I was expecting it to feel much heavier than my Sigma 35 f/2 but it really does not, I have substantial weight savings over my trusty D810 + Sigma 35 f/1.4 ART (and better IQ).
Word of warning: The hood has a release latch on it which is easy to miss at first, I was wondering why the hell it was so hard to remove and attach the hood and didn't notice the latch until later. Luckily nothing got broken when I was forcing the hood on and off lol.
BTW I put a Marumi Exus protective filter on it at time of purchase!
p.79 #5 · Pre-order: Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM ($1,399)
6683 wrote:
Is there a major background blur difference (amount of blur) between this and f1.8?
from my experience, 1.8 to 1.4 at 35mm isn't huge but it's noticeable, depending on the background and focus distance. I'd love to see a side-by-side if anyone has both or even vs. the Sigma 35/2 to see what kind of difference a full stop makes at, say, 1-3-5 meters.
I fell like I've been messed about at my original pre-order place as several people on a UK forum I know have received their's last Fri, Sat & yesterday from UK shops/dealers. I was told yesterday mine would be about another two weeks even though I'm third on the list.
I cancelled it & took a chance with Amazon which was quoting Thursday delivery.....
Photos have no colour changes, +15 clarity and Camera Standard profile in Lightroom.
Best lens I have ever used!
Edit: I'm using the A7R III
Thank you for sharing, nice examples. So far I haven’t seen CA be too bad in my shots but in your second picture, you can clearly see it in the mid to upper right of the photo, leaves with bright background. You have the updated Lightroom GM profile installed here? This is the worst I have seen for CA with the lens thus far, but it definitely doesn’t show up prominently often from my experience. I feel like some are going to look at this as too big of a flaw and dismiss the lens but it really has been quite minimal in my experience with the lens.
p.79 #11 · Pre-order: Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM ($1,399)
abadger wrote:
Thank you for sharing, nice examples. So far I haven’t seen CA be too bad in my shots but in your second picture, you can clearly see it in the mid to upper right of the photo, leaves with bright background. You have the updated Lightroom GM profile installed here? This is the worst I have seen for CA with the lens thus far, but it definitely doesn’t show up prominently often from my experience. I feel like some are going to look at this as too big of a flaw and dismiss the lens but it really has been quite minimal in my experience with the lens....Show more →
No problem. Thanks for the comment. I've only had the lens since yesterday morning so I can't speak too much to CA just yet, but I do have the profile enabled in Lightroom!
p.79 #12 · Pre-order: Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM ($1,399)
lukecookphoto wrote:
No problem. Thanks for the comment. I've only had the lens since yesterday morning so I can't speak too much to CA just yet, but I do have the profile enabled in Lightroom!
Ok, just wanted to see if that was a contributing factor or not. Yeah no worries, plenty more time to figure these things out. I have been quite pleased with the lens overall.
p.79 #14 · Pre-order: Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM ($1,399)
Thanks to taz_k who made me aware the lens is available in Sweden!
Here are a few from a gloomy Gothenburg. The weather has been overcast as best the two days I had the lens.
But what a lens it is! I have never had a 35/1.4 this sharp wide open from edge to edge and even in the corners.
Some things:
The aperture ring is nice to have but it should be easier to find. I manage but not if it is cold or wearing gloves.
The focusing ring is too easy to move, could have been more damped.
The button... what do you guys set it to? Why can I chose between three lousy options only. It would have been nice if one could have jumped right into one of the camera presets for example. Mechanically and tactile the button is fine though.
Focusing:
When in DMF mode the focusing is made at the set aperture between f/1.4 and (nearly) f/2. When set to smaller openings the aperture jumps to (close to) f/2 for focusing and then goes back to whatever you set it to.
I'm not sure: I checked, carefully for focus shift but found none.
Focusing is very fast, as already mentioned in several reviews. It is faster (my impression, not measured, than the Sigma 35i 2.0 DG DN and the Samyang AF 35/1.8 and also more silent than any of those two lenses. Often you can't hear the four (?) engines work at all.
When in AF-C or Manual the lens focuses at working aperture of course.
Now looking at these images I realize I'm not worthy the 24MP the A7C so gracefully gives me at each exposure. The general disclaimer is that what you see is by me, my camera, at my place - your results will with no doubt look better.
The weather here makes the image above by abaze21 look like Disneyland to me...
First we have trees, at f/1.4 and f/2. Edge to edge as I seldom am interested in the corners and so I
didn't think about them when shooting:
Above: Long distance and large aperture openings. The lens easily beats the mentioned Sigma and Samyang lenses also on the 24MP A7C.
Walking a little bit I found these twigs in assorted sizes. Half bright overcast so a tad better light. Unfortunately no sunshine which one day will change how the lens renders these images.
EDIT: More twigs, taken in sunshine, at page 12 post #7 /END EDIT.
I think the twigs look OK. Not perfect. This lens make a thin semi bright outline around background highlights. There is also a hint of green fringe in tree, at the top. Then again, this is not an APO lens.
Bad weather forced me to go inside. A nearby shop offered the following ugly glass cups:
So far so good. I was however asked to leave as taking images in the shop is verboten. I had avoided taking images with people in them but that didn't help. Please, just get out! That doesn't happen often but may have increased a little the last 5-10 years or so.
Maybe as they don't want people to see the ugly things for sale? Anyway, I went out and headed home again.
Here I am, in the elevator somewhere between fourth and fifth floor I think:
p.79 #16 · Pre-order: Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM ($1,399)
Photos here are just awesome. I hope Sony sends plenty out to dealers. I just hope it is more available than the 24mm GM was after its release. However I ordered late in the game and that's my fault.
p.79 #18 · Pre-order: Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM ($1,399)
Some things I've noticed thus far...
CA seems to be there from f/1.4 to about f/2.8 where it starts to disappear. It's not terrible but it's there.
Corner to corner sharpness in this lens is excellent even at f/1.4. I think this is a big advantage over other lenses in the lineup.
There is some bokeh definition that is less pleasing than the Sigma just behind the plane of focus when the subject/focus is more than 2-3 meters out and at f/1.4. While it happens a little bit with the Sigma at certain distance, there is typically more blur to cover it. With the GM, it can produce definition that, in select scenarios, can be noticeable if you are looking. Case in point for me is from the post just above this one, first image, top center-right. That branch of the tree is just behind the plane of focus and it is not as smooth as the rest of the background bokeh as a result. You wouldn't notice this if the subject or focus was within 2 meters due to blur taking effect.
I think overall it's still going to be the best AF lens at this weight and form factor in the lineup, but I can see why, if bokeh was critical, one might opt for the Sigma. I'll be really interested in a side-by-side of these two in some more detail if someone has both to test.
p.79 #19 · Pre-order: Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM ($1,399)
abadger wrote:
Some things I've noticed thus far...
CA seems to be there from f/1.4 to about f/2.8 where it starts to disappear. It's not terrible but it's there.
Corner to corner sharpness in this lens is excellent even at f/1.4. I think this is a big advantage over other lenses in the lineup.
There is some bokeh definition that is less pleasing than the Sigma just behind the plane of focus when the subject/focus is more than 2-3 meters out and at f/1.4. While it happens a little bit with the Sigma at certain distance, there is typically more blur to cover it. With the GM, it can produce definition that, in select scenarios, can be noticeable if you are looking. Case in point for me is from the post just above this one, first image, top center-right. That branch of the tree is just behind the plane of focus and it is not as smooth as the rest of the background bokeh as a result. You wouldn't notice this if the subject or focus was within 2 meters due to blur taking effect.
I think overall it's still going to be the best AF lens at this weight and form factor in the lineup, but I can see why, if bokeh was critical, one might opt for the Sigma. I'll be really interested in a side-by-side of these two in some more detail if someone has both to test....Show more →
I am very pleased with the bokeh so far definitely. The size and weight surprised me, as while it is a bit of a chunky lens, without its hood it's not really any bigger than the Sigma 35 f/2 if you have the hood on that lens. I think reviews mentioned it is quite good when it comes to flare without the hood on, so I may opt to keep the hood at home most of the time. There is some heft to the lens but it doesn't feel heavy.
I have a Marumi Exus protective filter on it, so I wouldn't need the hood from a protection pov at least.
Having this level of image quality in such a compact lens is wonderful. I used to use a D810 with the 35 f/1.4 ART and the 50 f/1.4 ART!
. I wonder when it will be available in the rest of Europe...