All posts by BastianK

My name is Bastian and I am your expert here when it comes to ultra wide angle lenses, super fast portrait lenses (ranging from a 50mm f/0.95 to a 200mm f/1.8) and I also have reviewed way too many 35mm lenses. Don't ask me anything about macro or wildlife shooting though.

Review: Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 FE Evo

Introduction

viltrox 85mm 2.0 evo fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 Evo FE on Sony A7rII

The “Evo” series is a new lineup of Viltrox lenses positioned between the “Pro” and “Air” lineups. This series seems to combine the build quality and controls of the “Pro” lenses with a slightly slower maximum aperture like the “Air” lenses while maintaining very high image quality – similar to the Voigtländer Apo-Lanthar series or Sigma’s Contemporary primes. Let’s find out what the first entry of this series – the Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 Evo FE – has in store for us.

Sample Images

viltrox 85mm 2.0 evo fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 Evo FE | f/2.0
viltrox 85mm 2.0 evo fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 Evo FE | f/2.0
viltrox 85mm 2.0 evo fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 Evo FE | f/2.0
viltrox 85mm 2.0 evo fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 Evo FE | f/2.0
viltrox 85mm 2.0 evo fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 Evo FE | f/2.0
viltrox 85mm 2.0 evo fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 Evo FE | f/2.0
viltrox 85mm 2.0 evo fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 Evo FE | f/2.0
viltrox 85mm 2.0 evo fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 Evo FE | f/2.0

Continue reading Review: Viltrox AF 85mm 2.0 FE Evo

Review: Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 FE Pro

Introduction

viltrox 50mm 1.4 pro fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 Pro FE on Sony A7rII

Viltrox offers several different lens lineups: positioned at the top is the “LAB” series, slightly below that the “Pro” series. I already reviewed the Viltrox AF 85mm 1.4 Pro FE – offering very good performance at an affordable pricepoint – and this time we will be having a look at the Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 Pro FE. 

Sample Images

viltrox 50mm 1.4 pro fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 Pro FE | f/1.4
viltrox 50mm 1.4 pro fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 Pro FE | f/1.4
viltrox 50mm 1.4 pro fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 Pro FE | f/1.4
viltrox 50mm 1.4 pro fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 Pro FE | f/1.4
viltrox 50mm 1.4 pro fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 Pro FE | f/1.4
viltrox 50mm 1.4 pro fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 Pro FE | f/1.4
viltrox 50mm 1.4 pro fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 Pro FE | f/1.4

Continue reading Review: Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 FE Pro

Review: Laowa AF 200mm 2.0 C-Dreamer – The Chinese Air Cutter

Introduction

laowa af c-dreamer aura 200mm 2.0 f/2.0 super tele fast 2025 sport reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a1 a9 a9ii a1ii a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting a7v ac7 zf
Laowa 200mm 2.0 AF C-Dreamer on Nikon Zf

Tele lenses with a huge entrance pupil are being called “Air Cutter” in China, which I think is quite a fitting description when looking at portrait pictures taken with them featuring that super thin depth of field. So far we have only seen 200mm 2.0 lenses from the Japanese manufacturers, but now Laowa decided to also offer a lens like this and even managed to make it the smallest and lightest lens in its class – making this Laowa AF 200mm 2.0 C-Dreamer the original Chinese Air Cutter. Let’s have a closer look!

Sample Images

laowa af c-dreamer aura 200mm 2.0 f/2.0 super tele fast 2025 sport reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a1 a9 a9ii a1ii a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting a7v ac7 zf
Nikon Zf | Laowa 200mm 2.0 AF C-Dreamer | f/2.0
laowa af c-dreamer aura 200mm 2.0 f/2.0 super tele fast 2025 sport reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a1 a9 a9ii a1ii a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting a7v ac7 zf
Nikon Zf | Laowa 200mm 2.0 AF C-Dreamer | f/2.0
laowa af c-dreamer aura 200mm 2.0 f/2.0 super tele fast 2025 sport reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a1 a9 a9ii a1ii a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting a7v ac7 zf
Nikon Zf | Laowa 200mm 2.0 AF C-Dreamer | f/2.0
laowa af c-dreamer aura 200mm 2.0 f/2.0 super tele fast 2025 sport reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a1 a9 a9ii a1ii a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting a7v ac7 zf
Nikon Zf | Laowa 200mm 2.0 AF C-Dreamer | f/2.0
laowa af c-dreamer aura 200mm 2.0 f/2.0 super tele fast 2025 sport reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a1 a9 a9ii a1ii a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting a7v ac7 zf
Nikon Zf | Laowa 200mm 2.0 AF C-Dreamer | f/2.0
laowa af c-dreamer aura 200mm 2.0 f/2.0 super tele fast 2025 sport reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a1 a9 a9ii a1ii a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting a7v ac7 zf
Nikon Zf | Laowa 200mm 2.0 AF C-Dreamer | f/2.0
laowa af c-dreamer aura 200mm 2.0 f/2.0 super tele fast 2025 sport reportage press review 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a1 a9 a9ii a1ii a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness bokeh vignetting a7v ac7 zf
Nikon Zf | Laowa 200mm 2.0 AF C-Dreamer | f/2.0

Continue reading Review: Laowa AF 200mm 2.0 C-Dreamer – The Chinese Air Cutter

Review: Nikon AF-S 24mm 1.8G

Introduction

nikon af-s 24mm 1.8 g 1.8g n rf ed fx sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma z6 z7 z8 z9
Nikon AF-S 24mm 1.8G via Monster LA-FE1 on Sony A7rII

The last f/1.8 prime Nikon released during the AF-S era was this Nikon AF-S 24mm 1.8G from 2015. This would have been a great 35mm equivalent for DX shooters, but it was simply too late to the party for that. Some reviewers claimed this 24mm 1.8G to be a better lens than the five years older Nikon AF-S 24mm 1.4G. But is that really the case? Let’s find out in this review.

Sample Images

nikon af-s 24mm 1.8 g 1.8g n rf ed fx sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma z6 z7 z8 z9
Nikon Z6 | FTZ II | Nikon AF-S 24mm 1.8G | f/8.0
nikon af-s 24mm 1.8 g 1.8g n rf ed fx sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma z6 z7 z8 z9
Nikon Z6 | FTZ II | Nikon AF-S 24mm 1.8G | f/1.8
nikon af-s 24mm 1.8 g 1.8g n rf ed fx sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma z6 z7 z8 z9
Nikon Z6 | FTZ II | Nikon AF-S 24mm 1.8G | f/1.8
nikon af-s 24mm 1.8 g 1.8g n rf ed fx sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Monster LA-FE1 | Nikon AF-S 24mm 1.8G | f/1.8
nikon af-s 24mm 1.8 g 1.8g n rf ed fx sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Monster LA-FE1 | Nikon AF-S 24mm 1.8G | f/1.8
nikon af-s 24mm 1.8 g 1.8g n rf ed fx sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma z6 z7 z8 z9
Sony A7III | Monster LA-FE1 | Nikon AF-S 24mm 1.8G | f/16

Continue reading Review: Nikon AF-S 24mm 1.8G

Review: Samyang Remaster Slim 21mm 3.5 | 28mm 3.5 | 32mm 2.8

Introduction

samyang remaster slim 28mm 21mm 3.5 32mm 2.8 sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma sunstars z6 z7 z8 z9 lightweight pancake small tiny
Samyang Remaster Sim 21mm 3.5 on Sony A7rII

Many lenses I review these days are simply “more of the same”: Another 35mm 2.0, 50mm 1.8 or 85mm 1.4 with minor differences compared to the competitors. This Samyang Remaster Slim kit is a different story though. It consists of a pancake sized AF module and three optical blocks (21mm 3.5, 28mm 3.5 and 32mm 2.8) that can be interchanged. The E-mount pancake lenses I reviewed so far all came with too many compromises and many didn’t even feature AF. Can this set of three be any good? Let’s find out in this review.

Sample Images

samyang remaster slim 28mm 21mm 3.5 32mm 2.8 sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma sunstars z6 z7 z8 z9 lightweight pancake small tiny
Sony A7III | Samyang Remaster Slim 21mm 3.5 AF | f/3.5
samyang remaster slim 28mm 21mm 3.5 32mm 2.8 sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma sunstars z6 z7 z8 z9 lightweight pancake small tiny
Sony A7rII | Samyang Remaster Slim 21mm 3.5 AF | f/8.0
samyang remaster slim 28mm 21mm 3.5 32mm 2.8 sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma sunstars z6 z7 z8 z9 lightweight pancake small tiny
Sony A7rII | Samyang Remaster Slim 21mm 3.5 AF | f/3.5
samyang remaster slim 28mm 21mm 3.5 32mm 2.8 sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma sunstars z6 z7 z8 z9 lightweight pancake small tiny
Sony A7rII | Samyang Remaster Slim 28mm 3.5 AF | f/4.5
samyang remaster slim 28mm 21mm 3.5 32mm 2.8 sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma sunstars z6 z7 z8 z9 lightweight pancake small tiny
Sony A7rII | Samyang Remaster Slim 28mm 3.5 AF | f/16
samyang remaster slim 28mm 21mm 3.5 32mm 2.8 sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma sunstars z6 z7 z8 z9 lightweight pancake small tiny
Sony A7rII | Samyang Remaster Slim 32mm 2.8 AF | f/8.0
samyang remaster slim 28mm 21mm 3.5 32mm 2.8 sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma sunstars z6 z7 z8 z9 lightweight pancake small tiny
Sony A7III | Samyang Remaster Slim 32mm 2.8 AF | f/2.8
samyang remaster slim 28mm 21mm 3.5 32mm 2.8 sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma sunstars z6 z7 z8 z9 lightweight pancake small tiny
Sony A7rII | Samyang Remaster Slim 32mm 2.8 AF | f/5.6

Continue reading Review: Samyang Remaster Slim 21mm 3.5 | 28mm 3.5 | 32mm 2.8