p.18 #4 · Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II Announced—Pre-Orders Now Open!
j4nu wrote:
Thanks for posting. I like and trust his reviews.
The GM has higher micro-contrast and resolution at the expense of smoother rendering across the aperture range and frame. Typical optical trade-off. Not my kind of portrait lens.
Will be curious to see if they release a softer variant or 1.2 version. I suspect not. Either way, this lens will test exceptionally well.
Wonderful we can get used minty v1’s for $800
Sep 26, 2024 at 09:49 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.18 #5 · Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II Announced—Pre-Orders Now Open!
nehemiahphoto wrote:
Thanks for posting. I like and trust his reviews.
The GM has higher micro-contrast and resolution at the expense of smoother rendering across the aperture range and frame. Typical optical trade-off. Not my kind of portrait lens.
Will be curious to see if they release a softer variant or 1.2 version. I suspect not. Either way, this lens will test exceptionally well.
Wonderful we can get used minty v1’s for $800
My take as well given what I have seen so far and why I picked up a V1. That is a lens I liked for portraits but regretted selling despite its weaknesses (size and axial CA, were my primary concerns).
I also don't expect a softer variant. Sony in the generation II GM primes has produced lenses that all have that higher contrast and resolution at the expense of smoother rendering. That and blazing fast AF and small size seem to be their priorities. I don't see how a lens with the softer look I prefer would fit into where they have been going lately, but I am glad the V1 is still available at a reasonable price on the used market.
p.18 #8 · Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II Announced—Pre-Orders Now Open!
MARKFER wrote:
Does Sony continue making V1's of their lenses that have developed into new versions or do they just sell off what's left and move on for good?
p.18 #9 · Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II Announced—Pre-Orders Now Open!
Steve Spencer wrote:
My take as well given what I have seen so far and why I picked up a V1. That is a lens I liked for portraits but regretted selling despite its weaknesses (size and axial CA, were my primary concerns).
I also don't expect a softer variant. Sony in the generation II GM primes has produced lenses that all have that higher contrast and resolution at the expense of smoother rendering. That and blazing fast AF and small size seem to be their priorities. I don't see how a lens with the softer look I prefer would fit into where they have been going lately, but I am glad the V1 is still available at a reasonable price on the used market....Show more →
Bottom line Sony is not going to make character lenses anymore as they now have the tech to go forward and this thing is a laser but I still see nice character. What no one is talking about is on center its sharp as hell at 1.4 but its also looking more 3d given that and that's what im seeing. That 3d look is damn nice
p.18 #11 · Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II Announced—Pre-Orders Now Open!
I cancelled mine just before they started shipping. I may regret it when real world reviews come out, but from initial reviews I would have rather seen a more interesting lens. I think Sony’s 50mm 1.2 GM is that kind of lens. It’s plenty sharp, but also creates really beautiful images with great pop and character. Maybe Sony will come out with and 85mm 1.2 that replicates that kind of lens down the line, but it took long enough for this one to come out.
p.18 #13 · Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II Announced—Pre-Orders Now Open!
GMPhotography wrote:
Honestly we will never see a 85 1.2 as it really makes little sense as it won’t sell in numbers. My take on it
Yep not a material difference between f1.2 and f1.4 especially on an 85. Once you get into telephoto FOV, the compression is what drives the degree of blur and separation more than the aperture. Plus as others have said, if you look at Nikon and Canons 85 1.2 offerings, you're looking at a $2,500 lens. 85 GMII by how the pre order went does not seem like it will be a big seller as is.
In other Sony news, PS5 pro opened $700 pre order today and managed to not sell out. Pre order has been open for 12+ hours and it's still available. Not typical for a new console. Better to keep things in a more reasonable price range these days.
p.18 #15 · Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II Announced—Pre-Orders Now Open!
j4nu wrote:
Checked out Dustin’s comparison. Pretty well done!
I will say one thing about the background blur comparison. The slightly narrower FOV of the Sigma does give it a slight advantage when the two lenses are shot from the same exact spot.
You can see the framing of each pair of comparison shots is slightly different. The Sigma being slightly tighter. This would give more blur to the background. Creamier, bigger bokeh balls, etc. I would be curious what would happen if he moved the Sony slightly closer so they’re framed the same.
I can already hear people say then it wouldn’t be apples to apples then. But I would argue that when taking a portrait in real life, you would move closer or farther to get the framing you want.
And I’m not just saying this because I bought the Sony 😉
Well, maybe a little. But I do also think that would be the most accurate representation of real world background blur
I believe if Sony will make a f/1.2 version it will be similar to the 50/1.2GM (vs 50/1.4GM) - no compromise optically, smoother bokeh, quad XD, relatively compact (vs Canon/Nikon). I have zero interest in the 85/1.4II but I'll most definitely preorder a 1.2 lens (hopefully it's coming).
I understand your point though. If you're selling your photography, I really doubt a customer would ever notice the difference or ask you "why these bokeh balls look small"
p.18 #17 · Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II Announced—Pre-Orders Now Open!
NJPhotographer wrote:
According to reviews by Dustin Abbott and Chris Frost, the 85 GM II has almost no distortion. And resolution at 1.4 is excellent even into the corners.
Similar to my experience with the Sigma equivalent.
g
Sep 26, 2024 at 11:52 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.18 #18 · Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II Announced—Pre-Orders Now Open!
gheller wrote:
Similar to my experience with the Sigma equivalent.
g
Yes, but on the distortion front you only don't see the distortion of the Sigma because it is automatically corrected by software. There is probably some advantage to having lower distortion before correcting. Said another way, correcting the distortion in software does have some costs in resolution even if they are small.
Sep 27, 2024 at 05:24 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.18 #19 · Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II Announced—Pre-Orders Now Open!
robert614 wrote:
Checked out Dustin’s comparison. Pretty well done!
I will say one thing about the background blur comparison. The slightly narrower FOV of the Sigma does give it a slight advantage when the two lenses are shot from the same exact spot.
You can see the framing of each pair of comparison shots is slightly different. The Sigma being slightly tighter. This would give more blur to the background. Creamier, bigger bokeh balls, etc. I would be curious what would happen if he moved the Sony slightly closer so they’re framed the same.
I can already hear people say then it wouldn’t be apples to apples then. But I would argue that when taking a portrait in real life, you would move closer or farther to get the framing you want.
And I’m not just saying this because I bought the Sony 😉
Well, maybe a little. But I do also think that would be the most accurate representation of real world background blur...Show more →
Thanks for posting this nice comparison.
Dustin Abott's claims for those who don't like to watch the whole video (and he does provide decent evidence for the claims in his video, IMO):
The AF of the Sony GM is faster and more confident (his word).
Although the Sigma has excellent micro contrast and resolution the GM is even better.
The Sigma has slightly softer AF rendering with slightly larger bokeh balls.
The Sigma is of course quite a bit cheaper and slightly smaller.
Both lenses have excellent and about equal control of fringing (i.e., axial CA)
p.18 #20 · Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM II Announced—Pre-Orders Now Open!
Steve Spencer wrote:
Thanks for posting this nice comparison.
Dustin Abott's claims for those who don't like to watch the whole video (and he does provide decent evidence for the claims in his video, IMO):
The AF of the Sony GM is faster and more confident (his word).
Although the Sigma has excellent micro contrast and resolution the GM is even better.
The Sigma has slightly softer AF rendering with slightly larger bokeh balls.
The Sigma is of course quite a bit cheaper and slightly smaller.
Both lenses have excellent and about equal control of fringing (i.e., axial CA)
Thx, but I didn’t post the link. J4nu did. I was just quoting his post above.
