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Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 OSS SEL70200G
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Review Date: Dec 13, 2014
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,231.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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build quality, quiet OSS, relatively compact, IQ even wide-open
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Cons:
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fly-by-wire focus mechanism.
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The size of the lens is about the same as the Canon/Nikon competitors which is very compact for a 70-200 f/4 lens. Yes, maybe it's not a small lens but we are talking full frame here and I always prefer IQ over size.
The Sony 70-200 f/4 is just as good or better than my Canon 70-200 f/4L IS which is a superb lens. Micro contrast and colors are excellent and there is no apparent compromise. A shortcoming of the Canon 70-200 f/4 was always 200mm f/4 at MFD. The Sony performs way better at MFD and the image stabilizer seems almost silent. In contrast Canon's IS version is very loud.
At 200mm, there is a small penalty in the corners when shooting wide open. That is minimum though and it's just perceptible because the center is that good. Maybe I got lucky with my copy but can only highly recommended this lens.
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Sony FE 16-35mm f/4 ZA OSS Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* SEL1635Z
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Review Date: Dec 13, 2014
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,348.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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High IQ, compact, OSS, build-quality
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Cons:
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fly-by-wire focusing. Yuck!
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I tested the FE 16-35 f/4 OSS today and I'm impressed. The lens seems to be optimized for the widest range.
Micro-contrast, color and resolution are top notch from center to corner even wide open. That proved to me that the A7R/A7RII is capable of great resolution at ultra-wide-angles even in the corners when the lens is optimized for the body.
To get the maximum resolution from this lens center to corners, all you need to do is step down to f/5.6. This is mainly because of the noticeable field curvature when shooting wide open.
At f/8 there are no visible changes except for a slight loss of micro-contrast.
The same goes for 20-24mm with only a tiny bit less resolution.
At 28mm I need to step down to f/6.3 for best corners and at 35mm f/9.
At infinity distances,
f/5.6 seems to be this lens sweet spot from 16 until 24mm.
f/6.3 for 28mm
f/9 for 35mm
It's a great landscape lens.
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Sony a7R
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Review Date: Mar 9, 2014
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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36MP Exmor sensor | Superb EVF | E-mount compatibility with an array of | Sony and other adapted lenses | Compact size and Lightweight | Manual mode with auto-ISO and exposure compensation
Weather sealed
High quality RAW files with amazing dynamic range
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Cons:
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Noticeable Shutter Vibration above 100mm focal length in the 1/30s - 1/125s shutter speed range | RAW lossy compression | Slow wake-up time | Low battery life capacity | Unable to toggle the LCD On/Off with a custom button. You can assign a custom function to turn off the LCD but it only blacks out the screen without actually turning it off.
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Sony’s full frame A7R catches the eye of Canon shooters with its adaptable mount. This compact, mirrorless body packs in a 36MP Exmor sensor and delivers impressive IQ and dynamic range.
I took it for a spin in Death Valley and Mono Lake and the results may surprise you.
Read my review:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/A7R-review
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Sony FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* SEL2470Z
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Review Date: Mar 1, 2014
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Well built, image stabilization, color, Zeiss micro-contrast, small and light.
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Cons:
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distortion at 24mm and 70mm; Extreme corners are soft from 24mm until 30mm due to astigmatism. 70mm only great when stopping down to f/9.
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Here are my initial impressions shooting at about 25 feet distance with the A7R:
The FE 24-70 f/4 is sharp enough wide-open at all focal lengths in the center area. Micro contrast improves by stopping down to f/5.6. However, at the wide range, stepping down further reduces micro-contrast from the center and does not do much for the extreme corners.
From 24mm until around 30mm, the aperture sweet spot is at f/6.3 and at 50-70mm performs fine at f/9. I have a well centered copy.
At 24mm, the mid-zone is sharp at f/5.6 but extreme corners do not follow and look soft. The same happens at 30mm to a lesser degree. There is an improvement at 35mm and at 50mm where the lens performs its best with sharp center and extreme edges.
At 70mm, I find the extreme corners somewhat sharp when stoping down to f/8. At f/9 corners improve further. No changes going to f/11.
I find the FE zoom's achilles heel to be from 24mm until 30mm at the extreme corners and after 60mm. It's not due to field curvature. Focusing on the extreme corners does not improve them. The main issue is probably due to astigmatism and aberration.
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Canon EOS 1D X
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Review Date: Sep 3, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Build quality, 12FPS 18mp RAW files, Excellent AF and metering systems.
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Cons:
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Less pixel dense than predecessor, inability to AF @ f/8
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I was very fortunate to have an opportunity to test out and review a production model of this new camera.
If you are curious about the new features or wondering if you should upgrade, you may find the answers to your questions in my review. Read about the pros and the cons and my experience using the EOS 1D X in the field.
Coupled with the 400mm and 500mm series II lenses, I had a blast pushing the limits on Canon's new equipment.
To read my Canon EOS 1D X Review, click below:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/1dx-review
All the best,
Fred
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Canon EOS 5D Mark III
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Review Date: May 3, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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- Build quality
- New AF system
- Lower noise at ISO 6400 and above
- Better and bigger LCD
- 6 FPS
- 100% viewfinder
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Cons:
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- Small resolution change
- No sensor improvement at base ISO.
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I just had the time of my life testing out two incredible new cameras, the Canon 5D Mark III and the Nikon D800. I took them to Yosemite and Mono Lake for a little over a week and would like to share with you my personal review.
Hope you enjoy it!
Here is the link: http://www.fredmiranda.com/5DIII-D800
All the best,
Fred
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Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM
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Review Date: Jun 4, 2003
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $5,000.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Lightweight for a 400mm f/4
Handles well in a compact design
Sharp wide-open
Fast AF and effective IS
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Cons:
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Price
Great IQ but not jaw dropping. :)
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Many find disappointing that the 400mm f/4 DO IS does not match the optical quality of the 300mm f/2.8L IS with the 1.4x II extender...
To me the obvious difference is in contrast.
However, we are left with other practical considerations, such as weight:
The 400 DO weights about 4.3 pounds
The 300/2.8L IS + 1.4x weights about 6 pounds (That is almost 2 pounds heavier!!)
I found the 400mm f/4 DO IS to be of very high optical quality aside from the lower contrast, yielding nice looking bokeh and great flare protection. When combined with the 1.4x extender, IQ suffers noticeably.
This picture was taking with the original Canon 1Ds + 400mm DO + 1.4II extender @560mm (contrast and sharpening in post)
http://www.fredmiranda.com/hosting/showphoto.php?photo=70&sort=1&cat=500&page=3
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