Pantip just completed what is the first and only real world review of the new Sony 28mm FE lens. Pantip allowed me to repost some image samples. Many more can be seen on his site! Let’s start with his PRO and CONS list mentioned by the reviewer:
Pros:
– Very sharp straight from the maximum aperture. At f/2.0 is sharp almost ont he entire frame (with very little loss on corners)
– Negligible distortion
– Very compact lens
– When using the converter EXIF data gets correctly transmitted
Disadvantages
– close focus point could be…closer
– The fisheye converter on the 28mm lens is quite heavy
– Not really a very good bokeh (but that’s something the lens is not designed for)
And now let’s take a look to some of the more “explicative” images:
Sony Zeiss Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA lens review – for Sony Alpha 7 cameras
So far according to Amazon Lens sales ranking the new Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 is the “less” preordered of the four new lenses. It may have to do with the high price tag and with the fact that there are only very few tests seen with this lens yet. So let’s sum up what we know so far:
1) On top you see the video review from Whatdigitalcamera. They like the lens although they say it’s not perfect as it has some vignetting at wider aperture (but that may be something people likes to have).
For me, this is TRULY the 1st native “WOW” lens for the Sony full frame FE system. It easily surpasses the 55 1.8 for me as well as the 35 2.8 that I have been using since the launch of the A7 system, and those are both beautiful lenses when it comes to image quality. The 35 1.4 has such a beautiful character and rich rendering.
Optically it isn’t perfect, but the chromatic aberration is slight and I would actually rate the vignetting as a nice feature. In terms of resolution this lens is difficult to fault, and it is certainly one of the sharpness lenses we have tested for the Alpha 7 series, although the 90mm f/2.8 macro lens looks like it may well offer some competition on that front.
Having used the Zeiss Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA lens for a few days, I am left with the impression that this is a lens with character. From the resolution and bokeh to the build quality and aperture ring, this lens has a certain something about it that makes it stand out from the generic 35mm lenses that roll off production lines.
The lens certainly has a very good optical performance. My only drawback is the size. But that’s because I personally prefer smaller and less intrusive lenses when doing street photography. If you do landscape, wedding or studio shooting this will certainly not be an issue.
Our severe German reviewer and friend Klaus from Photozone (Click here) tested the Zeiss FE 16-35mm lens:
It is capable of delivering sharp results at medium apertures. In fact it’s pretty much excellent around the 20mm mark especially considering the 36mp sensor of the test camera. The weakest spot is at 35mm where the corners could be better at f/4 and f/5.6 but beyond they are just fine actually. Typical for most Sony-made lenses the build quality is impressive. The tightly assembled, weather-sealed metal body feels reassuring and it’s simply a joy to use it out there. While AF speed isn’t really an important value proposition on such a lens, it is decent although not outstanding.
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The new Heliar III on the left. It’s larger than the II and I versions because it has been optimized for the use on FE cameras.
Voigtlander really sees the importance of their M-mount lenses for the Sony FE system. That’s why the new Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5 Heliar III has been designed with the Sony FE cameras in mind. It means the light hits the Sony FF sensor in a more “favorable” way. And this should bring a considerable improvement on the corners. The lens is already shipping in [shoplink 33949 ebay]Hong Kong (Here on Shenikon)[/shoplink] and will ship the next week in [shoplink 34274 ebay]Germany (Here on Fotomundus)[/shoplink].
And at last we can see a first review with plenty of full size image samples at DC.watch (google translation here). As you can see from the image on top the lens is much larger than the first and second generation Heliar 15mm lenses. But the really important part of the review is that one. Click on the images to enlarge:
The difference is really big! Here are the enlarged bottom left and right corners:
As you can see there is more detail, less vignetting and less color shift on the new lens.
I do not mind using an [shoplink 34266 ebay]M to E-mount adapter[/shoplink] to use that Voigtländer lens. But I still hope that in future Voigtländer will design proper native E-mount lenses. That would be great!
You can know “pixel peep” full size image samples taken with the new Zeiss 35mm lens at Dpreview (Click here). Check the images and then tell us your first impression:
In my rudimentary testing I can say that when I focused on something at the telephoto end and zoomed out, the focus did not shift noticeably, which is a big plus. The main drawbacks for video are the stiff zoom barrel, as well as the distortion, which is not as easily corrected for video users. Still, if you have to have a large zoom range and don’t want to splurge for the Sony FE PZ 28-135 lens, then this is certainly a viable option. It’s not going to be the sharpest or most light-sensitive lens but, in my testing, I think it does well enough to use in place of other FE lenses—in most circumstances.
For me, this is TRULY the 1st native “WOW” lens for the Sony full frame FE system. It easily surpasses the 55 1.8 for me as well as the 35 2.8 that I have been using since the launch of the A7 system, and those are both beautiful lenses when it comes to image quality. The 35 1.4 has such a beautiful character and rich rendering.
Optically it isn’t perfect, but the chromatic aberration is slight and I would actually rate the vignetting as a nice feature. In terms of resolution this lens is difficult to fault, and it is certainly one of the sharpness lenses we have tested for the Alpha 7 series, although the 90mm f/2.8 macro lens looks like it may well offer some competition on that front.
Having used the Zeiss Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA lens for a few days, I am left with the impression that this is a lens with character. From the resolution and bokeh to the build quality and aperture ring, this lens has a certain something about it that makes it stand out from the generic 35mm lenses that roll off production lines.
There is yet no test of the 90mm macro and 28mm FE lens (just image samples at Pantip).
Those are the first image samples that have been taken with the new Sony FE 28mm f/2.0 lens that will be announced within the next few hours (5-6am London time). They have been posted by Pantip and the resolution of the images is low. But you can still get a very raw first impression of a sharp lens with pleasant bokeh.
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The new Heliar III on the left. It’s larger than the II and I versions because it has been optimized for the use on FE cameras.
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