Category Archives: Sony E-mount

Guide to wide-angle lenses for Sony A7/A9/A1 series

Sony A7rII | Zeiss Loxia 21mm 2.8 | f/8.0

We summarize our experience with all the native E-mount and a few manual legacy lenses in the 20-28mm bracket to give you a compact and independent resource for choosing the right wide-angle lens for your Sony A7/A9/A1 camera. In this summary we also included some adapted lenses we think are worth mentioning. We didn’t include any zoom lenses, you can find those in our general guide to FE lenses as well as the guide to 9-18mm ultra wide angle lenses.

You may also want to check out our guides to 35mm lenses, 50mm lenses and 85-200mm portrait lenses.

Some of these lenses are manual focus only (MF) whereas others feature auto focus (AF). There is also a noticeable amount of lenses listed here that do not feature electronic contacts to communicate with the camera (no Exif).

We have no association with any manufacturer apart from occasionally loaning a lens for a review. 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 on the 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: March 2025, Voigtländer 28mm 1.5E Nokton, Viltrox 28mm 4.5 AF added

Continue reading Guide to wide-angle lenses for Sony A7/A9/A1 series

Review: Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE

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

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 z9samyang 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
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF | f/1.8
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 z9samyang 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
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF | f/1.8
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 z9samyang 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
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF | f/1.8
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 z9samyang 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
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF | f/1.8
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
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE | f/1.8
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
Sony A7III | Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE | f/1.8

Continue reading Review: Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF FE

Review: Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G

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

fe 50mm 2.5g 2.5 g sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma
Sony A7III | Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G | f/2.5
fe 50mm 2.5g 2.5 g sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma
Sony A7III | Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G | f/8.0
fe 50mm 2.5g 2.5 g sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma
Sony A7III | Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G | f/2.5
fe 50mm 2.5g 2.5 g sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma
Sony A7III | Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G | f/2.5
Sony A7III | Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G | f/2.5

Continue reading Review: Sony FE 50mm 2.5 G

Leica M to Sony E Close Focus Adapters

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
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
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 FE 24-50mm 2.8 G

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!

Sample Images

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 A7III | Sony FE 24-50mm 2.8 G | 50mm | f/2.8 | polarizer
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 A7III | Sony FE 24-50mm 2.8 G | 24mm | f/8.0 | polarizer
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 A7III | Sony FE 24-50mm 2.8 G | 24mm | f/8.0
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 A7III | Sony FE 24-50mm 2.8 G | 35mm | f/2.8
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 A7III | Sony FE 24-50mm 2.8 G | 24mm | f/8.0
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 A7III | Sony FE 24-50mm 2.8 G | 50mm | f/2.8

Continue reading Review: Sony FE 24-50mm 2.8 G