Loxia's MF with focus peaking on A7ii for street photography?

I finally decided to go with an A7ii after also considering the new A6500. I should receive the camera this coming Tuesday. I am now trying to build my native FE lens line up. I am currently debating on stating off with the Batis 25mm vs the Loxia 35mm.

Most of my photography involves shooting both people and scenes while traveling. I prefer the FL the 35mm Loxia offers as I shot mostly at 20-25mm with my APS-C A6000 according to LR. The only concern I have is the Loxia only offers MF.

Is there anyone who uses a MF lens while traveling as a walk around lens,? Have you seen any limitations vs an AF lens? How easy is it to use with the A7ii's focus peaking assist?

Many thanks!

caturcios said:

I finally decided to go with an A7ii after also considering the new A6500. I should receive the camera this coming Tuesday. I am now trying to build my native FE lens line up. I am currently debating on stating off with the Batis 25mm vs the Loxia 35mm.

Most of my photography involves shooting both people and scenes while traveling. I prefer the FL the 35mm Loxia offers as I shot mostly at 20-25mm with my APS-C A6000 according to LR. The only concern I have is the Loxia only offers MF.

Is there anyone who uses a MF lens while traveling as a walk around lens,? Have you seen any limitations vs an AF lens? How easy is it to use with the A7ii's focus peaking assist?

Many thanks!

Click to expand...

For MF street photography, I usually zone focus and derate the DOF markings by two or more stops. When I do use finder focusing, I focus on an object at a similar distance to my subject.




Zone focusing; too muchdepth for picking one thing




Zone pre-focused, no time to focus. Girls started clowning for me the minute they noticed me.

Jim

--

JimKasson said:

caturcios said:

I finally decided to go with an A7ii after also considering the new A6500. I should receive the camera this coming Tuesday. I am now trying to build my native FE lens line up. I am currently debating on stating off with the Batis 25mm vs the Loxia 35mm.

Most of my photography involves shooting both people and scenes while traveling. I prefer the FL the 35mm Loxia offers as I shot mostly at 20-25mm with my APS-C A6000 according to LR. The only concern I have is the Loxia only offers MF.

Is there anyone who uses a MF lens while traveling as a walk around lens,? Have you seen any limitations vs an AF lens? How easy is it to use with the A7ii's focus peaking assist?

Many thanks!

Click to expand...

For MF street photography, I usually zone focus and derate the DOF markings by two or more stops. When I do use finder focusing, I focus on an object at a similar distance to my subject.


Zone focusing; too muchdepth for picking one thing


Zone pre-focused, no time to focus. Girls started clowning for me the minute they noticed me.

Jim

--
http://blog.kasson.com

Click to expand...

Awesome shots....thanks for the tips regarding the focusing modes!

I have both and have effectively used both for travel/street.

Obviously there are times when AF is very helpful.....

My favorite focal length is 28mm for such scenerios but the 25 is so good that it has become my go-to walk around lens.

Personally I would go with the 25 first.

The 25 also doubles as a fantastic landscape lens.

I have the Batis 25 (as well as the 18 and 85) and (had) the Loxia 50. While I love the look of the 25, I found it just a tad too wide for people/street photography, a little too much barrel distortion for me. I was never quite happy with manual focusing the Loxia so I traded it in for Sony-Zeiss 55/1.8 and added the Sony-Zeiss 35/2.8. Having autofocus helped improve my "keep rate" as I can be more spontaneous as opportunities present themselves, plus the A7R2 has so much to offer in camera it seems like a waste to just not have it available. I find now about 80% of my images are with the 35/2.8, I almost never pull the 25 out of my bag anymore. If I had to pick one lens to go walking around with it would be the 35/2.8. If I could take two it would be the 35 and 85.

Good luck and enjoy your new kit.

It's not hard.......at small aperture.

If you are going to shoot at f8 and zone focus sure it's not hard.

In fact you probably don't even need to zoom in.

At large aperture? Prepare for frustration.

How do you find the IQ of the 35 2.8? How's the legendary zeiss micro contrast on it? From what I've read it's not quite as good as the 55 1.8 which is holding me back from that option. If I had the option of a 35 1.8 with an IQ comparable to the 55 1.8 I would be all over it...loxia 35 w/autofocus would be perfect as well.

The 35 1.4 would be an option if not for the size / weight...

caturcios said:

How do you find the IQ of the 35 2.8? How's the legendary zeiss micro contrast on it? From what I've read it's not quite as good as the 55 1.8 which is holding me back from that option. If I had the option of a 35 1.8 with an IQ comparable to the 55 1.8 I would be all over it...loxia 35 w/autofocus would be perfect as well.

The 35 1.4 would be an option if not for the size / weight...

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I haven't had the 35 f2.8 for long but it appears to be pretty darn sharp across all apertures. I can't conclusively say how good it is without further shooting but I like it.

My 35 f1.4 though......that's a true beauty. Yes it's big and heavy but with a good strap such as the peak design slide lite it's not too bad. Try it out. Maybe you'll get used to it. I certainly don't regret mine.

caturcios said:

I finally decided to go with an A7ii after also considering the new A6500. I should receive the camera this coming Tuesday. I am now trying to build my native FE lens line up. I am currently debating on stating off with the Batis 25mm vs the Loxia 35mm.

Most of my photography involves shooting both people and scenes while traveling. I prefer the FL the 35mm Loxia offers as I shot mostly at 20-25mm with my APS-C A6000 according to LR. The only concern I have is the Loxia only offers MF.

Is there anyone who uses a MF lens while traveling as a walk around lens,? Have you seen any limitations vs an AF lens? How easy is it to use with the A7ii's focus peaking assist?

Many thanks!

Click to expand...

I don't have a A7 II but a A7R II, manual focus is so easy, in fact I only have two auto focus lens on my Sony system and most of time I use all my manual lenses or DSLR lens with adapter, also a huge fan of 35mm, but I use the Sigma 35 and Zeiss 35 1.4 Distagon from my Canon system, between the Batis 25 and Loxia 35, if I have to pick one it would be the 35mm.

I don't see any "limitation" shooting MF for travel or street, you just need to practice a little bit and get used to it, I have been shooting manual focus Zeiss and Samyang, Nikon AIS lens all these years with my DSLR, and with the focus peaking on the Sony, it's even easier.

caturcios said:

How do you find the IQ of the 35 2.8?

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It's excellent.

caturcios said:

How's the legendary zeiss micro contrast on it? From what I've read it's not quite as good as the 55 1.8 which is holding me back from that option.

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Don't be. I own both and find the 35 every bit as good as the 55.

caturcios said:

If I had the option of a 35 1.8 with an IQ comparable to the 55 1.8 I would be all over it...loxia 35 w/autofocus would be perfect as well.

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I use the Voigtlander 35 1.4 with techart pro.

It's really ironic that I can AF a MF lens in M mount, yet a native lens can't....

caturcios said:

The 35 1.4 would be an option if not for the size / weight...

Click to expand...

no thanks for me too.

ISO 1 Million said:

caturcios said:

How do you find the IQ of the 35 2.8? How's the legendary zeiss micro contrast on it? From what I've read it's not quite as good as the 55 1.8 which is holding me back from that option. If I had the option of a 35 1.8 with an IQ comparable to the 55 1.8 I would be all over it...loxia 35 w/autofocus would be perfect as well.

The 35 1.4 would be an option if not for the size / weight...

Click to expand...

I haven't had the 35 f2.8 for long but it appears to be pretty darn sharp across all apertures. I can't conclusively say how good it is without further shooting but I like it.

My 35 f1.4 though......that's a true beauty. Yes it's big and heavy but with a good strap such as the peak design slide lite it's not too bad. Try it out. Maybe you'll get used to it. I certainly don't regret mine.

Click to expand...

I recently got a FE 35 2.8 for my girl friend's family vacation trip, she likes 35mm but she doesn't want to bring my Sigma or Zeiss 35 1,4 ZE with adapter, so the 35 2.8 is perfect for her, it's a decent lens, pretty good for landscape, pretty sharp, but I don't like it that much, don't really like its bokeh and don't care much for its max F2.8 aperture, but it's so tiny, just perfect for her travel set up so I will most likely just keep it. to me it's crazy expensive lens for what I am getting.

here is few shot we got last week with this 35 2.8 lens, as I said for landscaspe, it's pretty decent lens, but I still much prefer other 35mm like the Sigma and 35L II and Zeiss 35 1.4 ZM.





Yeah the FE 35 1.4 would be a great option, if I didn't go thru two of them and both have de-center issue and went back to the store. I may give a third try though as I have used a "good copy" so I know how good that lens can be. in my case size and weight is never an issue. I am used to 85GM and Zeiss 135 APO type of lens with the A7R II, those are the 'regular lenses" I use with this camera, I am currently using Sigma 35 Art and Zeiss 35 Distagon ZE with MC 11 and Metabones for the 35mm, most likely I will go with the new version II Canon 35 1.4L II though, i realy like it's over sharpness and Bokeh quality, day and night better than their MK I version which I also had before. and since I am not using the Sony as my main system so it makes more sense for me to get the Canon and just use it on Sony occasionally when I want to.

Dan_168 said:

. . . between the Batis 25 and Loxia 35, if I have to pick one it would be the 35mm.

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For me as well - the Loxia 35 is small, light and the perfect street and near portrait lens - the bokeh can be tricky sometimes but it's nonetheless a very capable lens and MFing is in many situations very accurate - just pre focus and select the right aperture - a manual aperture ring is for me a must have on such a lens!

It makes life so much easier not to have to look through the view finder or on the LCD screen - sometimes a MF lens can be faster than any AF lens could ever be.

Here are some samples taken with the Loxia 35























--
__________________________________
A7R II - one camera to rule them all
ISO 9000 definition of quality: 'Degree to which a set of inherent characteristic fulfills requirements'
I am the classic “Windows by Day, Mac by Night user'
“The horizon of many people is a circle with zero radius which they call their point of view.” Albert Einstein
"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." Douglas Adams

caturcios said:

I finally decided to go with an A7ii after also considering the new A6500. I should receive the camera this coming Tuesday. I am now trying to build my native FE lens line up. I am currently debating on stating off with the Batis 25mm vs the Loxia 35mm.

Most of my photography involves shooting both people and scenes while traveling. I prefer the FL the 35mm Loxia offers as I shot mostly at 20-25mm with my APS-C A6000 according to LR. The only concern I have is the Loxia only offers MF.

Is there anyone who uses a MF lens while traveling as a walk around lens,? Have you seen any limitations vs an AF lens? How easy is it to use with the A7ii's focus peaking assist?

Many thanks!

Click to expand...

The Loxia is a great but also a quite expensive lens.
If you have never before photographed using manual focusing lenses, I would strongly recommend to try out a cheap mf legacy lens first and get an impression on how much ypu really like to use manual focus for street photography. Depending on your talent and your willingness to practice, manual focusing might be more or less hard to master and it would be a pity to learn that only after spending lots of money on a high end lens such as the Loxia.

Best

David

MF on the A7II works very well. If you are not used to it, you just need to practice.

















--
www.paulobizarro.com

I use MF exclusively - not with Loxias but with old Leica M and Nikon AI-S lenses left over from my film days. I don't find it hard, but then I had 30 years to practice before AF became available.

One method, as has been mentioned, is zone focusing. Another is to focus in advance on the spot where the subject is supposed to be. I have used the latter method a lot even for shooting road bike riding with its fast moving subjects with tele lenses.

--
"Sharpness is a bourgois concept." (Henri Cartier-Bresson)

caturcios said:

How do you find the IQ of the 35 2.8? How's the legendary zeiss micro contrast on it? From what I've read it's not quite as good as the 55 1.8 which is holding me back from that option. If I had the option of a 35 1.8 with an IQ comparable to the 55 1.8 I would be all over it...loxia 35 w/autofocus would be perfect as well.

The 35 1.4 would be an option if not for the size / weight...

Click to expand...

I'm very happy with the performance of the Sony-Zeiss 35/2.8. If you set your expectations that a 2.8 will not give you the bokah of a 1.8 or 1.4, you will be happy as well. It's sharp, the color is quite good and you can't beat the economy of size if you'll be carrying it around all day or night. The low light performance isn't bad, but it depends which body you're shooting with and how high an ISO you will tolerate.

Here's a sample of images I've shot in day, night and indoor conditions, without flash. You can be the judge.

https://martys.smugmug.com/Photography/Lens-Test/

marty_ said:

caturcios said:

How do you find the IQ of the 35 2.8? How's the legendary zeiss micro contrast on it? From what I've read it's not quite as good as the 55 1.8 which is holding me back from that option. If I had the option of a 35 1.8 with an IQ comparable to the 55 1.8 I would be all over it...loxia 35 w/autofocus would be perfect as well.

The 35 1.4 would be an option if not for the size / weight...

Click to expand...

I'm very happy with the performance of the Sony-Zeiss 35/2.8. If you set your expectations that a 2.8 will not give you the bokah of a 1.8 or 1.4, you will be happy as well. It's sharp, the color is quite good and you can't beat the economy of size if you'll be carrying it around all day or night. The low light performance isn't bad, but it depends which body you're shooting with and how high an ISO you will tolerate.

Here's a sample of images I've shot in day, night and indoor conditions, without flash. You can be the judge.

https://martys.smugmug.com/Photography/Lens-Test/

Click to expand...

Agree with marty, don't just dismiss this little gem just because it's *slow* or *Loxia has better rendering BS* that other claims.

It's a great lens, it's hard to beat its optics, size and weight.

marty_ said:

caturcios said:

How do you find the IQ of the 35 2.8? How's the legendary zeiss micro contrast on it? From what I've read it's not quite as good as the 55 1.8 which is holding me back from that option. If I had the option of a 35 1.8 with an IQ comparable to the 55 1.8 I would be all over it...loxia 35 w/autofocus would be perfect as well.

The 35 1.4 would be an option if not for the size / weight...

Click to expand...

I'm very happy with the performance of the Sony-Zeiss 35/2.8. If you set your expectations that a 2.8 will not give you the bokah of a 1.8 or 1.4, you will be happy as well. It's sharp, the color is quite good and you can't beat the economy of size if you'll be carrying it around all day or night. The low light performance isn't bad, but it depends which body you're shooting with and how high an ISO you will tolerate.

Here's a sample of images I've shot in day, night and indoor conditions, without flash. You can be the judge.

https://martys.smugmug.com/Photography/Lens-Test/

Click to expand...

Thanks for the samples Marty. The 35 looks great! I've added the 35 F/2.8 to my short list. I will be using the lens at night while traveling, both for landscapes and general street photography.

I am basically debating between these three combinations and hope to purchase my first lens tonight or tomorrow at the latest:

Option 1: FE 16-35mm F/4 and Loxia 50mm

Option 2: FE 35 2.8 and FE 55 1.8

Option 3: Batis 25mm and Loxia 50mm

I added the Loxia 50 in order to have one AF and one MF, in this case the Loxia 50 which I wouldn't use as much as the wider focal length and can more patiently use the MF.

All these combinations would turn out to be less than $2,000 which is the most I'd like to spend at this time.

I have been using MF lenses exclusively for nearly two years on an A7ii. This includes lots of street work and chasing my young grandchildren around the house. There is no denying that for fast action shooting, AF is better. You will get more hits. With MF lenses, you must learn to plan ahead, to see images before they happen and to be ready when they do. You might be surprised by how successful--and fun--MF street shooting can be once you have acquired these skills.

Rob

21MM focal length can be great for street photography. In fact, my own favorite FL from film days for street work. My view on street photography is that it should be quick and capture the moment, and that those things matter more than precise focusing.

Jim Kasson's zone focusing method works. The longer the focal length, the trickier manual focus is for street work.

Another even easier method, suitable on a sidewalk: set iso to auto 100-6400, aperture to f11, pre-focus to within a few feet where you think your primary subject might land, point and shoot. With the Loxia 21, I've found that I have to check the focus to make sure I haven't bumped it off my desired focal point.

On film, I used to use the brilliant Mamiya 7 and 43MM lens (about 22MM FL equivalent). This lens requires an external viewfinder for framing, so one had to look at the in-camera viewfinder to set exposure and focus, and then switch to the external viewfinder to frame. I often used the f11-f16 "point and shoot" method I've described above. It works fine, and so much easier with auto-iso!