First review of the new Tokina Firin 20mm f/2.0 AF FE lens by Marc Alhadeff: “an excellent wide angle lens”

Marc Alhadeff tested the new lens (Preorder at BHphoto and Adorama.)

Pro’s

  • The sharpness of this lens is excellent on the entire frame. As of F2 in the centre as of F2.8 in the corners, overall better than the Zeiss Loxia 21mm F2.8  everywhere in term of sharpness
  • Very nice out of focus effect at F2 and close distance
  • Nice bokeh for a wide angle
  • The build quality is good (although not as good as on a Zeiss lens like the  Zeiss Loxia 21mm F2.8 )
  • The lens is small and lightweight
  • Distorsion is low as well as CA (you can reuse the Lightroom lens profile of the MF version)
  • Good color rendition

Neutral

  • The AF is a welcome addition to the lens and make its use more easy , but the Tokina Firin motor is rather noisy and not as fast as the supersonic motor that equip most Sony lenses
  • The lens hood is a standard one (vs the rectangular for the MF version)  which makes it much more practical to carry. The lens hood is a little bit difficult to fix

Cons

  • AF too slow for fast actions and AFC mode
  • Video : I would not recommend to use the lens in AF for video due to the noise and the hunting, MF could be ok but still expect some noise due to the non disconnected AF motor

In summary : Highly recommended as a wide angle lens with fast aperture  for photography, not so great for fast actions and for video in AF

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Tokina 20mm FE AF preorder at BHphoto and Adorama.

Fstoppers: “The Sony a7 III Might Have Ruined Canon’s Plans For Their Mirrorless System”

Still out of the Stock at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon, BestBuy, FocusCamera, BuyDig.

Fstoppers explains why Canon isn’t happy with the Sony A7III release:

If they release a mirrorless camera that’s too good then they risk cannibalizing their current line-up. Although Canon has discussed how they are willing to cannibalize their current line-up this sounds more like lip service. Unless Canon has set aside a large enough cash cushion or they release a fully developed line of cameras, lenses and, accessories in a very short period of time, they won’t want to undermine their current systems. Chances are, Canon was probably going to release something relatively mediocre based on current standards. Unfortunately, if they do, many Canon shooters may feel that Sony is the better option and this is primarily down to the fact that the a7 III is such an incredible and cost-effective option. As mentioned above, the cost of entry for Canon is much greater now because of this intentional and strategic move from Sony.

Just my two cent: Canon’s goal is to keep their own DSLR folks on board offering them a Mirrorless alternative that works well with current EF lenses (via adapter). I don’t think the A7III did ruin their plan. Canon hardcores will porbably keep using Canon.

Some more A7III news:

Maarten Heilbron review of the camera:

And a new video from David Oestler:

 

Sony A7III in USA at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon, BestBuy, FocusCamera, BuyDig.
Sony a7III in Europe at Amazon DE, Calumet Germany, Amazon UK, ParkCameras UK, WexUK, Amazon FR, Amazon IT, Amazon ES.

Tamron 28-75mm FE review at AP: “excellent start in a new series of full frame mirrorless lenses from Tamron”

Amateur Photographer publsihed their detailed Tamron 28-75mm FE lens review. The conclusion:

Although this lens doesn’t offer the same level of supreme corner sharpness that you get from Sony’s professional-grade standard zooms, it’s a truly excellent mid-range example. The extra stop you gain over the Sony FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Vario-Tessar Carl Zeiss T* makes it superior for low-light shooting and enables you to isolate subjects from their surroundings easily whilst producing very attractive blur behind.

The advantage of choosing the Sony FE 24-70mm f/4 ahead of this lens is that it allows you to shoot wider, however if you prioritise a faster aperture ahead of a wider field of view and you don’t want to spend over £1000 for the privilege, this is currently the best mid-range standard-zoom going for Sony’s A7-series cameras.

It won’t take long for those who buy it to realise that they’ve made a great choice. It’s ideal for general shooting provided you enable in-camera lens corrections and don’t want to shoot too wide. Importantly, it’s not heavy or cumbersome either. Tamron has got the balance just right and I envisage it being in popular demand of new Sony A7 III users who might be on the lookout for the perfect walkabout lens.

It’s an excellent start in a new series of full frame mirrorless lenses from Tamron. One day it might also be made available in a variety of different mounts to suit other full frame mirrorless cameras.

Preorder at BHphoto, Amazon, BuyDig, FocusCamera and Adorama. In Europe at Amazon DE and WexUK.

New Loxia 25mm lens reviews: “delivers stellar image quality”

Loxia preorders at BHphoto, Amazon and FocusCamera.

Photographyblog tested the new Loxia 25mm FE lens:

The Zeiss Loxia 25mm F2.4 is an exceptional wide-angle prime lens that delivers stellar image quality.
There’s only one real drawback to the Zeiss Loxia 25mm F2.4, and that’s the price-tag – €1299 / $1299 / £1189 makes the Zeiss Loxia 25mm F2.4 pretty expensive for a manual-fous lens, especially one that’s undercut by Zeiss’ own Batis 25mm f/2 lens, which is slightly faster and has auto-focusing too. But if you love the manual-focus only nature and the diminutive size of this lens, the Zeiss Loxia 25mm F2.4 is a superb wide-angle optic for full-frame E-Mount Sony owners.

Video review from Eric Barger:

Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 G-Master lens sneak peak by Patrick Murphy Racey

Patrick Murphy-Racey just gave us this sneak peak about the new Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 G-Master.

The only info we got from our sources is this:

1) Autofocus:
The Sony will focus “way faster” than the Canon 400mm and Nikon 400m lens. The reason is the new hardware tech used by the lens (new actuators and servo).

2) Lighter:
The new 400mm GM lens will be also lighter than the Canon/Nikon competition

Still no word on the possible pricing yet but the lens will be announced this summer and be available in September according to BHphoto.