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

f/2.8 said:
35 f/1.4 is nice enough but has much slower a.f in low light than the Sony 35 f/1.8, in good light it is grand, it also hunts a bit in back lit siutuations. Image quality is very good.

Not used the 85 on Sony.

135 f/1.8 is great in good light but hunts like a mad thing in low light, in terms of image quality it's right up there with the 135 GM though.
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I did read somewhere that the Sigma lenses are not specifically designed for mirrorless but need to incorporate an integral MC-11 adapter type solution to enable use on mirrorless bodies which impacts upon low light AF. I'm sure the experts will put me right:D
The IQ of the Sigma 135 is outstanding but mine went to MPB recently as it wasn't really being used enough.
 
snerkler said:
Thanks. Can't believe you let your 303's go, I've never owned one. I'd have loved the Juno 106 too, and the 808 (I do have the virtual ones). I'm not at all jealous you had them ;)
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Sold all my kit in one big frenzy when I moved to digital.

Although it bought me a nice car, if I could have a go in a time machine, I'd definitely still have it all now. Not that I'd be doing anything with it other than wasting time, but what a fun way to do it!

Liked your remix too fella. Aciiiiiiiiiiid!

:)
 
LotusExige said:
Sold all my kit in one big frenzy when I moved to digital.

Although it bought me a nice car, if I could have a go in a time machine, I'd definitely still have it all now. Not that I'd be doing anything with it other than wasting time, but what a fun way to do it!

Liked your remix too fella. Aciiiiiiiiiiid!

:)
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Haha thanks. I wish I knew how to produce 'properly', I'd love to pick Liam Howlett's brains, or even Bill Drummond's ;)
 
Gadget-Guy said:
Many thanks for the replies f/2.8 and nandbytes.

Am trying to negotiate a deal on all my Canon gear for something a little easier to carry and trying to work out my best option for a primes only setup although i will add a 70-200 at a later date.
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The sigma primes you mentioned won't really make things easier to carry.
Take a look at the f1.8 primes and the tamron 70-180mm f2.8 it you want something easier to carry.
 
Gadget-Guy said:
Many thanks for the replies f/2.8 and nandbytes.

Am trying to negotiate a deal on all my Canon gear for something a little easier to carry and trying to work out my best option for a primes only setup although i will add a 70-200 at a later date.
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Best to stay away from the Sigma art lenses then, they are very heavy and cumbersome, Bigger than most DSLR lenses, that’s the price you pay for being modestly priced with great I.Q.

If you are looking at lighter weight / smaller lenses with good image quality have a look at these:

Sony 20mm f/1.8
Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM
Sony 35mm f/1.8
Samyang 45mm f/1.8
Sony 55mm f/1.8
Sony 85mm f/1.8

Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8
Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8

The Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM is smaller and weighs less than the Signa 135. It’s a superb lens but it isn’t cheap. You could say the same thing about the Sony 85mm f1.4 GM compared to the Sigma 85mm as well.
 
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footman said:
I did read somewhere that the Sigma lenses are not specifically designed for mirrorless but need to incorporate an integral MC-11 adapter type solution to enable use on mirrorless bodies which impacts upon low light AF. I'm sure the experts will put me right:D
The IQ of the Sigma 135 is outstanding but mine went to MPB recently as it wasn't really being used enough.
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Not sure if the “built in adaptor” is the issue or not. There mirrorless specific lenses like the 45f/2.8 and the 35 f/1.2 also struggle in the same situations.
 
f/2.8 said:
Best to stay away from the Sigma art lenses then, they are very heavy and cumbersome, Bigger than most DSLR lenses, that’s the price you pay for being modestly priced with great I.Q.

If you are looking at lighter weight / smaller lenses with good image quality have a look at these:

Sony 20mm f/1.8
Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM
Sony 35mm f/1.8
Samyang 45mm f/1.8
Sony 55mm f/1.8
Sony 85mm f/1.8

Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8
Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8

The Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM is smaller and weighs less than the Signa 135. It’s a superb lens but it isn’t cheap. You could say the same thing about the Sony 85mm f1.4 GM compared to the Sigma 85mm as well.
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I’d add the 28mm f2 and 35mm f2.8 to that list for small lightweight lenses.

There’s also the Tamron f2.8 primes.
 
snerkler said:
I’d add the 28mm f2 and 35mm f2.8 to that list for small lightweight lenses.

There’s also the Tamron f2.8 primes.
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Yeah but I said light weight with good image quality most of those don’t apply.

The 28mm in particular is pretty poor.

I didn’t mention the 35 f/2.8 because he was originally looking at f/1.4 lenses.

I haven’t tried the new Tamrons to be fair but they are also f/2.8 lenses and even though they are fairly new to market they have been getting slammed a little bit online.
 
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f/2.8 said:
Yeah but I said light weight with good image quality most of those don’t apply.

The 28mm in particular is pretty poor.

I didn’t mention the 35 f/2.8 because he was originally looking at f/1.4 lenses.

I haven’t tried the new Tamrons to be fair but they are also f/2.8 lenses and even though they are fairly new to market they have been getting slammed a little bit online.
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It’s odd because you have now criticised a second lens (28mm f2) that I’ve been looking into that in the whole has very good reviews online, getting 4/5 and above. I appreciate you probably have hands on experience but I wonder why your views are so critical? Likewise the Tamron are getting 4/5 and 5/5 with many commenting how sharp they are.

As for looking at f1.4 I missed that bit ;)
 
snerkler said:
It’s odd because you have now criticised a second lens (28mm f2) that I’ve been looking into that in the whole has very good reviews online, getting 4/5 and above. I appreciate you probably have hands on experience but I wonder why your views are so critical? Likewise the Tamron are getting 4/5 and 5/5 with many commenting how sharp they are.

As for looking at f1.4 I missed that bit ;)
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He is pretty much the only one that thinks FE28/2 is bad. May be he had a lemon :D
 
snerkler said:
It’s odd because you have now criticised a second lens (28mm f2) that I’ve been looking into that in the whole has very good reviews online, getting 4/5 and above. I appreciate you probably have hands on experience but I wonder why your views are so critical? Likewise the Tamron are getting 4/5 and 5/5 with many commenting how sharp they are.

As for looking at f1.4 I missed that bit ;)
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Just like I criticised the 24mm Samyang you mean?

Look how that worked out for you.

There are good and bad lenses within every system I base my opinion only on what I have used or will say I don’t know if I haven’t used the lens.

As I am a working photographer and sometimes work on projects with other photographers I get my hands on a lot of gear and multiple copies of most gear.

Based on that I know that the Sony 28 f/2 and the 50 f/1.8 are not very good.

I also know that the Samyang 24mm, 35 f/1.4, 50mm f1.4 are also not very good and that the 85 f/1.4 is sort of okay but wouldn’t be good enough for me.

Other lenses have there pluses and minuses.

My opinion shouldn’t matter to you though. I wouldn’t make a decision on buying something based purely on what people in this thread say as my needs are very different from there’s.

As for the Tamron primes as I said I haven't used them but the other photographers I know that have used them don’t rate them compared to the other options available. Also everything I have read about them on the wedding photographer groups on Facebook suggests they are not very good compared to other options. I trust the opinion of those people much more than people on here or on YouTube because I know quite a few of those people in real life and respect their opinion.

There are quite a few people in this thread that will say stuff is good or bad based purely on a YouTube video they have watched. There is even people in this thread that give recommendations and opinions even though they have never touched a Sony camera and use a completely different system.

I don’t trust online reviews, YouTube etc at all I would rather speak to someone with hands on experience. I know how the reviews are manipulated by the manufacturers, I have been offered incentives by some of them myself.
 
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f/2.8 said:
Just like I criticised the 24mm Samyang you mean?

Look how that worked out for you.

There are good and bad lenses within every system I base my opinion only on what I have used or will say I don’t know if I haven’t used the lens.

As I am a working photographer and sometimes work on projects with other photographers I get my hands on a lot of gear and multiple copies of most gear.

Based on that I know that the Sony 28 f/2 and the 50 f/1.8 are not very good.

I also know that the Samyang 24mm, 35 f/1.4, 50mm f1.4 are also not very good and that the 85 f/1.4 is sort of okay but wouldn’t be good enough for me.

Other lenses have there pluses and minuses.

My opinion shouldn’t matter to you though. I wouldn’t make a decision on buying something based purely on what people in this thread say as my needs are very different from there’s.

As for the Tamron primes as I said I haven't used them but the other photographers I know that have used them don’t rate them compared to the other options available. Also everything I have read about them on the wedding photographer groups on Facebook suggests they are not very good compared to other options. I trust the opinion of those people much more than people on here or on YouTube because I know quite a few of those people in real life and respect their opinion.

There are quite a few people in this thread that will say stuff is good or bad based purely on a YouTube video they have watched. There is even people in this thread that give recommendations and opinions even though they have never touched a Sony camera and use a completely different system.
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I guess it’s all perspective. If you’re used to using the best of the best then the lenses being discussed will appear poor, but if you don’t have a fleet of GM lenses, or Nikon’s gold ringed pro lenses etc or are basing them on their relative price point then maybe you see them as pretty decent.

As for my Samyang 24mm yes that’s disappointing but it’s a lemon and I will reserve judgement until I get a replacement. I’ve had lemon Nikon and Sony lenses in the past too ;)
 
snerkler said:
I guess it’s all perspective. If you’re used to using the best of the best then the lenses being discussed will appear poor, but if you don’t have a fleet of GM lenses, or Nikon’s gold ringed pro lenses etc or are basing them on their relative price point then maybe you see them as pretty decent.

As for my Samyang 24mm yes that’s disappointing but it’s a lemon and I will reserve judgement until I get a replacement. I’ve had lemon Nikon and Sony lenses in the past too ;)
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No that’s not the case at all.

Two of my most used lenses are the 35 f/1.8 and the 55 f/1.8 both of which are the budget option. I could buy any of the other more expensive options and also have the 35 Sigma art but at the moment prefer the cheaper lens. I could also buy the Zeiss 50 f/1.4 and have used it extensively but the 55 suits my current needs better.
 
f/2.8 said:
No that’s not the case at all.

Two of my most used lenses are the 35 f/1.8 and the 55 f/1.8 both of which are the budget option. I could buy any of the other more expensive options and also have the 35 Sigma art but at the moment prefer the cheaper lens. I could also buy the Zeiss 50 f/1.4 and have used it extensively but the 55 suits my current needs better.
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Your idea of budget and my idea of budget are two different things ;)
 
snerkler said:
It’s odd because you have now criticised a second lens (28mm f2) that I’ve been looking into that in the whole has very good reviews online, getting 4/5 and above. I appreciate you probably have hands on experience but I wonder why your views are so critical? Likewise the Tamron are getting 4/5 and 5/5 with many commenting how sharp they are.

As for looking at f1.4 I missed that bit ;)
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I had the 28mm - great little lens. Very sharp and accurate. No issues.
 
snerkler said:
Your idea of budget and my idea of budget are two different things ;)
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You dropped what £3500 or so on a camera body? Seems odd to be concerned about a couple of hundred quid of difference on some lenses.

Especially when the camera body you purchased is so demanding from glass. It doesn’t make any sense to use a good camera with crap glass.

If budget was a concern you would have been better of with a cheaper body and better glass.
 
f/2.8 said:
You dropped what £3500 or so on a camera body? Seems odd to be concerned about a couple of hundred quid of difference on some lenses.

Especially when the camera body you purchased is so demanding from glass. It doesn’t make any sense to use a good camera with crap glass.

If budget was a concern you would have been better of with a cheaper body and better glass.
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When did I say budget was a concern? I said my idea of budget is different to yours, £699 for a 55mm f1.8 isn’t budget in my book, especially when you consider that I paid under £300 for the very sharp Z 50mm f1.8 S
 
nandbytes said:
You sure the shop wasn't sending you the same one back 8 or 9 times :p
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Only 2 of them where mine. The one I bought and the one they sent me as a replacement when I decided it wasn’t for for purpose that one was also returned. The others belonged to other photographers.
 
snerkler said:
When did I say budget was a concern? I said my idea of budget is different to yours, £699 for a 55mm f1.8 isn’t budget in my book, especially when you consider that I paid under £300 for the very sharp Z 50mm f1.8 S
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Maybe you shouldn’t of switched if you were so happy with Nikon then.
 
TGphoto said:
I can't see who you're replying to but I can guess. Might as well stick him on ignore. He will peck at your until you do.
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I took him off ignore because he's hilarious - though I'm still on his black list so he won't even know :D
 
TGphoto said:
I’d love to know how it feels to never, ever be wrong about anything :D
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I would tell ya, but I think I might have been wrong once :D

Dollop of salt is all that is needed really, just laugh rather than get irritated. Reminds me a bit of that sketch Harry Enfield and chums used to do 'We are considerably richer than yaouuu' :D
 
f/2.8 said:
Best to stay away from the Sigma art lenses then, they are very heavy and cumbersome, Bigger than most DSLR lenses, that’s the price you pay for being modestly priced with great I.Q.

If you are looking at lighter weight / smaller lenses with good image quality have a look at these:

Sony 20mm f/1.8
Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM
Sony 35mm f/1.8
Samyang 45mm f/1.8
Sony 55mm f/1.8
Sony 85mm f/1.8

Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8
Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8

The Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM is smaller and weighs less than the Signa 135. It’s a superb lens but it isn’t cheap. You could say the same thing about the Sony 85mm f1.4 GM compared to the Sigma 85mm as well.
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Many thanks for the list and will have a good read up on them.

should probably of made it a bit clearer really that I have been trackside shooting motorsport the last ten years so am normally carrying two 1 series bodies with a 500 prime and 70-200 attached around a track for a day so anything slightly smaller will be a bonus lol.

Many thanks once again,it really is most appreciated
 
Gadget-Guy said:
Many thanks for the list and will have a good read up on them.

should probably of made it a bit clearer really that I have been trackside shooting motorsport the last ten years so am normally carrying two 1 series bodies with a 500 prime and 70-200 attached around a track for a day so anything slightly smaller will be a bonus lol.

Many thanks once again,it really is most appreciated
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No worries if you are happy enough to deal with the heavier, bigger Sigma lenses you won't be dissapointed in image quality, they are all excellent.
 
Gadget-Guy said:
Many thanks for the list and will have a good read up on them.

should probably of made it a bit clearer really that I have been trackside shooting motorsport the last ten years so am normally carrying two 1 series bodies with a 500 prime and 70-200 attached around a track for a day so anything slightly smaller will be a bonus lol.

Many thanks once again,it really is most appreciated
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No 500mm prime on Sony e-mount
 
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