Today I’m looking at another vintage lens: the Super Multi Coated Takumar 28mm f/3.5, made by Asahi Optical Co. before the company became Pentax. Over the years, this lens has earned a legendary reputation among vintage wide-angle lenses, praised for its sharpness and coatings that were considered exceptional for their time. Naturally, I wanted to see if the hype was real. Does it still hold up today, or is it simply a relic carried by nostalgia? Let’s find out.
35mm is a very popular focal length with a wide range of applications ranging from landscape over astrophotography to environmental portraiture and many consider it the best choice when only using one prime lens. We decided to summarize our experience with all the native E-mount and a few legacy 35mm lenses for the Sony A7 series to give you a compact and independent resource for choosing the best 35mm lens for your needs.
Unlike most other review sites we have no association with any lens manufacturer apart from occasionally loaning a lens for a review. We prefer independence over fancy trips and nice meals.
Before any short introduction we tell you how long we have used a lens and if we have borrowed it from a manufacturer. But in most cases we have bought the lenses new from retail stores or on the used market. If you want to support our independent reviews please consider using one of the affiliate links. It doesn’t cost you anything and helps us a lot.
If we have left any question unanswered please leave a comment or contact us on social media and we will do our best to answer it.
Last update: May 2026, Sigma 35mm 1.2 DG Art II added, Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 LAB added, 7Artisans 35mm 1.8 AF added, Viltrox AF 35mm 1.8 Evo Apo added, Sigma 35mm 1.2 Art DG DN updated, Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art DG DN updated, many other small changes
The 50mm lens is what used to be called a “standard” lens, though perhaps a very slightly shorter focal length gives the absolutely most natural perspective. For some of us here at Phillipreeve.net it’s a length we adore, and have more 50s than any other focal length. Others of us are less keen, finding it usually too short or too long. Obviously there is no right answer here, it depends on how each photographer sees the world.
But it is a very versatile focal length with a wide range of applications. It can be used for slightly formal portraits, moderately environmental portraits, landscape, architecture – most things except wildlife or sport. You can also, with a little quality loss, crop down to a more formal portrait angle of view, and you can – with a gain in both quality and hassle – stitch frames to get wider angles of view for certain kinds of landscape.
In this article we summarize our experience with all the native E-mount 50mm lenses to give you a independent resource in one place for choosing the best 50 mm lens for your needs. We will cover AF E-mount, MF E-mount with electronic contacts, and lenses with the E-mount but no contacts.
Unlike most other review sites we have no association with any lens manufacturer apart from occasionally borrowing a lens for a review. We prefer independence over fancy trips and nice meals.
Before discussing each lens, we tell you which of us had or has the lens, and whether it was purchased or borrowed for review. In most cases we have bought the lenses new from retail stores or on the used market.
If we have left any question unanswered please leave a comment or contact us on social media and we will do our best to answer it.
If you purchase the lens through one of the affiliate-links in this article we get a small compensation with no additional cost to you.
Last update: May 2026, Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit added, Viltrox AF 50mm 1.4 FE Pro added, 7Artisans 50mm 1.8 AF added, Viltrox AF 50mm 2.0 Air added, Viltrox AF 55mm 1.8 Evo Apo added, Sony 50mm 1.4 GM updated, Samyang AF 50mm 1.4 II updated, many further small changes
Today I’m taking a look at the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S—a focal length that sits right on the edge between ultra-wide and more “safe” wide-angle lenses. It offers the immersive field of view that many people love for landscape, architecture, and environmental portrait photography, without being so wide that composition becomes tricky. The fast f/1.8 aperture is useful in low light, and combined with the focal length, makes this lens a strong option for astrophotography. It’s not among Nikon’s cheapest lenses at around $1000, but it is, of course, an f/1.8 S-Line lens. Let’s see if it’s worth the price.
Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S | f/14Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S | f/16Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S | f/14Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S | f/10Nikon Zf | Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S | f/14
When people think of a fixed lens compact camera with an APS-C sized sensor, most will probably think of the Fuji X100 series first. However, those that are looking for a truly pocketable option may sooner or later come across Ricoh’s GR series. Not long ago the Ricoh GR IV was released, but thanks to a reader I get the chance to have a look at its popular predecessor, the Ricoh GR III.
Sample Pictures
Ricoh GR III | f/2.8Ricoh GR III | f/2.8Ricoh GR III | f/2.8Ricoh GR III | f/2.8Ricoh GR III | f/2.8Ricoh GR III | f/2.8Ricoh GR III | f/2.8
Sony α | Leica M | Nikon Z/F New articles every week
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
I tested this lens on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf)
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.
