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Sony 50mm 1.4GM

chiron
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p.3 #1 · p.3 #1 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

Peire wrote:
I have just sold Sony GM 50/1.4,keeping Sony GM 50/1.2.

50/1.4 is excellent overall in technical terms.So excellent that makes me bored and uninterested.50/1.2 is not as sharp and draws more pleasanty wide open to my eyes.But your mileage may vary.

BTW: I still keep Zeiss ZA Planar 50/1.4 and prefer it over any sony GM prime.

I agree with you about the Sony 1.2 GM and the Sony Zeiss 50/1.4 ZA. Do you have much experience with the Sony 55/1.8? I go back and forth on this lens. It is very light and quick focusing and very sharp. Sometimes I think the rendering is lovely. and sometimes I'm not sure. I took some b&w images with it of my grandchildren last night that I am very happy with. I would be interested if you have formed an opinion about this lens.

Aug 06, 2023 at 08:41 AM

Peire
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p.3 #2 · p.3 #2 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

chiron wrote:
I agree with you about the Sony 1.2 GM and the Sony Zeiss 50/1.4 ZA. Do you have much experience with the Sony 55/1.8? I go back and forth on this lens. It is very light and quick focusing and very sharp. Sometimes I think the rendering is lovely. and sometimes I'm not sure. I took some b&w images with it of my grandchildren last night that I am very happy with. I would be interested if you have formed an opinion about this lens.

I have Zeiss ZA Sonnar 55/1.8 too.I use it every time there is a need for small,lightweight Zeiss lens with AF.Usually together with ZA 35/2.8.

Rendering is best when stopped down at least to f4.There it shows it's Zeiss goodness.Wide open it depends on ambient light and subject.

Aug 06, 2023 at 09:44 AM

chiron
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p.3 #3 · p.3 #3 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

Peire wrote:
I have Zeiss ZA Sonnar 55/1.8 too.I use it every time there is a need for small,lightweight Zeiss lens with AF.Usually together with ZA 35/2.8.

Rendering is best when stopped down at least to f4.There it shows it's Zeiss goodness.Wide open it depends on ambient light and subject.

I think what you say about the 55 is exactly right and useful to have articulated. Mark Galer has a recent (2022) review of the 55mm which is also quite useful and positive. He says he owns one and that he will probably never sell it.

Aug 06, 2023 at 10:07 AM

tschopp
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p.3 #4 · p.3 #4 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

smpetty wrote:
Me too. Just returned the second of two 50/1.4 GMs to Amazon. Maybe it’s because they ship their lenses in a thin non-padded plastic pouch. The second lens that they sent me was not new. It was mint but was not packed like Sony usually packs their lenses and their was grime on the barrel and hood.

In any case, I had the same problems with both copies:

Both were tilted… the right side was significantly sharper on both lenses.
Both had all four corners softer than I’d hope for until f/4.
Both had real difficulty in focusing on my dogs (corgis)...Show more →

Scott, any chance the second 1.4 GM was actually the same lens?

Aug 06, 2023 at 11:49 AM

lensfan
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p.3 #5 · p.3 #5 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

chiron wrote:
I think what you say about the 55 is exactly right and useful to have articulated. Mark Galer has a recent (2022) review of the 55mm which is also quite useful and positive. He says he owns one and that he will probably never sell it.

I don't remember negative reviews from Mark on Sony gear. I have not seen them all but always you can see positive sides in every thing. As I remember, that review only included APS-C and other low resolution bodies.

Aug 06, 2023 at 12:53 PM

smpetty
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p.3 #6 · p.3 #6 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

tschopp wrote:
Scott, any chance the second 1.4 GM was actually the same lens?

Steve - I would bet on it!

Aug 06, 2023 at 01:11 PM

chiron
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p.3 #7 · p.3 #7 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

lensfan wrote:
I don't remember negative reviews from Mark on Sony gear. I have not seen them all but always you can see positive sides in every thing. As I remember, that review only included APS-C and other low resolution bodies.

You are remembering incorrectly. Most of the review concerns full frame and he does his usual thorough and thoughtful job. For example, he makes at length the point that the early stellar reviews of this lens (dpreview's reviewer compared it to the Otus) were comparing it to other lenses from a design generation ago and that it is no longer as exceptional in that regard as it once was. He compares its MTF to more recent lenses.

In my view, Mark Galer is one of the most honest and thorough reviewers you can find and he is someone who actually uses his lenses to make high level advertising and editorial images. His paid work is used by companies that are showcasing optical quality, like BenQ monitors.

Aug 06, 2023 at 03:23 PM

tschopp
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p.3 #8 · p.3 #8 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

lensfan wrote:
I don't remember negative reviews from Mark on Sony gear. I have not seen them all but always you can see positive sides in every thing. As I remember, that review only included APS-C and other low resolution bodies.

I tend to like his reviews, he does highlight the good parts. In the 55 review he mentioned how it was outstanding optics for a 1st generation Sony lens, but design has improved and compared to the mtf charts of the 20G that were significantly better. He also discussed the 50/1.8 and that it was not as sharp and AF is not as good. In general I think Sony ambassador and YouTube reviewers will put the best spin on a lens, but can be honest. Need to pay as much attention to what they don’t say. They know they can’t be too brutal or they won’t get another review.

Aug 06, 2023 at 04:02 PM

lensfan
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p.3 #9 · p.3 #9 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

Not saying he is dishonest. Being an ambassador shapes the way one does his reviews. But I find his approach more leaning towards selling than properly balanced.

Aug 06, 2023 at 04:57 PM

jjcpa
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p.3 #10 · p.3 #10 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

Peire wrote:
I have just sold Sony GM 50/1.4,keeping Sony GM 50/1.2.

50/1.4 is excellent overall in technical terms.So excellent that makes me bored and uninterested.50/1.2 is not as sharp and draws more pleasanty wide open to my eyes.But your mileage may vary.

BTW: I still keep Zeiss ZA Planar 50/1.4 and prefer it over any sony GM prime.

I'd like to know why ZA 50mm over GM 50mm (1.2 and 1.4)? I see some good used ZA50mm locally with good price. I shoot portrait mostly. So I am looking for good color or rendering one with reasonable AF speed and of course price matters.

Thanks,
jjcpa

Aug 12, 2023 at 09:36 PM

Peire
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p.3 #11 · p.3 #11 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

jjcpa wrote:
I'd like to know why ZA 50mm over GM 50mm (1.2 and 1.4)? I see some good used ZA50mm locally with good price. I shoot portrait mostly. So I am looking for good color or rendering one with reasonable AF speed and of course price matters.

Thanks,
jjcpa

I like Zeiss overall rendition very much.And prefer it over Sony,which is very good too,but not as interesting to my eyes.

Aug 13, 2023 at 01:09 AM

Jman13
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p.3 #12 · p.3 #12 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

So, I just picked up the 50mm f/1.2 GM for adapting to my Nikon Z8, and I tried both the 50/1.4 GM and the 50/1.2 GM. I went with the f/1.2 for the slightly faster speed, but also it focuses notably better on the AF adapter to Nikon, which for my cases of course is important, but isn't a consideration for Sony users.

However, I find it interesting in the sharpness debate. When I took test photos of the same subject, both were exceptionally sharp wide open, and in real world use, I can't see there being any real difference. I know the f/1.4 is empirically shaper on a test chart, but I don't think anyone would ever see it in real life. Stopped down, the f/1.2 is essentially perfect corner to corner, and wide open it's darn near close, with only the corners being 'very good' instead of stellar. I very slightly prefer the bokeh of the f/1.2, but even this is very close.

In all, I think most people would probably be better served by the f/1.4 due to size and cost, but if you want f/1.2 or prefer the rendering, you're not going to be looking at your images and thinking, 'Man, I wish I'd gotten the f/1.4 so I didn't have to see this softness.'

This is just a test shot, but I wanted to see what it could do for ultra-shallow DOF close up, and well, I can't imagine wanting sharper than this in a fast 50.

Z8 + 50/1.2GM @ f/1.2:

100% crop:

Aug 20, 2023 at 11:24 AM

Jonas B
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p.3 #13 · p.3 #13 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

Jman13 wrote:
[...]
In all, I think most people would probably be better served by the f/1.4 due to size and cost, but if you want f/1.2 or prefer the rendering, you're not going to be looking at your images and thinking, 'Man, I wish I'd gotten the f/1.4 so I didn't have to see this softness.'

This is just a test shot, but I wanted to see what it could do for ultra-shallow DOF close up, and well, I can't imagine wanting sharper than this in a fast 50.

Good to see you around Jordan, and congrats to your new lens (and also your interesting iris)!
I'm one of the poor bastards with a 50/1.4 GM: I'm always wanting more softness... ;-)

But really, do you have any side by side comparisons showing the possibly preferred rendering from the 50/1.2? Before buying the 50/1.4 I looked around but never really found anything convincing me to carry the extra weight.

Aug 20, 2023 at 12:09 PM

Jman13
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p.3 #14 · p.3 #14 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

I only took a couple shots that had very similar framing to compare similar areas, and only one pair that's directly comparable (and both were at f/1.4, so I guess that's fair?) As you can see, differences are quite minor, and both lenses have very nice bokeh to my eye, but the 1.2 is just slightly creamier, as specular highlights just have slightly softer edges, and seem to show a little less color aberration at some points. I've also seen other tests under more control circumstances, and the f/1.2 just has bokeh that's a touch smoother.

Both are clearly great, though. One other note - you'll notice in the crops below that the shutter speed is a 1 stop difference between them...this was due to me changing my exposure at one pont and not adjusting when I took the 1.2GM shot, so I adjusted exposure in post to match...but even though they are a stop apart here in exposure, the adjusted exposure is only +0.7 stops, so it seems the 1.2GM has about a third stop more transmission at the same aperture, so probably closer to 2/3 stop advantage in low light for shutter speed. (and indeed, my shots at f/1.2, 1/250s with the 1.2GM are exposed the same as the f/1.4 1/160s shots on the 1.4GM)

Two shots - not controlled, of course, but same general subject framing and distance (though angles are a bit different:

50/1.4GM @ f/1.4:

50/1.2GM @ f/1.4:

Crops of out of focus area (the slightly higher noise in the f/1.2 shot is from being pushed 2/3 stop):

Aug 20, 2023 at 03:06 PM

lensfan
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p.3 #15 · p.3 #15 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

Jman13 wrote:
So, I just picked up the 50mm f/1.2 GM for adapting to my Nikon Z8, and I tried both the 50/1.4 GM and the 50/1.2 GM. I went with the f/1.2 for the slightly faster speed, but also it focuses notably better on the AF adapter to Nikon, which for my cases of course is important, but isn't a consideration for Sony users.

However, I find it interesting in the sharpness debate. When I took test photos of the same subject, both were exceptionally sharp wide open, and in real world use, I can't see there being any real difference....Show more →

I have not tested 50GM 1.4, but 50GM 1.2 definitely focuses better in lower light situations compared to 35GM and 135GM. 30%-100% more light makes big difference for autofocus in my testing. In situations, when 35GM or 135GM are completely unable to acquire focus, 50GM 1.2 still focuses with ease.

With 50GM 1.2 I can sleep peacefully knowing that I'm getting best possible bokeh but the real life differences I see in back-to-back comparisons on the Internet are negligible.

50GM 1.2 is already sharp enough for my taste. Sony should be focusing on color fringing at this point (unless this is the character they intentionally keep among GM primes).

Aug 20, 2023 at 03:38 PM

robcio.m
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p.3 #16 · p.3 #16 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

Jman13 wrote:
I only took a couple shots that had very similar framing to compare similar areas, and only one pair that's directly comparable (and both were at f/1.4, so I guess that's fair?) As you can see, differences are quite minor, and both lenses have very nice bokeh to my eye, but the 1.2 is just slightly creamier, as specular highlights just have slightly softer edges, and seem to show a little less color aberration at some points. I've also seen other tests under more control circumstances, and the f/1.2 just has bokeh that's a touch smoother.

Both are clearly great,...Show more →

Can I ask about adapter (E lens to Z mount) that you are using?

Aug 21, 2023 at 05:03 AM

Jman13
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p.3 #17 · p.3 #17 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

robcio.m wrote:
Can I ask about adapter (E lens to Z mount) that you are using?

I’m using the Fotodiox Fusion adapter right now. It works very well in AF-C, with good speed and accuracy, full Eye AF and tracking. Downsides are that AF-S has focus accuracy issues, and focus slows down a lot when stopped down beyond f/2.8.

I have the Megadap ETZ21 Pro coming today to see if those latter points will be better with it, but with back button focus, using it in AF-C works great for essentially all situations.

Aug 21, 2023 at 05:23 AM

Jonas B
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p.3 #18 · p.3 #18 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

Jman13 wrote:
I only took a couple shots that had very similar framing to compare similar areas, and [...]

Thank you for sharing that first, I guess, impression!!

As you say, not controlled but close enough.
I can see the difference you mentioned. Interesting as the camera reports the same focal length and aperture opening. Are they the same FL? But of course, there may be other reasons for the (very minor) difference.

The part of me interested in gear for photography is interested in further knowledge for the fun of it.
The other part of me very much more interested in images doesn't see any meaningful difference. With that I mean the difference can probably only be seen in controlled comparisons.

The better AF (50/1.2 GM) in very low light may be of interest for some. The lower weight, lower price and a tad better resolution may be of interest for some. For me it is mainly about the weight. The higher price I could manage and forget about after some time, the weight will not go away.

So, I'll stick to the 50/1.4 GM trying not to think about this more.

Cheers,

Jonas

Aug 21, 2023 at 09:19 AM

Jman13
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p.3 #19 · p.3 #19 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

Jonas B wrote:
Interesting as the camera reports the same focal length and aperture opening.

Yeah, these were both shot at f/1.4. I took samples that day at f/1.2 of course as well, but none with framing that compared well.

Aug 21, 2023 at 09:31 AM

genjy
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p.3 #20 · p.3 #20 · Sony 50mm 1.4GM

Jonas B wrote:
The lower weight, lower price and a tad better resolution may be of interest for some. For me it is mainly about the weight.

Yeah, the weight of the 1.2 has never really bothered me... I just carry it and use it. I walk around and shoot for hours, and it's not the end of the world. Not much different than slinging a 2.8 zoom or fast mid tele.

Aug 21, 2023 at 10:55 AM

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