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Archive 2016 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?

  
 
sumofall
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


I have the 85mm GM the sony plannar FE and owned the 35mm 1.4 FE.

I always felt like I had to use the ring since it was there.....

What is the purpose of sony adding aperture rings to some of their lenses?



Dec 08, 2016 at 11:59 AM
darrellc
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


Great for video - click less aperture rings allow for smooth continuous and noiseless exposure changes mid filming.

And lots of old guys grew up with aperture rings so a familiar and time tested control method.



Dec 08, 2016 at 12:01 PM
arduluth
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


I didn't grow up with aperture rings, but I do have a strong preference for lenses with aperture rings. I never have to look at the aperture setting and do it by feel. I set aperture without thinking about it, often while I'm not looking through the viewfinder.

It'd be a different story on a lens with 1/3 stops, though. It'd be harder to set the aperture without having to look at the camera. I prefer aperture rings to have full-stop clicks.

People like physical controls.



Dec 08, 2016 at 04:59 PM
Fred Miranda
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


sumofall wrote:
I have the 85mm GM the sony plannar FE and owned the 35mm 1.4 FE.

I always felt like I had to use the ring since it was there.....

What is the purpose of sony adding aperture rings to some of their lenses?


Actually it's not a true mechanical aperture ring. In that sense, you can call it a gimmick since it mimics a mechanical ring while being controlled electronically.
However, I wish all FE lenses had aperture rings.



Dec 08, 2016 at 05:04 PM
sumofall
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


I just started taking video more seriously and my muscle memory is doing terrible.

some of my FE's have it and some don't....I like the smooth turn...

Does it make a difference having the aperture ring de-clicked vs controlling the aperture on the camera body?

Like I forgot to declick the ring and I can audibly hear the snaps/click of my turning the aperture ring thing...



Dec 08, 2016 at 05:13 PM
Steve Spencer
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


sumofall wrote:
I just started taking video more seriously and my muscle memory is doing terrible.

some of my FE's have it and some don't....I like the smooth turn...

Does it make a difference having the aperture ring de-clicked vs controlling the aperture on the camera body?

Like I forgot to declick the ring and I can audibly hear the snaps/click of my turning the aperture ring thing...


The clicks can be annoying on video if the mic is close, but more importantly your exposure changes will occur in jumps on the video that is noticeable if you even change aperture a 1/3 of a stop (it needs to be less than an 1/8 of a stop to not be noticeable). So you can change the exposure without a clickless aperture without a noticeable jump that looks bad, IMO. Remember you can't change shutter speed on video (that is a constant) and you can't change ISO without jumps either. Maybe someday they will build cameras for video with smooth ISO changes, so clickless aperture won't be necessary, but until then your only option to change exposure if the light changes is to change aperture. I have heard of one other technic (gradually changing a variable ND, but that would pretty much require no hood or matte box and you would risk getting your fingers in the shot.



Dec 08, 2016 at 05:22 PM
Mystik
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


I prefer using the aperture ring....really any controls on the body of the lens do wonders for the shooting experience. i.e. the ability to map the AF hold button on the lens to eye focus is awesome.


Dec 08, 2016 at 08:05 PM
bjornthun
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


Mystik wrote:
I prefer using the aperture ring....really any controls on the body of the lens do wonders for the shooting experience. i.e. the ability to map the AF hold button on the lens to eye focus is awesome.


Thanks for the tip! That should work on my Sony 90/2.8 FE and my Sony 70-200/4 FE.



Dec 08, 2016 at 09:02 PM
DavidBM
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


sumofall wrote:
I have the 85mm GM the sony plannar FE and owned the 35mm 1.4 FE.

I always felt like I had to use the ring since it was there.....

What is the purpose of sony adding aperture rings to some of their lenses?


I really wish all the lenses had aperture rings.
As it stands, I don't use the aperture ring on the FEs that have it, because it confuses my haptic memory.
If they all had rings, it would free up a dial on the camera for something else! But if some lenses need to use the camera dial, you have to dedicate it.

But haptically, of course, you are still in a mess, because Loxia lenses and other MF lenses all have rings...But at least if I don't use the ring on the FEs I can internalise AF = on camera aperture control, MF = ring, without a third category of AF lens with ring control...



Dec 08, 2016 at 09:14 PM
arduluth
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?




DavidBM wrote:
I really wish all the lenses had aperture rings.
As it stands, I don't use the aperture ring on the FEs that have it, because it confuses my haptic memory.
If they all had rings, it would free up a dial on the camera for something else! But if some lenses need to use the camera dial, you have to dedicate it.

But haptically, of course, you are still in a mess, because Loxia lenses and other MF lenses all have rings...But at least if I don't use the ring on the FEs I can internalise AF = on camera aperture control, MF
...Show more

I found this as well, when I rented the FE 35/1.4 for a wedding for which I was going to use AF. Since aperture rings weren't on the FE 28/2 or FE 55/1.8, I tended to forget about the 35's aperture ring.



Dec 08, 2016 at 09:56 PM
notherenow
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


I used to much prefer lenses with mechanical aperture rings but now, am happy with both mechanical aperture rings and electronic in camera set ups.

For manual focus adapted lenses, mechanical aperture rings just mean you can use cheaper "dumb" adapters instead of more expensive "smart" adapters.




Dec 08, 2016 at 10:12 PM
retrofocus
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


I wish all lenses including AF lenses would have a mechanical aperture ring even if the aperture can be chosen electronically. By wishing this, also would like to add that manufacturers should come back and making a distance meter scale with red line or dot for manual infrared metering, too.


Dec 09, 2016 at 12:38 PM
bjornthun
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


I've always found distance scale printed on the lenses to be crude at best. Also many lenses with mechanical focus rings suffer from a too short focus throw. I much prefer focus by wire and the OLED display on the Zeiss Batis lenses.


Dec 09, 2016 at 02:14 PM
Eoin
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


I've used lenses with aperture rings all my life, lenses without the rings are a relatively new thing.
I can use them if I wish or move them to "Auto", but without just limits me to the little wheel.



Dec 09, 2016 at 03:12 PM
Chris Crevasse
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · is the aperture ring a gimmick?


I greatly prefer aperture rings on my lenses. I also wish all mode dials were replaced with shutter speed dials. If both the aperture ring and the shutter speed dial had "A" settings, I would be in heaven. In my opinion, that is by far the best way to see and set exposure parameters.


Dec 09, 2016 at 04:03 PM





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