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Archive 2016 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

JVJL
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p.15 #1 · p.15 #1 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

Although I don't have the 85mm GM, based on videos, the sound seems similar to the Nikon 1.8G primes. They are relatively noisy with a grinding quality to the sound.

GMPhotography wrote:
Chris maybe your right. It's just sounds so weird. I wish I had another copy to compare too. I never ran into a lens that sounded like this and you know how many lenses i have had. Heck I could almost fill lens rental shelves. Lol

Apr 11, 2016 at 07:33 PM

chrisgibbs
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p.15 #2 · p.15 #2 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

GMPhotography wrote:
Chris maybe your right. It's just sounds so weird. I wish I had another copy to compare too. I never ran into a lens that sounded like this and you know how many lenses i have had. Heck I could almost fill lens rental shelves. Lol

The examples you've posted look spectacular, I'd not really worry about the noise unless you're shooting multi-media, then it becomes somewhat of a real issue on the audio side of things. I shot the 85L, loved it, never shot it off of f/2 because that to my eye was the primo iris setting for most the fast L's. This little Sony looks great at whatever iris setting, looks like a great little performer, maybe more versatile than the 85L as it actually has a decently fast AF.

Apr 11, 2016 at 08:10 PM

ecarlino
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p.15 #3 · p.15 #3 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

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Edited on Apr 23, 2016 at 09:55 PM · View previous versions

Apr 11, 2016 at 08:46 PM

ecarlino
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p.15 #4 · p.15 #4 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

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Edited on Apr 23, 2016 at 09:55 PM · View previous versions

Apr 11, 2016 at 08:51 PM

JVJL
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p.15 #5 · p.15 #5 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

Thanks for posting these comparisons. It may be a due to copy variations but it seems the GM is sharper than the Batis in the lower left corner

https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/148887005/m%3D900/2869e191938e31b2f0223c9fe183ba7b

Apr 11, 2016 at 09:32 PM

ecarlino
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p.15 #6 · p.15 #6 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

JVJL wrote:
Thanks for posting these comparisons. It may be a due to copy variations but it seems the GM is sharper than the Batis in the lower left corner

https://drscdn.500px.org/photo/148887005/m%3D900/2869e191938e31b2f0223c9fe183ba7b

At twice the weight and 150% of the price compared to the Batis, the GM had better be sharper overall and in the corners.
There's no doubt it's better optically; It is also 'different' in certain aspects.
Everyone needs to evaluate for themselves (based on needs, budget, preferences, etc) whether that bit of extra sharpness (and other characteristics) is 'worth' it to them.

Apr 11, 2016 at 09:50 PM

JVJL
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p.15 #7 · p.15 #7 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

Also, it seems the Batis has a magenta tint while the GM has a more greenish tint

Apr 11, 2016 at 10:06 PM

Charlie N
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p.15 #8 · p.15 #8 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

comparisons are nice, batis looks like it has better contrast, GM has noticeably better bokeh, none of the nervousness.

Apr 11, 2016 at 10:46 PM

philber
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p.15 #9 · p.15 #9 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

My idea of bokeh.... no doubt, it performs well in this department...
Still unsure about this, but I need to sort out whether I really the colours out of this lens

Apr 11, 2016 at 11:02 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.15 #10 · p.15 #10 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

ecarlino wrote:
85GM vs Batis 85:
CITYSCAPE infinity test @ f/5.6

Instead of posting photos on this thread, i'll post a link that will open a new tab and load my photos into that tab.

These are full-sized jpgs so you can compare corners, etc
There are 3 photos for each lens from the a7r2 (lossy compressed, zero adjustments, converted to JPG in CapOne v9)

I have 6 x 30" monitors on my PC and 42MP is bigger than all of them combined - it's pretty cool to look at!
But i didn't want to generate 100% crops, so you can...Show more →

Very nice infinity tests (f/5.6). The GM is sharper in the corners by quite a bit. It's quite surprising as I thought the Batis would offer similar performance at this aperture.

Apr 11, 2016 at 11:14 PM

Fred Miranda
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p.15 #11 · p.15 #11 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

ecarlino wrote:
85GM vs Batis 85:
out-of-focus comparision @ f/1.6 (GM), f/1.8 (Batis)

Today at 3 PM, the skies began to clear in Chicago, so I went downtown to get another set of OOF backgrounds to compare between the GM and Batis.

I simply found something to focus on (generally 10 to 20 feet away) that had something going on in the background (generally 25 to 1000+ feet away). This is not so much useful to observe the transition from in focus to out of focus (although in some cases, almost by accident, you can), but more to...Show more →

It really helps seen both lenses side by side. I've learned a lot from this test. (GM at f/1.6 and Batis at f/1.8)
Thanks again Eric.

Apr 11, 2016 at 11:15 PM

Holger
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p.15 #12 · p.15 #12 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

ecarlino wrote:
At twice the weight and 150% of the price compared to the Batis, the GM had better be sharper overall and in the corners.
There's no doubt it's better optically; It is also 'different' in certain aspects.
Everyone needs to evaluate for themselves (based on needs, budget, preferences, etc) whether that bit of extra sharpness (and other characteristics) is 'worth' it to them.

The 85GM is a very nice lens, but I am very happy with the Batis. It is excellent too and I like the stronger contrast. The difference in rendering is less important for me mostly, as we usually choose our backgrounds wisely when doing portraits, so the difference will be much less pronounced.I don't, on purpose, choose busy backgrounds whenever possible.

Apr 11, 2016 at 11:21 PM

Stoffer
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p.15 #13 · p.15 #13 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

GMPhotography wrote:
Okay more images

Just another mid range bokeh but backlit. Im very impressed with the Bokeh balls shape here very smooth and round

Thanks, bokeh looks lovely even at f/5.6. Just wonderful smooth rendering, kind of cinematic or timeless for a lack of a better word.

Apr 12, 2016 at 12:55 AM

Holger
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p.15 #14 · p.15 #14 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

JVJL wrote:
Although I don't have the 85mm GM, based on videos, the sound seems similar to the Nikon 1.8G primes. They are relatively noisy with a grinding quality to the sound.

No. I have most 1.8g lenses and know many having them, too. Not comparable imo.

Apr 12, 2016 at 04:17 AM

scotek
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p.15 #15 · p.15 #15 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

To address some of the videos that were criticized for having the gain set really high, here's my example of the 85mm GM focus noise set against high and moderate ambient noise using the internal MIC.

My noise sounds like the "darth vader" hiss, I wouldn't describe it as "coffee grinder". Its happening in MF mode so this is not just an AF issue. I looked down the barrel of the lens with a flashlight and can't detect anything that looks like debris or shavings.

Part of me hopes this is a defect and I'll be able to replace it with a lower noise unit, though if this is just "normal" so long as its not going to degenerate and get worse I could live with it as I mostly only shoot still. Hope we get public updates from Sony quickly.

https://youtu.be/_Lwe-XLOOlM

Apr 12, 2016 at 04:41 AM

ecarlino
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p.15 #16 · p.15 #16 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

Fred Miranda wrote:
Very nice infinity tests (f/5.6). The GM is sharper in the corners by quite a bit. It's quite surprising as I thought the Batis would offer similar performance at this aperture.

I wonder if some if it has to do with the distortion correction on the Batis, which out of the camera is something like 3%, so the corners deteriorate (when peeping).

Apr 12, 2016 at 04:58 AM

DavidBM
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p.15 #17 · p.15 #17 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

One of the striking things about all these really good 85 mm lenses when you look at both their mtf and their variation is that *there is as Much variation between copies of the lenses as there is between the averages of eac lens*

So peeking at one copy of each of a pair of high quality lenses might not tell you much that isn't specific to the copies, even though variation is low.

Edited on Apr 12, 2016 at 05:29 AM · View previous versions

Apr 12, 2016 at 05:05 AM

GMPhotography
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p.15 #18 · p.15 #18 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

ecarlino wrote:
I wonder if some if it has to do with the distortion correction on the Batis, which out of the camera is something like 3%, so the corners deteriorate (when peeping).

Really does not have much effect at all. I did it on the 24-70 at 24mm and the corners where brilliant on that test. Actually maybe the best focal length on the new zoom

Apr 12, 2016 at 05:11 AM

ecarlino
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p.15 #19 · p.15 #19 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

Holger wrote:
The 85GM is a very nice lens, but I am very happy with the Batis. It is excellent too and I like the stronger contrast. The difference in rendering is less important for me mostly, as we usually choose our backgrounds wisely when doing portraits, so the difference will be much less pronounced.I don't, on purpose, choose busy backgrounds whenever possible.

I would agree 100% that the differences between the lenses can be managed. Being that my profession is trading commodities, photography is a hobby that is generally linked to traveling with family and friends. As such, probably 2/3 of the time I'm trying to capture a moment (and have very little control over anything) but don't want it look too much like a snapshot. Part of that is choosing target rich environments and the right time of day (light) and part of that is having good equipment.

So even though I'm sharing all of these tests, they're squarely focused on situations I tend to find myself in. I over analyze things before purchases or trips but when I'm traveling or out with friends, I don't sweat the details, in fact, I purposely try to not let the photography "get in the way" of having a good time with the people I'm with.

I actually love a lot of what the Batis does. So for my needs, this becomes a difficult decision, because the GM takes slightly sharper images and handles distracting backgrounds a bit better and I'm trying to determine for my purposes how often that will be a factor. but the GM "gets in the way" all of the time, because of its mass. I don't even notice I'm carrying the Batis, whereas I feel the GM constantly.

here's a shot i took last summer of my son on the ferry as we arrived into Bellagio - with the Zony 35/1.4 - which i'm glad i had and had gotten rid of the Zony 35/2.8 which practically ruined half the photos from a trip to SanDiego 2 years earlier because of its nervous bokeh. I had zero control over this situation, but i love the moment and part of that was having a good lens that i was confident in and didn't have to sweat about the background being too busy etc - i also wasn't thinking about my equipment at all and rather enjoyed our time together on that trip.

the difference between the Batis 85 and 85GM is nowhere near as wide as the Zony 35/1.4 and Zony 35/2.8 - which makes this so difficult - because for the bit extra pick-up in the 85GM, you're paying dearly in the mass (and price).

Edited on Apr 12, 2016 at 06:00 AM · View previous versions

Apr 12, 2016 at 05:14 AM

GMPhotography
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p.15 #20 · p.15 #20 · Sony 85mm 1.4 GM testing thread

Well you need to be comfortable with your gear first and foremost. If not trust me you won't use it. I don't find the 85 GM uncomfortable at all given the extra weight but I also was not fond of focusing on manual on both my Batis lenses , it just felt too lose to me. The new zoom and the 85 even though fly by wire have a totally different feel to them more like real manual focus lenses. Now I use manual a lot so I like that to be comfortable. Now this may sound crazy but use a 55 1.8 for when you need light weight as your 85 when traveling you can always flip it into crop mode at 18mpx it's no slouch at all. Than use the GM for the nice shot of the kids and around places your comfortable . Seriously the 55 is the kissing cousin to the Batis 85 very little difference .

Apr 12, 2016 at 05:26 AM

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