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Archive 2016 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII

  
 
philip_pj
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


A good example of what timeless 20th century optics bring to the table - the Leica R 80/1.4 is apparently a 1980 design. Thank you JJ. My feelings re MF as well, though I need to flub worse at f3.5 to lose fully. Reminds also that many photographers rate sharpness as a second or third order pictorial quality - if that high, certainly for people photography.

[Aussies will bet on two flies crawling up a wall. "On an international scale Australia has more racecourses than any other nation. It is second to the United States in the number of horses starting in races each year." 24.5m people.]



Nov 27, 2016 at 04:10 PM
PEKA62
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


Just received my Loxia 85, I really like what I see so far ...



Nov 27, 2016 at 04:19 PM
Tony Ross
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


I am using the Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 on the A7R II, because it's very sharp and its weight suits the A7. The Sony 85mm G Master may be a better lens, but it's far too heavy for my Sony kit. I am thoroughly enjoying using the Batis.

I need AF, so a number of the options listed in this thread are not useful to me.

Oh, and the Batis lenses are pretty - beautifully smooth lines (even the lens hood follows the lines). And it has an OLED distance display.



Nov 27, 2016 at 04:42 PM
GabrielPhoto
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


Picture This! wrote:
Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving.

I'm considering picking up a 85mm lens for my A7rII. Looking for a f1.4 - f/1.8 lens. My main use case is portraiture wide open, but I also want something that had decent-good stopped down performance for landscapes. I also have a techart pro adapter so that opens up some more options.

I'd like to keep it below $1000.

Considering the following:
Zeiss 85 f/1.4 ZF (the older version). I also have a nikon body so this can be used on both. Its f/1.4.
Batis 85 f/1.8

The 85 GM is above my price range.

Any other options
...Show more
While I prefer my GM, since it is our of your budget, I will surely go with the Batis. You got an A7Rii and want to do portraiture among other things. The Continuos Eye AF with the A7Rii and 85mm 1.8 will be fantastic. I love how it nails shot after shot right on the eye and I can get creative just shooting form way above my head and juts point down to the subject if I feel like it.




Nov 27, 2016 at 05:08 PM
joelRichards
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


Unless you've a really compelling reason (two different systems, you always shoot at f/1.4, etc.) I'd go with the native lens, in this case the Batis. It really is a remarkable lens with very few compromises. Wide open it does have a different look than the GM or Summicron. Stopped down to F/2.0 I think even most photographers couldn't tell the Batis from the GM in most cases. Yes, the GM is a little smoother in the bokeh and the highlights are a bit rounder but the GM bokeh can still be busy and you can still find cat's eyes. If you want perfect bokeh get an iPhone 7 :wink:


Nov 27, 2016 at 05:42 PM
JohnJ
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


nikonos6 wrote:
Hey JohnJ,

these great pictures look like you took them at Flemington Race Course ?
Have been there 4 years ago for the Melbourne Cup - what an amazing day indeed!


Thanks Nikono6, the first 3 were at Flemington but at Oaks Day which is two days after Melbourne Cup. Melbourne Cup is amazing, and it's a public holiday here so everyone makes a day of it, often with barbecues with friends.

During Spring and Autumn the races come alive with Racing Fashion, which is the reason I attend. The country races are fantastic as they are smaller, easier to get around, park, get a drink etc, but I think they are more colourful and charismatic than the slightly clinical big-city meetings. Most of the pics I posted were from the last few weeks at country races at Kilmore and Ballarat. They are all quite a bit of fun and great for photogs as the crowds are fun and happy to have pics taken.

The pics below are from a couple of days ago at a country meeting at Yarra Valley.

Yarra Valley, Leica R 1.4/80
http://photocornucopia.com/images/Lenses/Leica/R80/161126_R80_DSC01363.jpg

http://photocornucopia.com/images/Lenses/Leica/R80/161126_R80_DSC01384.jpg

http://photocornucopia.com/images/Lenses/Leica/R80/161126_R80_DSC01391.jpg

philip_pj wrote:
A good example of what timeless 20th century optics bring to the table - the Leica R 80/1.4 is apparently a 1980 design. Thank you JJ. My feelings re MF as well, though I need to flub worse at f3.5 to lose fully. Reminds also that many photographers rate sharpness as a second or third order pictorial quality - if that high, certainly for people photography.

[Aussies will bet on two flies crawling up a wall. "On an international scale Australia has more racecourses than any other nation. It is second to the United States in the number of horses
...Show more

Thanks Philip, it's crazy how many races there are here, especially the country meetings which are lots of fun.

It's definitely much easier to catch 'moments' with an AF lens, and maybe this trumps other optical qualities, so I get around with zooms and a 5D2 as well as the Sony A7RII and usually a MF lens. When I look back at the images I tend to prefer the MF images, especially those from the R 1.4/80. However, if I use an AF lens like the FE 1.8/55 (so not relevant really in this thread, but I mention it to illustrate the point) I get FAR more great images that show the character and charm, ie plenty of 'moments' that I probably would have missed with the MF lens. Maybe I need a second A7RII so I can have both!

Here's one from the Contax 1.4/50MM at F1.4 (also at Yarra Valley)
http://photocornucopia.com/images/Lenses/Leica/R80/161126_C50_DSC01439.jpg



Nov 27, 2016 at 06:28 PM
Picture This!
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


Thanks so much for the inputs everyone. I've narrowed it down to the ZF, Canon FS 85/1.2 or Batis


Dec 03, 2016 at 02:01 PM
AGeoJO
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


Canon FS? You mean Canon FD, the MF line from yesteryear right, Manu? Yes, a great MF lens if MF is your "thing" but you can even get that lens to AF on your A7r II by using a TAP and a Canon FD to M adapter if you feel like it . GL with your decision!


Dec 03, 2016 at 03:06 PM
Picture This!
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


Oops my bad. Meant Canon FD. Yes if I end up going that direction, will get the adapter to use on TAP.


Dec 03, 2016 at 04:04 PM
Jochenb
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


I love my Zeiss 85/1.4 ZF.2 on the A7 series! Even it's size is still quite OK.

Some random examples from this lens on the A7S and A7RII:








Dec 03, 2016 at 07:51 PM
Picture This!
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


Think I just made a decision


Dec 03, 2016 at 08:57 PM
seanj
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


I owned the Rokinon/Samyang 85mm/1.4 for a while. i HATED it. The minimum focusing distance was terrible. I couldn't shoot semi tight headshots. It's barely over a meter, I believe. I went with the Batis 85 and it's around 80 cm.


Dec 03, 2016 at 09:44 PM
CalBoy87
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


Picture This! wrote:
Oops my bad. Meant Canon FD. Yes if I end up going that direction, will get the adapter to use on TAP.

Make sure that TAP adapter can handle such a beastly lens. TAP limit is 700g, I believe FD 85L is 680g, plus M-FD adapter may put it a bit over the TAP's limit.




Dec 04, 2016 at 03:30 AM
artur5
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


Several 85/1.4 lenses are limited to 1 mt. MFD, not only the Samyang.
Consulting a DOF table, we'll see that a 85mm at f/1.4 focused at 1mt. has the same DOF of a 85 at f/2.4 focused at 0.75mtr. Therefore, smaller DOF, one of main assets of fast portrait lenses, mostly disappears if the MFD is too far.



Dec 04, 2016 at 03:40 AM
genji
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


AGeoJO wrote:
Canon FS? You mean Canon FD, the MF line from yesteryear right, Manu? Yes, a great MF lens if MF is your "thing" but you can even get that lens to AF on your A7r II by using a TAP and a Canon FD to M adapter if you feel like it . GL with your decision!


---------------------------------------------

Picture This! wrote:
Oops my bad. Meant Canon FD. Yes if I end up going that direction, will get the adapter to use on TAP.


---------------------------------------------

CalBoy87 wrote:
Make sure that TAP adapter can handle such a beastly lens. TAP limit is 700g, I believe FD 85L is 680g, plus M-FD adapter may put it a bit over the TAP's limit.


The official Techart PRO limit is 700g for a Leica M lens (i.e. no adapter). The TAP weighs 133g and the Canon FD -> M adapter weighs 48g; let's say 180g together. If the FD 85L is 680g, the total weight becomes 860g, which is not just a bit but rather well over the "limit". Plus, there's no easy way to attach a tripod mount collar to the FD -> M adapter so you're stuck using the "hold the lens and let the TAP move the camera back and forward" AF method.

In theory, the Techart PRO appears to offer limitless possibilities for adding AF to legacy lenses. But practice frequently causes theory to stumble and fall flat on its face. I like the TAP so much that I recently ordered another one. But after a couple of months of use, I've come to the conclusion that I prefer to use it with smallish lenses weighing no more than ~350g (which becomes ~400g if you need a secondary adapter). For my comfortable use, larger & heavier lenses require either a built-in tripod foot or an attachable tripod mount collar. OMMMV*

(* Other Members' Mileage May Vary)



Dec 04, 2016 at 04:31 AM
CalBoy87
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


genji wrote:
[qoute]The official Techart PRO limit is 700g for a Leica M lens (i.e. no adapter). The TAP weighs 133g and the Canon FD -> M adapter weighs 48g; let's say 180g together. If the FD 85L is 680g, the total weight becomes 860g, which is not just a bit but rather well over the "limit". Plus, there's no easy way to attach a tripod mount collar to the FD -> M adapter so you're stuck using the "hold the lens and let the TAP move the camera back and forward" AF method.


As per their site: "The motor is so powerful that it can drive a lens system as heavy as 700g."
As the adapter is not moving itself, I understand that 700g. is exclusive of the TAP itself. If so, FD 85L with FD adapter would be only 28g. or so over, not really a big deal. I may be wrong here, though.




Dec 04, 2016 at 05:09 AM
genji
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


CalBoy87 wrote:
As per their site: "The motor is so powerful that it can drive a lens system as heavy as 700g."
As the adapter is not moving itself, I understand that 700g. is exclusive of the TAP itself. If so, FD 85L with FD adapter would be only 28g. or so over, not really a big deal. I may be wrong here, though.


You're right, my bad! I shouldn't have included the TAP itself in my weight "calculation".

But... even if the FD 85 L with FD adapter is only a little over the 700g limit, based on my own use with lots of different lenses, I still say that the 700g figure is wildly optimistic and that I would only use such a heavy lens if it had either a built-in tripod foot or an attachable tripod mount collar. Hopefully other members will chip in, either agreeing or disagreeing with my opinion. We're all better off when we're not forced to rely on only a manufacturer's suggestion.



Dec 04, 2016 at 05:36 AM
henryk805
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


I don't know if there will be any long term toll on the TAP, but FD 85l works very well on tap with fast focus. Wile it is certainly heavier than Batis, it feels pretty good and comfortable to use. It also is full stop faster and has creamier bokeh compared to Batis. Curiously though, it seems a little shorter than 85.

Going back to handling, tap / fd 85L combo is much easier to use with more accurate focus than la-ea4 / za135 1.8 combo that I used to have. Za135 does have more magic though...




Dec 04, 2016 at 01:25 PM
serhan_
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · 85mm lens for Sony A7rII


MFD for Sony lenses:
85mm 2.8 60cm
85mm 1.4 ZA 85cm
85mm 1.8 Batis 80cm
85mm 1.4 GM 80cm
85mm 2 Loxia 80cm

With TAP, 90mm rf lens focus around 70cm... I like the shorter mfd also, eg ZA 135mm with 72mm mfd and finally I got the Voiglander 125 2.5 ZA which might work better due to its size...Usually TAP is good but not a replacement for mf/eye af...

artur5 wrote:
Several 85/1.4 lenses are limited to 1 mt. MFD, not only the Samyang.
Consulting a DOF table, we'll see that a 85mm at f/1.4 focused at 1mt. has the same DOF of a 85 at f/2.4 focused at 0.75mtr. Therefore, smaller DOF, one of main assets of fast portrait lenses, mostly disappears if the MFD is too far.





Dec 04, 2016 at 03:15 PM
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