1) the mild Background effect is (almost) unique and perfect for “full body” Model Shooting. 2) The lens shows no compromise in any area 3) The Bokeh is very harmonic and shows no artifacts 4) the lens is sharp from edge to edge even at f/1.8 aperture.
Shutterbug paid a visit to the Sony Technology factory in Chonburi, Thailand last week where we shot some exclusive video of Sony A7R II mirrorless cameras being meticulously assembled, tested, and then put in boxes for sale.
Sigma is really making some superb glas lately! Their ART line matches the Zeiss Otus performance for a third of the price. And now you can preorder the new Sigma 135mm f/1.8 lens at BHphotoAdorama. The lens costs $400 less than the Zeiss A-mount 135mm lens. Of course the Sigma is not available as A-mount or E-mount. But E-mount can use it with the excellent MC-11 adapter. And I hope Sigma will make a native E-mount version too.
Why does it make sense to use this lens on a Sony A7II camera series? As explained in the video below by Photogearnews the lens weights forces Canon/Nikon shooters to shoot at least at 1/250 shutter speed to get sharp images. The Sony’s built-in stabilization will make the lens useable at lower shutter speeds too!
The new Kipon Baveyes Medium Format to Sony E-mount focal reducer adapter are now shipping in different versions:
Pentax 645 adapter at Amazon US and Amazon DE. (lenses here on [shoplink 56447 ebay]eBay[/shoplink]).
Alpa at adapter Amazon US. (lenses here on [shoplink 56449 ebay]eBay[/shoplink]).
Pentax 67 at adapter Amazon US and Amazon DE. (lenses here on [shoplink 56446 ebay]eBay[/shoplink]).
Hasselblad at adapter Amazon DE. (lenses here on [shoplink 56448 ebay]eBay[/shoplink]).
Mamiya 645 adapter at Amazon DE. (lenses here on [shoplink 56444 ebay]eBay[/shoplink]).
Mattias Burling reviewed the Kipon Baveyes MF Focal Reducer. The full review can be read at Gunpowdervideo. The conclusion in short:
Should you buy it?
YES if you are an analog MF shooter that has lenses. YES if you are an A7/Leica shooter that want to get into analog MF as well. YES if you are an A7/Leica shooter that loves vintage glass and experimentation. MAYBE if you are primarily a digital shooter that wants some fast portrait lenses or just happen to have $500 burning a hole in your pocket. NO if you think DOF is everything. NO if you think megapixels is tha shit!
Pros:
The awesome MF lenses! $500 isn’t much to give another dimension to your camera. Quality is great. 80mm f1.9 at x0.7 crop is awesome. Its the Medium Format Experience on the cheap.
Cons:
If you don’t have an interest in MF film it becomes niche. No AF. Some MF lenses are big. Not all MF lenses focus to infinity (according to rumor). $500 is still $500 and used once aren’t gonna be very common.
The adapters are also available [shoplink 50187 ebay]trough eBay sellers[/shoplink].
Aziz: “Hi. I did a photo shoot in a foggy night here in Trondheim, Norway. I took the photos with Sony A7r2, 85 mm Batis and Voigtlander 21 mm. Feel free to share in case you like it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epkt1RQ7bZY“
