Category Archives: Sony E-mount

Review: Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM MK II – A worthy Update?

February 16, 2025 BastianK 23 Comments

Introduction

sony fe 85mm 1.4 gm mk ii 2 mark bokeh master sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9 — Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM II on Sony A7rIi

The Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM is my favorite portrait lens out of the almost 300 lenses I have used so far. Being one of the first GM lenses, it features a comparably slow autofocus and some of the recent competitors offer higher contrast and resolution at f/1.4, so Sony decided to update this lens. Does it still have the bokeh qualities of the first generation 85mm 1.4 while making it smaller and sharper? Let’s find out in this review.

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: Sony FE 85mm 1.4 GM MK II – A worthy Update? →

Review, Samyang, Sony E-mount

Review: Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE

January 18, 2025 BastianK 20 Comments

Introduction

samyang 135mm 1.8 Af fe af bokeh master gm sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma astrophotography z6 z7 z8 z9 — Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF on Sony A7rII

I wasn’t a big fan of most of Samyang’s earlier lenses, especially not their early autofocus lenses. Their latest lenses have shown significant improvements over the earlier ones though and this Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE even features a unique selling point: it is the lightest 135mm 1.8 lens ever made. And not only that, it is currently also the cheapest option. Do cheap and lightweight go together with good here? Let’s find out in this review.

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE →

Review, Sony, Sony Alpha, Sony E-mount

Review: Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G

January 4, 2025 BastianK 11 Comments

Introduction

fe 50mm 2.5g 2.5 g sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma — Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G on Sony A7rII

In early 2021 Sony released three compact fullframe E-mount lenses and this Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G is the longest of those. While many of the competitors often cut corners with their compact lenses when it comes to build quality, feature set and sometimes also optical quality, Sony decided to go for a different approach here, offering more, but also at a higher price point. Did that pay off? And is there a market for a comparably slow 50mm prime? Let’s find out in this review!

Sample Images

Continue reading Review: Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G →

7Artisans, Accessories, Adapters, Leica M, Sony E-mount, Techart, Voigtlander

Leica M to Sony E Close Focus Adapters

December 21, 2024 BastianK 18 Comments

Introduction

Sony A7s with Leica 90mm 2.0 Summicron M (pre Asph) and VM-E Close Focus Adapter

Classic rangefinder lenses usually spot less staggering minimum focus distances compared to (D)SLR and the latest lenses for mirrorless cameras because of how focusing with rangefinder cameras works. In 2022 several manufacturers are offering close focus adapters. These adapters have their own additional helicoid which allows you to focus your lenses much closer than you could with a conventional adapter. I have used several of these myself, so let’s see which ones are worth the asking price.
Last Update: December 2024

Sample Images

7artisans leica summulix 28mm 1.4 f/1.4 wide angle fast 42mp sony feplus resolution contrast coma review close focus range macro extension tube helicoid adapter hawks factory — Sony A7rII | 7artisans 28mm 1.4 | f/1.4 | Hawk’s Factory Close Focus Adapter

raven Bokeh Voigtlander 28mm 2.0 — Sony A7 | Voigtländer Ultron 2.0/28 | f/2.0 | Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus Adapter

bokeh summicron 90mm 2.0 sony a7 review 42mp leica m10 24mp sharpness contrast — Sony A7rII | Leica Summicron 90mm 2.0 pre-Asph | f/2.0 | Voigtländer VM-E Close Focus Adapter

Continue reading Leica M to Sony E Close Focus Adapters →

Review, Sony, Sony Alpha, Sony E-mount

Review: Sony FE 24-50mm 2.8 G

December 4, 2024 BastianK 14 Comments

Introduction

fe 24-50mm 24-50 2.8 g 2.8g sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma — Sony FE 24-50mm 2.8 G on Sony A7rII

When it comes to standard zoom lenses, Sony offers a lot of interesting options. For those most interested in a wide zoom range the Sony FE 20-70mm 4.0 G might be the most appealing option, but if f/4.0 doesn’t cut it and the 24-70mm 2.8 GM lenses are too big and/or too expensive, Sony also has a solution: this Sony FE 24-50mm 2.8 G. Can its optical performance keep up with the GM zooms? Let’s find out in this review!