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.

How to: Create Environmental Portraits

Introduction

Sony A7rII |Voigtlander VM 35mm 1.7 +5m PCX | f/1.7

With lenses like the Sony FE 24mm 1.4 GM or Sigma 35mm 1.2 Art in the E-mount lens lineup and the ongoing Instragram hype it might be a good time to talk a bit about environmental portraits.
What is an environmental portrait and what is the difference compared to a normal portrait? Which lenses work best? Which mistakes I made in the past but you can already avoid today?
These are the questions I will try to answer in this article.

Continue reading How to: Create Environmental Portraits

Review: SLRmagic 35mm 1.2 Cine

Introduction

review slr magic cine fe 35mm 1.2 f/1.2 full frame e-mount a7rii a7riii 42mp
Sony A7rII with SLRmagic 35mm 1.2 Cine

None of us is an expert in videography so usually we don’t review Cine lenses. This SLRmagic has very interesting specifications though, being very fast, compact and at the same time affordable. Unfortunately there is no non-cine version, so this time we have no choice it seems.

Sample Images

review slr magic cine fe 35mm 1.2 f/1.2 full frame e-mount a7rii a7riii 42mp
Sony A7s | SLRmagic 35mm 1.2 Cine | f/1.2
review slr magic cine fe 35mm 1.2 f/1.2 full frame e-mount a7rii a7riii 42mp
Sony A7s | SLRmagic 35mm 1.2 Cine | f/1.2
review slr magic cine fe 35mm 1.2 f/1.2 full frame e-mount a7rii a7riii 42mp
Sony A7s | SLRmagic 35mm 1.2 Cine | f/1.2
review slr magic cine fe 35mm 1.2 f/1.2 full frame e-mount a7rii a7riii 42mp
Sony A7rII | SLRmagic 35mm 1.2 Cine | f/1.2

Continue reading Review: SLRmagic 35mm 1.2 Cine

Long-Term Review: Zeiss Loxia 85mm 2.4

Introduction

carl zeiss loxia 85mm 2.0 sonnar sony a7 a7r a7r2 a7rm2 alpha alpha7 review
Sony A7rII with Zeiss Loxia 85mm 2.4 Sonnar

The high price tag combined with the modest maximum aperture put many potential buyers off. Nonetheless personally I have used this lens regularly for almost two years now and thought it is time to share my experience in this long-term review.
Last Update: 08/03/18: long time experiences after ~2 years of usage added

Sample Images

zeiss loxia 85mm 2.4 long term review
Sony A7rII | Zeiss Loxia 85mm 2.4 | f/8.0
zeiss loxia 85mm 2.4 long term review
Sony A7rII | Zeiss Loxia 85mm 2.4 | f/2.4
zeiss loxia 85mm 2.4 long term review
Sony A7rII | Zeiss Loxia 85mm 2.4 | f/5.6 | panorama from 4 shots
carl zeiss loxia 85mm 2.0 sonnar sony a7 a7r a7r2 a7rm2 alpha alpha7 review portrait head shot black white
Sony A7rII | Zeiss Loxia 85mm 2.4 | f/2.4 | full resolution

Continue reading Long-Term Review: Zeiss Loxia 85mm 2.4

Review: Carl Zeiss Jena 183mm 1.9 Visionar

Introduction

projection lens projector cinema carl zeiss jena czj row rathenower optische werke kino 183mm 1.9
Carl Zeiss Jena Visionar 183mm 1.9 on Sony A7rII

After I tried the Visionar 109mm 1.6 I became quite interested in this line of projector lenses as they offer quite a lot of glass for the money. The 183mm 1.9 is the second longest and extreme of the line. So if you are interested in the look of a 180mm 2.0 but don’t want to spend more than 500€ be sure to keep reading!

Sample Images

carl zeiss jena visionar 183mm 1.9 projector lens cinema sony a7rii a7rm2 review sharpness bokeh supertele fast cheap
Sony A7rII | Carl Zeiss Jena Visionar 183mm 1.9 | f/1.9
carl zeiss jena visionar 183mm 1.9 projector lens cinema sony a7rii a7rm2 review sharpness bokeh supertele fast cheap
Sony A7rII | Carl Zeiss Jena Visionar 183mm 1.9 | f/1.9
carl zeiss jena visionar 183mm 1.9 projector lens cinema sony a7rii a7rm2 review sharpness bokeh supertele fast cheap
Sony A7rII | Carl Zeiss Jena Visionar 183mm 1.9 | f/1.9

Continue reading Review: Carl Zeiss Jena 183mm 1.9 Visionar