Here is one of the standard simple things i do when learning a new lens. Not a real image perhaps but we have discussed a lot of things in this image thread sp here goes:
Viltrox 50/2 AIR, f/2
You very seldom see such a good result. Kind of never in a lens at this price.
Yogifi wrote:
My one complaining about the zeiss 55mmf1.8 background blur being a lot. Which btw was constantly near the top of my own compact AF 50mm self-portrait comparison (from chest-up) today, probably in large part due to the same blur that I disliked for scenes. It was a boring background though, indoors.
Most of them are pretty good though, but the top two of the ones I have was quite consistent: samyang 50mm f1.4 II, zeiss 55mm f1.8. To my eyes anyway. This viltrox air was a little tough, better when I brought down clarity and texture. And a bit more 3D looking than the Sigma f2 dg dn, but it wasn't a scientific test and neither were my favourite for this purpose. More optimised for walkabouts those two (or one of them) I think.
I did nab that mobile app finally with the Sony, which actually works pretty well, fast live view, transferring the image etc. With the A7cII it's called Creators App, from Sony....Show more →
That's quite a lot to think about. In the end, there are too many lenses to choose from. They all come with some kind of special feature or good quality.
I've probably said this before, but I've started to think that today's lenses are so good that it doesn't really matter which one you use.
If you're going to be carrying it around all day, choose a lightweight lens. If you like aperture rings, choose a lens with one. If you want to do astro photography, choose one with low coma.
Whichever you choose will be fine for most purposes.
It's easy to overthink things. I know I do it sometimes. Now my 8 or 9 50mm lenses are shrinking to “only” 4.
I'm choosing an MF, an AF, a zoom, and a macro. That means the Voigtländer 50/2 APO, Viltrox 50/2 AIR, Sony 24-50/2.8, and maybe the Zuiko OM 50/2 Macro (until I need more macro capability, it'll do just fine). Still almost unmanageable.
Halo lighting and foreground bokeh are stern tests, many lenses fail at it. As long as you have a Chinese lens with the same or more HRI glass as it has ED glass, all is well, so it seems. Viltrox don't hold back, this one has 3xED and 4xHRI, and the obligatory single asph to keep it looking real. They are nothing if not well-specified, and you see the results.
NJPhotographer wrote:
It's funny that the Sony A7CR gives the credit to a Loxia lens that wasn't used.
Peire wrote:
My two Sonys A7R2 in the past recognized Voigtlander Apo Lanthar 50/2 as Loxia 50/2 and Voigtlander Apo Lanthar 35/2 as Loxia 35/2 too.
The A1 is older than the A7CR. Checking the lens used in Adobe bridge metadata it says "Viltrox 50mm F2.0 FE". Isn't it the same when using the A7CR? Perhaps the error is somewhere else, maybe at the forum software?
Jonas B wrote:
The A1 is older than the A7CR. Checking the lens used in Adobe bridge metadata it says "Viltrox 50mm F2.0 FE". Isn't it the same when using the A7CR? Perhaps the error is somewhere else, maybe at the forum software?
Ah, OK, so that's it. I found it strange that the camera suddenly should invent new lens names instead of reading what's reported by the lens.
Thank you j4nu - good to have that cleared up.
Because we recently discussed the varying degrees of bokeh at the same aperture. This video also points out this phenomenon in relation to Lux vs. Cron (from 16:40 onwards). I find the difference there even more striking.
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After reading Dustin Abbot's review, I purchased the 50mm F2 Air. Everything is great except the autofocus - it seems very slow to me. Otherwise, it's the perfect lightweight 50mm for me.
I tested indoor at night with artificial light (ISOs around 200), so I'll give it another shot in the daylight and see whether anything changes (though I don't see why it would if it was getting enough light already).
milend wrote:
After reading Dustin Abbot's review, I purchased the 50mm F2 Air. Everything is great except the autofocus - it seems very slow to me. Otherwise, it's the perfect lightweight 50mm for me.
I tested indoor at night with artificial light (ISOs around 200), so I'll give it another shot in the daylight and see whether anything changes (though I don't see why it would if it was getting enough light already).
After re-testing in the morning, I find the AF acceptable - it’s actually fine and I only use AF-C.
It’s nowhere near the speed of the 40mm F2.5 but it’s sufficient. I’ll keep the lens, the small size is great.
