Review: Voigtländer 12mm 5.6 Ultra Wide Heliar

Introduction

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Sony A7s with Voigtländer Ultra Wide Heliar 12mm 5.6 and VM-E close focus adapter (Helicoid)

The Voigtländer 12mm 5.6 Ultra Wide Heliar is actually one of the lenses I bought a camera from the A7 series for in the first place. It is worth to mention though, I am reviewing the old M39 version here. The newer Leica M version is optically the same, although there are other differences – apart from the lens mount – which I will talk about at the end of this review.

Sample Images

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Sony A7s | Voigtländer Ultra Wide Heliar 5.6/12 | f/11 | full resolution
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Sony A7 | Voigtländer Ultra Wide Heliar 5.6/12 | f/11 | full resolution
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Sony A7s | Voigtländer Ultra Wide Heliar 5.6/12 | f/8

Continue reading Review: Voigtländer 12mm 5.6 Ultra Wide Heliar

Review – Contax Zeiss Sonnar 3.5/100 T* (C/Y)

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I am currently looking for a capable but small landscape tele lens to complement my travel  kit. Will the Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 3.5/100 (C/Y) deliver for my purposes?

Sample Images

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Sony a7R | Zeiss Sonnar 3,5/100 | f/8

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Sony a7R | Zeiss Sonnar 3,5/100 | f/8

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Sony a7R | Zeiss Sonnar 3,5/100 | f/11

Continue reading Review – Contax Zeiss Sonnar 3.5/100 T* (C/Y)

Sony a7ii vs Sony a7

This is a rather personal comparison of the Sony Alpha 7 and the Alpha 7 ii. I will try to cover as many aspects as possible but my focus will be on those which matter most to me personally, so you won’t read much about video but quite abit about manual lenses.

I bought my a7 in November 2013 so I have used it for more than two years and I have used the a7ii for close to two months now.

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Sony a7 vs a7ii – Summary

  • The a7ii has an integrated stabilizer
  • The a7 does suffer from sensor reflections, the a7ii does not
  • The a7ii has a more ergonomic grip but it is also significantly heavier
  • The a7ii has mount made of metal, the a7’s mount is partially made of plastics which caused some issues.
  • The a7ii offers improved AF performance, it even works qite well with some adapted Canon EF lenses
  • The a7ii has a more ergonomic shutter release
  • The a7ii offers a better video codec
  • The a7ii is about $600  more expensive

Continue reading Sony a7ii vs Sony a7

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