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G Master lenses - 24-70mm f/2.8, 85mm f/1.4 & 70-200mm f/2.8

seb

Member
ok. I got a call from the shop. They checked my issue with Sony and they received an answer: This sound is normal in AF mode. For video shooters, it should be silent enough in manual focus mode.

So, it looks like I just got a copy that is louder than others (Roger Cicala (DPR) pointed on some variations in loudness while testing 40 of it). I will go now and pick up my copy, and see, if I get it more silent through use (as some pointed on, it is getting more silent through use).

As I made already some tests to check image quality, I will keep it anyway. It is just too magic to ignore (to combine Lucille and Guy to one sentence. :) ). And my copy is perfectly centered and sharp. If there would be an issue later with scratches, oil, flakes or whatever, they have to replace it anyway (thanks to guarantee). So there is no big risk for me at all.

Thank you. The lens is back in the store and they check it with Sony.
The good thing is, that the shop owner looked puzzled as well, when he heared the sound. The bad thing is, their own copy sounded the same.

I asked for some user feedback at dpreview and some reported the lens is as silent and fast as the 55/1.8. One found a link from a chinese site, where there were scratches from the mechanic on the lens and the same sound. So it looks like I received a bad production batch.

Beside that, I made some tests yesterday:
  • It looks like the lens is as sharp (or even sharper) as the 90/2.8 macro over the whole pic at f5.6. At f1.4 it's decently sharp. Nothing that would be noticeable, with that small DOF. Those crazy MTF charts seems to be reality.
  • The bokeh is cream dream. I couldn't recognize a hint of an onion ring. The blurred background does not deform toward the corners. The switch between sharp area and bokeh feels very constant.
  • The special cover to reduce flares is scary. If you have a led lamp in the center, it looks like turned off, even it is turned on. I didn't test much on this.
  • HEAVY! The 90/2.8 feels good, but the 85/1.4 is just a brick on the front. I think, it can be a pain, to use it over several hours. I'm thinking of a vertical grip, just because of that.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Exactly just go shoot. That's my plan until I hear from my dealer. I helped bring the issue to light so Sony got word. Sony now has my emails to my dealer and the video to look over. All I was after
 

seb

Member
Exactly just go shoot. That's my plan until I hear from my dealer. I helped bring the issue to light so Sony got word. Sony now has my emails to my dealer and the video to look over. All I was after
That sounds good. If you have an answer, I'll be interested in their reply.
And thank you, for your detailed tests in the other thread. Happy shooting!
Seb
 
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Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
Odd thing is my much maligned "mediocre" Sony Zeiss 24-70mm F/4 has turned in some better than expected results recently, leaving me wondering if I'd be better off keeping it, cancelling the 24-70 G Master order, and using primes for critical focal lengths. Still, the 85mm G Master is stellar.
 

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
Anyone tested the 85 F/1.4 G Master against the current finest in this class, the Zeiss Otus F/1.4 85mm?

The Otus is MF only, of course. My guess is the Otus would still some out top, but only just.

Look at this 100 % crop from a shot taken at F/1.4 with the G Master. Its sharp enough to generate some moire on the window!

 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
Mine nail focus in AF-S mode very well. In AF-C mode it tends to hunt.
Thanks Quentin. I don't have that particular lens.

Especially in low light or for low contrast subjects and for AF-C I suspect.
But that seems to hold more or less for all my AF lenses.
I think it's a feature of the camera with the latest firmware.

Is your experience different from this?
 
V

Vivek

Guest
FWIW, even in AF-C there are many configurations possible. It calls for experimentation to find the correct set of settings.
 

k-hawinkler

Well-known member
FWIW, even in AF-C there are many configurations possible. It calls for experimentation to find the correct set of settings.
Thanks Vivek, of course that's correct.
I use AF-C, no tracking, until it fails, typically a lens wide open as it's getting darker with the available light.
Switching then to AF-S nails focus instantly it seems.

BTW E-M1,5.2 behave very similarly.
 

Lucille

New member
Re: G Master lenses - 24-70mm f/2.8, 85mm f/1.4 & 70-200mm f/2.



As I was driving I saw this scene, and it was far away, there was a fence by the highway and I couldn't get close. The longest reaching lens I had was the 85mm f/1.4 GM with the A7R II, so I shot it as a image is better then no image:





my focus point was the house in the center. Yup look at this 100% crop, a obvious AF disaster.


 

JaapD

Member
Why didn't they just put the A7r2 sensor in an A99 or A900 kind of body and add all the advantages of mirrorless to that ?.
I fully agree with you. I have high hopes that Nikon will take this approach with their D810 successor by removing the mirror box, adding an EVF and a higher Mpix sensor containing the required on-chip AF sensors.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Re: G Master lenses - 24-70mm f/2.8, 85mm f/1.4 & 70-200mm f/2.

As I was driving I saw this scene, and it was far away, there was a fence by the highway and I couldn't get close. The longest reaching lens I had was the 85mm f/1.4 GM with the A7R II, so I shot it as a image is better then no image:





my focus point was the house in the center. Yup look at this 100% crop, a obvious AF disaster.



Lol love it. The bad part is people believe this crap. I tested this lens maybe more than any and it's now part of my death grip collection.
 

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
Thanks Quentin. I don't have that particular lens.

Especially in low light or for low contrast subjects and for AF-C I suspect.
But that seems to hold more or less for all my AF lenses.
I think it's a feature of the camera with the latest firmware.

Is your experience different from this?
I was trying to shoot a portrait outdoors and having no luck in continuous mode, but it all worked perfectly in single shot, including eye focus.

I need to experiment more before reaching any final conclusions.
 
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