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Compact fast lenses for a7cr

  
 
luisdent
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p.1 #1 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


I'm considering trying sony coming from fuji x system. I want so badly to keep things as close the the xt5 size with 18 1.4 and 33 1.4 as a baseline for quality.

I can't seem to find similar lenses (28/50) with decent apertures (say 1.8 minimum) that come close to the fuji in size. Can anyone recommend any that i might be missing? Or is it a pipe dream to get close to the same size? I know it's "possible" because i currently have a leica q3 and it is small and full frane with a killer lens. But it's all one unit and not cheap. (And i may not keep it as it would fund the sony)

I like the a7cr as well, i assume that's the smallest full frame sony?



Oct 29, 2025 at 09:28 PM
Yogifi
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p.1 #2 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


For 50mm you have lots of options.

I'd get the viltrox 50mm f2 air if you mostly want it for non-people shots. It's incredibly sharp, well corrected, small, light and cheap. Sharpest out of the compact 50s available but not the best bokeh. Sigma 50mm f2 is similar in rendering (clean and modern) but with smoother bokeh at the cost of being significantly heavier, larger and costs a lot more. Does have an aperture ring, manual/auto focus switch, but still no weather sealing.

For people with autofocus, Sony 55mmf1.8 used or the 50mm f1.8. 55 has better bokeh but it's 55 and zeiss sonar, blurs fast, suffers from CA, but very good for people shots.

50mm f1.8 from sony is cheap brand new, clean simple look, bokeh not the best, very light, decent sharpness.

Samyang 45mm f1.8 for better bokeh than the 50, less wide than the 55. Not as good for continuous autofocus, hint of older rendering (not quite as clean), suits filmic edits well. Build and design feels cheap but a nice lens.

There's a few others around the size of the 33mmf1.4 and some good manual focus options, the voigtlander 50mm f1.2 nokton (SE) is my favourite compact 50mm including the af options but close distance needs stopping down, very good all rounder manual focus lens.

A7Cii & A7CR are the smallest interchangeable lens full-frame stills focussed cameras for Sony that are recent as far as I know.

Edited on Oct 30, 2025 at 12:21 PM · View previous versions



Oct 29, 2025 at 09:42 PM
bwcolor
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p.1 #3 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


Why would lenses be the same size when you have increased the size of the sensor? There are many small lenses. I have the Sigma 17mm f/4 (very small), not so small Sony 24mm f/1.4, Sony 40mm f/2.5G..(quite small) and Sigma 90mm f/2.8 (small). You need to give just a bit in aperture…most likely.


Oct 29, 2025 at 09:43 PM
ggweci
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p.1 #4 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


Sony 28mm f2 and 55mm f1.8 zeiss are a great combo, with quick AF, compact size, and can be had a fairly reasonable pricing. The 28mm may not be as good as the Fuji 18mm 1.4, but I do like the rendering of it.


Oct 29, 2025 at 10:05 PM
nehemiahphoto
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p.1 #5 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


I was going to say--the FE 28/2 and Samy 45/1.8 or Sony 50/1.8 or ZA 55 or Sigma 50/2.


Oct 29, 2025 at 10:21 PM
freaklikeme
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p.1 #6 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


If you can live with 24 instead of 28, the Sigma i 24/2 and 50/2 would make a great, reasonably small combo for the cII/r.


Oct 29, 2025 at 10:46 PM
murthyksk
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p.1 #7 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr




There's a few others around the size of the 33mmf1.4 and some good manual focus options, the voigtlander 50mm f1.2 nokton (SE) is my favourite compact 50mm including the af options but close distance needs stopping down, very good all rounder manual focus lens.



Voigtlander 50/2 APO is also a excellent, compact MF lens



Oct 29, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Dave Sanders
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p.1 #8 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


The Sigma i series is what you want - the 50/2 is almost an exact match for the 33/1.4 in terms of focal length, aperture, build, size, weight, features, filter thread, etc.

While the 24/2 is a bit wider than the 18/1.4, it is again a near exact match in length, aperture, build, size, weight...even filter thread.

You don't need to overthink this, though I recognize how much fun that is



Oct 30, 2025 at 12:21 AM
3catsinky
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p.1 #9 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


Viltrox 50F2, 85F2, and Sony 24, even the sony 35F1.8 is small, sharp and fast af. or you can go 16-25, 24-50 and viltox 85.


Oct 30, 2025 at 05:32 AM
Garmadon
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p.1 #10 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


I use the Batis 25mm and the Sonnar 55mm .
I like this combo a lot , you can check some images in my flickr.




Oct 30, 2025 at 06:19 AM
 


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Steve Spencer
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p.1 #11 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


luisdent wrote:
I'm considering trying sony coming from fuji x system. I want so badly to keep things as close the the xt5 size with 18 1.4 and 33 1.4 as a baseline for quality.

I can't seem to find similar lenses (28/50) with decent apertures (say 1.8 minimum) that come close to the fuji in size. Can anyone recommend any that i might be missing? Or is it a pipe dream to get close to the same size? I know it's "possible" because i currently have a leica q3 and it is small and full frane with a killer lens. But
...Show more

The answer is there aren't lenses exactly like those two for full frame on Sony or really any other platform. The issue is that Sony builds their best lenses (i.e., the GM lenses) to have shallower depth of field (i.e., a larger entrance pupil) across their top line of lenses and then builds their G lenses to be small but with less depth of field capabilities and a narrower aperture than the Fuji's. Those are two of Fuji's top lenses with really good optical correction, great close focus performance with a floating elements design, good weather resistance/sealing, and their top linear motors. Nikon makes a series of f/1.8 lenses in their professional S line, but these lenses are bigger than the Fuji's, but probably come closer to what you want.

This general problem that Sony builds their best lenses with shallower depth of field capabilities and with a large size and their G lenses with less capabilities but a smaller size is compounded by very few lenses with a 28mm (i.e. 18mm on APS-C) field of view made for FF mirrorless mounts in general and Sony in particular.

That said, these lenses will get you somewhat close to the Fuji's capabilities.

At 28mm on Sony:

Like I said there isn't much at this focal length, but you might consider the Viltrox 28 f/1.8 or the Sony 28 f/2. Neither is in the league of the Fuji 18 f/1.4 and neither has the floating elements design or linear motor of the Fuji, but they are as close as you get for now on Sony E mount. If you can live with manual focus the Voigtlander 28 f/1.5 comes in E mount and is a nice lens, but obviously doesn't have a fast focus motor and doesn't have a floating elements design although the close performance isn't too bad.

That leaves you with going with a 24/25mm or 35mm on Sony. At 25mm an interesting choice would be the Zeiss Batis 25 f/2, which has really nice optical correction and good AF and is light weight, but is bulky in size. There is also the Sigma 24 f/2 Contemporary, but that is basically the full frame version of the Sigma 16 f/1.4 Contemporary that is available for Fuji and coming from Fuji you may not feel that is very close to the Fuji 18 f/1.4. Many Fuji shooter don't think the Sigma is that close and there are differences. Being in the Sigma Contemporary series the 24 f/2 is typical for that series in being fairly sharp, but it lacks the weather sealing, the top line focus motor, the aperture ring, and the floating element design (with the real good close focus performance) of the Fuji. Sony also makes a 24 f/2.8 G series lens, but that has noticeably less shallow depth of field capabilities than the Fuji especially so as it is a wider field of view.

At 35mm there are even more options. You might consider Sigma again which has a 35 f/2 Contemporary that is the FF equivalent of their 23 f/1.4 Contemporary for Fuji APS-C. Much the same applies to it as the 24 f/2, but that in addition that lens has IMO particularly nice bokeh, but does not have anywhere near the close focus performance of the Fuji. Sony also makes a 35 f/1.8 that has a top line linear motor and is very sharp and is nice and small, but it doesn't have weather sealing or control CA nearly as well as the Fuji. Sony also makes a nice 40 f/2.4 G series lens, but that is quite a bit different from the perspective of the Fuji 18mm.

At 50mm on Sony:

There are more options to compete with the Fuji 33 f/1.4 on Sony. Still there isn't anything exactly like it. Sony makes a quite nice Sony/Zeiss 55 f/1.8 that is actually a little smaller than the Fuji. It is a sharp lens and has good linear motor, but has considerably more CA than the Fuji, and doesn't have the close focus performance. There is also a Sigma 50 f/2 Contemporary that is a nice lens but has the same issues as the 24 and 35 in this series. There is also a 50 f/2 Viltrox Air that is much like the 35 f/1.7 air for Fuji. A very nice sharp lens and very inexpensive for its quality, but lacking the focus motor, floating elements design, and build quality of the Fuji. Sony also makes a very nice 50 f/2.4G, that is small, performs well, and has a nice linear motor. It might be the closest to the Fuji 33 f/1.4, but it doesn't quite have the shallow depth of field capability of the Fuji.

IMO, you will find options on Sony, but you won't find anything quite like the Fuji lenses on Sony. You will get to use the lenses you do find, however, with a bigger and in several ways better sensor and depending on the camera you will get a bit better AF with Sony, so it is a tradeoff. Good luck as you try the new mount.



Oct 30, 2025 at 06:19 AM
Yogifi
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p.1 #12 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


I also came to Sony from Fuji and was looking for something very similar to the rendering of the xf 35mmf1.4 for people shots with better autofocus and a little more sharpness and did not find it after basically trying them all - the sensor might have quite a bit to do with that. But I did find alternatives I enjoyed for different reasons and styles. Kept the fuji and upgraded the xe3 camera. Will be downsizing but the 55mmf1.8, CV 50mm f1.2 stays for people photos, viltrox f2 air or sigma 50mm f2, and CV apo for out and about solo. One autofocus one manual for each type. Maybe one or two for alternative looks for the people ones.

I think for non people photos, viltrox or sigma for autofocus. But no weather sealing there. 55mmf1.8 might do for that depending on tastes. The viltrox is so damn small and high performing (in terms of IQ) though.

murthyksk wrote:
There's a few others around the size of the 33mmf1.4 and some good manual focus options, the voigtlander 50mm f1.2 nokton (SE) is my favourite compact 50mm including the af options but close distance needs stopping down, very good all rounder manual focus lens.



Voigtlander 50/2 APO is also a excellent, compact MF lens


The CV apo is, I suspect the viltrox is actually higher performing while being smaller lighter and cheaper but it's not as fun as the apo in-use (apart from the sharpness allowing you to punch in to 75mm without much worry about quality loss). Despite having too many 50s I still want to get this one again (first was decentered) as my go to manual focus for out and about solo trips. Paired with a 28mm. Lovely form factor, very nice smooth images, good balance on the a7cii (better than nokton SE). Makes for a fun experience with reliable results. It can't blur the background quite like the nokton though.



Oct 30, 2025 at 07:49 AM
NJPhotographer
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p.1 #13 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


Yogifi wrote:
I'd get the viltrox 50mm f2 air if you mostly want it for non-people shots. Its incredibly sharp, well corrected, small, light and cheap. Sharpest out of the compact 50s available but not the best bokeh.


Just wondering why the Viltrox 50mm f/2 Air is for non-people shots? I don't have the lens. Is it too sharp for people, or is the bokeh unpleasant, or something else?



Oct 30, 2025 at 09:25 AM
Yogifi
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p.1 #14 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


NJPhotographer wrote:
Just wondering why the Viltrox 50mm f/2 Air is for non-people shots? I don't have the lens. Is it too sharp for people, or is the bokeh unpleasant, or something else?


Yes, a bit of both for my taste. I'd rather use something else. You can use it, I just have other ones I'd choose first. Preferring to use this for walk-abouts, punching in to 75mm too.

For my preferences it is ridiculously sharp, I was rather shocked when I took the first shot of the doggo. I had very little expectations because of the price and experience with other similar sized lenses but I would say it punches well above its weight and price.
I pretty much only get the compact lenses, but basically tried all of them. So if you have experience with the higher-end modern larger 50mm lenses, it might not shock you as it did me.
I think it even beat the 50mm f1.4 GM for sharpness (in the corners?), was mentioned somewhere by Dustin Abbott in a text write-up, but I'm not 100% sure.

I get enough hassle from family about images showing too many details on skin ever since switching from apsc fuji - or more accurately, introducing the sony. I don't dare to use the viltrox on them.

You can reduce clarity in post among other things but my post-processing skills aren't amazing, not having to do much at all with the fuji (for people, which is basically all I used it for).
I've gotten a little better - I do a mask of various density around the eyes, eyebrows, nostrils, lips then invert it and reduce clarity and texture, then add a little back in certain spots like the cheeks, chin, nose and forehead (all in lightroom). If I really want I take it to photoshop but I dunno, I'd rather just have something look closer to what I want straight out of camera.

You know you can shoot anything with anything, it's just preference and advantages here and there. And you can dual-purpose the nokton more than the APO imo. That lens is so useful to me that I got the 40mm f1.2 after just for the option and there's only around 7mm between them. Though I'm not shooting near MFD with them (or anything else really).

Personally I don't hate the bokeh with the viltrox, but not what I would use when I'm specifically looking for it in the shot like I often do with people. Honestly, I actually like the bokeh when it's not a big component of the image - even if it's not the smoothest, it's still smooth, feels natural.
But while it's F2, the bokeh sometimes feels closer to an f2.8 when you compare it with another, similar to the APO when compared against the nokton. That's been my experience anyway and another user mentioned it when comparing against the f1.2 GM.

The viltrox sharpness actually comes in handy for people when they're further away in the shot, but then you give up even more of the blur. And it's not that bad for people if you're okay doing some light retouching.
It's honestly hard to justify additional 50s for non-people shots. Particularly thinking about the 50mm f2 sigma. If that was weather sealed, and together with the mf/af switch and aperture control it would be easier to justify keeping, but it's not and comes with the extra weight, size and cost for some smoother bokeh but a similar image.

Whether or not the build quality will hold up long term, I'm not sure. But it's cheap, and I'm really happy with it and find it very easy to recommend for walkabout.
Even though the build is no-frills, it doesn't feel or look like cheap plastic like the samyang 45 does. I like the samyang for people (filmic edits) but I put black tape around a lot of it ... for aesthetics believe it or not.

Edited on Oct 30, 2025 at 12:04 PM · View previous versions



Oct 30, 2025 at 09:36 AM
dhazeghi
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p.1 #15 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


I'm a fan of the Sigma i series. They're medium-sized lenses - not large like the Sony GM f/1.4 series, not tiny like the Sony G f/2.8 series.

You can get a decent sense for size using the camerasize.com website (not affiliated - just a fan). For example: https://camerasize.com/compact/#900.981,912.1014,ha,t



Oct 30, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Nifty Fifty
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p.1 #16 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


Yogifi wrote:
I'd get the viltrox 50mm f2 air if you mostly want it for non-people shots. Its incredibly sharp, well corrected, small, light and cheap. Sharpest out of the compact 50s available but not the best bokeh.


I see it exactly the other way around. Especially for portraits, I would definitely prefer the 1.8 50 to the Air, precisely because it is not so extremely sharp and contrasty.




Oct 30, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Yogifi
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p.1 #17 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


Nifty Fifty wrote:
I see it exactly the other way around. Especially for portraits, I would definitely prefer the 1.8 50 to the Air, precisely because it is not so extremely sharp and contrasty.



I prefer the 50mm f1.8 for people too.. for the same reasons.
Perhaps I didn't explain it clearly there but viltrox f2 air is great, but not for people shots.

I don't get the hate for the 50mm f1.8 (from others), I think it's actually a very good lens for people. There's no frills or special sauce to the look, it's just very clean but not overly sharp or modern, very natural and pleasing looking images. Tiny, light, and cheap - got it new on amazon for £135 during a sale.

Even better with a very slight glimmerglass (I've found 1/4 to be less strong than 1/8 for some reason, mr leica mentioned this too with a different range from glimmerglass) - takes off a bit of the edge but not essential especially with post processing. 1/8 can have a cool look with some colour postprocessing too.

Sometimes the bokeh isn't great, but usually it's fine. I've basically only used it for people shots though.

Edited on Oct 30, 2025 at 12:07 PM · View previous versions



Oct 30, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Nifty Fifty
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p.1 #18 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr




Yogifi wrote:
I prefer the 50mm f1.8 for people too.. for the same reasons.
Perhaps I didn't explain it clearly there but viltrox f2 air is great, but not for people shots.

I don't get the hate for the 50mm f1.8 (from others), I think it's actually a brilliant lens for people. There's no frills or special sauce to the look, it's just very clean but not overly sharp, very natural and pleasing looking images. Tiny, light, and cheap - got it new on amazon for £135 during a sale.

Even better with a very slight glimmerglass (I've found 1/4 to be less strong
...Show more
Oh, I apologize profusely. I usually read with a translator and sometimes forget to check the original before replying. So everything you wrote is correct, and my reply was nonsense.



Oct 30, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Nifty Fifty
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p.1 #19 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr




Yogifi wrote:
Yes, a bit of both for my taste. I'd rather use something else. You can use it, I just have other ones I'd choose first. Preferring to use this for walk-abouts, punching in to 75mm too.

For my preferences it is ridiculously sharp, I was rather shocked when I took the first shot of the doggo. I had very little expectations because of the price and experience with other similar sized lenses but I would say it punches well above its weight and price.
I pretty much only get the compact lenses, but basically tried all of them. So if you have
...Show more
I believe our impressions are 100% identical.



Oct 30, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Yogifi
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p.1 #20 · Compact fast lenses for a7cr


Nifty Fifty wrote:
Oh, I apologize profusely. I usually read with a translator and sometimes forget to check the original before replying. So everything you wrote is correct, and my reply was nonsense.


No worries, I think some of my posts are tough to get through even in english



Oct 30, 2025 at 12:12 PM
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