GMPhotography wrote:
Between the Tenbas its 3.5 versus 5.5 width. That would help
Im quoting myself and playing around with the bag the downfall is the zoom. It just sucks up a lot of space in 3.5 width slim bag and i love the slim bag and i may just keep it anyway but i need wider than I need bigger. So Im going to get the DSLR bag which makes the bag 2 inches more width. It would also increase the side outside pockets. Which would actually fit my 2 Loxia lenses better and more secure, or I could stack them. Or i can put portable flashes in the outside pocket or even the A6300. I m not a full protection kind of person, I don't like thick dividers. One thing I keep forgetting is I could throw 2 flashes easily in the laptop section. So given my gear A7rII, A6300, 15,21,24-70,28,50,85,135 Rokinon plus one or two flashes for a PR gig I think I can do a 13 inch but in the DSLR style. I honestly don't like big messenger bags. Feel like Im carrying luggage. Honestly sometimes the bag makes the process of being a shooter a lot more pleasant. I really like these Tenba Cooper bags. They are not cheap but I highly recommend them they fit your body really nice. Done
It can handle 400/2.8 and 600/4 at the same time plus camera body (1Dx size) which rides in that modular pocket on the back of the backpack. This thing is ergonomic to carry whole day. I also wear a tactical vest sometimes and hang stuff in front of me.
But really. I usually carry only one lens with camera body. It limits possibilities but makes you think. This why I do not like zooms.
I have a Guru Gear 18 backpack for those moments. Bags are worse than buying lenses you just don't have any idea you will like it till you stuff your gear in it and go. Than realize you hate it.
I do really like this Guru Gear backpack and just checked and its been discontinued . Tenba bought them out so maybe switching things around
Well I never thought I would go for a zoom lens like this again after I moved form Nikon and the holy trinity into Leica and then Sony for the smaller seize and weight. Anyway got call from my dealer last night and he had one in that a customer no longer wanted so I was first on is back up list would I like to try it out. This is not a lens for the faint-hearted not really due to it's size but it's weight, in fact it wasn't as big as I thought it would be on the A7rII and fits very nicely in the hand. Not a combo I would want to hand carry for to long but on a slider strap works very well. I took some test shots at various focal lengths and apertures and it seemed even across the frame with the corners being very good even wide open apart form at 70mm where there is some softness (will need more testing). Rendering seems very good and it a real pleasure to have f2.8 which gives some lovely bokeh in the 50mm range. I was sold and had bought my FE24-7-/f4 and some other lenses in trade in just in case I liked it, that along with some credit I had with my dealer after selling the WATE meant I walked out a little lighter in pocket and heavier on the lens size. I really feel that this in combination with the A7rII make for and ideal PR/documentary setup where I can use if at f2.8 in the 28-60mm range and feel happy with the results. The Loxia 50 and 21 will still be my basic landscape setup along with FE 90 and CV 15 and the Leica Q for Street. Will have to do more testing to make sure it is spot on
It really is a great lens and certainly changed my tune on hating zooms. I'm hanging on to the Loxia 21 and 50 along with my Vc15 . If I could just get a Loxia 28 I would be screaming happy.
GMPhotography wrote:
It really is a great lens and certainly changed my tune on hating zooms. I'm hanging on to the Loxia 21 and 50 along with my Vc15 . If I could just get a Loxia 28 I would be screaming happy.
Loxia 28 maybe though for me the Leica Q rules when it comes to 28mm
Has this zoom changed your shooting habits? My problem with zooms has been that they have exactly two settings - wide and tele. 16-35 is an exception as it had usually parked itself to 20-21mm position.
I had a quick trip through Joshua Tree N.P. last weekend. The skies were boring blue with no clouds but the temperatures were mild. I tested out the Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM in the field and came away really liking it. I found myself using the zoom half the time and my Loxia 2.8/21 most of the rest of the time. Here is one example of a shot taken early morning. The crops are straight from the raw file with Zero sharpening set in LR. Focus was just a few feet in front of the tree.
I reposted the picture and crops again.
Chuck
Sony A7R II + FE 24-70 f/2.8 GM @ 46mm - f/11 - 1/10 sec.- ISO 100
p.38 #10 · Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Rolling Review
I've been reading the reviews here and elsewhere of the GM 24-70 with great interest. The initial hype of the lens was for wide open sharpness throughout the zoom range. Wow!. I imagined standing where I needed to, focus, shoot, bracket. Move on. Unbelievable.
I come from a 4x5 only background. I had a 150mm Rodenstock parked on my Linhof IV. In recent years I used a D810 with the 24-70. The ability to set the tripod where I wanted and adjust focal length made making a picture a lot easier than trying to monitor film holders, light meter, work under a dark cloth, move the tripod back, forth and sideways, and all the other difficulties of using a 4x5 in the field.
I was not happy with the corner to corner sharpness of the Nikon lens and I wanted to have a smaller and lighter setup. So I moved over to the A7R11 when the lenses, in particular the Loxia 50 showed up.
The reviews of the Sony GM point out a mixed bag of results. GM photography has pointed out that he would be buying a Loxia 50 for that focal length when ultimate quality was needed. Diglloyd pointed out sharpness at certain focal lengths requiring f11 and an asymmetry problem that points to lens copy variation. Diglloyd also points out that field curvature is an issue. These comments gave me pause. Buy a second lens to cover 50mm, or test several lenses to find one that is acceptable throughout the zoom range and field curvature still an issue. The lens is also heavy, big, and costs a fair amount. Reviews here and elsewhere make the point that the lens does some things well and has problems in other areas. The GM is a solid performer, but not the second coming. At least for what I do.
I decided against the lens. I work in a range where two or three primes could work. There's also stitching for a wider view if I choose to limit the number of lenses I want to carry or change in the field.
Thanks all for the tests. A generous hand off of information.
p.38 #11 · Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Rolling Review
There has been two reports of asymmetry on the right side at infinity. Hardly the sky is falling attitude. Copy variance is a issue that creeps up in every brand, these are also very complex lens designs, so yes that can happen in production. The Loxia 50 just comes up faster or wider apertures across the frame. The Zoom is a very solid performer on center at F4 and corners start getting good at 5.6. Need to remember this is also a stop slower than the Loxia 50 so having it is not a need if you have the zoom but if you need a compact fast F2 lens than the Loxia is a great choice. Really if there is a weak spot on this zoom it's at 70mm f4 on center F8 in corners. For a landscape shooter that's not a issue. Most landscape shots are 5.6,8,11 and maybe for DOF f16. Please be careful on what you are reading as well and the source. There are a lot of half baked reports and I will just say it a lot of politics , bias, negatively towards Sony. Just the nature of this industry now which for me is total BS how this industry has changed.
But let me add having outstanding primes will always be an advantage as they are faster, smaller and lighter. Our big basic problem is between 21 and 50 and this lens is at its very best at 24,28,35 and a lot of primes in these areas are not even close to the zoom. The highly regarded by many 28 f2 gets completely blown out of the water by this zoom. But the 28 is small, cheap and easy to carry around. Honestly buying this zoom takes commitment to work with a bigger, heavier lens. Not everyone wants to do that either , which I totally understand. It's a workhorse lens
p.38 #12 · Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Rolling Review
For me the issue isn't weight on camera but weight in back. Usually my primes for the same coverage weigh way more than the zoom. Plus you have the convenience of not changing lenses. And then you also have the fact you have continuous focal lengths.
p.38 #13 · Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Rolling Review
Well I haven't done any extensive shooting with he lens but from what I am seeing so far this is one hell of an 'optic'. Apart from at 70mm mine appears to be sharp across the FOV at f2.8 and that is really something. Rendering of OOF areas is exceptional. All in all I think this really could be the all-in-one lens that I had always hoped for and it really does seem to behave like a series of primes. I have normally worked with 2 bodies with a 50 on one and 28 on the other but with this lens I maybe able to stick to just the one lens and body and happily shoot an f2.8. By the way it blows the FE24-70/f4 way out into the long grass
p.38 #14 · Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Rolling Review
Chuck Coyne wrote:
I had a quick trip through Joshua Tree N.P. last weekend. The skies were boring blue with no clouds but the temperatures were mild. I tested out the Sony 24-70 f/2.8 GM in the field and came away really liking it. I found myself using the zoom half the time and my Loxia 2.8/21 most of the rest of the time. Here is one example of a shot taken early morning. The crops are straight from the raw file with Zero sharpening set in LR. Focus was just a few feet in front of the tree.
Chuck
Why are the crops so blotchy looking? The full size picture looks like it was taken at high ISO or pushing of the shadows?
p.38 #15 · Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Rolling Review
"Why are the crops so blotchy looking? The full size picture looks like it was taken at high ISO or pushing of the shadows?"
The shot as captioned was taken at ISO 100. There was very minor post processing in LR to mainly hold back the strong early morning sun light hitting the main Joshua tree and the ground in front of it. The remainder of the scene behind the main Joshua tree is in a slight shadow as the rock formation was blocking the low angling sun. The crops were taken from the original raw file with no sharpening applied.
I reposted the picture and crops to make certain they were done properly.
p.38 #16 · Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Rolling Review
Here it is against the GM for the very extreme corners.
As I wrote, the GM is a modern lens and performs much better at wider aperture towards the corners.
However, at f/8 and f/11, the CY Distagon 28 competes very well.
CY Distagon 28 (Right), GM at 28mm (Left)
At f/11, I give the edge for the CY 28 prime. All other apertures the GM zoom is better.
At f/8, only the last 'mm' of the the image field is a little soft.
p.38 #18 · Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Rolling Review
Schlotkins wrote:
I wonder why the zoom seems to show more diffraction at f11. you figure that would be similar for both lenses.
The Distagon 28/2.8 is an older design where the extreme corners continue to get better as we close down the aperture. This particular lens gets even better at f/11 (from f/8). The GM zoom seems to stay more or less the same on that area and diffraction is more visible.
p.38 #19 · Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM Rolling Review
The zoom is also a higher resolving lens by design so it will diffract faster. Most very good modern lenses will start at F11 and maybe sooner. Fairly normal
