My impressions of this lens so far are that it shoots well above it's price range and is a definite keeper. It is relatively small and light, has lovely bokeh wide open and performs well across the frame when stopped down to f4. Good colour and contrast, all in all very good. The only thing I miss on it is a DOF scale but otherwise it is now my near perfect street lens on the A7s
Just got a copy in for review, along with the 21mm UWA converter. Looks really good to me so far, though, as everyone knows, notable barrel distortion (bare and with the converter). Converter is soft at the edges wide open but pretty good stopped down it seems. Biggest downside is that the bayonet attachment is quite thin and plastic, and I don't know how robust it would be long term if you used the coverter a lot.
Jman13 wrote:
Just got a copy in for review, along with the 21mm UWA converter. Looks really good to me so far, though, as everyone knows, notable barrel distortion (bare and with the converter). Converter is soft at the edges wide open but pretty good stopped down it seems. Biggest downside is that the bayonet attachment is quite thin and plastic, and I don't know how robust it would be long term if you used the coverter a lot.
I think the saving grace might be that its a pretty firm connection, and since it seems butted up against the front of the lens, and also the lip around it, the weight isn't all being supported by those plastic leaf springs. They seem to hold the UWA against the lens, but maybe not support the total load.
Mine has zero play (which may change over time I guess) but given its not loose at all, I wouldn't expect as much shock transferred continually to the mount from things like just walking around etc.
The samples I have have a small amount of rotational play, but no forward/back play. Does anyone know how the camera knows the converter is attached? I see no pins, no tabs to push a button on the lens, nothing. I'm thinking it may be a small magnetic trigger, though I can't get the 28 to switch to f/2.8 with a small magnet around the barrel in any position....I thought maybe a capacitive thing with the three prongs that keep the connection tight, but the outer ring is plastic, not metal. The engineer in me is curious.
I believe its a magnet, with a different magnet position in the fisheye convertor.
Someone tried to use a magnetic filter holder and it would trick the camera into thinking the UWA was attached and changed the max aperture to F2.8.
Pretty clever bit of design really not have the camera aware the UWA is attached without needing to manually go into a menu and select it, like on the Fuji X100 series, Ricoh GR etc
Took a few shots today - nothing major. I did find the AF to hunt quite a bit in average indoor light when the subject was in shadow - just wouldn't hit focus. That's annoying. The 21mm converter is wider than 21mm, at least before distortion corrections, though the correction brings it back to around 21mm.
Distortion is absolutely terrible with the converter, and correcting really affects sharpness at the edges, but otherwise, image quality looks fairly good. The distortion, though, including with the bare lens, is likely going to be a deal-killer for me. It's SO bad. Full profile PLUS another +15 correction in LR to eliminate it all, and it very much affects resolution at the edges. Sharpness overall is pretty darn good (before distortion correction) and bokeh is fairly nice.
Two quick shots. First with converter, second bare at f/2:
Jman13 wrote:
Just got a copy in for review, along with the 21mm UWA converter. Looks really good to me so far, though, as everyone knows, notable barrel distortion (bare and with the converter). Converter is soft at the edges wide open but pretty good stopped down it seems. Biggest downside is that the bayonet attachment is quite thin and plastic, and I don't know how robust it would be long term if you used the coverter a lot.
Are you a two-system guy these days? I know that you've said you're primarily Fuji, but it seems like Sony is creeping into more and more of your daily use.
Yeah, I'm definitely moving that way. The A7 II is really the first Sony body I've really truly loved. It's fantastic. I will likely end up using A7 II for most of my landscape and outdoor work, where the extra resolution and DR come into play. Indoors, I still reach for the Fuji for the most part, as I find it focuses better in indoor/mixed lighting, and the fast primes are so darn good. The big thing, though, is that I have a lot of Sony stuff on my plate to review, and only a small amount of Fuji stuff. I just finished reviewing the Fuji 16mm f/1.4, and now I've got the 28/2 and UWA converter in. Next will probably be the Loxia 35 or the Sony 90 Macro. I'll review the Fuji 90/2 when it's available, and probably the X-T10 fairly soon.
So, I shot with the combo tripod mounted today, and I'm a little happier with it. The profile corrections in LR correct the distortion mostly (except at close focus distances), and image quality overall is pretty nice.
Are you going to keep the 28 2.0? I have a FE 28 2.0 on order. It was supposed to ship today, but they may be out of stock.
Which may be just as well. I will probably sell my Sony 55 1.8. We had a $1,600 car repair that just came up, and a $3,900 + materials quote for a bathroom remodel that was a lot more than I expected.
+++
Have you ever shot with a tilt-shift lens? You would really love playing with it for something like your first shot. I had the Canon 45 mm and 90 mm TS_E lenses when I had the studio and loved them. I can't afford/ justify them any more.
Version I of the Canon 24 mm TS-E looks like it is down to around $600 on eBay if you can find a used one listed at the right price. I don't know how the distortions and CA compare to Sony's "fix it in software" approach.
ETA: Wow, it actually looks pretty good at photozone. It should be decent on a 24 MP sensor:
I'd just get the Rokinon 24 T/S over the v1 Canon 24 TS/E. Had that one and it was pretty poor for what is still a good deal of money. The new one is much better, though crazy expensive. Really the way to go for TS/E, assuming budget isn't an issue is the stellar 17mm T/S, which can then use the 1.4x TC to give you two lens for the price of one
I had the v1 of the 24 TS-E on my Canon FF cameras several years ago. I liked it a fair bit, though the edges got soft at maximum shift. I can't see spending the cash for one at this point though. If I got a TS lens, I'd really want the Canon 17.
As to the FE 28, I just have it in now for review. I don't plan on buying one. The lens is quite good for the price, but 28mm is in no mans land for me as a prime. (I use this length from time to time, but not enough to want a lens dedicated to this focal length). My next native lens is very likely the 16-35. I reviewed it in January and really liked it.
Jordan, thank you for sharing the 28 and 21 images. For the price and weight they look pretty good to me. A light travel kit with two possibilities. I have never owned a 28, so I will have to see how I like it.
Did you get a chance to use it on the A6000 at all? For me the attraction of 28mm f2 is as a 42mm equivalent normal lens on A6000 as I prefer that FL over the 53mm equivalent that the 35mm 1.8 would be.
With the limited time and reviewing both the 28 and the 21 converter, I didn't get a chance to really shoot with it on the a6000. It's sharp enough that I think it would do quite well in that role.
