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.
Meta, Review

Lenses I would like to Review

30 Comments

Introduction

There are some lenses I would like to review one day, but the more interesting (read: rare and expensive) they are, the less feasible it is for me to buy them just to write a review.
Thanks to several readers here I already got the opportunity to remove several lenses from this list in the past, but there are still some left:

E-mount:

Sony FE 12-24mm 2.8 GM Review
Sigma 14mm 1.4
Sony FE 14mm 1.8 GM Review
Sigma 17mm 4.0 Review
Samyang 18mm 2.8 AF Review
Sigma 20-200mm 3.5-6.3 C
Sony FE 20mm 1.8 G Review
Samyang 24mm 1.8 AF Review
Sony FE 28-70mm 2.0 GM
Sigma 28-45mm 1.8
Sigma 35mm 1.2 II
Sigma 50mm 1.2
Sony FE 50-150mm 2.0 GM
Sony FE 50mm 1.4 GM Review
Samyang 50mm 1.4 AF MKII Review
Sony FE 50mm 1.2 GM Review
Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM MK II Review
Samyang 85mm 1.4 AF MKII
Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF Review

Continue reading Lenses I would like to Review →

Uncategorized

phillipreeve.net now on Discord

2 Comments

A few days ago I asked you what you think would be a good platform to get announcements about new posts any maybe also start discussions or simply chatting.

Discord was mentioned quite often in your comments. I did some research – as I didn’t know much about it – and it does indeed offer some features I was looking for. I also like that it is you who decides what you want to see and not some algorithm. So I set up a phillipreeve.net Discord server where already some of you joined.

Continue reading phillipreeve.net now on Discord →

lenses, Pergear, Review, Sony E-mount

Review: Pergear 35mm 1.4 – The cheapest 35mm fullframe lens

25 Comments

Introduction

pergear 35mm 1.4 f/1.4 review sony e fe fullframe e-mount a7riv a7rv a7riii a7rii 42mp 61mp sharpness contrast review coma vignetting bokeh
Pergear 35mm 1.4 on Sony A7rII

According to my statistics this is the 25th 35mm lens I am reviewing here. After so many you may think you have seen it all, but this one has a stand out feature: at $129 new it is definitely the cheapest fast 35mm and not only that: it is also very compact.
Now if you think you can get the quality of a Sony FE 35mm 1.4 GM for a fraction of the price here you can already stop reading, but for everyone else: let’s find out how much lens we can get for 130 bucks.

Sample Images

pergear 35mm 1.4 f/1.4 review sony e fe fullframe e-mount a7riv a7rv a7riii a7rii 42mp 61mp sharpness contrast review coma vignetting bokeh
Sony A7III | Pergear 35mm 1.4 | f/8.0
pergear 35mm 1.4 f/1.4 review sony e fe fullframe e-mount a7riv a7rv a7riii a7rii 42mp 61mp sharpness contrast review coma vignetting bokeh
Sony A7III | Pergear 35mm 1.4 | f/1.4
pergear 35mm 1.4 f/1.4 review sony e fe fullframe e-mount a7riv a7rv a7riii a7rii 42mp 61mp sharpness contrast review coma vignetting bokeh
Sony A7III | Pergear 35mm 1.4 | f/2.8
pergear 35mm 1.4 f/1.4 review sony e fe fullframe e-mount a7riv a7rv a7riii a7rii 42mp 61mp sharpness contrast review coma vignetting bokeh
Sony A7III | Pergear 35mm 1.4 | f/4.0
pergear 35mm 1.4 f/1.4 review sony e fe fullframe e-mount a7riv a7rv a7riii a7rii 42mp 61mp sharpness contrast review coma vignetting bokeh
Sony A7III | Pergear 35mm 1.4 | f/1.4

Continue reading Review: Pergear 35mm 1.4 – The cheapest 35mm fullframe lens →

Laowa, lenses, Review, Sony E-mount

Review: Laowa 15mm 2.0 Zero-D for Sony FE

167 Comments

Introduction

laowa 15mm 2.0 fe venus optics review
Sony A7rII with Laowa 15mm 2.0 Zero-D

When announced in at Photokina in 2016 the Laowa 15mm 2.0 Zero-D was one of the first lenses making actual use of the narrow flange distance of mirrorless cameras, opening up new lens design possibilities needed to create a compact yet fast ultra wideangle lens.
I have been using this lens for years, so let’s have a look together how it fared in this long term review. 
Jan 2023: Alternatives Section updated, new samples added, general update

Sample Images

laowa 15mm 2.0 fe venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv
Sony A7III | Laowa 15mm 2.0 | f/2.0 | no tripod
laowa 15mm 2.0 fe venus optics review architecture landscape sunstars
Sony A7rII | Laowa 15mm 2.0 Zero-D | f/8.0
laowa 15mm 2.0 fe venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv
Sony A7rII | Laowa 15mm 2.0 Zero-D | f/11
laowa 15mm 2.0 fe venus optics review coma astro astrophotography milkyway milky way
Sony A7s | Laowa 15mm 2.0 Zero-D | f/2.0

Continue reading Review: Laowa 15mm 2.0 Zero-D for Sony FE →