[shoplink 10350 ebay]
[/shoplink]
Introduction:
Here is the next article about one of my possible future lens purchases. Generally what I am looking for are lenses with a high build quality (hate plastic lenses) and that are not too big. The NEX-5n isn’t exactly the ideal camera for big lenses. But what I also want is a lens that can cover a full frame sensor as I believe that we will not have to wait a long time until Sony releases a sort of full frame NEX camera. Unlike digital camera I feel very comfortable to spend my money on a good lens. Lenses do last forever and keep a reasonable value in time (sometimes they also gain value!). So after taking a look at the superb Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f/1.5 ZM lens (Click here to read the article). I searched and collected some reviews about the Zeiss Biogon ZM 35mm f/2.0 lens ([shoplink 10350 ebay]Click here to see it on eBay[/shoplink]). Of course this lens will work on a NEX via M to NEX mount adapter ([shoplink 8850 ebay]again here on eBay[/shoplink]).
Lens reviews on the Leica fullframe camera:
The Zeiss Biogon is a M-mount lens and there are plenty of reviews on the Leica M camera.
Ken Rockwell writes: “This Zeiss 35mm f/2 Biogon ZM is optically superb“. Daniel Valente writes: “I am happy to say that the bokeh is neutral and pleasant“. Diglloyd says: “It’s a no-brainer for any M shooter.” And Steve Huff also likes the lens a lot: “The lens is sharp, it has gorgeous rich color…and if you are one of those who love the 3D qualities of Zeiss then the Biogon will be right up your alley“.
Lens reviews and tests on Sony NEX cameras:
The lens performs extremely well on full frame cameras but how good is it on the Sony APS-C sensor?
The most important review has been made by Photozone: “The Biogon produced impressive quality figures in our lab. The resolution is good+ to very good at f/2 and reaches very good to excellent result beyond till diffraction is limiting the quality from f/11 onwards. Lateral CAs are well controlled and not overly field relevant. The bokeh fringing (LoCAs) is typical for such a fast lens. Distortions are basically absent. The most obvious weakness of the lens is the amount of light fall-off at f/2 which is quite a bit higher than average for a full format lens. The build quality of the Zeiss lens is superb thanks to an all-metal body and super-smooth controls.”
Björn Utpott just purchased that lens: “I finally know what my daily NEX-5N kit will look like: the Zeiss Biogon as my main lens with the Sony 16mm pancake in my pocket for the odd time when I need something wider.”
Image samples can be found on flickr made by kriswashington and shigerus.
Video samples can be found on youtube made by dai3smile and unboxing video made by denrusso.
To see how the NEX-5+Biogon combo looks check that picture on flickr. Ad here is the NEX-3+silver Biogon on flickr.
Conclusion:
Super sharp, super build quality and you can use it on any NEX camera (APS-C or FF) that will be available in future. It even works o my old [shoplink 10351 ebay]Minolta CLE[/shoplink]! This lens looks like a real winner!
Links:
Zeiss Biogon 35mm f/2.0 ZM on [shoplink 10350 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink]. I is available in black and silver.
M to NEX mount adapter on [shoplink 8850 ebay]eBay (Click here)[/shoplink].
P.S.: Feel free to send me your lens suggestions!!! Thanks!
23 Responses
fyi the flickr picture you’ve linked to is the f/2.8 version.
What about the first generation of Summicron 35mm f/2 (1958-1969)?
It looks good on NEX:
http://www.chassimages.com/forum/index.php/topic,127893.msg2711139.html#msg2711139
The centre is tack sharp from f/2.8 onwards and so are the corners from f/4 onwards:
http://www.chassimages.com/forum/index.php/topic,127893.msg2711148.html#msg2711148
There are some other test charts in the quoted page: Carl Zeiss Sonnar E 24mm f/1.8 ZA, Leica Summicron 50mm f/2 from 1956 and Sony E 50mm f/1.8.
Enjoy!
(if you use any of these graphs, please quote Chassimages and the tester, Jean-Marie Sepulchre a.k.a. JMS)
Olympus PEN-FT 38mm f1.8 lenses sell on eBay for around $150-$225 depending on condition.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/38mm-f1-8-Olympus-Zuiko-Pen-F-Macro4-3-Film-Digital-Half-Frame-Lens-/330650163464?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cfc491908#ht_500wt_999
Here’s some 100% samples on a NEX-5.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41626753@N06/5171520295/in/photostream/
I challenge anyone with a Zeiss, Voigtlander, Leica, or Contax G lens adapted for NEX to show better sharpness, color, bokeh, or far edge definition than the cheap little old PEN-FT 38mm f1.8.
The PEN-FT lenses were designed for half frame SLR… so they don’t suffer from the short throw rear element designs of rangefinder lenses adapted to NEX systems. The adapters are the same size as M39, so they stay small.
The PEN-FT 38mm f1.8 is nearly half the size of the Zeiss Biogon 35mm.
Very interesting thanks !
Nex-5n is of course a great body for M-Mount lenses. I’m convinced that Sony made a huge marketing mistake not to provide the Nex-7 of a microlens technology sensor. For the Nex-7, M-Mount lenses are not precisely the high end solution that we could expect. It’s better to use custom made lenses as the Sony Zeiss f:1,8/24mm. Even the 300$ f:1,8/50mm Sony is better than ZM 50 on Nex-7. Then, for Nex-7 users, there is no any wide angle solution under the 24mm until the time they will decide to launch a new lens, but is it expected ? The actual 16mm pancake is not good enough to share the same backpack of the Sony Zeiss 24mm. For whom wants to buy a Nex-7, the situation is really disappointing…
Only anything below 35mm need adjusted microlenses, therefore, ZM 50mm works perfectly with Nex-7(or even better).
And if you don’t mind the size of panny 7-14mm, there’s even crazier sigma 8-16mm to play with. The 16-35mm zeiss lens works perfectly too.
Not true. I have both the 5 and 5N, and the 5N performs better in the corners with everything from the CV 15/4.5 to the ZM 35/2 mentioned in this article. If the 7 is like the 5 in the corners, it will affect almost every lens that I use, and I’ll stick with the 5N.
So basically in your experience, the 5n is better than 5? Or did I miss something?
Yep, the corners of the 5N look better than the 5, even with the ZM 35/2. If the 7 performs like the 5 in the corners, I’m canceling my preorder.
Given that I pre-ordered the NEX-7 body and have only bought the Voigtlander 50/1.1 with an NEX adapter to mount on it, I’m curious to hear observations about the Voigtlander 50/1.1 on an NEX body.
I bought into interchangable lens cameras for low-light performance, and I’m hugely in love with my G3 + Voigtlander m43 25/0.95 and I have played with the 50/1.1 a bit on my G3 but it doesn’t seem to have quite the same level of build quality/feel. I wonder how much of that will improve with a larger sensor, a better adapter (Voigtlander-branded) and the NEX focus peaking. With the NEX-7’s amazing viewfinder, I’ll probably scream!
1 cv 21/4 is my favorite pancake lense with superb color and sharpness at all apertures.
2. The zeiss 35 2.8 actually looks like a steal and is much smaller and sharper.
3. Still think final nex 7 firmware may resolve corner issues digitally. We will see
I’m using the Zeiss Biogon 35mm F2.0 on my NEX-5N. Image quality is top notch and the lens is more compact than it looks in photos. In short, a very good match for the 5N.
There aren’t a lot of sample images from the NEX-5N + Zeiss 35/2.0, so I posted 7 RAW (Sony ARW) files at apertures ranging from F2.0 to F5.6
http://www.bmupix.com/journal/2011/12/1/carl-zeiss-biogon-2035mm-nex-5n-raw-samples.html
The A77 is actually my favourite for the next camera I want to buy. But more and more often my eyes wander to the NEX 5N resp. 7 – the IQ and tech. data are really great. Someone already asked in one of threads before: why to buy A77 if there such a great NEX7? The answer was: because of the A77 has better lenses. Now, thanks to Andrea’s tests and reviews, I see that there are as well a huge of great old M-Mount lenses which can be nicely used with the adaptor on NEX. So, why to buy the A77 if there such a great NEX? Only because of it is just the standard image of ambitious or pro photographers: to hold a big body with a big-big lenses in the hands? Which specs exactly helping you to make your choice to buy A77 or NEX? Please no arrogant and snotty answers, I need real help in my decision. Thanks!
Thanks Bjorn – much appreciated – and wow! That F4 shot is stunningly sharp – looks great wider open too – you may have cost me $1000 haha.
You’re very welcome, Sam. Just remember, I refuse to be responsible for any problems you may face down the road by committing to such a large outlay of capital 🙂 But like you say, the lens is stunningly sharp. It also performs better on the NEX-5N than on my Panasonic GH2, despite the later camera having a smaller sensor.
Although the proposal of M mount lenses is always tempting (proper focusing scales, manual aperture ring, wonderful build quality, small size, different rendering of images), for my style of shooting (street, travel, candid) i can’t see myself spending that much $$$ for a non AF lens. But then again I come from the m43 camp, and I have never experienced peak focus assist, which seems to be a total game changer with regards to manual focus.
Hello,
I’ve been looking for a 35mm lense that would fit (with an adapter) on to my NEX-5n for quite some time now. These samples really helped my search, and for that I say thank you 🙂 , but I was wondering: how does the Voigtlander Noktor 35mm f/1.4 do on the 5n? Does anyone have that combination of lense/camera?
Thanks in advanced,
A.J.
ken rockwell say the image quality nokton 35/f1.4 uses cheap glass and SUCKS!.
but the new voigt nokton 35mm/f1.2 version 2 is a different story. i have it on nex5n and just LOVE it. its a very sharp lens, and bokeh is very good. i mainly shoot at f2. the only weakness of this lens is purple fringing, just be aware of that, but all i do is scale back the purple color saturation in lightroom or photoshop. the lens is very heavy for its size, but i like that even more because it tells me full metal build and alot of glass used.
if the newer nokton is too big and costly, go for the zeiss zm 35mm/f2.8 i hear nothing but good reviews on.
The really attractive thing for me with the M mount glass is that it is:
Much nicer to use
Holds its value better, or even increases
Is usable across a lot of different platforms – which appear to be growing
I shoot AF lenses in MF mode most of the time so its nice to use lenses which were designed for precisely that.
by the way i shoot the nex5n in twilight mode alot, amazing image quality with the nokton 35/f1.2 no need for flash.
i also use and highly recommend for the nex5n:
1.) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554100-REG/Manfrotto_361_361_Shoulder_Brace_for.html
2.) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554141-REG/Manfrotto_323_323_RC2_System_Quick.html
3.) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/755442-REG/Manfrotto_MMC3_01_Compact_Photo_Movie_Aluminum_4.html
for vertical shots, i collapse the monopod but leave it on. and i rest the collapsed monopod on top of my right bicep, bring my right forearm around the front of the monopod and grip the camera shutter in vertical position in right hand. and i also rest it on my left hand which adjusts the lens. it is AMAZINGLY stable and fluid like this way.
in normal horizontal mode, i extend the shoulder brace to rest on my left shoulder , and i wrap the camera carry strap under my right elbow to behind my right bicep. monopod fully extended. the quick release is very quick release. this setup so much quicker for walking around than a tripod.
I bought a silver version of ZM 35/2 and it’s great!
The only drawback is the close focus range. 0.7m, a little bit long.
The image is just sharp as my Contax G45.
Just get the Sigma 30m f/2.8. About the same performance and much, much cheaper.
Agree, and you get autofocus too.