Re: Fun with the Sony A7 Series Cameras( all of them)
Barry, you ought to get Sony to give you a sales commission! I've been flirting with the idea of getting the FE 35/1.4 Distagon for several weeks after reading various reviews and tests but have been endlessly prevaricating - until I read your opinion.
Now I'm $1,700 poorer and waiting for the mail from Hong Kong.
Interestingly, my kit is going to be very like yours. I have the FE 16-35 on my a7r, then either the FE 24-70 or the FE 55 on my a7II and the FE 70-200 in the bag. What has concerned me is that the FE 24-70 just can't match the FE 55, whereas it sounds from all the reports I've read, that the Distagon does. (I'll keep the 24-70 as walk-around lens when it's the only one I'm carrying but otherwise it'll stay in the closet.)
So thank you (I think...)
Bill
Bill, You are most welcome...I always enjoy helping others to spend their money
That's a good selection of Sony/Zeiss lenses you have yourself there, It just goes to show that great minds think alike
The 24-70mm does make for a very nice single lens walkabout choice...Although it was all the reviews that have put me off getting one...To be honest I have never even tried one to see for myself.
Regarding the 35mm FE Distagon lens, I gathered up as much info that I could as 35mm is my very favourite focal length. To be honest I was getting fed up keep chopping and changing all the time and I didn't particularly want to make yet another expensive mistake. What finally persuaded me were the excellent threads over on FM, which are well worth looking at. I had it down to just two lenses in the end either the ZM 35mm Distagon (with the A7R Mod) or the FE 35mm Distagon as I wanted a fast 35mm lens - I still favour 35mm and 50mm F1.4 Summilux lenses over F2.0 Summicron's as you gain that extra stop with a beautiful WO rendering, even if you do end up sacrificing a little bit of sharpness in return.
I was in a similar situation I couldn't find anybody that had it in stock in the UK (not at a sensible price that is)...I purchased mine from the Netherlands (Photospecialist) and it arrived pretty quickly I'm glad to say.
I really hope you don't regret your rather expensive purchase if my little write up finally ended up swaying you...Please do share your thoughts once you have tried it...Cheers Barry
PS. I just recently noticed that DXOmark have the 35mm FE Distagon in 2nd place just behind the 55mm FE in the native Sony lenses (Although the 2 Loxia scores are not in yet)...The 28mm is no slouch either and looks to be a great buy for the money.
http://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/Sony...m-F1.4-ZA-vs-Carl-Zeiss-Sonnar-T-35mm-F2.8-ZA
+ The MTF charts of the 85mm Batus look to be as good as the 85mm OTUS.
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/85mm_otus_vs_batis.jpg
...You can start saving for that now
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I don't intend to leave this thread nor am I going to sell my Sony stuff. I even might be buying the new Sony A9, or whatever sooner then the PentaxZ. That camera is merely for special projects.
I probably can't wonder around the streets incognito with the Pentax swinging around my neck like I do with the Sony set up.
That's great news Michiel...Sorry I obviously got "the wrong end of the stick" as I often do!
I thought you were trying to raise money by selling off all your gear to the members here by lightening their wallets
I used to own a Pentax 67 so I'm only to aware of the whiplash you get when taking it off your neck...Cheers Barry
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Nice comparison! I have the 16-35 + 55 as my walk-around combo. With a lot of folks trading out their 35/2.8 for the f1.4 or 28/2, I'm seriously tempted to pick up the little prime to add to my collection. The 55mm is an awesome 1-lens solution... but sometimes I might like something a bit more compact.
Graham, same here those 2 lenses (16-35mm + 55mm) make for a great versatile combination..The 28mm looks to be an excellent choice for something a bit more compact...Good luck on whatever you decide upon...Cheers Barry
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Thanks for this. My lens came last Friday but I haven't had time to try it out yet because I've been away for work this week. I plan on mounting it some time soon as I will be back home tomorrow afternoon.
You're most welcome Tre + Congrats on your new lens
I bet you are itching to try it out
Will look forward to your findings once you have had a chance to play with it, especially as we have shared the same taste in lenses over the years...Cheers Barry
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Thanks again everybody for the "Likes" and "Thanks" etc....Cheers Barry