Would you buy a GM lens?

[Eoin]

Why?

I am likely to buy the 85/1.4 for portraits.

Do please tell us where and what you paid for it.
When I look on line I see US Pricing $1798 Vs Euro pricing €2000-€2149

Compare that to Batis
US$1199 vs €1200

 

[Vivek]

Do please tell us where and what you paid for it.
When I look on line I see US Pricing $1798 Vs Euro pricing €2000-€2149

Compare that to Batis
US$1199 vs €1200

That is in line with Sony's pricing here and amounts to the same as that of the US +22% vat.

Zeiss pricing OTOH is different.

I believe the Sony lenses will be available from 3rd March. Not sure about the mythical Zeiss lenses though.

 

[Eoin]

I wouldn't hold my breath for the 3rd March ... they have moved delivery out to the 31st March in the USA.

 

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

I would not buy a GM lens, at least not right now. To begin with I would like to see some proper tests before buying. Also, I am not into large aperture lenses. Image quality is important, but large aperture is not at all important for me. The 85/1.4 may be an exception, it is one of the few focal lengths where I would consider large aperture important.

Right now, I feel Canon mount lenses are more flexible for my needs.

Best regards
Erik

 

[fotografz]

I won't be an early adopter of any of these lenses.

I'll wait for some GetDpi wizards to sort it all out and post images that speak to it all being worth the size and cost.:watch:

If the recently announced AF adapter for Leica M lenses works as advertised with little to no penalty, that will be my next move since I like using my M-21/1.4 ASPH, M-75/2 ASPH & M-90/2.8 on the A7R-II.

I already have a ZA 24-70/2.8 using the LAEA3 adapter for the occasional times I need a fast mid-range zoom.

- Marc

 

[iiiNelson]

I wouldn't hold my breath for the 3rd March ... they have moved delivery out to the 31st March in the USA.

I believe that they're shipping on 3 March 2016 in Germany. Vivek is in the EU so it's not irrational for him to expect that he might receive his copy early in March.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

I might have Vivek buy me one and ship to me. I want it NOW

Actually have a big gig on the 9th and it's all about a 85 and models. Love to have one for it

 

[ohnri]

I ordered the 85 GM. Even owning the terrific 90/2.8 didn't stop me. I believe the 85 will be the best portrait lens available for the A7 series.

Plus, at 1.4 it is a nice low light lens as well.

At the wide end I love my 16-35. It was the only lens I took to the Super Bowl and I was very happy with it's performance. I would love something faster but everything seems to come with too many limitations.

-Bill

 

[Vivek]

I might have Vivek buy me one and ship to me. I want it NOW

Actually have a big gig on the 9th and it's all about a 85 and models. Love to have one for it

If I can get one and get it shipped to you before that, of course! I am keeping an eye out for the release dates here. (These lenses have been held up for a while because of the production debacle with the Batis lenses.)

Guy, Just let me know if I can be of any help.

 

[Jim DE]

Vivek, to answer you initial question on if I will buy a GM lens? The answer is yes! But not one of these first 3 because I don't need them. My very next lens I buy will be a GM but it will be in a focal length I need or want. I will not buy a GM to replace any of my current lenses as I am more than happy with the ones I have. My a7rII kit is my hike in scenic kit and and I own the 16-35, 55, 90, and 70-400 which covers me from 16-600 and macro. I'm better than good on glass for this system and what I want it to do for me and I have a 30 liter backpack full with no room to add anything and no strength to carry more

But, my very next FE lens purchase for this system will be a GM series lense for sure.

 

[shtarka1]

Ordered the 85 GM 1.4..Probably sell the Batis 85..

 

[Quentin_Bargate]

Ordered the 85 GM 1.4..Probably sell the Batis 85..

I have ordered the 85mm F1.4 and the 24-70mm F2.8. I was never very happy with the Zeiss 24-70mm F4 which is medicre at best and if the 85mm F1.4 lives up to its billng it could be the finest portait lens ever made. To an extent, I am placing my trust in Sony that these lenses will be as good as billed. If they are, then my decision to buy on spec will be vindicated.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

I ordered the 85 but I am seriously considering the 24-70 also

 

[k-hawinkler]

I have ordered the 85mm F1.4 and the 24-70mm F2.8. I was never very happy with the Zeiss 24-70mm F4 which is medicre at best and if the 85mm F1.4 lives up to its billng it could be the finest portait lens ever made. To an extent, I am placing my trust in Sony that these lenses will be as good as billed. If they are, then my decision to buy on spec will be vindicated.

Quentin, thanks. That's a pretty bold statement - especially coming from a lawyer! :grin:
I hope you are right! :thumbup:
But I will keep my Summilux-R 80/1.4 anyway, if for nothing else as a reference portrait lens.
I will be looking forward to your positive experiences and those of others before I get in line to order one. :facesmack:

 

[Quentin_Bargate]

Quentin, thanks. That's a pretty bold statement - especially coming from a lawyer! :grin:
I hope you are right! :thumbup:
But I will keep my Summilux-R 80/1.4 anyway, if for nothing else as a reference portrait lens.
I will be looking forward to your positive experiences and those of others before I get in line to order one. :facesmack:

I wonder how long I will have to wait for them to arrive?

For years, I think we photographers have been sold mediocre lens dross much of the time. If Sony have upped resolution, got rid of onion ring bokeh, and reduced CA and all at reasonable prices, I think we will be entitled to say "about time" and "why has it taken so long?" If Zeiss suffer as a result, tough. They should have done better. Why have we had to put up with soft corners, bad CA, moderate sharpness, and other defects if Sony (we hope) can do better for a 50 percent price hike? Answer: we had little choice.

Until now.

 

[k-hawinkler]

I wonder how long I will have to wait for them to arrive?

For years, I think we photographers have been sold mediocre lens dross much of the time. If Sony have upped resolution, got rid of onion ring bokeh, and reduced CA and all at reasonable prices, I think we will be entitled to say "about time" and "why has it taken so long?" If Zeiss suffer as a result, tough. They should have done better. Why have we had to put up with soft corners, bad CA, moderate sharpness, and other defects if Sony (we hope) can do better for a 50 percent price hike? Answer: we had little choice.

Until now.

Thanks Quentin, I agree. Hopefully Sony can produce the FE 85/1.4 GM lenses in sufficient numbers to meet demand and without noticeable copy variation issues.

Nevertheless, the industry as a whole has made major advances in the last decade or two. Yesterday, while going through some stuff, I came across my old 4 MP Canon PowerShot G3 from 2002, together with 3 batteries and a charger. One battery was dead, the other two still hold enough charge so that one can meaningfully operate the camera. The camera itself is in perfect working order, including shutter, flash, zoom in and out, and USB downloads of its jpg images. Apparently, I used the G3 last in the summer of 2009, concluding from the dates of old images on the memory card. No data corruption or loss of the images on the 4GB SanDisk Extreme IV CompactFlash card inside the G3

I took a few shots with flash. No problems. There seem to be a handful of dead or stuck pixels on the sensor that could be easily corrected in post.

What I noticed, autofocus extremely slooooow.
The articulating LCD screen is pretty small but seems sufficient for framing.
The LiveView image on the LCD screen is through the lens (TTL).
The tiny builtin EVF is non-TTL as the protruding lens partially blocks the view.
Just like my rangefinder Leica M9. :grin:

Experience similar to a time mschine! :ROTFL:

So, we have come a long way baby over the last decade and a half.
It seems my Sony A7r2 with appropriate lenses should serve me for years to come as it delivers amazing IQ. But, no doubt, we will see even more advanced gear in short order that many of us won't be able to resist, myself included. :banghead:

 

[pttdds]

When Sony first announced the GM set of lenses I was eagerly ready to pre order at least the 85 and the 24-70 and was pretty sure the 70-200 would be on my wish list.

Cancelled my long "patiently awaiting" pre order for the Batis 85 in anticipation (Last time I checked Batis 85 was still not available on B&H). I'm currently using my old SAL 24-70 2.8 and a Sigma 85 1.4 with a Sony "3" adapter on my A7RII. They are both good performers with adequate autofocus behavior. However, as Guy so frequently says, it would be very nice to give up the adapter and to get the latest Sony lens advances -- which continue to be quite impressive.

Then came the financial impact of the recent market downturn on our retirement budget. I'll be settling for replacing my A6000 with an A6300 for my lightweight kit and watching the results and discussions of the GM series on sites like this unless the market makes some most unlikely huge turnaround. The GM lenses do look like they will introduce a lot of performance if the reality holds up to the specs. The Sony 35 1.4 and the 90 2.8 macro lenses are certainly a pleasure to use.

Life goes on, eh?

 

[Show Performance]

I seriously struggled with this one, since I own the excellent Batis - which to me is an ideal balance of size and performance for mirrorless.

In the end, I ordered the 85mm for one primary reason. My most used lens for festival concert shooting is the ZA 135/1.8; a lens that deserves its accolades. With the Batis I would often crop to 135 with comparable results but having the extra half stop of the f/1.4 GM gets you ever closer to a 135/1.8 equivalent. With all the resolution of the a7RII, I can effectively get a fast 85/1.4 natively and a 127/2.1 in crop mode. Two birds with one stone...

The GM is essentially the size and weight (a bit lighter) than the ZA 135/1.8 and I had no complaints carrying that lens around on my a900 - will be even lighter on the a7RII

Secondary reasons include the quality of the bokeh, specifically at the edges where the Batis produces footballs, and the faster aperture - always a benefit for my type of low light shooting.

 

[sergio lovisolo]

I seriously struggled with this one, since I own the excellent Batis - which to me is an ideal balance of size and performance for mirrorless.

In the end, I ordered the 85mm for one primary reason. My most used lens for festival concert shooting is the ZA 135/1.8; a lens that deserves its accolades. With the Batis I would often crop to 135 with comparable results but having the extra half stop of the f/1.4 GM gets you ever closer to a 135/1.8 equivalent. With all the resolution of the a7RII, I can effectively get a fast 85/1.4 natively and a 127/2.1 in crop mode. Two birds with one stone...

The GM is essentially the size and weight (a bit lighter) than the ZA 135/1.8 and I had no complaints carrying that lens around on my a900 - will be even lighter on the a7RII

Secondary reasons include the quality of the bokeh, specifically at the edges where the Batis produces footballs, and the faster aperture - always a benefit for my type of low light shooting.

Better than that. You get 1,4 also in crop modes, as you are not using a teleconverter...(depth of field only will increase)

 

[iiiNelson]

Looking at the rendering from the Batis and 85GM, I think I prefer the warmth of the Batis.