SparkleHedgehog
Senior Member
What is the best FE prime in your opinion?
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Best all-round FE mount prime
- Thread starter SparkleHedgehog
- Start date
The FE 55mm F/1.8.
Just look at the clarity of this Ostrich portrait captured recently with the A7RII:
http://www.robsphotography.co.nz/A7R2-Ostrich.html
And see this full-sized image of a view of Wellington City New Zealand:
http://www.robsphotography.co.nz/A7R2Wellington-1-full.html
I really like the size and light weight of the 35mm F/2.8 lens but mine is "decentering" and the left side of images are noticeably out of focus. This may be a camera fault perhaps but it doesn't happen with the 55mm F/1.8 lens.
Cheers
Rob
Last edited:
garethwebber
Well-known member
The 55 I think is the one I would tell most people to get. Fast. Sharp. Can walk around with it and shoot (at a stretch) portraits.
My favourite is my Batis 25 but I like to take photos out walking (landscape/architecture) and it stretches to family shots (fast aperture) when out.
I upgraded from APS-C where I loved 28mm so would like a fast (f2) 40/43. The 35/2.8 I find too slow. The 1.4 too heavy/expensive.
Gareth
My favourite is my Batis 25 but I like to take photos out walking (landscape/architecture) and it stretches to family shots (fast aperture) when out.
I upgraded from APS-C where I loved 28mm so would like a fast (f2) 40/43. The 35/2.8 I find too slow. The 1.4 too heavy/expensive.
Gareth
Dave Sanders
Senior Member
Hi Rob...
I've had two decentered 55's and one decentered 35, so it's not your imagination. My second 55 was an absolute disaster so I went back to my original 55. It's razor sharp in the centre but has an obviously tilted focal plane or skew and is soft on the left until about f/8. From 1.8-5.6, objects on the front left are sharp and in focus, at infinity, it runs out of DOF and objects on the left are blurry in the background. This type of tilted focal plane/skew has been quite well documented on a number of sites by multiple reviewers and users. My 35 was also soft on the left, though less so than either 55. Very frustrating.
Thanks Dave, I appreciate this information, a service agent over the phone suggested it's more likely to be a camera fault than a lens fault, but I'm not sure why the camera would be at fault if my 55mm lens shows sharp results across the whole picture. But I will probably get the camera and my lenses checked by a Sony service agent.
I also tried out the Sony 16mm - 35mm lens, but this decentered also, particularly at 35mm and this time to the right of the image.
Cheers
Rob
Limburger
Veteran Member
FL wise I'd go for the 35.
SparkleHedgehog
Senior Member
Jose Viegas
Senior Member
blue_skies
Forum Pro
Well, you are asking two questions :
The best all-round FE prime is the FE28 lens, because of its FL and aperture.
The best FE prime is the FE55Z lens, because of its FL, and rendering.
Off course, imho.
Fwiw, the Batis 85 'beats' the FE55Z in some areas, and the tiny FE35Z is a more natural 'do everything' FL to some.
As must-get lenses, I would name both the FE28 and FE55Z.
Size wise, speed wise, rendering wise, cost wise, AF wise, and so forth, they represent a preferred trade-off, imho.
biza43
Forum Pro
Other.
What do you mean by "best all rounder"? If you mean flexibility in focal length, then it has to be a zoom lens.
In the end, there is no best all -round FE prime, since it depends on personal preference, subject, and light.
What do you mean by "best all rounder"? If you mean flexibility in focal length, then it has to be a zoom lens.
In the end, there is no best all -round FE prime, since it depends on personal preference, subject, and light.
SparkleHedgehog
Senior Member
SparkleHedgehog
Senior Member
Jose Viegas
Senior Member
Undoubtedly, having the 85mm, I see the 55mm as the one I use less and less. My favorite small kit right now are the 24/25, 35 and 85mm.
A
Alpha Photo
Guest
Only people who actually OWN AND USE all of the lenses should vote. As is, lenses that are owned by many (28/2) will easily beat lenses owned by only a few (Batis 25).
SparkleHedgehog
Senior Member
That's a fair point. Just for info, I've personally owned the 28f2, the 35f28, sel70200g plus below
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Sony A7ii
SEL55F18Z
SEL24240
Jose Viegas
Senior Member
I own the Batis and have owned the 28 and I voted for the 35mm 2.8.
sgoldswo
Veteran Member
Actually, this is harder than it looks because it depends how you measure it. Optically, all of the 35Z F1.4, 55 F1.8, Batis 25mm, Loxia 21 and FE 90 macro would have claims, but none of them are a free lunch, they all have some issues. I ended up voting for the 35z 2.8 because the handling is fantastic, its performance is very decent and it's my most used lens for the system. My second choice would be the 55, but I've never liked the handling, particularly the hood.
Ondrej Noak
Active member
FL-wise it would be 35. If money are not a concern in the all-around-ness, then 35/1.4 as it can make "beautiful" portraits while 35/2.8 can not (bokeh & DOF).
55/1.8 might be a second option in this category; it is naturally lacking in wide area in order to be too all-around and I'm not terribly convinced about its bokeh quality for the portraits area.
Batis 25, while a very good lens indeed, is too wide for many usage. And 28/2 - seriously I don't know. Seems like too many compromises and master of no aspects (while surely decent mid-class lens in general). But I never even tried this lens.
55/1.8 might be a second option in this category; it is naturally lacking in wide area in order to be too all-around and I'm not terribly convinced about its bokeh quality for the portraits area.
Batis 25, while a very good lens indeed, is too wide for many usage. And 28/2 - seriously I don't know. Seems like too many compromises and master of no aspects (while surely decent mid-class lens in general). But I never even tried this lens.
Your thread title and the question are different:
The best FE mount prime" is probably the 55/f1.8. I would not personally know, because it's not a focal length I find all that useful.
The best ALL-ROUND prime is the FE 35/f2.8.
I think the abundance of used 55mm lenses shows that people buy it for its excellence, and sell it because the focal length is "neither fish nor fowl"
The best FE mount prime" is probably the 55/f1.8. I would not personally know, because it's not a focal length I find all that useful.
The best ALL-ROUND prime is the FE 35/f2.8.
I think the abundance of used 55mm lenses shows that people buy it for its excellence, and sell it because the focal length is "neither fish nor fowl"
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