Carl Zeiss 85mm F1.4 Lens Review
Loxia 35mm review at Fratkinphoto.
ZM 35 f/1.4 test at Pleineouverture (google translation here).
35mm legacy lenses list (SonyAlphaForum).
Mikael Buck Uses Sony QX1 to Capture Remarkable Macro Shots (Photographyblog).
A6000 review at RonMartBlog.
My first five years with NEX cameras (SonyAlphaForum).
Chinese 70-200mm FE lens review at Zol.
FE 28-70mm test at DC.watch.
Philip: “I just published a list of ratings and sample images for many manual Minolta lenses, might be useful for anyone who is interested in affordadble manual lenses: http://phillipreeve.net/blog/manual-minolta-lens-ratings/”
Mirrorlessons: “We recently wrote a piece entitled “A Mirrorless Wedding – Four cameras, three systems, two photographers and one happy couple.” In the article, we discuss using Olympus, Fujifilm and Sony cameras together at a single event, the process of unifying the overall look of these Raw files in post production, and some tips for successfully documenting a wedding with mirrorless systems. http://www.mirrorlessons.com/
26 Responses
The geode is plump
Pointless Review.
Might as well review the SLT-57 next.
Sweet,…he’s shooting with a Sony classic A mount camera! A mount lenses, those were the days….got some great memories with those cameras and lenses.
Loving E mount today and the A7s!
yeah? how you liking all 6 FE lenses? lol
…and the 4 gazillion other lenses that can be adapted.
Yes, I am happy to have on my A7 the Mino 85mm 1.4, which IMHO doesn’t create so much different pictures than the Sony ZA.
I have 9 different lenses that I use. Including 4 Canon and 1 Nikon mount.
bitter, much?
bitter? why would I be bitter? I’m on both A and E mount, the a7 series is nice, and it’s cute, great for traveling, street photography etc etc… but at the end of the day, I wouldn’t trust it for a paid event assignment with that inferior AF, I would still reach for my a99, faster AF, faster fps, a hell of a lot more lenses…. Yeah, I can use the LA EA4 adapter, but first of all… that technically turns an a7/a7R/a7S into a SLT camera… and while a lot of people may say the AF should be the same as a99’s, it isn’t.. Yes, I’ve done my own tests before… center focus is fine, but once you put the AF spot off to the side in lower lighting situations, it hunts like crazy. I wouldn’t rely on it for shooting an event.
John is absolutely right. The ZA85F14 is a loud and slow lens, but it’s capable of delivering fantastic results. Bokeh is (besides the STF lens) the best a Sony camera can produce.
Unless Sony brings a proper MK2 (with SSM and sealing) or an adequate FE, I’ll keep this cream machine. 🙂
The wedding article is a nice one. And it shows that in the end it doesn’t matter which brand you are using, if you are skilled and if you have a good workflow.
Nope CZ135 > CZ85 as far as Bokeh goes
Sorry, missed that one. You are right. 🙂
Well the ZA135 is pretty nice as well. I won’t be replacing either, but excited for the ZA35 that is coming.
yes, the bokeh is fantastic..I actually prefer it to the STF, which is kind of boring. The ZA135 might be even a bit better, but the 85 has a HUGE advantage in its size. Its very compact for what it is actually.
it is very similar to the old minolta lense right?
Similar but not the same.
When you wrote “Chinese 70-200 FE lens review” it sounded like Chinese have made 70-200 FE lens, not a review. But i guess you did it on purpose, for clicks sake.
Wow, a review of such a dated lens? I don’t know if I got a bad copy, but I am honestly disappointed with this lens. The purple fringing is very severe that make the picture look soft wide open. And the focus is slow and loud as mentioned, I also feel the screw driven focus is inaccurate that it missed focus sometimes. This lens is much worst than the Canon 85L and Sigma 85mm. The 135mm is a muuuuuuuuch better lens.
I have both the Zeiss and the Sigma… The Zeiss is better IMO and no faster to focus (but a bit quieter). Fringing is not much of an issue for me but does show up on occasion yet easily fixed. The 135mm is better, but the ZA85 was and still is a very capable 85mm.
really? Canon is soooo much better you say? Has noooo CA whatsoever…it actually seems to be much worse than the CZ85 in this regard…
http://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Compare/Side-by-side/Carl-Zeiss-Planar-T-85mm-F1.4-ZA-on-Sony-Alpha-900-versus-EF85mm-f-1.2L-II-USM-on-Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-II-versus-85mm-F1.4-EX-DG-HSM-Canon-on-Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-II___243_371_270_483_322_483
I personally love this lens, gives me the best results possible every time…the one thing that needs to be changed is the screw-drive motor…that thing is LOUD
Hopefully Sony will release updated versions of the 85 and 135 ZA with SSM and weathersealing sometime in the future. I got myself the 135ZA and sometimes I wish it was quieter and faster at focusing…That lens is very nice for portraits in FF and for sports in APS-C.
Sony will come up with MK2 for the ZA1635 and the ZA2470.
As they previously updated the three G telezooms and the 300 prime, I guess the chance is quite high that we will see MK2 of the 85 and 135 as well.
Wow – the images from the A7s in the city center in Turin from Mirrorlessons are spectacular. The last shot – at ISO 12,800 and look at the shadow – almost NO noise. Very impressive.
I want a Loxia 15mm. That and the 35mm should do me solid. I know they have a ZM 15 so we should expect it if you ask me.
I’ll wait about 6 months and grab that 35mm loxia for under a grand. Thanks. I also hope they come out with the 135mm and 85mm with SSM.
Also, not diggin the wedding pics. I find the XT-1 pics rather flat and boring. Corners on those wides look sloppy. Carry on.