Category Archives: lenses

Guide to best Sony E-Mount 35mm Lenses for A7/A9/A1 series

January 8, 2023 The Team 103 Comments

review sharpness 42mp high resolution sample test vergleich comparison bokeh handling build quality a7riii autofocus af close macro

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.

We also have a general guide to FE-lenses, 9-18mm ultra wide angle lenses, guide to 20-28mm wide angle lenses, 50mm lenses, 85-135mm portrait lenses and macro lenses.

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: November 2023

Continue reading Guide to best Sony E-Mount 35mm Lenses for A7/A9/A1 series →

Analogue, Leica, Leica M, MS-Optics

Analogue Adventures – Part 11: Kodak Tmax 3200

January 2, 2023 BastianK 12 Comments

Kodak tmax 3200 analogue leica m6 contax canon fd olympus om — Kodak Tmax 3200

An ISO 3200 black and white film is pretty much the fastest film you can get these days. As I like to shoot in dimly lit environments of course I had to give it a try.
Processing and scanning was done at urbanfilmlab in Germany.

Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 11: Kodak Tmax 3200 →

AstrHori, Review, Sony E-mount

Review: AstrHori 18mm 8.0 Shift

December 27, 2022 BastianK 26 Comments

Introduction

astrhori rockster rockstar 18mm 8.0 mount review shift contrast sharpness pancake tiny lens — AstrHori 18mm 8.0 Shift on Sony A7rII

This AstrHori 18mm 8.0 Shift is already the third AstrHori lens I am reviewing here. Their lenses often feature a “little extra” over the competition to make them more interesting. In this case this isn’t just a compact 18mm lens, a ±6mm shift function has been added on top. Judging by the size of this lens, especially the diameter of the lens elements, I am wondering how useful that shift function will be though. But let’s have a look together in this review.

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: AstrHori 18mm 8.0 Shift →

AstrHori, Review, Sony E-mount

Review: AstrHori 12mm 2.8 Fisheye

December 24, 2022 BastianK 6 Comments

Introduction

astrhori 12mm 2.8 fisheye fish eye review 42mp sony a7rII a7rIII a7rIV a7rV 42mp 61mp contrast review resolution test — AstrHori 12mm 2.8 Fisheye on Sony A7rII

Fisheye lenses have a somewhat limited range of possible applications and I would definitely consider them niche products. Probably this is also the reason most of the big manufacturers seem to have given up on having any of these in their portfolios. So if you are looking to add a fisheye lens to your kit your only real option are lenses like this AstrHori 12mm 2.8 Fisheye from smaller manufacturers. As can be seen from the picture above this is a huge lens, but can its performance keep up with its dimensions? Let us find out in this review!

Sample Images

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Review, Sony E-mount, TTArtisan

Review: TTArtisan 50mm 1.4 Tilt

December 18, 2022 BastianK 6 Comments

Introduction

ttartisan 50mm 1.4 tilt review e-mount sony a7riv a7rv a7rii a7riii 42mp 61mp sharpness resolution contrast bokeh review sunstar sunstars starburst — TTArtisan 50mm 1.4 Tilt on Sony A7rII

A 50mm 1.4 Tilt lens? Some of you might be having a Deja Vu now, as just recently I reviewed the AstrHori 50mm 1.4 Tilt lens. This TTArtisan 50mm 1.4 Tilt features a completely different optical and mechanical design though, so let’s find out together in this review which is the better lens.