed. Maybe a used GM might be better….
 
Pandster1981 said:
Thanks, this is a really useful comment. Done a bit of research and for a lens costing circa £1k that dust issue is awful. As you say, it looks like Sigma have improved it but still not completely fixed. Maybe a used GM might be better….
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We have the 24-70 GMII which is fantastic but is a ridiculous price.

Before that we had the older version of the Tamron 28-75 f/2.8. For the price, it's an excellent lens and the newer version is supposed to be even better.
 
f/2.8 said:
Have tried two different copies of the newer Samyang 50mm and both were great at getting super sharp photos of eyelashes but struggled to get the Iris.

Most of the reviews I have read on it have said exactly the same thing. Maybe you fell lucky with yours.

Even Amazon reviews are quite scathing.

View attachment 362637
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Yep we all have our own experiences, and I can only comment on mine, AF definitely hits the iris and not eyelash, eyebrow or whatever.

To be fair you've picked out the worst review from Amazon regarding AF, there's plenty of positive ones and far more than the negative ones across the big bad web. The biggest complaint I see is with CAs, which is not something that bothers me a deal as it can easily be corrected, and I don't tend to shoot a lot in environments that tend to promote it.

Like always though we make our choices and pay our money. As I've mentioned before if I was doing pro work I'm not sure I'd trust any third party lens, but so far my Samyang has been spot on for my uses (y)
 
snerkler said:
Yep we all have our own experiences, and I can only comment on mine, AF definitely hits the iris and not eyelash, eyebrow or whatever.

To be fair you've picked out the worst review from Amazon regarding AF, there's plenty of positive ones and far more than the negative ones across the big bad web. The biggest complaint I see is with CAs, which is not something that bothers me a deal as it can easily be corrected, and I don't tend to shoot a lot in environments that tend to promote it.

Like always though we make our choices and pay our money. As I've mentioned before if I was doing pro work I'm not sure I'd trust any third party lens, but so far my Samyang has been spot on for my uses (y)
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People are often so defensive of their purchases. If it works for you great.

I didn't pick the worst Amazon review, there are quite a few reviews on the Amazon listing pointing out exactly the same issue, I picked that one because it had more detail.

There are many many reviews on Youtube, blogs etc. also mentioning the exact same eye a.f issue.

I have yet to see a review that says that there isn't an issue with eye a.f on this lens other than from the Samyang shriills like Dustin Abbot.

Even Julia Trotti who is often a Samyang shrill mentions the eye a.,f issue during her review of this lens.
 
f/2.8 said:
People are often so defensive of their purchases. If it works for you great.

I didn't pick the worst Amazon review, there are quite a few reviews on the Amazon listing pointing out exactly the same issue, I picked that one because it had more detail.

There are many many reviews on Youtube, blogs etc. also mentioning the exact same eye a.f issue.

I have yet to see a review that says that there isn't an issue with eye a.f on this lens other than from the Samyang shriills like Dustin Abbot.

Even Julia Trotti who is often a Samyang shrill mentions the eye a.,f issue during her review of this lens.
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Why am I being defensive? I'm not bothered what other people like or dislike I just give my own experiences and if looking at reviews try to give as balanced opinion as possible. It was actually Julia Trotti's review which made me hesitant about buying it, but after getting a bigger overview of reviews and experiences I gave it a punt and for me I've been very happy with the performance. From what I saw (and this is in no way gospel) is that a number of people had used it with the A7IV which has known eye-AF issues, and again was reason enough for me to take a punt and try for myself. I do appreciate that the odd A9 user have reported issue too.

As you may have seen I've no issue sending lenses back that aren't up to scratch, and have sent a fair few Samyangs back in my time (y)
 
snerkler said:
Why am I being defensive? I'm not bothered what other people like or dislike I just give my own experiences and if looking at reviews try to give as balanced opinion as possible. It was actually Julia Trotti's review which made me hesitant about buying it, but after getting a bigger overview of reviews and experiences I gave it a punt and for me I've been very happy with the performance. From what I saw (and this is in no way gospel) is that a number of people had used it with the A7IV which has known eye-AF issues, and again was reason enough for me to take a punt and try for myself. I do appreciate that the odd A9 user have reported issue too.

As you may have seen I've no issue sending lenses back that aren't up to scratch, and have sent a fair few Samyangs back in my time (y)
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Don't think the camera body matters so much.

Have tried 2 different copies on A9,A9II,A1,A7III and A7IV.

Razor sharp lashes on all of them. :D
 
TBF could be Samyang copy variance @snerkler but this lens in particular seems to have an awful lot more bad copies than good.
 
snerkler said:
The 35mm f1.8 is a great size and weight, suits the FE bodies really well (y)

I’m interested to see what the Samyang 85mm f1.4 FE II’s like when it’s released as I could be tempted to swap my Sigma for it just for the weight saving alone. If it’s anything like the 50mm FE II then it could be a winner.
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I know I'm maybe being just a little demanding but I want an AF Sony 35mm f1.4 the same size as the Voigtlander I have in Sony mount :D
 
f/2.8 said:
TBF could be Samyang copy variance @snerkler but this lens in particular seems to have an awful lot more bad copies than good.
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You and I obviously read different reviews (I’m only talking about AF)

This is not me defending the lens, or trying to change your opinion btw (y)
 
f/2.8 said:
We have the 24-70 GMII which is fantastic but is a ridiculous price.
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Price seems to be coming down though - well at least it is at E-infinity; think it was best part of £2k not long ago but has come down to £1,619 now.
I'm starting to get tempted to upgrade my original version but wondering if it will come down any further or whether its going to remain around that price now (it went down quite a bit each day for last week or two but has been this price for last couple of days I think).
 
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