Recently added Sony FF to my kit and have been researching the best lenses to get. Some generalizations from what I have found:
- Except for some telephoto primes, the f/2.8 models are not that great. The f/2 versions are the ones to get
- Like other mfrs, it seems that the 28/2.8 is the weakest of the line.
- Minolta seems to have gone for rendering and bokeh instead of maximum sharpness and correction of aberrations
- Slightly higher levels of lateral and longitudinal / bokeh CA and vignetting / corner issues than other brands (see Photozone\'s tests)
- Not that many great Sony primes available currently... might want to look at Minolta glass if you\'re after high end performance
- A lot of the most desirable Minolta glass at good prices has already been scooped up. Be prepared to pay $$ for the good stuff now
- A lot of the used Minolta primes on the market do not have the distance encoder built-in, which means it won\'t tell the ADI flash system how far your subject is, possibly reducing consistency of your flash exposure performance
- If you want a simple, clear recommendation without having to pick and choose: get Zeiss glass. Their ZA primes are generally excellent. 85/1.4 and 135/1.8, and their ZA 24-70/2.8 zoom is at least the equal of most of the f/2.8 A-mount primes
- As far as Sony primes go, their G lenses are the high performance line, but are relatively expensive. Here are the ones I would take a look at:
- The Sony 35/1.4G is, as was described above, a bit of an artisan lens. A bit like a \"portrait wide-angle\", and not the sharpest most corrected lens for landscape or high res work.
- The Sony 100/2.8 Macro is one of their better primes. With the exception of relatively high longitudinal / bokeh CA, it is an excellent performer.
- The Sony 135/STF is Sony\'s dedicated portrait lens. Possibly the smoothest bokeh from any 135 portrait lens on the market, although not the most convenient or practical. Manual focus only and slower effective max aperture due to the periodization elements (only f/4.5 or something, effectively). Personally, I\'d rather get the Zeiss ZA 135/1.8 as it\'s easier to use, faster, and has good bokeh as well.
- Can\'t really speak to the telephoto primes, as I never researched them.
- I would probably get the upcoming Zeiss ZA 16-35/2.8 for wide-angle stuff over existing primes
Nov 21, 2008 at 12:35 PM
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