A small, light, fast Auto focusing, moderately priced hi IQ veteran. Exactly the kind of lens so many yearn for on this forum yet it gets so little recognition.
I agree that the 85 f/1.8 is a seriously underrated lens. I got mine as one of my first lenses with my A7RIII and now use it with my RIV. I love the tack sharp eye focus photos I get of my grandchildren at f/2. I've read a lot of comparison reviews, most compare the 85GM, Sigma DG DN, and Batis 85. For some reasons people don't take the FE f/1.8 seriously.
I recently rented the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN from Lens Rentals (great company by the way) to see if I wanted to change to the Sigma. I did quite a few comparison images, mostly in the landscape, and concluded that the differences are not enough to motivate me to switch. I did a brick wall with the Sigma since Lloyd Chambers and others commented on its distortion, and it's real, boy is it real. It can be corrected and when Adobe has a proper profile, it probably will not be mentioned by reviewers. I just saved the price of the Sigma and have a new love for my Sony FE 85mm f/1.8. I think its a spectacular lens, especially at its modest price.
This class of lens is often unsung but they are extremely useful. I think it's an excellent all rounder, a documentary lens I have needed for my travels. Often need to shoot street portraits, scenery, built structures and more besides, no time to change lenses. First some portraits. Skin tones are easy to get right.
SoundHound wrote:
A small, light, fast Auto focusing, moderately priced hi IQ veteran. Exactly the kind of lens so many yearn for on this forum yet it gets so little recognition.
Totally agree. Initially, the lens seemed to have quite a few fans around here, because it was a more affordable, yet capable alternative to the slightly better, but more expensive Batis 85. May be the availability of (relatively) more compact 85mm f1.4 has led more users to move on to faster glass (Samyang 85 or the new Sigma)?
It's kinda funny, when you think about it. A lot of people around here have complained about Sony releasing "only" big glass, but Sony's three standard FL f1.8 lenses (35, 55, 85) seem to be very unpopular around here.
Among other uses this lens is a workhorse for shooting indoor sports, in my case professional volleyball.
Fantastic combination of sharpness, stellar AF performance, focal length and f1.8 speed makes it a truly reliable tool for freezing fast action.
This often overlooked gem is a great little lens. I've tried to switch to the GM, love those images, hate the focus and added heft, I also shoot stopped down far more than wide open.
I think the rendering could be better and it has rather dramatic colour aberration at times, but it's small and focuses fast and is a workhorse for me on the street.
Here's a recent one, to keep with the theme of the thread.
