Category Archives: lenses

Review: Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly

Introduction

irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly on Sony A7rII

Irix released a bunch of high performance ultra wide angle and fast primes at the end of the DSLR era. Because of this rather bad timing I don’t have the feeling their lenses have been exactly popular. Their 11mm 4.0 and their 45mm 1.4 proved to be very capable lenses in my reviews, so I thought I give this 30mm 1.4 a chance as well. With its 30mm focal length it sits between 28mm and 35mm – my favourite focal lengths – so nothing can go wrong here, right? 

Sample Images

irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Sony A7III | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/1.4
irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Sony A7III | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/1.4
irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Sony A7III | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/1.4
irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Sony A7III | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/1.4
irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Sony A7III | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/5.6
irix 30mm 1.4 dragonfly firefly blackstone south korea 42mp 61mp 24mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7iv a7v a7riv a7riii a7r2 a7 a9 a1 review contrast resolution bokeh vignetting coma ca loca sunstars distortion
Nikon Zf | Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly | f/1.4

Continue reading Review: Irix 30mm 1.4 Dragonfly

REVIEW: Meike 24mm f/1.4 MIX

Introduction

Today I’m taking a look at another lens from Meike’s high-end MIX series of autofocus primes: the 24mm f/1.4 MIX. I reviewed their 85mm f/1.4 not long ago and was pleasantly surprised—even impressed—by its features and optical quality. Now it’s time to see whether the 24mm can live up to that standard.

camera-icon2I 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.

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | Meike 24mm f/1.4 | f/3.2
Nikon Zf | Meike 24mm f/1.4 | f/11
Nikon Zf | Meike 24mm f/1.4 | f/11
Nikon Zf | Meike 24mm f/1.4 | f/4.5
Nikon Zf | Meike 24mm f/1.4 | f/1.4
Nikon Zf | Meike 24mm f/1.4 | f/8

Continue reading REVIEW: Meike 24mm f/1.4 MIX

Review: Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN Contemporary

Introduction

sigma 17mm 4.0 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN C on Sony A7rII

While Sigma is mostly famous for their series of fast and big “Art” lenses they also offer a lineup of more compact and more affordable “Contemporary” lenses. At the time of writing this review, the widest prime entry of that series is this Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN Contemporary. Let’s have a closer look and also see how it compares to the Viltrox AF 14mm 4.0 FE Air.

Sample Images

sigma 17mm 4.0 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN C | f/4.0
Sony A7III | Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN C | f/4.0
sigma 17mm 4.0 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN C | f/4.0
sigma 17mm 4.0 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN C | f/4.0
sigma 17mm 4.0 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Nikon Zf | Neewer ETZ | Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN C | f/4.0
sigma 17mm 4.0 dg dn c contemporarly e fe l small review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii
Sony A7III | Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN C | f/4.0

Continue reading Review: Sigma 17mm 4.0 DG DN Contemporary

Review: Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit

Introduction

songraw 50mm 1.2 moonlit sony fe gm fullframe fastest lens contrast resolution 33mp 42mp 61mp sharpness vignetting a7riv a7rv a9 bokeh portrait z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z6iii nikon
Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit on Sony A7rII

Many of the new manufacturers from China decided to start with all manual lenses and often of moderate specifications. With this Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit the story is different: a complex autofocus 50mm lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.2, only Sony and Sigma released a lens with these specifications for the E-mount yet. But can a lens as ambitious as this from an unknown manufacturer actually be any good? Let’s find out in this review. 

Sample Images

Sony A7III | Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit | f/1.2
songraw 50mm 1.2 moonlit sony fe gm fullframe fastest lens contrast resolution 33mp 42mp 61mp sharpness vignetting a7riv a7rv a9 bokeh portrait z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z6iii nikon
Sony A7III | Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit | f/1.2
songraw 50mm 1.2 moonlit sony fe gm fullframe fastest lens contrast resolution 33mp 42mp 61mp sharpness vignetting a7riv a7rv a9 bokeh portrait z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z6iii nikon
Sony A7III | Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit | f/1.2
songraw 50mm 1.2 moonlit sony fe gm fullframe fastest lens contrast resolution 33mp 42mp 61mp sharpness vignetting a7riv a7rv a9 bokeh portrait z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z6iii nikon
Sony A7III | Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit | f/1.2
songraw 50mm 1.2 moonlit sony fe gm fullframe fastest lens contrast resolution 33mp 42mp 61mp sharpness vignetting a7riv a7rv a9 bokeh portrait z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z6iii nikon
Sony A7III | Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit | f/1.2
songraw 50mm 1.2 moonlit sony fe gm fullframe fastest lens contrast resolution 33mp 42mp 61mp sharpness vignetting a7riv a7rv a9 bokeh portrait z6 z7 z8 z9 zf z6iii nikon
Sony A7III | Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit | f/2.0

Continue reading Review: Songraw 50mm 1.2 Moonlit

Review: Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G – Way ahead of its time

Introduction

nikon af-s 14-24mm 2.8 G ed N zoom uwa ultra wide angle astro 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness vignetting portrait
Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G via FTZ II on Nikon Z6

Released in 2007, the Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G was way ahead of its time. It pushed the limits of what can be expected from a very wide f/2.8 ultra wide angle zoom – by a lot actually – and not only rendered a bunch of primes in the 14mm to 24mm range useless, it also survived three generations of 70-200mm 2.8 zooms and two generations of 24-70mm 2.8 zooms, because it was simply so good, that it wasn’t necessary to replace it. Is it still a lens worth considerng today? Let’s find out in this review!

Sample Images

nikon af-s 14-24mm 2.8 G ed N zoom uwa ultra wide angle astro 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness vignetting portrait
Nikon D800 | Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G | 14mm | f/2.8 | Ai Denoise
nikon af-s 14-24mm 2.8 G ed N zoom uwa ultra wide angle astro 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness vignetting portrait
Sony A7s | Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G | 14mm | f/2.8 | pano from 3 shots
nikon af-s 14-24mm 2.8 G ed N zoom uwa ultra wide angle astro 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness vignetting portrait
Nikon D800 | Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G | 14mm | f/2.8 | Ai Denoise
nikon af-s 14-24mm 2.8 G ed N zoom uwa ultra wide angle astro 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness vignetting portrait
Nikon D800 | Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G | 14mm | f/8.0
nikon af-s 14-24mm 2.8 G ed N zoom uwa ultra wide angle astro 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness vignetting portrait
Nikon D800 | Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G | 14mm | f/8.0
nikon af-s 14-24mm 2.8 G ed N zoom uwa ultra wide angle astro 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness vignetting portrait
Nikon D800 | Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G | 14mm | f/8.0
nikon af-s 14-24mm 2.8 G ed N zoom uwa ultra wide angle astro 42mp sony nikon z 61mp z6 z7 z8 z9 a7riv a7rv contrast sharpness vignetting portrait
Nikon D800 | Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G | 24mm | f/2.8

Continue reading Review: Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G – Way ahead of its time