According to BHphoto the first Sigma FE lenses will shipping out in late April. And thanks to Jason Vong we can finally see some image samples and check the autofocus performance:
The Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS is a big step up from the kit lenses that ship with Sony’s APS-C mirrorless cameras, at a price that won’t break the bank. It’s pretty small and lightweight considering the versatile 7.5x zoom range on offer, and it delivers great image quality with the minimum of fuss. The built-in optical image stabilisation is a standout feature, enabling you to handhold the camera and still get sharp shots in low-light, while the auto-focusing on the A6500 that we tested the lens with proved to be fast, quiet and reliable.
As a general purpose lens, a good 18-135mm is hard to beat on APS-C format cameras. The close focus and long reach lend themselves well to close ups such as flower studies. The 18mm wide angle can accommodate most architecture and landscapes. The close focus means small object photography is simple, and quality of results at these close distances are well maintained. The Sony lens generally performs well, but with caveats. Central sharpness is fine until we reach small apertures of f/16 and beyond, but beyond that detail is soon lost. The edges are quite poor when longer focal lengths are used, although the centre still sparkles crisply. This in itself can be used creatively for portraiture and other close ups. Although not perfect, the lens is still a very good choice for general photography and capable of delivering good, bright and sharp images.
The Sony 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 OSS isn’t a bad lens. I genuinely feel like there is no such thing like that anymore. But something about this lens and the technology inside of it feels like this is a lens that should have been released in 2010 a year after I founded the Phoblographer. Then consider the price point on this lens. If you’re going to go for a superzoom option of some sort, then perhaps consider Tamron or go for the Sony and know what you’re getting. I’ll stand by my statement that primes are better for the a6500 and the a6000 lineup of cameras. Just go with those.
The Sony A7III kit is back in Stock at BHphoto (Click here). I bet it will be sold out soon!
Sony A7 III Cinematic Low-Light to Night + Timelapse (Hendrik Morkel).
How the Sony a7iii performed in a real wedding (David Oastler).
Quick noise comparison between the A7 III and the A7 II up on Admiring Light
The Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM is certainly a good lens but it has a couple of flaws as well. The lens has been optimized for the lower part of the focal length range – which is certainly most important for most buyers anyway. The corner performance isn’t great at fully open aperture except at the sweet spot around 20mm. The performance is decent at longer focal lengths but it stays a little short of the very high exceptations at least. That being said – keep in mind that today’s high resolution sensors are killers.
“Same as it did the little a6000 (still on sale and production), I think the A7 III will last longer. It’s a great camera, the best money can buy for it’s incredible features list. I already know a bunch of people who took the step and have changed boats because of the A7 III. More are going to come.”
Opinion: the Sony a7 III could be the new Nikon D750 (Dpreview).
Sony A7 III First Shots (Imaging Resource).
Setting up, customizing and accessorizing your Sony A7iii (Enthusiastphotoblog).
Yesterday Skylum released the update for Luminar 2018 named “Jupiter”. This is a very major release with a lot of updates I reported here. But today I got the report about the speed improvement when working with the Sony A7rIII files. As you can see from the images it’s huge (Click on them to enlarge).
