FlyPenFly wrote:
Looks like you're having a lot of fun with your new toy. Should try the 85mm f2.8 next!
I need at least f/1.8 for 85mm. 2.8 on crop is just too much DOF for what I want at 85mm. I really, really wish Sony would have went with a bit more expensive f/1.8 85 like Nikon/Canon, but I'm willing to be they thought it would eat into the CZ 85 sales, so they made the "cheap" 85 f/2.8 to safely segregate them.
I'll probably break down and either get a Sigma 85 1.4 or I'll chip a Rokinon 85 1.4. That way, I have almost ~135mm f/2 (dof) equivalent (shot that lens with Canon...magical!)
Experimenting tonight in a "clamshell" lighting setup (learned from Scott Kelby's free ipad app).
Using 2x 43AM flashes and two umbrellas. Top umbrella I have flash firing bare into the back of it, to somewhat simulate a beauty dish's effect. Bottom umbrella I have the flash's diffuser on it, giving it softer look. 16-50
At 100% crop I could tell my experiments with the umbrellas worked. Looking at the top umbrella catchlight in her eyes, it's almost a solid white disk with of course some falloff...whereas the bottom umbrella was evenly lit.
cputeq wrote:
I need at least f/1.8 for 85mm. 2.8 on crop is just too much DOF for what I want at 85mm. I really, really wish Sony would have went with a bit more expensive f/1.8 85 like Nikon/Canon, but I'm willing to be they thought it would eat into the CZ 85 sales, so they made the "cheap" 85 f/2.8 to safely segregate them.
The 85mm F2.8 is far better than the Nikon equivalents in sharpness, color, bokeh, CA, and most of all size, tiny lens. A lot of people think it's an adapted Sonnar 90mm F2.8
I've actually tried all 4 lenses, the Canon and Nikons are almost unusable wide open because of CA.
FlyPenFly wrote:
The 85mm F2.8 is far better than the Nikon equivalents in sharpness, color, bokeh, CA, and most of all size, tiny lens. A lot of people think it's an adapted Sonnar 90mm F2.8
I've actually tried all 4 lenses, the Canon and Nikons are almost unusable wide open because of CA.
I've shot the Canon and Nikon 1.8s. Loved the Canon, didn't really like the Nikon. Most of my wide-open shots aren't in super-high contrast situations...for instance, I have a plan of using 85mm during event shooting (retirements of military), and I need all the speed I can get.
Plus for portraits, I prefer the creamy look of f2 or faster, especially if I'm using a crop camera.
The other problem comes from using SAM motors - This doesn't allow the A77 to operate like I like, which is to use AF-S, then depress the AF/MF button to instantly enter MF with peaking enabled. On the SAM lenses, I have to switch the lens switch to MF for this to happen with peaking -- Pressing AF/MF in fact does go into manual focus, but does not enable peaking. I'm unsure how this happens on screw-drive like the ZA 85, but on my 16-50 SSM it activates peaking as soon as I hit the AF/MF toggle.
cputeq -- I really like what you're getting with the A77. I handled one in the store the other day and was super impressed with the EVF, AF, overall handling.
I can't possibly justify buying one when I already have a 24 megapixel Sony camera (the A900) but it's nice piece of gear and your pictures on this thread really show what it (and you) can do.
ebrandon wrote:
cputeq -- I really like what you're getting with the A77. I handled one in the store the other day and was super impressed with the EVF, AF, overall handling.
I can't possibly justify buying one when I already have a 24 megapixel Sony camera (the A900) but it's nice piece of gear and your pictures on this thread really show what it (and you) can do.
Thank you yes, I'm still awaiting a great opportunity to get some quality landscape shots...unfortunately work and home life take precedence
So the primary reason I bought the A77? The flippy LCD screen - I get so much use out of this and using a camera without one is very annoying to me now.
Tonight I justified it gorgeously.
I was again experimenting with my 2-flash "studio" setup, but since I was lacking a subject, I used myself.
Normally with any other camera, this would have been a pain in the ass without having a laptop near me in tethering mode. Even pre-focusing and marking a spot on the floor, it's hard to get perfect focus on the face even using F/11 like I was at only 50mm
How to solve? Easy. I enable rear LCD screen, flip it all the way up and (mostly) over the camera. I enter MF mode on camera (actually I found a bug on camera I will have to report) and enabled peaking.
I hold a high-contrast object up to where I'm close to wanting to stand and manually focus the lens.
Now, I depress shutter for 10-sec timer. I walk to my spot, viewing myself on the rear LCD -- Once the green dot lights up and the AF boxes light, I know I'm in the right spot! Very very awesome (even using pop-up flash as commander, I was able to do this). Also, since I have peaking enabled, I see yellow dots appear in my eyeballs and I know I'm in focus. The A77 is perfect for egocentric shooters!
Now the bug I mention - Using the 16-50 SSM lens I had initially left camera in AF-S mode, but put the lens barrel in MF mode.
Well, the A77 does not like this. For whatever reason, I would have a hard time initializing the timer to shoot. At first I thought perhaps I wasn't pressing shutter, until I had 1 or 2 times I was really pressing all the way down but nothing...camera would not initialize countdown!
To solve it - I placed camera body in MF along with lens in MF and magically everything worked - shutter tripped every time I used it. Very strange.
cputeq wrote:
I've shot the Canon and Nikon 1.8s. Loved the Canon, didn't really like the Nikon. Most of my wide-open shots aren't in super-high contrast situations...for instance, I have a plan of using 85mm during event shooting (retirements of military), and I need all the speed I can get.
I used the Canon for portraits too all in natural outdoor light and where there were highlights, it was CA city and the thick harsh kind.
On my FF at least, I definitely stop down to F2.8 anyway for portraits to get enough DoF but I can see how in APSC you might want more isolation. If I shoot at F2, I often find that at 85mm F2 on FF, I don't get everything I need in focus at portrait distances.
I'm of the opinion that the Nikon 85mm F1.4 AF-D is the best mainstream autofocus portrait lens made because of the sombrero resolution. The Zeiss 85mm ZA is too sharp at F2.8 and up.
FlyPenFly wrote:
The 85mm F2.8 is far better than the Nikon equivalents in sharpness, color, bokeh, CA, and most of all size, tiny lens. A lot of people think it's an adapted Sonnar 90mm F2.8
I've actually tried all 4 lenses, the Canon and Nikons are almost unusable wide open because of CA.
Sony has all but admitted the 85/2.8 is a direct clone of the Contax 85/2.8 (C/Y, not G) with improved close focus. The marketing literature even calls it a Sonnar-type.
Personally, I'd rather have a super-compact, close focusing f2.8 lens that's sharp from f2.8 than a larger, longer MFD f1.8 lens that needs to be stopped down to f2.8 to get usable (which is my personal experience of the AF 85/1.8's). But some of that is a matter of style.
#3:
First test picture with my Minolta 28-135mm on Sony A850 , handheld, ISO 200, F8
When pixel peeping I see that picture is quite sharp across the frame. I now have 2 of these lenses.
Thanks. looks horrible in color, zero contrast because it was raining fairly good. Yay for using a weather sealed (or at least resistant) 16-50 and A77
As for the watches - I have no idea..wow minimum 15K! I will guess the one on the left is 100K because it has more words
So after checking and rechecking the B&S board here for a 70-300, I finally have one coming used from B&H. I also learned a little trick (or uncovered a bug, who knows)
I went to B&H and searched for "Sony 70-300" and came upon a used match for $759, Grade 9. Before I pulled the trigger, I thought I would just search for "Sony Lens" and then sort by price.
This type of search method found two versions of the 70-300G, both grade 9. My version included box and hood for $729 (the $759 had "inc pouch/hood"). They didn't mention caps but I'm assuming they're included...those are cheap even if they're missing. They didn't mention bag, but I don't get a crap about the bag.
So I saved $30 or so by giving up the bag (but getting a box, which might be more important for the B&S here if I decide to resell later ), but the original search for "Sony 70-300" didn't turn up the second version of the lens...maybe B&H defaults to the more expensive grade on the result or maybe the search parameters are very strict (I double-checked to make sure I was buying a 70-300G).
Just a tidbit of info.
I also tried KEH before this, but wow they're still getting hammered by DDoS attacks apparently...who the hell would want to bring down a used camera gear web site?
cputeq wrote:
I also tried KEH before this, but wow they're still getting hammered by DDoS attacks apparently...who the hell would want to bring down a used camera gear web site?
i always figured it was just that their server was connected via dial-up.
(shot that lens with Canon...magical!)
