intangiblethin wrote:
Will the Type II black paint wear away and reveal brass underneath?
The focusing tab on my 28mm f/2 has chipped away and it's this ugly dull silver beneath.
Sure, over time, the black paint Type II may expose brass underneath. There are reports suggesting that the 28/2 tab might not be brass; I'm uncertain about the 28/1.5 Nokton.
The tab is definitely not brass though the body is on my Ultron ii. Its some form of
Aluminum. Recently I repainted mine using black laquer paint and it worked out perfect to restore the original finish
Fred Miranda wrote:
Sure, over time, the black paint Type II may expose brass underneath. There are reports suggesting that the 28/2 tab might not be brass; I'm uncertain about the 28/1.5 Nokton.
LAARILEY wrote:
I’m interested in this too. Do I stand to gain anything over the (old and optically messy) FE 28mm f/2 if I am considering the CV 28mm f/2 Ultron II, CV 28mm f/1.5 Nokton, and 7Artisans 28mm f/1.4 FE+? Or is the best current option that isn’t the stupidly large Sigma.. the Laowa 1.2?
Part of me is holding out hope that Cosina announces e-mount versions of the 28 Nokton and 50 f/1 at CP+ but I fully expect to be disappointed.
Why haven’t Sigma produced an I Series 28? I have and love the 35 and 90 and I would buy a 28 in a heartbeat. Is it really that difficult?...Show more →
The top 28mm choices for Sony cameras are lenses specifically designed for its sensor, and I agree that there aren't many available choices. The Sony FE 28/2 is still a good option, providing very good performance and strong resistance to flare. Some M-lenses outperform others, but wide-angle lenses, in general, show some degradation in IQ in a form of astigmatism and increased field curvature. However, stopping down the lens for a broader depth of field can mitigate these issues, and even with these lenses, performance can be very good on the Sony. However, they won't reach the same level of performance as they would on a Leica body.
In my experience, the CV 28/1.5 performed well on the Sony with some caveats. When wide open and focusing on a subject at mid-distance, there may be some inconsistencies in rendering, with out-of-focus corners appearing sharper sharper than it should, depending on the scene. For landscape photography or similar applications where consistent sharpness across the field is crucial, I recommend stopping the lens down to f/5.6 and beyond based on my results.
I also like shooting with 28mm lenses and it's quite disappointing that Sigma and other third party brands didn't develop a 28mm with AF for Sony. Perhaps their research indicates that most photographers prefer 24/25mm lenses instead.
ashwinrao1 wrote:
The tab is definitely not brass though the body is on my Ultron ii. Its some form of
Aluminum. Recently I repainted mine using black laquer paint and it worked out perfect to restore the original finish
This is why the Ultron II Type 1 with the focus stick rules. The stick is shiny aluminium AND the lens also has a real focus ring. The Type 2 only has the tab.
ashwinrao1 wrote:
The tab is definitely not brass though the body is on my Ultron ii. Its some form of
Aluminum. Recently I repainted mine using black laquer paint and it worked out perfect to restore the original finish
Thanks for sharing. Did you remove the tab, sand/prime before painting? It would be great if you could share your process, including the type of paint you used.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Thanks for sharing. Did you remove the tab, sand/prime before painting? It would be great if you could share your process, including the type of paint you used.
I was able to remove the residual paint that hadn't worn off using paint thinner (acetone) and the edge of my nail to scrape off the excess paint. This did not scratch the aluminum surface at all FYI. I cleaned the tab again with a rag with acetone followed by some rubbing alcohol to insure I had no residual oils or other impuries on the surface of the tab ahead of applying the pain. No sanding or priming was needed.
Next, I used Testor's enamel black "gloss" paint (recommended widely for painting an enameled finish on metal), and it seemed to work well on the cleaned focus tab, applying with a paint brush (fine hair), very slightly diluted with a bit of acetone to thin out the paint (4 parts paint, 1 part acetone):
ashwinrao1 wrote:
I was able to remove the residual paint that hadn't worn off using paint thinner (acetone) and the edge of my nail to scrape off the excess paint. This did not scratch the aluminum surface at all FYI. I cleaned the tab again with a rag with acetone followed by some rubbing alcohol to insure I had no residual oils or other impuries on the surface of the tab ahead of applying the pain. No sanding or priming was needed.
Next, I used Testor's enamel black "gloss" paint (recommended widely for painting an enameled finish on metal), and it seemed to work well on the cleaned focus tab, applying with a paint brush (fine hair), very slightly diluted with a bit of acetone to thin out the paint (4 parts paint, 1 part acetone):
Fantastic work, Ashwin! Thanks for sharing. The restoration looks impressive, and it's helpful to know it's a straightforward process. While it would be nice if it were brass, perhaps the heavier material could impact haptics, likely why Leica lenses use plastic tabs.
Fred Miranda wrote:
The top 28mm choices for Sony cameras are lenses specifically designed for its sensor, and I agree that there aren't many available choices. The Sony FE 28/2 is still a good option, providing very good performance and strong resistance to flare. Some M-lenses outperform others, but wide-angle lenses, in general, show some degradation in IQ in a form of astigmatism and increased field curvature. However, stopping down the lens for a broader depth of field can mitigate these issues, and even with these lenses, performance can be very good on the Sony. However, they won't reach the same level of performance as they would on a Leica body.
In my experience, the CV 28/1.5 performed well on the Sony with some caveats. When wide open and focusing on a subject at mid-distance, there may be some inconsistencies in rendering, with out-of-focus corners appearing sharper sharper than it should, depending on the scene. For landscape photography or similar applications where consistent sharpness across the field is crucial, I recommend stopping the lens down to f/5.6 and beyond based on my results.
I also like shooting with 28mm lenses and it's quite disappointing that Sigma and other third party brands didn't develop a 28mm with AF for Sony. Perhaps their research indicates that most photographers prefer 24/25mm lenses instead. ...Show more →
BastianK wrote:
The only 28mm M-mount lens I would use on Sony is the 7A 28mm 1.4 Fe+, but also here I would rather get the Laowa 28mm 1.2.
And I have used all of the lenses mentioned.
Thank you Bastian. I suppose in the absence of an announcement of an e-mount CV 28 at CP+ I will look again at the 7A and Laowa. Sigma could make this much easier for Sony shooters and develop a 28 f/2 DG DN 😂
LAARILEY wrote:
Thank you Bastian. I suppose in the absence of an announcement of an e-mount CV 28 at CP+ I will look again at the 7A and Laowa. Sigma could make this much easier for Sony shooters and develop a 28 f/2 DG DN 😂
I'd love a 28mm in the I-Series Sigma but only if it has barrel and not pincushion distortion. It seems to be random from one I-Series focal length to the next as to what kind of distortion is present.
MCMXCAD wrote:
I haven't read all the pages but looks from these pics that f2 and beyond is where this lens shines..
Keep in mind that when using a Leica M, the aperture settings are only approximate. Therefore, images taken at f/1.5 might display EXIF data indicating f/2 or f/2.8. This discrepancy shows because there's no communication between the lens' aperture and the camera due to the lack of electronics on Leica M lenses. Leica 'estimates' the light entering the lens through a small sensor on top of the camera.
