Building a lens kit

Introduction

carl zeiss loxia 85mm 2.0 sonnar sony a7 a7r a7r2 a7rm2 alpha alpha7 review
Loxia 21mm 2.8 – Loxia 35mm 2.0 – Loxia 85mm 2.4

When you start getting more involved with photography – and especially when you prefer using prime lenses – at some point it makes sense to spend some thoughts on building a lens kit.
In this article we want to give you a few ideas of what to consider when building your own lens kit and show you some of ours in the end.

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Review: Laowa 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 FE C-Dreamer

Introduction

laowa 10-18mm zoom c-dreamer 4.5-5.6 ultra wide 42mp a7 a7rII a7rIII review sharpness
Laowa FE 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 C-Dreamer on Sony A7rII

It seems every two years we see an interesting ultra wide angle FE lens by Laowa. First the Laowa 15mm 2.0 Zero-D FE at Photokina in 2016 and now 2 years later the Laowa 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 C-Dreamer FE at Photokina 2018.
The Voigtländer 10mm 5.6 E held the crown for being the widest rectilinear lens, now we have a zoom lens starting at 10mm but going all the way up to 18mm by Laowa. Is the image quality good enough to get this over the Voigtlander?
Last Update: 100mm filter holder added, handling section updated, more samples added, conclusion updated (03/27/19)

Sample Images

laowa 10-18mm zoom c-dreamer 4.5-5.6 ultra wide 42mp a7 a7rII a7rIII review sharpness
Sony A7rII | Laowa FE 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 | 10mm | f/5.6
laowa 10-18mm zoom c-dreamer 4.5-5.6 ultra wide 42mp a7 a7rII a7rIII review sharpness
Sony A7rII | Laowa FE 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 | 10mm | f/11
laowa 10-18mm zoom c-dreamer 4.5-5.6 ultra wide 42mp a7 a7rII a7rIII review sharpness
Sony A7rII | Laowa FE 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 | 10mm | f/11 | polarizer
laowa 10-18mm zoom c-dreamer 4.5-5.6 ultra wide 42mp a7 a7rII a7rIII review sharpness
Sony A7rII | Laowa FE 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 | 10mm | f/11
laowa 10-18mm zoom c-dreamer 4.5-5.6 ultra wide 42mp a7 a7rII a7rIII review sharpness
Sony A7rII | Laowa FE 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 | 10mm | f/5.6

Continue reading Review: Laowa 10-18mm 4.5-5.6 FE C-Dreamer

Review: Contax Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 4.5-5.6/100-300

Contax Vario-Sonnar 4.5-5.6/100-300 mounted on my Sony A7III via Novoflex NEX/CONT* adapter and with Novoflex ASTAT-NEX* tripod collar.

The Contax Zeiss 4.5-5.6/100-300 T* MM is a telephoto lens that hit the market in the mid 1990’s. It was also one of the last lenses that were designed for the Contax/Yashica mount. It is rare because it was very expensive in a time when autofocus telephoto lenses were already available. Lets have a closer look at this exotic legend.

Sample Images

Sony A7III | Contax 4.5-5.6/100-300 | full size
Sony A7III | Contax 4.5-5.6/100-300 | full size
Sony A7III | Contax 4.5-5.6/100-300 | full size
Sony A7III | Contax 4.5-5.6/100-300 | full size

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Review: Voigtlander 12mm 5.6 Aspherical Ultra Wide Heliar

Introduction

The Voigtländer 12mm 5.6 Ultra Wide Heliar E aspherical is one of the widest lenses you can buy and thanks to its moderate speed it is also a rather small lens.

Sample Images

Sony A7iii | Voigtländer Ultra-Wide Heliar 5.6/12 III Sony E | f/11

Sony A7iii | Voigtländer Ultra-Wide Heliar 5.6/12 III Sony E | f/11
Sony A7iii | Voigtländer Ultra-Wide Heliar 5.6/12 III Sony E | f/11

Continue reading Review: Voigtlander 12mm 5.6 Aspherical Ultra Wide Heliar

Review: Canon TS-E 45mm 2.8

Introduction

42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 45mm 2.8 f/2.8 45 review
Canon TS-E 45mm 2.8 via Sigma MC-11 on Sony A7rII

The Canon TS-E 45mm 2.8 hit the market in 1991. It is now one of the cheapest Tilt/Shift lenses you can find, but is there still a place for this lens in today’s world of high resolution sensors? Let uns find out in this review!

Sample Images

42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 45mm 2.8 f/2.8 45 review
Sony A7rII | Canon TS-E 45mm 2.8 | f/2.8 | Full Tilt+Shift Left and full Tilt+Shift Right combined
42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 45mm 2.8 f/2.8 45 review
Sony A7rII | Canon TS-E 45mm 2.8 | f/2.8 | Tilt Left
42mp high res resolution canon tilt shift ts-e pc-e perspective control TS T/S sony adapter 45mm 2.8 f/2.8 45 review
Sony A7rII | Canon TS-E 45mm 2.8 | f/2.8 | Tilt Diagonally

Continue reading Review: Canon TS-E 45mm 2.8