This is my personal favorite new lens. The 90mm f/2.8 macro will ship in July and price info and preorder options can be found here:
In USA at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
In Europe at Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony FR, Sony IT, Sony ES, Sony NL, Sony BE, Sony AT, Sony CH, Sony SE, Sony FI, Sony NO, Sony PT.
What’s hot with the lens:
– The lens has super fast Direct Drive focusing
– Super ED glass
– In lens stabilization with on lens on/off switch
– It’s weather sealed
Image samples from Sony (only low resolution images available)
Preorders:
In USA at:
Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 FE at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony 90mm f/2.8 FE at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony 24-240mm FE at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony 28mm f/2.0 FE at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony Fisheye Conversion Lens for FE 28mm F/2 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony Ultra-Wide Conversion Lens for FE 28mm F/2 at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony Fisheye Converter for E 16mm F/2.8 and E 20mm F/2.8 Adorama, BHphoto.
Sony Ultra-Wide Fisheye Converter for E 16mm F2.8 and E 20mm F2.8 Adorama, BHphoto.
In Europe at:
Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 FE at Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony FR, Sony IT, Sony ES, Sony NL, Sony BE, Sony AT, Sony CH, Sony SE, Sony FI, Sony NO, Sony PT.
Sony 90mm f/2.8 FE at Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony FR, Sony IT, Sony ES, Sony NL, Sony BE, Sony AT, Sony CH, Sony SE, Sony FI, Sony NO, Sony PT.
Sony 24-240mm FE at Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony FR, Sony IT, Sony ES, Sony NL, Sony BE, Sony AT, Sony CH, Sony SE, Sony FI, Sony NO, Sony PT.
Sony 28mm f/2.0 FE at Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony FR, Sony IT, Sony ES, Sony NL, Sony BE, Sony AT, Sony CH, Sony SE, Sony FI, Sony NO, Sony PT.
Wide Angle converter at Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony FR, Sony IT, Sony ES, Sony NL, Sony BE, Sony AT, Sony CH, Sony SE, Sony FI, Sony NO, Sony PT.
Fisheye converter at Sony Germany, Sony UK, Sony FR, Sony IT, Sony ES, Sony NL, Sony BE, Sony AT, Sony CH, Sony SE, Sony FI, Sony NO, Sony PT.
39 Responses
Right now this is my favourite lens of all E mount lenses.
The lens is 13cm in size, minimum focus distance is 28cm, so the working distance will be around 13cm, too. Thats quite o.k. MTF point to a very sharp lens, too. Very interested.
Here you get some high-res picks: https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=SEL90M28G%20
I really think I´m going to buy it!
What is up with that MTF curve? That is insane!
Slightly soft wide open, but phenominal at f8…very impressive.
Where do you see the MTF for wide open vs f/8? I only see one chart.
Green lines are wide open, red lines are f8
They are a little difficult to see because they are so close to the black line at the top of the chart 🙂
Cool!
I hate to agree with Barry, but if you look at the chart it clearly shows the green lines are for max aperture and the orange lines are for f/8.
Yes I am an idiot. Sorry for my confusion.
Thsnk you.
If 30lpmm is above 80% wide open, it isn’t even remotely soft.
Not soft a 30 lp/mm but would be soft at max res on a 50mp lens.
Not an issue because the lens should be stopped down for acceptable dof.
Make no mistake, I am clearly stating that this appears to be an excellent lens.
Yes. It is an excellent lens. I’ll acknowledge that you’re stating that.
But I’m still going to stick to my claim that you’re wrong. 30lpmm at 80% would certainly not be soft on a 50MP sensor. On that we’ll just have to agree to disagree.
By almost any other standard this lens is super sharp wide open….
Based on my own goal of squeezing every possible bit of resolution out of a 50mp sensor….about 125 lp/mm resolution…I would extrapolate based on this mtf chart about 15-20 in the corners wide open, adout 20-25 invthe center wide open…and at f8 20-30 in the corners and 20-30 in the center, a substantial differrence.
This guess iis very unscientific, probably very inaccurate, and a guess on my part.
It is not my intent to imply that this lens would produce anything but excellent results for any application.
Slightly soft? Compared to f8 yes, but compared to other lenses no. Over 90 for mtf 30lp/mm is usually quite good.
Nice portrait lens wide-open!
one of the best Mtf ever seen
When Sony does stuff wrong I do not hesitate to say so…also when they do things rite.
With this lens they appear to have gotton it very rite.
Super sharp macro will take full advantage of high res sensors to come.
Appears slightly soft wide open…but stopped down appears excellent…wide open would seldom be used in macro because of isufficient dof.
This is a
Depends on your style I suppose – I prefer a narrow dof for flowers…
ships in july???? uuuuugggggggh. i could die at least 400 times before then..
I guess that answers the question about whether they just slapped a song logo on the Tamron… Definitely a must have for me!
Sharpness is really pretty good. In comparison from Sony’s data for SAL and SEL lenses (approximate from charts, all at f/2.8)
http://discover.store.sony.com/pdf/Sony_Lens_Brochure.pdf
A 85mm f/2.8 30 lppm center MTF 80
A 135mm f/2.8 (STF) 30 lppm center MTF 82
A 50mm f/2.8 macro 30 lppm center MTF 83
A 100mm f/2.8 macro 30 lppm center MTF 78
E 20mm f/2.8 (APS-C) 30 lppm center MTF 91
E 90mm f/2.8 macro lppm center MTF 91-92
Wow! This is the only macro lens I’ve seen with almost perfect MTF. This lens is going to be super crispy on an APS-C sensor that can take advantage of the sharp center area of the lens. The sample photos are amazing and I can’t wait to actually shoot it myself lol.
This lens + A7II/A7000/A9 with 5-axis image stabilization will give you the freedom to shoot macros handheld and even follow focus on tiny moving subjects like little insects without ever using a tripod. And for professional video use the DDSSM will allow you to shoot close-ups in autofocus and even lock on focus while using a slider. This will also be perfect for shooting wedding rings anywhere indoor or outdoor without having to set up a tripod/stand/table. The OSS + IBIS + DDSSM + C-AF truly is a game changer and with the right use it will save you some time. Amazing job Sony!
hm wouldnt it be nice to see a bigger variety of sample images? i mean you dont have to use it for macro photography exclusively!? its not a one trick pony.
i hope that zeiss will tell us what telephoto loxio lens they will release before this one is available in stores.
LoxiA
Which lens has more bokeh. The 90mm f2.8. Or the 24-240. At 240mm
According to the Depth of Field simulator the 90mm @f/2.8 will give more bokeh than the 24-240mm @240mm f/6.3. I think the 90mm 2.8 macro can be a versatile lens and be used as portrait lens also. On the other hand, I don’t know anyone who uses a small aperture wide-telephoto travel zoom lens for portrait use lol
Here is the DOF simulator link. You can simply type in the focal length and aperture number combination you want to see: http://dofsimulator.net/en/ Have fun using it 🙂
Thanks for info – I love using the DOF simulator – did not know it existed – I have the Sony A7 and Sony A6000 and NEX7 as well as lots of M43 gear –
I do have the nice Oly 45mm F1.8 which has nice shallow DOF but I see now that I need to get the Oly 75mm F1.8 – it gives the amazing shallow DOF – even better then the Sony FE 90mm F2.8 – I have been wanting to get the FE 55mm F1.8 and I know it is very sharp – but for shallow DOF seems I am better off with the Oly 75mm F1.8 – for portraits – of course the A7 with FF will give better low light performance – with workable ISO at 6400 vs 1600-3200 on M43 – Been looking for a way to get super creamy shallow DOF for portrait –
I would assume a FF 85mm F1.4 or F1.2 would give great results but not available for FE – total lack of lenses for the FE – and for Sony E – like no F2.8 fast zooms for E mount – I am off shopping for the Oly 75mm F1.8 – yes I know it is not always practical due to long focal range but then I use my Oly 45mm F1.8 – I think I will still get the Zeiss FE 55mm F1.8 but it will not be that great of a portrait lens – I have a APS-C Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 on my Nikon and it has nice shallow DOF – but I like the Oly 75mm F1.8 more –
I’m also obsessed with getting more bokeh! Hence when I went full frame the first lens I bought was the Carl Zeiss 135mm f/1.8 and it is my favorite lens to use for shooting outdoor portraiture. I believe there is no other autofocus lens in the world that can render better bokeh than the Zeiss 135mm f/1.8 for under $2k. It has more bokeh than any f/0.95 or f/1.2 lenses. It is sharp wide open, the color is beautiful, CA is well controlled and it has that “Zeiss Pop” to it, a smooth and creamy looking background blur as what you’ll typically get from using their prime lenses.
I have this little bokeh machine mounted on my A99 and with this type of setup I get the benefit of having the only stabilized autofocus telephoto prime lens and I also get a fast and accurate focus with the a99’s hybrid AF system.
If you want the best bokeh you can simply use an LAEA4 adapter for your Sony A7 and try out the Zeiss 135mm f/1.8 🙂 You will still get that facial recognition feature with the adapter and it can help you get sharper and accurate focus for shooting portraits. And with adapter you can pretty much use all the Sony A-mount lenses in their line up as if they’re one system. Everything works with it.
Check out this bokeh machine; http://bhpho.to/1pH7v8g
What about Focus speed ? I recall trying out the adapter with the mirror on my NEX7 a while back or when it came out and autofocus was not good – the other concern is that there is no IS or OSS on the Zeiss –
I haven’t tried the APS-C version of the adapter so I’m not sure how to compare the two. As for me, the AF speed on the LAEA4 is on par with the AF speed of what I’m getting with my Zeiss FE 55mm f/1.8 as if it is mounted natively. I think the mirror adapter is fast enough for portrait use where the subject is not moving. The only drawback I see for using it is the small AF coverage. The AF points are all cluttered in the middle of the screen compare the wide AF coverage of the A7 series cameras.
Yes, there is no OSS on any Zeiss prime lenses for image quality reason. This is why I’m so glad about Sony for putting IBIS in their full frame cameras. The A7II with 5-axis image stabilization can surely stabilize anything you can mount on it. I’m thinking of trading in something to get it but I’ve been waiting for so long for the A9 to be announced! lol
You are right. I love my OmD em5 and OMD EM1 and Pani GX7s for their IBIS. I guess I could try to sell my A7 and get the A7 II. And yes that would make the FE 55 f1.8 even better 🙂
I’m just frustrated with Sony and the lack of lenses for E and FE mounts. I still have my NEX 5n. NEX 7 and A6000 – need to sell the NEXs as I hate their menu system – the A6000 is nice – due to frustration with Sony lens issue I invested lots into MFT. The Oly 45mm f1.8 is fantastic and I think all agree that the Oly 75mm f1.8 is even better So I agree with you that the Zeiss with an adapter will give me nicer Bokeh but I Think I will not jump into that unless I would upgrade my A7 to A7 II so I can get the Oly 75mm for about $750 but the other option would cost over $3000 so I think I will have to do the Oly for now. If I did not have the MFT gear I would have done your suggestion. If the 90mm F2.8 would have been a F 1.8 or F1.4. That might have been an option
Yes, investing on which camera system is the hardest decision to make in this type of business. I did a lot of researching work before getting my hands on the Zeiss 135mm f/1.8 and it was all worth it! I now have the A7S and I’ve now decided to stick with the E-mount system because with an adapter I can basically use all my A-mount lenses and even use Canon L lenses and Nikkor lenses on it. As for me, I think it is better to go full frame mirrorless for video use because of the flexibility it provides. With it I’m not limited to any lens system and the video AF, IBIS, Zeiss quality lenses that Sony provides are just bonuses to the already amazing sensor that they can make.
By the way, I thought you were looking for a camera/lens combo to give you very creamy shallow DOF for portraits? Well the Zeiss 135mm f/1.8 on Sony A7II will be the best and cheapest option for you to get. Beyond that price range you will have to invest on getting the 300mm f2.8 lenses which costs as much as a brand new car and there’s no way for you to carry it around with you lol.
It is up to you on which system you will go. Right now Sony is cooking up some great high quality FE lenses and I could already smell the sweet aroma of what’s coming ahead. The FE system will just get better and better and if you invest on it now you won’t have to put down a big lump in the future if you ever decided to go the Sony way.
The OMDs, Pani and MFT lenses you have mentioned still have good used market values. You can definitely get a new A7II with FE 55mm 1.8 if you ever decided to trade them in. The NEXs you can probably just keep lol.
Just a small point for clarity: bokeh and depth of field (DOF) are not quite the same, as
you probably know. DOF can be measured; hence there can be more or less of it.
Bokeh is more of an effect that differs in qualities, rather than quantity. So we can have better, different bokeh, smoother, harsher, confused, creamier, and so on. But if we say more bokeh we still need to describe what it is there is more of.
you are correct I was more referring to shallow DOF – I was introduced to the DOF simulator – nice tool – I was looking for a camera/lens combo to give me very creamy shallow DOF for portraits – in mirroless – so I was focusing on the FE 90 mm F2.8 but I think I will be better of with Olympus 75mm F1.8 MFT – for that super creamy shallow DOF – I have the 45mm F1.8 and it is very nice –
I see that I will get more shallow DOF with the Oly 75mm F1.8 vs the Sony FE 90mm F2.8 – suppose the FE 90mm F2.8 might with the A7 might give a bit better low light performance vs using my Oly EM1 or Pani GX7s –
Now, THIS is a lens I’m interested in for the E-mount, Just needs some good ultra wide angles for landscape and super teles for wildlife, and I might consider switching from A-mount.
It is interesting that half the sample images are nearly 2 years old. So this lens has been in development for some time it would seem.