28mm F2 : first sample pictures

[jfirneno]

More shot samples and there's a few with the UWC and FEC as well for those potentially interested in them.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/markgaler/sets/72157651578028942/

Thanks for the link. I've got this one on order too. It looks like a keeper.

 

[iiiNelson]

Thanks for the link. I've got this one on order too. It looks like a keeper.

Yeah I ordered the 28/2 and the UWC (I'll bite the bullet and try it out first.) Hopefully I get mine in the first round of shipments before my trips in May. If not then there will always be some free time to see what the converter will do.

 

[Show Performance]

Tre, I forgot to post some photos from the SF trip to whet your appetite for the 28/2.

Here are a few and link to a post with more...

http://chadwadsworth.com/2015/04/23/bay-area-blast/

 

[iiiNelson]

Those look really good Chad but I actually cancelled my order yesterday.

I actually put the money back towards the 35/1.4 FE Distagon. I originally had it on preorder but cancelled my preorder (a few days before everyone realized they were shipping about 7-10 early in USA) until I could see more image examples since it is on the pricier side of the FE world. B&H Photo had them back in stock and after seeing the 25/2 and 85/1.8 Batis announcements I decided to skip the 28/2 for now until I see some 25/2 examples which I'm guess will be amazing seeing how they are pushing the Batis lenses as "Pro" lenses. I'm not really a 28mm guy but I was willing to give it a try for $450. I rather have the IQ and speed of the 35FE Distagon over the 28FE personally though. The Distagon should arrive tomorrow.

I'm putting my Sigma Art 35 in A-mount up for sale next week when I get back home from business travel.

 

[Show Performance]

Man with a plan. The equipment shuffle is never ending, right?

I'm going to try both the new Batis as well but the 28/2 is just too much fun for the money so I'll hold onto it for sure. I'm actually on the fence about the 35/1.4...no doubt a stellar lens but I'd get more use out of an updated RX1 - who knows if that will ever come though. Maybe Zeiss will do a small 35/2 Batis at some point.

 

[iiiNelson]

Man with a plan. The equipment shuffle is never ending, right?

I'm going to try both the new Batis as well but the 28/2 is just too much fun for the money so I'll hold onto it for sure. I'm actually on the fence about the 35/1.4...no doubt a stellar lens but I'd get more use out of an updated RX1 - who knows if that will ever come though. Maybe Zeiss will do a small 35/2 Batis at some point.

It seems so but I can see a end to the lens shuffle with a fast to medium fast UWA in the 15-21 range and a fast telephoto in the 120-150 range. I expect the 85/1.8 to be an "Otus-lite" like the 55FE is. I'm hoping the IQ of the 25/2 is similar to the ZE/ZF.2 version since they are pushing the "Pro" angle with these. I'd be in hog heaven if I'm correct.

 

[uhoh7]

I was a bit skeptical of this lens, but Philip at FM had a nice comparison at infinity with other 28s, and it seems this is by far the best 28 for the stock A7, including the 1635.

If I was shooting a stock camera I would certainly own this lens. The thin sensor mod though makes the 28 cron do real well, so I will stick with that for now.

I would get this before the big 35 simply because it's nice to carry and plenty fast.

 

[iiiNelson]

I was a bit skeptical of this lens, but Philip at FM had a nice comparison at infinity with other 28s, and it seems this is by far the best 28 for the stock A7, including the 1635.

If I was shooting a stock camera I would certainly own this lens. The thin sensor mod though makes the 28 cron do real well, so I will stick with that for now.

I would get this before the big 35 simply because it's nice to carry and plenty fast.

Well that's the thing. We all have our own personal needs and desires. I'm really not a huge 28mm fan at all but was willing to give it a chance because it's relatively affordable.

You're sticking with the 28 Summicron because it works better for you the 35 Distagon will be a much better fit for me (some others too) due to the additional speed and IQ. Size isn't an issue with the 35 Distagon for me personally but it is with some people.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

First batch of B&H pre orders are shipping. Hope to see lots of images from members posted soon. Im waiting for the Batis lenses

There is also one on eBay ready to ship if you have immediate need.

Sony SEL28F20 FE 28mm F2 E Mount Prime Lens Standardprime for Mirrorless Cameras | eBay

 

[Chuck Jones]

I'm holding to see the Batis myself before I decide, but at the price this 28mm is becoming hard to resist.

 

[MikeEvangelist]

I'd like opinions on the sharpness of this shot from the 28mm ƒ2. These are from the A7R, handheld, manual focus on the Y-shaped tree. To be honest, I'm not particularly impressed. Maybe I'm expecting too much. Overall I'd say it's pretty good once you get to ƒ4, but then I've already got that covered with the 24-70 and 16-35.

This one is at ƒ4.0 (click to see them on Flickr)


Here's the full-size images (cropped slightly to align the three hand-held frames) -

ƒ2
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7684/17143944140_4e2c538498_o.jpg

ƒ4
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7687/17329629092_3b0cfba701_o.jpg

ƒ8
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8769/17143730148_4db69a901b_o.jpg

PS - Eventually, I'm going to run a series comparing the FE 28mm, 24-70mm @ 28mm, 16-35mm @ 28mm, Leica R 28mm and Vivitar Series 1 28mm ƒ1.9.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Mike you just might have too much depth here in this shot for F4. F4 just won't cover this space of the image from front to back with DOF. Where is your focus point and what shutter speed used.

 

[MikeEvangelist]

Guy, it's focused on the 'y' of the fallen tree. Shutter speed 1/4000.

But I'm not talking about front to back sharpness. I'm looking at the focus plane that follows that tree (left to right), and even in the center, it just doesn't seem that sharp.

 

[Vivek]

If you take the distortion in to account, it will be fine. Focus at ~2-3 meter mark for f4.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Guy, it's focused on the 'y' of the fallen tree. Shutter speed 1/4000.

But I'm not talking about front to back sharpness. I'm looking at the focus plane that follows that tree (left to right), and even in the center, it just doesn't seem that sharp.

No it doesn't Mike. Wondering if by chance it's decentered.

I would go find a wall like I do on a tripod and run a series on it and see what's going on. I would check it against your 24-70 since 28 is pretty good on that lens. Even the 16-35.

My feeling on this lens if it matches the zooms very well or better it's a bargain to get and you get 2 stops with it.

 

[iiiNelson]

Sharpness doesn't look out of this world IMO but I don't know that this is the ideal purpose of this lens. The best use for examples that I've seen of this lens are for street/people shots rather than landscape/architecture. I agree though that your test shots lack the sharpness wow factor and the shutter speed is high enough that the shutter shouldn't matter at all.

 

[uhoh7]

@HiredArm I take your point about the importance of the 35/1.4 for you, and respect that

For my work, no lens is as important as a tack sharp 28.

But even a tack sharp 28 will produce variable results in the real world. I see this with the M9 and 28 cron all the time.

Critical focus and light quality have huge effects. One 28 cron pic will be blazing and another just a tiny tad fuzzy, like the examples above.

Only the best samples matter. Everytime a new lens comes out we see some imperfect samples, and people say: "oh, not so good".

The samples above are frankly terrible to access the lens. Give us an infinity view with distant details in the corners--like a long cityscape or landscape from high vantage, and then we can tell something. The BW pics are fun, but we can tell very little from them, or any image with heavy PP.


Train Station by unoh7, 28 Cron A7.mod Little PP

 

[iiiNelson]

That's true if youre looking for ultimate sharpness. The more I shoot the more I appreciate content. Plenty of the "greatest shots" aren't very sharp but the subject is understood well.

 

[MikeEvangelist]

I would go find a wall like I do on a tripod and run a series on it and see what's going on. I would check it against your 24-70 since 28 is pretty good on that lens. Even the 16-35.

So, interesting results. I shot some quick tests (just before the rain started) using the 28mm ƒ2, the 16-35, the 24-70, a Leica 28mm Elmarit-R, and a vintage Series 1 28mm ƒ1.9.

Summary -

At ƒ4 (the widest aperture the lenses have in common) the 28mm FE is a close second to the Elmarit in the center. The 16-35 comes third. The edges and corners are a toss-up between the Sony 28mm and the 16-35. The 24-70 is weak by comparison. The Elmarit is poor on the edges/corners at this aperture.

At ƒ8, the field narrows, with the three Sonys very close but the 28mm showing better corners. The Leica is also excellent at ƒ8, but still suffers somewhat near the edges.

My conclusion - the FE 28mm is a respectable lens for a modest price.

(Also, the venerable Series 1 28mm is definitely past its prime. It's no match for any of these others.)

Here is my super-boring test subject complete with overcast, low-contrast light...



Here are some representative full size frames -

FE 28mm @ ƒ4

FE 28mm @ ƒ8

Tessar 16-35mm @ ƒ4

Tessar 16-35mm @ ƒ8

 

[jfirneno]

My conclusion - the FE 28mm is a respectable lens for a modest price.

Mike:
Do you attribute the earlier lack of sharpness to an accident of focusing?