p.1 #1 · Travel kit for Turkey and Europe - Sigma, Sony, Zeiss on NEX7
I have a lot of lenses to choose from but needed to select for an upcoming trip to Turkey and Europe. Normally, I am a Zeiss fanboi - but 'horses for courses' and some experience (failures) have taught me to know my gear's pros and cons. I tested several lenses last night to see which ones I should take (with a slight concern to crime issues in Istanbul).
Normally my carry bag includes the Zeiss 21mm2.8, 28mm 2.0, 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.4. It's heavy but not really a problem for me to carry.
I learned in Paris last year that the Hollywood 28mm shows very bad sagittal coma flare (SCF) when confronting multiple light sources - typical of well lit tourist locations (think Prague main square or along the Seine in Paris).
For that reason I wanted to test some golden hour shots and some that would expose any SCF or other aberrations.
ISO 100, tripod, remote shutter, manually focused all shots at 11.7x - f stops as noted. All shot as fine JPG.
In summary -
The Sigma's 19mm and 30mm perform well but the 19mm has some PF even at 5.6.
The Sigma 30 has none of the SCF issues the Hollywood does.
The Zeiss 21mm has an unbeatable combination of color, resolution and lack of aberrations. it's no wonder so many love this lens.
The Sony 50mm OSS does well against the Zeiss 50 1.4 and is 'effectively' faster due to the OSS. The autofocus is a bonus and the bokeh is as good as is the color. It's a nice easy brainless lens. The Zeiss produced a purple aberration in the night test.
The Sigma's have a pink cast - custom WB cures this. I am hoping that a CPL might help.
So far it looks like I am taking the Zeiss 21mm, both Sigmas and the Sony OSS.
Here are the shots and some side by sides.
Click below then click older. Thanks for any insight or advice. Full size JPGS are up in every case and well marked as well as EXIF data
Based on the text, I think you have made up your mind. But I probably wouldn't take a 21mm and 19mm...When I travel (backpacking), less is more. I carry a lots of stuffs too, but carry less means you can go further, walk faster, explore more areas, and probably enjoy more.
BTW, are you sure you won't want a wider lens, say inside a mosque? Actually a fisheye is interesting...(I got a fisheye after the trip). Also, somtimes a longer lens is useful too.
p.1 #3 · Travel kit for Turkey and Europe - Sigma, Sony, Zeiss on NEX7
I have to say, if I was just going from the examples you posted, there's no way I'd be bringing the Zeiss 21: it's performance is too close to the Sigma 19 here (the amount of PF shown here IMO would be fairly trivial to correct in PP).
I do think in a well-lit scene, you may see more differentiation between the two lenses (my experience with the Sigma 19's color is that it's a bit bland). Obviously, if you were bringing a FF camera, there would be a world of difference. But with both lenses mounted to NEX? Not worth the weight.
p.1 #5 · Travel kit for Turkey and Europe - Sigma, Sony, Zeiss on NEX7
Those are great photos. I hope we can catch as much as you did. I noticed a lot of those are 12mm. Still investigating wider options but with a week to go I am running out of time.
On the 21mm - I'm certain about taking it so really the 19mm is the add-on and it's nothing. Plus it's easy for when I want to just shoot and not make a big fuss out of it.
With 2 weeks in the Alps I wouldn't want to be without the Zeiss 21.
p.1 #8 · Travel kit for Turkey and Europe - Sigma, Sony, Zeiss on NEX7
Almost at an end of the trip and used the Sigma twins (19mm and 30mm) almost all the time. The Zeiss manuals I took have one advantage - they don't hunt in low light and I can make changes to the camera without the lenses going back into autofocus mode and needing readjustment.
The one exception is the preference of using the Zeiss 50mm for portraits and some street shooting.
It's hard to go back to using the Zeiss lenses as I feel like I can't find critical focus with them after using the Sigmas.
I may be over-using the polarizer and haven't had the chance to do quality post work.
p.1 #9 · Travel kit for Turkey and Europe - Sigma, Sony, Zeiss on NEX7
Magic Light - great shots. I feel like I should choose people and lifestyle shots more often. I've still got the day to go out and take more. I'll try.
p.1 #10 · Travel kit for Turkey and Europe - Sigma, Sony, Zeiss on NEX7
You were right the Zeiss 21 barely came out of the bag. But I did use it to make the night shots in Montreux. Not sure if these are the ones I posted or the Sigmas - will check when I am home
