What is your favorite fastest lens for the Sony a7 series?

FF Pro · May 29, 2015

Name your favorite fast lens you own and use with your Sony a7 series camera.

Presently, mine is the 35mm f/2.8 FE Sony lens. Hoping that changes soon but want to hear what everyone else says.

dbm305 · May 29, 2015

It's the Zhongyi (Mitakon) 50mm f0.95

Incredible speed, surprisingly nice bokeh, usably sharp wide open (and very sharp from f 1.4 which gives another useful point where it does something that most 1.4 lenses don't manage)

A bit of Loca and Sloca, but less that you would expect at that speed. At certain distances (look at the portrait below) you get a bit of the 'swirly bokeh' effect that Petzval lenses have, but in a fairly smooth way. I quite like it.

FF Pro · May 29, 2015

I was hoping someone was going to mention the Mitakon Speedmaster. I am really torn on picking up this lens. I would really like a f/0.95 for the eye candy. I like the look.

ttran88 · May 29, 2015

FE 55 F1.8 is a special lens. I imagine myself shooting E/FE mount for many more years due to it.

M42 Super Takumar 50mm F1.4, this lens isn't sharp wide open but it renders OOF area beautifully. When I want the classic film like look I turn to it.

FD 50mm F1.4 S.S.C this lens is quite the opposite of the Super. It's sharp, I now know why Canon became so popular. Great contrast as well. FE 55mm is of course sharper and over all better. But the FD is fun to shoot with when I want to Manual focus.

Saving all my pennies for Bada$$ (Batis) 85mm F1.8.

Still contemplating if I should pick up the FE 35mm F1.4.

Just wish I had more than two kidneys, so I could sell one to buy more lenses and bodies.

dbm305 · May 29, 2015

FF Pro said:
I was hoping someone was going to mention the Mitakon Speedmaster. I am really torn on picking up this lens. I would really like a f/0.95 for the eye candy. I like the look.

It is a lovely lens, but it's not a replacement for something like the 55 1.8 which is sharper and cleaner. Fantastic if you can justify both, but if had to pick only one I'd probably get the 55. You'll miss the special effect feel of the super wide aperture, but for general purposes its sharper, lighter, renders smoother and has AF which is sometimes useful. And they are similar prices.

areichow · May 29, 2015

Contax G 45mm f/2. Definitely my favorite lens.

I recently got the Sony FE 28mm f/2. I'm not really a wide guy, but I've fallen in love with it. Great rendering, sharp, pleasant colors, great contrast and pop. It's my first AF lens for the A7, but I'm getting used to it. AF ergonomics are *much* improved over my NEX-5R.

Sean_Jayhawk · May 29, 2015

FE Zeiss 55/1.8

Rokion 135/2

Voigtlander Nokton 35/1.2 II

Probably in that order. I lean towards saying the Rokinon 135/2 is my favorite, but I think once the newness wears off then the 55 will still become my favorite. Then again, I've had the Rokinon since early Feb. and it's still the one I put on my camera for general purpose shooting each day. Hmmm.

Boosted240 · May 29, 2015

Add another vote for the FE 55MM, just have to. Although my close second is the Rokinon 135mm F/2. Honorable mention goes to my minolta MC Rokkor-PG 50mm F/1.4.

SirSeth · May 29, 2015

My current favorite between my two portrait lenses. The other is the FD 50mm f1.4 which is faster, shorter, and cheaper, but I like the 85mm length.

Here's a shot my friend took of me at a concert with my A7 + FD 85mm f1.8

--
What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?
--
wallygoots.smugmug.com
wallygoots.blogspot.com

vett93 · May 29, 2015

85mm F1.4, 1/640 sec, ISO 160

neil holmes · May 29, 2015

FF Pro said:
Name your favorite fast lens you own and use with your Sony a7 series camera.

Presently, mine is the 35mm f/2.8 FE Sony lens. Hoping that changes soon but want to hear what everyone else says.

Cant really compare a wide angle with a telephoto....

A7 17mm my favourite is an f4

At 24mm I prefer a slow 3.5 lens over my old FD 24 1.4 L

In a normal lens, I have plenty of choices still and liked my old Pentax 50 1.2 (someone dropped and it has been worn out too) and (regretfully) sold FD 50 1.2 L but NOTHING I have used beats the Sony Zeiss 55 1.8 for me in a normal lens......the little 50 1.8 OSS I wish was FF.

85mm and I love the old FD 85 1.2 L but suspect I would much prefer the Zeiss Batis.

135 and I love my Canon EF 135 f2 L.....I have an old 135 1.8 that is not so good.

150 and the Sigma 2.8 macro is nice (though "difficult" on E mount adapted (mine is EF mount).

300 and I love my ancient 2.8 Tamron adaptall but much prefer USING my old EF 100-300 5.6 L

having an A7s (and to a limited extent the A7) has made me realise that I don't NEED a fast lens so much.....still nice to have for DOF control but not NEEDED for shutter speed so much now.

rogerjosem · May 30, 2015

I love my:

Sony FE 55 F1.8

Samyang 135 F2

Samyang 35 F1.4

Sony FE 28 F2

I recently got my Samyang 100 F2.8 Macro and maybe is my sharpest lens, and the bokeh is amazing (for me).

So, all my FE lenses are my favorite fastest

Roger

Pickedmypocket · May 30, 2015

hands down the new 35 1.4!

SQLGuy · May 30, 2015

I have two F1.2 lenses - a Canon FD 55/1.2 Aspherical, and a Canon nFD 85/1.2L. Both are great, but I get a lot more use out of the 55. Part is because it's smaller (though it's probably heavier than the 85), and also because of its more "normal" focal length... but there's something else just special about that lens.

SOOC with the 55/1.2 in lousy light.

--
A7 with kit lens and a number of legacy lenses (mostly Canon FD); A3000 converted to IR.

SLN001 · May 30, 2015

Normal: Konica Hexanon AR 1.4/57

Short Tele: Konica Hexanon 1.8/85

--
Steve
Just an Armadillo on the shoulder of the information superhighway.

Aasmund G · May 30, 2015

Agree

WarrenPeas · May 30, 2015

Zeiss FE55 1.8 for FF

Sony 50 1.8 OSS for APS-C

Favored focal lengths. Almost always on the cameras. Those two get the most use.

jalywol · May 30, 2015

Here are three shots (I posted them in another thread today said:
Name your favorite fast lens you own and use with your Sony a7 series camera.

Presently, mine is the 35mm f/2.8 FE Sony lens. Hoping that changes soon but want to hear what everyone else says.

I currently only have two relatively fast lenses; a Minolta AF 50mm f1.7, and a Yashica ML 50mm f1.7. Of the two, the Yashica has some magic to it, but the Minolta is acceptable (and certainly easier for fast focus situations since it is AF).

Even though everyone loves the Sony 55 f1.8, I would find it a waste of money, as I rarely, rarely shoot at that focal length except in macro situations. I tend to go either wide (24mm) or long (300mm) for most things, with 70mm being my third most used focal length, and none of the lenses I have that cover those focal length are particularly fast.

Here are three shots (I posted them in another thread today, too, oddly enough), the first two are from the Yashica, and the second from the Minolta.

-J

Yashica ML 50mm f1.7 wide open

Yashica ML 50mm f1.7 wide open

Minolta AF 50mm f1.7

Lightshow · May 31, 2015

FF Pro said:
Name your favorite fast lens you own and use with your Sony a7 series camera.

Rokkor 58/1.2 will always be a favourite.

Topcor RE 58/1.4, & Topcor RE 85/1.8, can you say sharp?

I also have the Canon 55/1.2 & 85/1.2 Aspherical's which are nice, but heavy.

I do like my Canon LTM 50/1.2, it's small, compact, solid, and sharp.

FF Pro said:
Presently, mine is the 35mm f/2.8 FE Sony lens. Hoping that changes soon but want to hear what everyone else says.

LincolnB · May 31, 2015

Rokinon 35mm 1.4

It's the lens that most likely to be on my A7 II.

What is your favorite fastest lens for the Sony a7 series?

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