Marc Alhadeff from SonyAlphaBlog tested the new Sigma 56mm f/1.4 and concludes:

“The Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary (430 euros) is (one of) the best lens available on Sony APSC and will do superb job for portraits. It is the equivalent of an 85mm F1.4 on a full frame cameras. During a blind test most people to whom I showed results thought photos were taken on a full frame cameras with an 85mm!”

Get the lens at [shopcountry 77454].

Lenstip also tested the lens and concludes:

It is another excellent optical instrument, offered at a sensible price; it shows that pricing of other producers of mirrorless devices is really over the top.

And here is the video review from Digidirect and Dunna Did It

The new and super razor sharp Voigtlander 110mm f/2.5 FE lens is in Stock for the first time at BHphoto.

Deals roundup:
Aurora HDR (Click here) for only US$89 and get a bonus of 1 year SmugMug Portfolio plan during this limited time offer.
Til January 1st you save 10% on the new Capture One 12 software (Click here) when using our code “AMBSAR“. Grab it now before it ends!

Up to $225 off on Zeiss Batis-Loxia-Touit E-mount lenses (full list here at BHphoto):
$300 off on the Zeiss Batis 135mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$180 off on the Zeiss Batis 85mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$195 off on the Zeiss Batis 25mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$225 off on the Zeiss Batis 18mm FE lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$195 off on the Zeiss Loxia 35mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$210 off on the Zeiss Loxia 85mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$225 off on the Zeiss Loxia 21mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.
$140 off on the Zeiss Loxia 50mm lens at BHphoto, Amazon and Adorama.

Still running: $1,000 rebates on Sony gear at BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera and Adorama.

Introducing Sabrina Weniger: A professional photographer based in Düsseldorf and Berlin and part of our very select group of early ZX1 testers. Join us as she talks about her first weeks with the new ZEISS ZX1 and how the camera affected her personal photography flow, all while walking the streets of Düsseldorf’s Little Tokyo in pursuit of that perfect picture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgBCINPV1u8

Botht the new A7III and 24mm GM make it into the list of the best gear of the year.

These are the first images of the real world and final production Nikon 58mm f/0,95 Z lens shared by Nikon photographer Yusuf Kathawala. As you know their whole marketing machine runs on this Z-mount size argument. And they need this lens to show of their serious intentions. But despite all these slogans the truth remains that this is going to be:

1) A huge lens (below you can see it compared with the already very big 105mm f/1.4 F-mount lens)
2) Manual focus only lens (good luck focusing with a few cm of depth of field)
3) The price is rumored to be around $6,000

Don’t get me wrong, this Nikon lens is a stunning piece of glass. But I am pretty sure Sony could so such an f/0,95 lens too. But I agree with Sony’s manager statement when he said that making an autofocus f/1.2 FE lens would be the more sensible choice.

via Nikoneye via Petapixel.

Marc Alhedeff from Sonyalpha.blog tested the new version of the world’s fastest native E-mount lens. He writes:

The Kipon Ibelux 40mm F0.85 Mark II (1800 euros) is a nice upgrade of the Handevision 40mm F0.85 with mainly better color rendering and better resistance to flare which were 2 flaws of the V1 . I wished they had strengthen the dampening of the focusing ring but it has remained as it it

Pros

• Very good build quality
• Excellent sharpness in the centre as of F1.4, good at F0.85 and F1
• Spectacular portrait with creamy background at F0.85 / F1
• Superb background blur
• good color rendition
• good resistance to flare
• correct contrast at F0.85 (V1 was weaker)

Cons

• Difficult to focus at F0.85
• extremely heavy and unbalanced on Sony A6000
• very expensive (1800 euros)
• CA up to F1.4
• Long min focusing distance : 75 cm

You are supposed to use this lens most of the time at F0.85 / F1 as you have many options starting at F1.2.

Wide open and at F1 , this lens can produce very beautiful portrait and half body photos with a very smooth blurry background and sufficient sharpness but it requires some patience and a lot of trials/errors in the beginning, but you quickly improve to focus at F0.85

With the improved coating and better color rendition I would not hesitate to use it at F0.85 whereas for V1 as was closing down to F1.4 to neutralise the color cast

Dpreview compared the Sony A7III, Nikon Z6 and the Canon EOS-R. The conclusion:

Even without thinking about lenses, it’s clear that Nikon and Canon still have some work to do to catch up with Sony’s half-decade headstart. It’s not an insurmountable difference, though and both brands have brought their extensive experience of ergonomics and user interfaces, which Sony should probably be worried about.

All three cameras can produce excellent images but the Sony more readily adapts to a wider range of situations. The Nikon acquits itself well for certain types of photography, while also doing unexpectedly well at video, but the Z6 has the least dependable AF system of the trio, which counts against it. Canon has tried to make an easy-to-use camera, rather than simply mimicking its DSLRs, but, while we’re not fully convinced by the results of this first attempt, it’s still a very able camera.

Ultimately, though, the decision is likely to come down to what lenses you own, which lenses you plan to buy and how much faith you have in each company to produce camera bodies to match your needs, several years down the road. Because, if you’re trying to avoid major costs later, the camera body you choose now is likely to commit you to a new lens system for the foreseeable future.

[shopcountry 77622]