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: Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM

Introduction

Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM gmaster portrait bokeh sharpness a7rII a7rm3 a7riii 42mp review
Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM on Sony A7rII

Jannik already performed a thorough comparison between this lens and Sony’s cheaper FE 85mm 1.8, but a single review was somewhat missing so far. Here it finally is!

Sample Images

Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM gmaster portrait bokeh sharpness a7rII a7rm3 a7riii 42mp review
Sony A7rII | Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM | f/5.6
Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM gmaster portrait bokeh sharpness a7rII a7rm3 a7riii 42mp review flare gegenlicht contralight backlit backlight
Sony A7rII | Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM | f/1.4
Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM gmaster portrait bokeh sharpness a7rII a7rm3 a7riii 42mp review
Sony A7rII | Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM | f/1.4
Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM gmaster portrait bokeh sharpness a7rII a7rm3 a7riii 42mp review flare gegenlicht contralight backlit backlight uv light ultraviolet
Sony A7rII | Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM | f/1.4

Continue reading Review: Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM

The best lenses for Brenizer / Bokehpanoramas

Introduction

bokeh panorama bokehpanorama brenizer bokehrama mechanical vignetting guide review
Sony A7s | Canon EF 135mm 2.0L | 55m f/0.81 equivalent

Brenizer or Bokehpanorama is a panorama technique to get a wide angle shot with the much better bokeh of a longer tele lens. In this article I will show you what it is all about and which lenses work best.

What is a Brenizer/Bokehpanorama?

bokeh panorama bokehpanorama brenizer bokehrama mechanical vignetting guide review
4×9 single shots before stitching in Microsoft Image Composite Editor

By using longer lenses and taking a panorama you can simulate the look of fictional, wider, very fast lenses that are not even technically possible to build.

Continue reading The best lenses for Brenizer / Bokehpanoramas

Review: Carl Zeiss Jena 109mm 1.6 Visionar

Introduction

projection lens projector cinema carl zeiss jena czj row rathenower optische werke kino 109mm 1.6
Carl Zeiss Jena Visionar 109mm 1.6 modified to Canon EF on Sony A7rII

The Visionar 109mm 1.6 is a cinema projector lens from Carl Zeiss Jena which was made in the GDR. These projector lenses are often very fast and cheap, but they also come with a few downsides. This is the first projector lens we will review at this blog, so find out if there is still a place for these today.

Sample Images

projection lens projector cinema carl zeiss jena czj row rathenower optische werke kino 109mm 1.6
Sony A7rII | Carl Zeiss Jena Visionar 109mm 1.6 | f/1.6
projection lens projector cinema carl zeiss jena czj row rathenower optische werke kino 109mm 1.6
Sony A7rII | Carl Zeiss Jena Visionar 109mm 1.6 | f/1.6
projection lens projector cinema carl zeiss jena czj row rathenower optische werke kino 109mm 1.6
Sony A7rII | Carl Zeiss Jena Visionar 109mm 1.6 | f/1.6

Continue reading Review: Carl Zeiss Jena 109mm 1.6 Visionar

Comparison: Voigtlander 40mm 1.2 and 35mm 1.7 + 5m PCX

Introduction

comparison voigtlander 40mm 1.2 nokton e ultron 35mm 1.7 35 40 f/1.2 f/1.7 opto sigma optosigma front filter 5m pcx 5000mm
Voigtlander 40mm 1.2 Nokton E and Voigtlander 35mm 1.7 Ultron VM with 5m Optosigma PCX filter

Many people are still looking for a small yet fast 35mm lens for their fullframe E-mount cameras (especially those who need AF). I have found what I am looking for in the Voigtlander 35mm 1.7 VM + 5m PCX filter, but many people don’t want to bother with this mod and prefer a native solution. So how does the modded 35mm compare to Voigtlander’s native 40mm 1.2 Nokton E?

Continue reading Comparison: Voigtlander 40mm 1.2 and 35mm 1.7 + 5m PCX