Yogifi
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 Re: Compact fast lenses for a7cr | |
NJPhotographer wrote:
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?
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. The sigma also isn't my favourite for poeple.
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.
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