Glad you like it, I can't recommend the 16mm and the UWA converter enough. They certainly aren't optically stellar, however, they are not remotely as bad as the reputation they seem to have either (perhaps from those who have never used them ?)
Small and light, auto focus, no color shifts, and a mere $250 and $114 respectively just can't be beat. Literally I mean that as well, there just isn't anything else out there in any mount thats going to give you better overall performance than these two. I've tried darn near everything I could get my hands on and everything while no doubt better on their given mounts just gives so much flare, strong color shifts, vingetting and color smearing to prove impractical.
I certainly don't hope the 16 and converter are the final word in E-Mount wides, as I'd love to see a better performing ultra wide zoom come out, but in the meantime, I dont think this combo would disappoint anyone who gives it a try
ken.vs.ryu wrote:
those are great for that fisheye adapter.
Its not the fisheye, its the ultra wide adapter, which its a 0.7x for a 12mm FOV, or 18mm in full frame terms.
I've heard good things about the fisheye as well though, and its also reasonably priced, but its a look I use so sparingly I've never picked one up yet. Probably will sooner or later though just for fun video's etc
millsart wrote:
Its not the fisheye, its the ultra wide adapter, which its a 0.7x for a 12mm FOV, or 18mm in full frame terms.
I've heard good things about the fisheye as well though, and its also reasonably priced, but its a look I use so sparingly I've never picked one up yet. Probably will sooner or later though just for fun video's etc
It must have been you millsart, that made up my mind. You are right, it's a great setup. Light also. Even comes with a hard leather case. Good build, firm attachment. Very close focus also.
What do you think the effective aperture is at 12mm? It can't still be 2.8, can it?
I believe it would still be f2.8, because its a converter on the front of the lens, rather than the usual magnifying type of teleconverter that goes between the lens and the camera body. I don't think its reducing the amount of light that the lens itself is taking in, rather just taking in a wider FOV.
I suppose there could be a slight transmission lose due to the extra glass in the optical path but would still call it f2.8.
I just got the .75x converter a couple of weeks ago, and I've been surprised. It certainly doesn't seem to have worse IQ in any way compared to the 16mm on its own. The 16mm and converter are especially good for me, since I like to shoot in 5:4 and 1:1 ratio, which effectively crops out the very extreme corners, which are always a little soft. LR3 lens correction works well, too.
Nope. No news about an EVF. Did you see my thread with the EVF replacement that I made? I'm not sure I'd even want an EVF, anymore, because this thing works so well for me:
Combine that with my C-Biogon 35/2.8, and I'm in mini-Hasselblad heaven.
p.s. the pics don't quite do it justice, because they were done with an iPhone up close, so the distortion makes the "nexviewer" more bulky than it really is. I barely notice it when folded up.
I guess it is an ok substitute, I just have this thing for big, bright viewfinders where i can lock out the world (aka, my fm2.. :P ), I do think your invention looks good though, I would just love a EVF. Annoying that I have to choose between 1.6 crop and EVF :P
ulrikft2 wrote:
My friendly nex-users, have there been any signal from sony on a EVF for the nex?
i think the lack of one is a signal that they don't want to provide one for their cameras targeted at the p&s crowd. they obviously could have released one since there are a bunch of extra connections in the flash port and they have made decent EVFs for a long time. i'm guessing when the higher end NEX comes out it will have one, but they don't want to eat into those theoretical sales.
ulrikft2, my EVF solution in that link gives a viewfinder equivalent that is very large. I don't have an A900 anymore to compare with its viewfinder, but it's WAY bigger than my Leicaflex SL's viewfinder...like 50% bigger. The LCD shade blocks out the outside world nicely. Seriously, it's completely changed the camera for me, and because it isn't a bulky appendage like a viewfinder on the top of the camera would be, I'm not sure I'll even buy and EVF anymore, if Sony makes one available. The main caveat is there is pincushion distortion that is noticeable particularly at the edges.
It feels like a very large EVF with some distortion at the outer third. It certainly doesn't feel like an OVF, but no EVFs do, yet. Having shot an A900 for over two years, I certainly enjoy a good viewfinder, but the realtime histogram of EVFs is very nice. This link shows how versatile the NEX is in regards to viewing: Link
I just wasn't sure which cameras you were comparing when you said 1.6 crop. Canon crop cameras are 1.6 crop, NEX is 1.5 crop, so I misunderstood you.
I was wondering if anyones got any experience with the Voigtlander 90mm APO f3.5 m39 mount lens, and specifically, how it might work as an alternative for the seeming defacto standard Contax G 90mm f2.8 ?
Size and weight wise they are pretty close of course, and about the same price as well when you factor in the cost of a decent quality G-Nex adapter.
Issue of the adapter being really the reason for me bringing this up, as the cheap ones I've come across always have issues with jamming gears, grittiness etc, and the better quality alternatives such as the Metabones being a bit bulky and heavy, and still not really providing an ideal MF feel.
A VC 90mm of course would have a nice silky smooth and well dampened focus ring and work with a m39 to nex adapter or add a m mount ring to it and then a m mount to nex adapter, both of which are quite compact and affordable.
Your giving up half a stop of course, but perhaps getting less CA due to the APO element, which could be a worthwhile tradeoff. ( I had the VC 75 f2.5 and found it had quite a bit of lateral CA and purple fringing)
Given that I enjoy doing mosiac pano's, I'd really like 90mm-ish lens thats well corrected and sharp across the frame, and certainly the smaller/lighter it can be the better.
Lens like a Leica f2 90mm Cron for example really are just getting a bit too big, and even my excellent Leica 90mm Elmarit-M f2.8 which I have since sold are still pushing the weight limit a bit, not to mention my savings lol. Great lens for sure, but why use a $1400 1lbs lens when there are $300 .5lb lenses out there that still can deliver excellent optical quality.
I need to get off of my rear and test them out. I have the Nikon S mount version of the Voigtlander, which is an 85mm f3.5 APO, that I got in a package deal, and I've yet to try it out against the Contax, because I don't shoot that focal length very often. I've been told that the Voigtlander 85mm and 90mm versions are identical optically, but Voigtlander is just calling it 85mm for Nikon mount, since Nikon has 85mm frame lines. I haven't been able to confirm that, but it makes sense. The Voigtlander is a nice size, built pretty well, and not having to deal with the Contax adapter focus ring is nice, but I haven't put the lens through its paces. I will say that my Voigtlander 85's focus ring isn't perfect. There is a bit of play, and it isn't nearly as nice as my Nokton 50/1.5's focus feel, but still much better than the Contax adapter.
It's far from mint, but zero haze and only scratches on front element from filter, otherwise clean glass- not even cleaning marks. There are some splotches where the black paint has come off or something inside the barrel, but no flakes.
