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Archive 2017 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

mrcyc8
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p.3 #1 · p.3 #1 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

justruss wrote:
Then let me (as a former Rok12 lover) also suggest Batis 18 and then a 35mm-something.

The Batis 18 is the best UWA I have ever used when taken in totality. Great coma control, fast/accurate AF (something I never expected to like), extremely light for the FL/aperture/performance, pretty small (minus that ridiculous, but effective, hood), very, very, very sharp right from f/2.8-- and a drawing/rendering quality that I have yet to match with any UWA on any system. In particular, just-oof rendering in the periphery of the frame is superb-superb.

I use the Batis 18 as part of a prime-kit...Show more →

I've gotten enough advice to look at the the B18 that I really need to consider it. I also agree with you that I could shoot a huge portion of my work on 35mm, but I want something a little smaller than the Sony 35/1.4 that I don't have to trade copies around to find a good one. With the cropping power of the A7Riii I probably wouldn't need anything besides the two, but I'd maybe still end up the the B25

Dec 13, 2017 at 11:31 AM

mrcyc8
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p.3 #2 · p.3 #2 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

seurot wrote:
I started with the FE 55mm cause I was always a 50mm guy before I switched to Sony a year ago. Then got the Batis 85mm and then Loxia 21mm, and then found a dirt cheap FE 28mm. So I really didnt' need the 35mm, but heard so much about it that when I found a good deal on a used one, I decided to take the leap of faith and try it out. And I now it lives on my camera most of the time!

Is my copy a perfect copy? Probably not, but its not a noticeably bad...Show more →

I would like smaller lenses since I do a lot of long hiking, but I guess any prime will probably be smaller than a zoom.

Dec 13, 2017 at 11:35 AM

mrcyc8
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p.3 #3 · p.3 #3 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

MrTMan wrote:
But I can attest to the fact that finding a good copy can take some efffort. I’m just really happy that I managed to find one.

How hard was it for you to find a good copy? I'd love to have this lens, but I really don't want to have to go through a bunch of trading in lenses to find a decent copy of it.

Dec 13, 2017 at 11:38 AM

MrTMan
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p.3 #4 · p.3 #4 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

mrcyc8 wrote:
How hard was it for you to find a good copy? I'd love to have this lens, but I really don't want to have to go through a bunch of trading in lenses to find a decent copy of it.

I went through like three or four of them. For quite a while, I settled on a suboptimal copy which was the best of that bunch. Then I really lucked out -- Fred sold me his copy, which he had tested and found to be a "golden" copy. And it is.

I know Guy also went through a few copies before he found a good one. But the problem is that this is anecdotal. Maybe you have a 50% chance of getting a good copy, and those of us who returned multiple lenses just had terrible luck. Or maybe you only have a 10% chance of getting a perfect copy. Who knows. What we do know for sure that there's quite a bit of variability, based on the Lens Rentals testing. (personally I think a good approach would be to rent one from Lens Rentals, and then buy it if it's good).

And one consolation is that the lenses are relatively easy to identify. The flawed copies are very obviously flawed. On flawed copies, typically the right side is weak, and even the center can be less sharp than it should be.

My procedure is 1) shoot a flat field, like a brick wall, at several distances at f/1.4 and compare sharpness of left and right sides (you're not looking for sharpness; you're looking for symmetry between the two sides); 2) focus on an object at f/1.4 on the left side of the frame, take a shot; repeat for the right side of the frame; compare relative sharpness; 3) shoot a scene at infinity at f/1.4 and compare left and right sides; 4) shoot an object in all four corners at infinity, and compare.

Now all that said, I did have a copy that did ok on the above tests but that was obviously soft in the center. On a good copy, when you shoot at f/1.4, the center should be unambiguously sharp.

I did take plenty of pleasing photos with my suboptimal copy. But I do feel like I can notice a difference in sharpness in my real-world photos, and not just in test shots, with the better copy that I have now.

Dec 13, 2017 at 01:27 PM

pleaseshoot
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p.3 #5 · p.3 #5 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

mrcyc8 wrote:
How hard was it for you to find a good copy? I'd love to have this lens, but I really don't want to have to go through a bunch of trading in lenses to find a decent copy of it.

It took me 4 copies and a lot of testing to get a good one.
I believe that Sony's going to come out with a 35f1.4 GM that will have much better sample variation.
Oh and the post above is excellent advice!

Dec 13, 2017 at 01:37 PM

mrcyc8
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p.3 #6 · p.3 #6 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

Thank you for that advice! I'm still not sure if I'm going to try to get one or not, but you've definitely helped me let it become a possibility. I probably won't start with the 35mm, but if I quickly find that I really want a 35mm lens on my camera I'll start searching for a golden copy.

pleaseshoot wrote:
I believe that Sony's going to come out with a 35f1.4 GM that will have much better sample variation.
Oh and the post above is excellent advice!

I hadn't seen that on any rumor sites, but it wouldn't necessarily surprise me if it was in the future lineup. Have you heard actual talk about this?

Dec 13, 2017 at 03:04 PM

pleaseshoot
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p.3 #7 · p.3 #7 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

mrcyc8 wrote:
Thank you for that advice! I'm still not sure if I'm going to try to get one or not, but you've definitely helped me let it become a possibility. I probably won't start with the 35mm, but if I quickly find that I really want a 35mm lens on my camera I'll start searching for a golden copy.

I hadn't seen that on any rumor sites, but it wouldn't necessarily surprise me if it was in the future lineup. Have you heard actual talk about this?

Not really anything concrete. Just a feeling.
I wouldn't blame you if you passed on the Zony but keep in mind, even the obviously decentered copies can net amazing results. The first on I tried out produced one of my all time favorite images. That's really what drove me to keep testing. Something I hope to never have to go through again haha.

Dec 13, 2017 at 04:34 PM

seurot
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p.3 #8 · p.3 #8 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

mrcyc8 wrote:
I would like smaller lenses since I do a lot of long hiking, but I guess any prime will probably be smaller than a zoom.
I took that lens with me down to Havasupai a few months ago. That's 10miles each way from Hilltop down to the campsite, and then I took it from the campsite to Beaver falls too which is ~7miles roundtrip. But I won't lie...my gear was heavy. If I don't take environmental portraits and only landscape/general stuff, then I'd have just taken my smaller lenses since I wouldn't have wanted to have f1.4.

Dec 14, 2017 at 03:10 AM

justruss
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p.3 #9 · p.3 #9 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

mrcyc8 wrote:
I've gotten enough advice to look at the the B18 that I really need to consider it. I also agree with you that I could shoot a huge portion of my work on 35mm, but I want something a little smaller than the Sony 35/1.4 that I don't have to trade copies around to find a good one. With the cropping power of the A7Riii I probably wouldn't need anything besides the two, but I'd maybe still end up the the B25

I'm totally, 100% with you on the hunt for a 35mm that's fast enough, but small/light enough, to feel good on my camera, in my bag, and on my assignments. I'm in the boat: the 1.4 options right now are too big, too heavy. On Canon 5D(x) the 35L v1 was actually great, although even then I thirsted for something smaller/lighter, and I knew I could get by with f/1.8 or f/2.0 (but I didn't like the rendering of the f/2 options).

On Sony even more so, with the high resolution and great high ISO performance-- f/2 is plenty, if it performs like it was tuned for w/o shooting.

So yes, put me in the boat waiting for something like the Sony 1.4 in terms of optical rendering, but shrunk for f/2. At this point something like the 35Lv1, but without the adaptors, would suffice.

Dec 14, 2017 at 05:39 AM

jwhatts
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p.3 #10 · p.3 #10 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

mrcyc8 wrote:
I still drool over the idea of the Laowa 15mm for astro, and it could be interesting for very wide landscapes.

Can confirm, the Laowa 15 is awesome for astro. Only downside is some coma on large stars in the far corners of the frame. Stop down to 2.8 if you want it to go away. Personally I'd rather keep it wide open and then use my donut stamp tool in PS to get rid of the coma.

Dec 14, 2017 at 10:54 AM

SoundHound
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p.3 #11 · p.3 #11 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

A never ending story what lens to get? zoom or prime. WA and UWA zoom are often better IQ than primes. The Sony 16-35 F2.8 is a, verified, Hero lens.

Three primes likely weigh even more than a WA zoom. However, most of the primes’ weight is in a bag or backpack. Conclusion: Put a WA zoom on the camera and then find a carry mode that minmises the camera/lens combo.

Dec 14, 2017 at 11:27 AM

Blakehfreeman
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p.3 #12 · p.3 #12 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

I'm a LensRentals MTF whore and Rogers 35mm findings are my only hang up on snagging this lens 🤦🏼‍♂️. Nikon doesn't have a modern/good 16-35 so this was originally going to be my excuse to dip my toes back into the Sony E system.

Sounds like you like yours though! Any qualms at the long end??
SoundHound wrote:
A never ending story what lens to get? zoom or prime. WA and UWA zoom are often better IQ than primes. The Sony 16-35 F2.8 is a, verified, Hero lens.

Three primes likely weigh even more than a WA zoom. However, most of the primes’ weight is in a bag or backpack. Conclusion: Put a WA zoom on the camera and then find a carry mode that minmises the camera/lens combo.

Dec 14, 2017 at 12:39 PM

dbehrens
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p.3 #13 · p.3 #13 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Tokina FiRIN 20mm f/2. With its current sale it is about half price of the Loxia and from what I read this lens is no slouch . . . and would definitely help the budget for a fast 35.

Dec 14, 2017 at 01:14 PM

Arka
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p.3 #14 · p.3 #14 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

Is there a good choice for fast wide-angle on the Sony? Something suitable for nightscapes? Is an adapted Sigma 14mm f/1.8 the best answer? I've tried the 21mm CV Ultron and it's corners are pretty bad at f/1.8 (though they are excellent at f/4 or slower)

Dec 14, 2017 at 01:34 PM

Arka
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p.3 #15 · p.3 #15 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

justruss wrote:
I'm totally, 100% with you on the hunt for a 35mm that's fast enough, but small/light enough, to feel good on my camera, in my bag, and on my assignments. I'm in the boat: the 1.4 options right now are too big, too heavy. On Canon 5D(x) the 35L v1 was actually great, although even then I thirsted for something smaller/lighter, and I knew I could get by with f/1.8 or f/2.0 (but I didn't like the rendering of the f/2 options).

On Sony even more so, with the high resolution and great high ISO performance-- f/2 is plenty, if it...Show more →

My wife just used our TAP-adapted Leica 35mm f/1.4 FLE for an event and was really pleased with the AF reliability on our A9. It's not "native lens" good but she didn't have any problems getting in-focus images in low light.

Image quality on that lens wide open is outstanding in the center at all apertures, and corners clean up after about f/4. And it's tiny (320g or something). You might also consider the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 M lens adapted via TAP adapter... a little heavier, but a lot less money and apparently even better optical performance. To the extent corners are an issue, you can use glass filters up from to significantly improve them.

Dec 14, 2017 at 01:40 PM

rioni
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p.3 #16 · p.3 #16 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

I've tried many - both Sony and 3rd party (including the Batis 18). Currently using the FE28 with wide adapter which is OK. The best I've used is the Loxia 21 but it's too expensive to justify the performance difference vs. the combo I have now.

A few examples:

Loxia 21:

Reflection by leftaway, on Flickr

FE 28:

Stupa by leftaway, on Flickr

FE 28 w/ wide adaper (distortion a problem and can be difficult to fully correct):

In Closing by leftaway, on Flickr

Old Canon FD 24:

Tokyo Lights by leftaway, on Flickr

Dec 14, 2017 at 01:44 PM

Faraday
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p.3 #17 · p.3 #17 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

dbehrens wrote:
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Tokina FiRIN 20mm f/2. With its current sale it is about half price of the Loxia and from what I read this lens is no slouch . . . and would definitely help the budget for a fast 35.

I'd love to hear opinions on this lens.

Dec 14, 2017 at 02:46 PM

GMPhotography
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p.3 #18 · p.3 #18 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

I have a test thread on the Tokina 20mm. Nice lens for sure. Very sharp. Maybe search the Sony forum

Dec 14, 2017 at 02:51 PM

GMPhotography
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p.3 #19 · p.3 #19 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

Here

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1480006/0?keyword=Tokina,20mm#13956240

Dec 14, 2017 at 02:53 PM

smpetty
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p.3 #20 · p.3 #20 · Another person that can't decide on FE wide angle lenses

Arka wrote:
Is there a good choice for fast wide-angle on the Sony? Something suitable for nightscapes? Is an adapted Sigma 14mm f/1.8 the best answer? I've tried the 21mm CV Ultron and it's corners are pretty bad at f/1.8 (though they are excellent at f/4 or slower)

Really!? Did you read the posts before yours?

Dec 14, 2017 at 08:57 PM

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