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Author Topic: Sony 35mm lens rant!!  (Read 5354 times)

jhemp

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Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« on: December 12, 2016, 05:13:48 pm »

Sorry to piss and moan but I need to get this of my chest,

I'm really tired of having to carry around three 35mm lenses! Sony has three awesome 50mm lenses that are solid all around.  The loxia 50mm f2, Sony/Zeiss 55mm 1.8 and the newer Sony/Zeiss 50 1.4.  I've had all three and now just have the Loxia and the Sony Zeiss 50 1.4. I could honestly just pick one of these and be ok.

But at the 35mm end of things it's not so good!

I carry the Sony Zeiss 35mm F1.4 for environmental portrait work and event style work.  I have had three copies and they all sucked past  F2.8, refusing to ever sharpen up across the frame even by F11.

Then I carry the Loxia 35mm F2.0 for landscape work because its great stopped down from f8-f11, but below f8 its not very good and in my opinion it's garbage at f2 with a slight veiling haze throughout the image.

Lastly I carry the Sony/Zeiss 35mm F2.8 for a walk about street lens because I love the rendering of this lens at F2.8!  But it's too slow for my tastes when used for enviro portrait work, and then my copy has trouble ever sharpening up on the right side of the frame at distance, like for landscape shot, even at f11. 

I regret selling my RX1R to pick up the RX1RII because I got a bad copy with light leaks and decentered lens, and I've been afraid to reorder! 

At times this has me upset enough to consider bagging all the sony gear and just grabbing a Nikon D5 or D810 with the Sigma 35mm and 50mm lenses and being done with it.

Jay

www.jayhemphill.com



« Last Edit: December 12, 2016, 05:29:13 pm by jhemp »
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ErikKaffehr

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2016, 05:30:49 pm »

Hi,

Sad to hear about your experience and thanks for sharing.

Best regards
Erik



Sorry to piss and moan but I need to get this of my chest,

I'm really tired of having to carry around three 35mm lenses! Sony has three awesome 50mm lenses that are solid all around.  The loxia 50mm f2, Sony/Zeiss 55mm 1.8 and the newer Sony/Zeiss 50 1.4.  I've had all three and now just have the Loxia and the Sony Zeiss 50 1.4. I could honestly just pick one of these and be ok.

But at the 35mm end of things it's not so good!

I carry the Sony Zeiss 35mm F1.4 for environmental portrait work and event style work.  I have had three copies and they all sucked past  F2.8, refusing to ever sharpen up across the frame even by F11.

Then I carry the Loxia 35mm F2.0 for landscape work because its great stopped down from f8-f11, but below f8 its not very good and in my opinion it's garbage at f2 with a slight veiling haze throughout the image.

Lastly I carry the Sony/Zeiss 35mm F2.8 for a walk about street lens because I love the rendering of this lens at F2.8!  But it's too slow for my tastes when used for enviro portrait work, and then my copy has trouble ever sharpening up on the right side of the frame at distance, like for landscape shot, even at f11. 

I regret selling my RX1R to pick up the RX1RII because I got a bad copy with light leaks and decentered lens, and I've been afraid to reorder! 

At times this has me upset enough to consider bagging all the sony gear and just grabbing a Nikon D5 or D810 with the Sigma 35mm and 50mm lenses and being done with it.

Jay

www.jayhemphill.com



I even ordered the RX1RII right when it came out and got a crap copy with a decentered lens and light leaks.  I am now gun shy to reorder.  Sad because the RX1R was INCREDIBLE and I wish I had not sold it.
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Erik Kaffehr
 

kers

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2016, 07:23:26 pm »

Well, that is quite a list!

I have a shop nearby and before i buy i try...
Cannot afford to have problems like this.
Wide angle lenses all do have their quirks.
So just go to a shop and try a Sony RX1RII and decide the next day after some pixelpeeping.
( and let them hold the camera one day for you)
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Pieter Kers
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chez

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2016, 08:26:51 pm »

I'm happy with the size, weight and rendering of the 35 2.8. I use it extensively for street photography and it excels in that. For my landscape work, I use a Canon mount Zeiss 35mm and it does very well.

I'd love to have a 35 2.0 batis...but I'm quite happy with the 2.8.
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jhemp

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2016, 08:50:40 pm »

Kers:  This is definatly a first world problem and I've been very fortunate in my photography that it affords me these luxuries.   I just wish I could have one lens to rule them all!

jhemp

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2016, 08:53:52 pm »

I'm happy with the size, weight and rendering of the 35 2.8. I use it extensively for street photography and it excels in that. For my landscape work, I use a Canon mount Zeiss 35mm and it does very well.

I'd love to have a 35 2.0 batis...but I'm quite happy with the 2.8.

I agree, the 35mm f2.8 is a wonderful lens that doesn't really get the praise it deserves and I love it as a street lens!  f2.8 all day!  I think the a Batis would be awesome, both the 25 and 85 are great!

Paulo Bizarro

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2016, 05:18:46 am »

you could try the recent Zeiss ZM 35 f1.4.

Paul Roark

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2016, 10:37:29 am »

Given the success of the platform, in general, I assume Zeiss will someday have modern Loxia branded 35mm and 50mm options to match the 21mm quality.  I see the re-warmed ZM optics as a stop gap.  At the moment, however, I agree that there are gaps in the line-up.

Paul
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jhemp

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #8 on: December 17, 2016, 07:00:17 pm »

Because I'm obsessed with finding a good fast 35mm lens for my Sony A7RII I ordered another copy of the Sony/Zeiss 35mm F1.4 from Samy's camera.  Another dud!  This one is good from F1.4-F2 and thats it.  Kinda sharpens up to an ok level by F8 but not worth the hassle.  So for now I'll still have to work with 3 different 35mm lenses to cover different shooting scenarios.  Loxia 35mm for landscape/city scape work, Sony/Zeiss 35mm F1.4 for event and environmental portraiture, and then the Sony/Zeiss 35mm F2.8 for a walk around street lens.  Some day I hope to get a 35mm lens that can replace them all.
   

vjbelle

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #9 on: December 18, 2016, 03:11:16 pm »

I certainly do feel your pain.  I have never found a decent 35mm lens for the 135 format.  Every one I have tried had some type of centering issue.  The only lens I have had any luck with is the Zeiss f2.  At least its not decentered but certainly has other issues. 

Victor
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TonyVentourisPhotography

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2016, 04:21:25 pm »

I love the 35mm focal length.  Aside from the Leica summicron, I have settled on the Fuji x100 as my 35mm lens.  It even came with a body!  It's lighter than most lenses, so it just comes along with every setup I have.

Depends what you are after, but I have been  quiet happy with it.  Again, in terms of the alternatives...the summicron is the only other I feel is exceptional.  I wish Olympus would put out a lens in that focal length that is on par with their latest 25mm pro.
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Tony
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BobDavid

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #11 on: December 22, 2016, 12:04:07 am »

Slightly off topic: I use an Olympus E-M5 II with the Oly 17mm f/1.8 lens. I love the 17mm lens (equivalent to 34mm on a FF body). I also have an A7r and the Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 lens. The Zeiss  lens is a gem. In my opinion, it is a fine landscape lens.

Oly files taken at ISO 200 with the 17 f/1.8 lens are lovely. The files are sharp, have good dynamic range, and look great up to 18" X 24." Of course, the Oly files have a different look than the Sony files. Micro detail is absent from the former. However the lens renders light quite nicely. The 17mm lens exhibits hardly any CA or linear distortion. Edge to edge performance is very, very good. 

I appreciate your quest for the perfect 35mm lens. But in the end, other than you, will a client or a layperson truly see a difference among the 35mm lenses in your arsenal?
« Last Edit: December 22, 2016, 12:12:58 am by BobDavid »
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jhemp

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #12 on: April 01, 2017, 11:56:18 pm »

So I finally picked up another RX1Rii after the horrible disappointment of getting one of the first bad ones when it was released.  I'm very happy to say that I got a good one!!!!   :) :) :) :) :) :)

skierd

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2017, 03:58:10 pm »

Could you not just get the sigmas and a metabones adapter and be done with it? Assuming you get good copies of course... might want to invest in a couple rabbits feet or horseshoes first, or see a witch doctor or something to help with your luck.

The only problems I'd probably be having after buying those lenses is with my wife when the invoice shows up and I have to explain why I need three nearly identical high end 35mm lenses, or at least two high end and one lighter, slower walk around 35mm.  :o
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jhemp

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Re: Sony 35mm lens rant!!
« Reply #14 on: April 13, 2017, 11:23:26 pm »

I just love shooting with the RX1, theres something about it that brings my joy when I use it.  I have shot many paying jobs with the first version of the RX1, from concerts to weddings.  Plus I shoot 80% of my personal work at 35mm.  I do have the sigma Art 35mm with an adapter and it's a fine lens(Better than the Zeiss/Sony 35mm 1.4) but I don't particularly care for the weight of the lens on the A7 bodies and the field curvature is pretty strong.  I realize I'm very lucky to be in the position to buy and try all these different 35mm lenses.  My wife on the other hand is ok as long as photography keeps paying the bills and my kids can go to Junior Colleges! LOL!  For now I'm feeling the very content about my kit.
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