By mid 2026 we have seen a lot of lenses from the Chinese manufacturers: some with class leading optical performance, some with unique specifications, some very affordable. There is one thing we haven’t seen yet though (at least not that I can recall): an autofocussing zoom lens. I would have first expected a lens like that from Viltrox, Laowa or 7Artisans, but it is Thypoch – so far specialized in all manual M-mount lenses – bringing a lens like this to the market: the Thypoch 24-50mm 2.8 Voyager. Did they succeed in designing a lens like this, or was it too ambitious? Let’s find out together in this review!
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
Since its release in 2019 I have been using the Sigma 35mm 1.2 Art DG DN as my main lens for any kind of reportage work. It took until 2025 for another manufacturer to challenge Sigma by releasing a 35mm 1.2 lens with autofocus of their own. Actually, there were two at almost the same time: Nikon with their Nikon Z 35mm 1.2 S and Viltrox with this Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB. As the Nikon lens sells for 3 grand it is out of reach for most people. This Viltrox lens is way more attractively priced, so let’s find out if it is time to retire my Sigma 35mm 1.2 Art DG DN after 6 years of usage. Last Update May 2026: information on new “N” version added
Sample Images
Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | f/1.2Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | f/1.2Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | f/1.2Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | f/1.2Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | f/1.2Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | f/1.3Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | f/1.2Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | f/1.2Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | f/1.2Sony A7III | Viltrox AF 35mm 1.2 FE LAB | f/1.2
Sony α | Leica M | Nikon Z/F New articles every week
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Sample images in high resolution 
