The Sony A73/A7R3/A7S3/A9 Thread

jonneymendoza · 23 May 2018 at 14:58

Id only keep the 85 1.2. its irreplacable

Greebo · 23 May 2018 at 15:24

Well I pushed the button on the basket today. One small change is I have dropped the 24_105 lens and will wait for reviews of the tamron. Lots of nice boxes arriving tomorrow as LCE luckily had stock

Raymond Lin · 23 May 2018 at 15:33

I know the 50 Zeiss is expensive but I’d say it is hands down the best 50mm I’ve ever used. It’s about £500 more than the 1.8 but the bokeh, the VERY well control CA which is like the 35L mk2 and the rendering of images makes it worth the extra.

Richdog · 23 May 2018 at 15:43

Raymond Lin said:
I know the 50 Zeiss is expensive but I’d say it is hands down the best 50mm I’ve ever used. It’s about £500 more than the 1.8 but the bokeh, the VERY well control CA which is like the 35L mk2 and the rendering of images makes it worth the extra.

I hugely regret buying the Zeuss 55mm f1.8, I am on my second copy as the first was soft as hell, and even though my new copy is better it is still nowhere near as sharp as my 85mm f1.8 at any aperture. Considering the reputation this lens has, I am extremely disappointed.

I am seriously considering asking the shop if I can take it back and swap it for a 50mm f1.4. Yes, it's almost double the price, but I am doing studio work now so I can't accept a lens that doesn't perform at anything except its best.

jonneymendoza · 23 May 2018 at 16:15

Richdog said:
I hugely regret buying the Zeuss 55mm f1.8, I am on my second copy as the first was soft as hell, and even though my new copy is better it is still nowhere near as sharp as my 85mm f1.8 at any aperture. Considering the reputation this lens has, I am extremely disappointed.

I am seriously considering asking the shop if I can take it back and swap it for a 50mm f1.4. Yes, it's almost double the price, but I am doing studio work now so I can't accept a lens that doesn't perform at anything except its best.

You must be really unlucy to have two duds because that lens is amazing

Greebo · 23 May 2018 at 16:19

Raymond Lin said:
I know the 50 Zeiss is expensive but I’d say it is hands down the best 50mm I’ve ever used. It’s about £500 more than the 1.8 but the bokeh, the VERY well control CA which is like the 35L mk2 and the rendering of images makes it worth the extra.

Got my 1.8 zeiess 55mm for £400 new plus cashback so it's more than £500 difference. In fact the difference paid for the 85mm F1.8.

Got a pretty good deal (i think)to be honest. Manage to get between £100 and £200 off every lens and even £100 off the A7iii body plus I still have the cashbacks to claim. That will be several hundred pounds and then can buy another lens

Monkey Puzzle · 23 May 2018 at 16:45

Has anyone made the switch from A7R2 to A7R3?

From what I can see the biggest improvements are better AF, higher res EVF and a little bit more DR? Is it worth the switch?

Monkey Puzzle · 23 May 2018 at 16:48

Monkey Puzzle said:
Has anyone made the switch from A7R2 to A7R3?

From what I can see the biggest improvements are better AF, higher res EVF and a little bit more DR? Is it worth the switch?

And more responsive.

My biggest gripe with the A7R2 is that it's slow to respond and the UI isn't great (which I presume hasn't changed...). My Fuji x100t is a much nicer experience to actually use, though the quality of the a7r2 pictures more than makes up for that.

Monkey Puzzle · 23 May 2018 at 16:57

Richdog said:
I hugely regret buying the Zeuss 55mm f1.8, I am on my second copy as the first was soft as hell, and even though my new copy is better it is still nowhere near as sharp as my 85mm f1.8 at any aperture. Considering the reputation this lens has, I am extremely disappointed.

I am seriously considering asking the shop if I can take it back and swap it for a 50mm f1.4. Yes, it's almost double the price, but I am doing studio work now so I can't accept a lens that doesn't perform at anything except its best.

That's unfortunate - I got a second-hand 55 1.8 and it's very sharp indeed, on par with the 90 2.8 macro.

Can you take it back on the grounds of a dud copy/lemon?

DeathStorm · 23 May 2018 at 17:59

Richdog said:
I am seriously considering asking the shop if I can take it back and swap it for a 50mm f1.4. Yes, it's almost double the price, but I am doing studio work now so I can't accept a lens that doesn't perform at anything except its best.

There's nothing to say you won't have the same bad luck with the f/1.4. I would suggest you pay double only if you feel the improved CA handling, rendering and speed is of use to you.

I know the 55mm is half the price but it's still a really expensive lens, it's not acceptable to be lumbered with a crappy copy.

jonneymendoza · 23 May 2018 at 18:15

Monkey Puzzle said:
Has anyone made the switch from A7R2 to A7R3?

From what I can see the biggest improvements are better AF, higher res EVF and a little bit more DR? Is it worth the switch?

I have.its worth the upgrade

Trifid · 23 May 2018 at 19:58

Raymond Lin said:
I know the 50 Zeiss is expensive but I’d say it is hands down the best 50mm I’ve ever used. It’s about £500 more than the 1.8 but the bokeh, the VERY well control CA which is like the 35L mk2 and the rendering of images makes it worth the extra.

What's your thoughts on the Sigma Art 50mm in comparison?

Greebo · 23 May 2018 at 20:15

Trifid said:
What's your thoughts on the Sigma Art 50mm in comparison?

Well looking at this the sigma is a belter and I wish I had waited and got that perhaps instead. Money is the same as the 55mm f1.8 sony although there is the size and weight disadvantage

http://3d-kraft.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=160

Raymond Lin · 23 May 2018 at 20:40

Trifid said:
What's your thoughts on the Sigma Art 50mm in comparison?

The Sigma is good, great in fact, I consider it to be very close and perhaps the money is not really wisely spent considering the difference and you can get a 85/1.8 with the difference and change to spare, however the rendering of the Zeiss is nicer, the lack of CA in the Zeiss is less and for me, these days I consider that to be something worth paying for.

Raymond Lin · 23 May 2018 at 22:40

With most lenses, that shirt, the edge of his face and her hair would be full of CA.

Greebo · 24 May 2018 at 10:58

Well lots of boxes will be arriving today.everything except the tamron which is on pre order. Still haven't decided on a wide angle prime. Need more research and also see what the sigma art lens bring to the table.

Can't wait.

Still can't believe I managed to get £100 off the body and the best bargain was £200 off the 55mm f1.8 ZA with £80 cashback to come later. That's a steal at £420.

sHo0sH · 24 May 2018 at 11:32

Decent roundup in one spot here of available lenses for FE if anyone is interested:
http://briansmith.com/sony-a7-a7r-a7s-lens-guide/

Greebo · 24 May 2018 at 11:57

Great list. Wasn't aware sigma was bringing a decent priced 70mm macro lens out. That's what is currently missing from my setup plus I want see what the new sigma wide angle primes are like as well and then I'm sorted

Combat squirrel · 24 May 2018 at 16:20

Any nightlife/concert/evening party type shooters on here?This is what is stopping me going full over to Sony - I love my A7III its awesome, but I am currently keeping my 5D3 etc because the sony is useless in no/low light as the flash gun doesn't support IR assisted focusing - any ideas when sony will be using a canon/nikon like AF from the flash gun ?

How will they fix this for night life photography ?

It's a massive gap in the cameras capabilities IMO - I mostly make a living off weddings, and dark rooms, first dance/evening parties suffer as well with AF on the sony - the LED assist lamp isnt any good and also blinds people.

Trifid · 24 May 2018 at 17:49

Raymond Lin said:
With most lenses, that shirt, the edge of his face and her hair would be full of CA.

Thanks. I see what you mean now having looked at a few pics to compare. The Zeiss lens really is perfect in comparison.