Category Archives: Sony E-mount

Review: Laowa 15mm 5.0 Cookie – Tiny and Useful

November 12, 2024 The Team 28 Comments

Introduction

laowa 15mm 5.0 II fe venus optics review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting cookie pancake compact — Laowa 15mm 5.0 Cookie on Sony A7rII

In the SLR era some people came up with the term “pancake lens” for very thin 40 to 50mm lenses. Because of the short back focus distance of mirrorless cameras it is very hard to make actually useful lenses for them that are as thin as a pancake though, hence Laowa came up with the term “cookie lens”. This does not only sound more realistic but also pretty cute and the latest addition to this cookie line-up is this Laowa 15mm 5.0. Usually new features are reserved for expensive top-of-the-line products, but this lens already marks a very important point in Laowa’s history. Let’s have a closer look!

camera-icon2 The lens was tested on a 42 Mp Sony A7 RII (Sample images with Sony A7 III, Leical M10, and Nikon Zf)

You can see this review as a YouTube video here

Sample Images

nikon nikkor af-d 28mm 1.4 noct wide angle historical review contrast resolution famous 42mp 61mp bokeh vignetting coma aspherical sony a7rII z7 z8 z9 z6 zf — Leica M10 | Laowa 15mm 5.0 M | f/11

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Review, Sony E-mount, Viltrox

Review: Viltrox AF 135mm 1.8 FE LAB

November 4, 2024 BastianK 19 Comments

Introduction

viltrox 135mm 1.8 lab fe pro 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 — Viltrox 135mm 1.8 LAB AF on Sony A7rII

In 2023 Viltrox started dipping its toes into the higher end lens market with the releases of their Viltrox AF 16mm 1.8 FE for fullframe as well as the Viltrox AF 75mm 1.2 Pro for APS-C cameras. Both lenses with great performance at a fair price point. Now at the end of 2024 we are getting this Viltrox AF 135mm 1.8 FE LAB, their most expensive lens so far. Let’s find out how it compares to the strong competition in this review!
Update January 2025: comparison to Samyang 135mm 1.8 AF added

Sample Images

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Review, Sony E-mount, Viltrox

Review: Viltrox FE 16mm 1.8 AF

October 22, 2024 BastianK 60 Comments

Introduction

viltrox af 16mm 1.8 fe review sharpness contrast bokeh astro milky way coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 — Viltrox FE 16mm 1.8 AF on Sony A7rII

We all like surprises and this Viltrox 16mm 1.8 AF for fullframe was a big one. We previously reviewed the Viltrox 85mm 1.8 AF MKI and II and they were solid performers while being very affordable. But this 16mm 1.8 sounds way more spectacular on paper than an ordinary 85mm 1.8 lens and it even comes with some technology we haven’t seen anywhere else yet. Let’s have a closer look.

Update Oct 2024:
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
In the video Martin also talks about how the Z-mount version of this lens performs. There have also been further sample images taken on a Nikon Zf added.

Sample Images

Nikon Zf | Viltrox AF 16mm f/1.8 | f/1.8

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Review, Sony, Sony E-mount

Review: Sony FE 20-70mm 4.0 G

October 12, 2024 BastianK 18 Comments

Introduction

fe 20-70mm 20-70 4.0 g 4.0g sony 42mp 61mp a7rii a7riv a7riii a1 a9iii a7rv review resolution sharpness contrast bokeh vignetting coma — Sony FE 20-70mm 4.0 G on Sony A7rII

One thing is for sure: the move to fullframe mirrorless led to the boundaries of lens design being pushed further and this Sony FE 20-70mm 4.0 G is a good example of that, as there has never been a zoom with this range before. As a do-it-all travel lens this range is way more appealing to me than those variable aperture 28-200mm or 24-240mm super zooms. But to realize a lens with these parameters, surely some compromises had to be made. Let’s find out about them in this review.

Sample Images

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Review, Sony E-mount, Viltrox

Review: Viltrox 28mm 4.5 AF Pancake

September 26, 2024 BastianK 33 Comments

Introduction

viltrox af 28mm 4.5 fe pancake review sharpness contrast bokeh coma vignetting 42mp 63mp sony a7 a7rii a7iii a7riv a7rv a7iv a1 a9 a9ii — Viltrox AF 28mm 4.5 FE on Sony A7rII

We didn’t see many pancake lenses for Sony’s fullframe E-mount cameras that actually deserve that title and when it comes to those featuring auto focus it starts to look really dire. Viltrox comes to rescue by offering this Viltrox AF 28mm 4.5 FE Pancake lens with the nickname “Chip”. As is always the case with such small lenses, there are some quirks to be aware of, so let me walk you through them.