SafariBob
Veteran Member
The issue, imo, with the a7c, was the evf Magnification. But with .7x I think it’s fine
-
Welcome to the new forums! Please read this first. For known issues we are working to resolve, click here.
A7CR, best lenses?
- Thread starter thunder storm
- Start date
SafariBob
Veteran Member
28-60?
28-200?
14-24 sigma?
200-600?
voigtlander 65 f2
nokton f1?
40 1.2?
the usual suspects?
1. The Sony FE PZ 16-35mm f/4 G Lens would be my first choice. Small, internally zooming, and it can resolve a lot of detail.
2. Second choice would be the 40mm f/2.5 G Lens. IMO it's the best of the trio of G pancake primes. 40mm is great as a walk around focal length and it's very sharp.
3. Third choice would be the standard Sony 85mm f/1.8 Lens or ZEISS Batis 85mm f/1.8.
4. The best telephotos are quite large and/or heavy but I guess the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD would be the best option.
2. Second choice would be the 40mm f/2.5 G Lens. IMO it's the best of the trio of G pancake primes. 40mm is great as a walk around focal length and it's very sharp.
3. Third choice would be the standard Sony 85mm f/1.8 Lens or ZEISS Batis 85mm f/1.8.
4. The best telephotos are quite large and/or heavy but I guess the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VXD would be the best option.
I would seriously consider the Sigma i.Series prime lenses.
In fact, I have been using 4 i.Series primes with my a7C. They, and maybe some additional siblings, would continue to delight me should I decide to get an a7C R.
Impulses
Forum Pro
There's been so many threads like this... Slower G zooms can still be more than sharp enough vs faster GMs, the wide/normal f1.4 GM primes are all the size of some other system's f1.8 primes and they trade nothing in rendering or AF for that sharpness, same for the 20/1.8 G or 14/1.8 GM. The Samyang 135/1.8 is arguably right up there with the GM too. There's so many good prime options on E mount it's almost embarrassing...
I love my 35GM, but my little Samyang 45/1.8's output doesn't make me balk when I wanna downsize the kit with my A7R IV. I pair the SY 75/1.8 with the 20G & 35GM and it's not embarrassed by those. I've been happy with the versatility of my 17-28 + 50-400 when not shooting primes, but if Tamron's upcoming 17-50 is at least as decent throughout it's range I may swap the former for it. I love the cropping leeway on my A7R IV but ultimate sharpness wide open is not the end all be all.
Stopped down with zooms a lot of differences are minimized, but I still like shooting with the primes at times for the speed and compactness, and they happen to squeeze a little more out of the cropping leeway. The CV APO-Lanthars should be at the top of the list if you prefer MF.
I love my 35GM, but my little Samyang 45/1.8's output doesn't make me balk when I wanna downsize the kit with my A7R IV. I pair the SY 75/1.8 with the 20G & 35GM and it's not embarrassed by those. I've been happy with the versatility of my 17-28 + 50-400 when not shooting primes, but if Tamron's upcoming 17-50 is at least as decent throughout it's range I may swap the former for it. I love the cropping leeway on my A7R IV but ultimate sharpness wide open is not the end all be all.
Stopped down with zooms a lot of differences are minimized, but I still like shooting with the primes at times for the speed and compactness, and they happen to squeeze a little more out of the cropping leeway. The CV APO-Lanthars should be at the top of the list if you prefer MF.
Last edited:
Impulses
Forum Pro
SY 75/1.8 & Sigma 90/2.8 are worth a look too, some reviews have them rated sharper than the Sony while still having better rendering, and both are noticeably smaller. I think they make less compromises to get to a small size than the 40/2.5 G even tbh.
Last edited:
Interceptor121
Forum Pro
- Messages
- 11,791
- Solutions
- 8
- Reaction score
- 9,603
The Sony 28-60 is sharp from 35mm
another zoom alternative is the tamron 20-40
1.8 or 2 primes sony 35 55 za 85
ot sigma if you prefer you do get some f2.8
as you include zoom lenses that reach 70mm they get big when extended but you could also try tamron 20-40 and 70-180 with the sony 55 za or the new sigma 50/2 in the middle
another zoom alternative is the tamron 20-40
1.8 or 2 primes sony 35 55 za 85
ot sigma if you prefer you do get some f2.8
as you include zoom lenses that reach 70mm they get big when extended but you could also try tamron 20-40 and 70-180 with the sony 55 za or the new sigma 50/2 in the middle
Lukacs85
Leading Member
I'd go for 24 1.4gm and 50 1.2gm and keep my 35 2.8 zf for walk around lens with 24mp raws.
Last edited:
travelinbri_74
Veteran Member
- Messages
- 5,471
- Solutions
- 1
- Reaction score
- 2,783
FYI: Four page thread on the exact same topic:
www.dpreview.com
Perfect lens set for A7CR (assuming it's real)
So, if rumored A7CR is here with 60MP sensor, what would you consider a best set of small and light lenses (primes? zooms?) for such a camera? Ideas?
thunder storm
Forum Pro
- Messages
- 11,855
- Solutions
- 7
- Reaction score
- 5,959
Now it's real!
Hi,
Lens choice is personal and related to subject(s) and style(s). It just comes down to what you like. I'm certainly interested in the A7CR.
I'm a traveler and hiker and therefore landscape and nature enthusiast. And a dual system user - Fuji and Sony.
My current Sony lenses are :
The advent of more capable and high rez A7C series cameras seems to me to have changed the game a bit. Sony need to support their concept of small FF with more small and excellent lenses. Small and excellent, NOT small and cheap. I know that means slower apertures, but I'm interested in reach from a compact package far more than I'm interested in subject separation - you get enough separation with longer FLs to suit my preferences anyway. Happy to pay well for the right lens.
Cheers, Rod
Lens choice is personal and related to subject(s) and style(s). It just comes down to what you like. I'm certainly interested in the A7CR.
I'm a traveler and hiker and therefore landscape and nature enthusiast. And a dual system user - Fuji and Sony.
My current Sony lenses are :
- Samyang 24/1.8 and Sigma i24/3.5 - I currently have both and keep experimenting with each. I only shoot 24's stopped down, so for me it's all about middle apertures.
- Sigma i35/2 - excellent
- Sony G 50/2.5 - I only use 50mm occasionally so the smallest and lightest option appeals. I mull over whether to switch it for the Sony 50/2.8 Macro or a legacy 50mm on a TS adapter to get some tilt.
- I've just ordered the Sigma i90/2.8 - looks great but I can't speak from experience yet.
The advent of more capable and high rez A7C series cameras seems to me to have changed the game a bit. Sony need to support their concept of small FF with more small and excellent lenses. Small and excellent, NOT small and cheap. I know that means slower apertures, but I'm interested in reach from a compact package far more than I'm interested in subject separation - you get enough separation with longer FLs to suit my preferences anyway. Happy to pay well for the right lens.
Cheers, Rod
Last edited:
The Voigtländer Apo-Lanthar 35mm F2 or 50mm F2 lens, depending on whether you are the 35mm or 50mm type of photographer ;–). Not the smallest lenses, but quite small and with extreme resolution starting right at f/2. Both lenses are manual focus only, of course, but IHMO that’s perfect and fits very well to a rangefinder-like camera body.
Last edited:
Flying Fijian
Senior Member
- Messages
- 1,704
- Solutions
- 1
- Reaction score
- 1,887
I love the Samyang tiny f1.8 lens: 24/35/45/75. These 2 new cameras are tempting but I'll try to resist for now. I'd get the A7Cii if anything.
Matthew39
Forum Enthusiast
Voigtlander 21 f3.5 and Sony 28 f2. Maybe Tamron 28-200, but I haven't tried that one.
Ron Poelman
Veteran Member
A sensor that demands the best glass, in an "amateur" body ?
What's the point ?
There are way better bodies to get the best out of that level of glass.
A7CII = good, A7CR = dumb.
Photo-opinion
Well-known member
I don’t have any specific recommendations, though I have tried a few of Sony’s newest primes and a couple of GM zooms—on an AIV—and been impressed by all of them. But I have a general point:
It’s not the weight (or the size—unless you’re one of those photographers in the US who seems to be afraid that anything bigger than a pancake lens on a small body or a Ricoh GR is an irresistible invitation to a mugging*) of the lens that matters most, although many commenters seem to think so.
It’s how it balances on the camera. I’ve always found that far more important over forty-plus years of a variety of SLRs and their successors. Unfortunately, that’s really a matter of experiencing it for oneself, so I’d suggest either finding a Sony ‘try before you buy’ show, or hiring the most likely candidates for a couple of days: especially if your chosen few comprises the more expensive GM’s!
In my, admittedly limited experience, Sony’s ‘Mkii’ and newer GM lenses generally seem to be both lighter (an advantage for carrying a collection around as much as use on-camera) and balance very well on the smaller and lighter bodies, with good access to the lens controls as well. Also important. But they are rather pricey.
(In choosing, I’d also be cautious about any reviews that suggest older lenses might not resolve well enough for a high-res sensor. Mostly, that seems to be opinion rather than scientifically—or even observationally—proven.)
NB: The only small Sony’s I use are actually an NEX-6 or an A6000, but some FF lenses, and even some A mount teles with an adapter, don’t cause any handling problems with either. A big tele on a tiny body does look a bit odd, but do we really care?
* I doubt if however small a camera plus lens is, once it’s out in the open, if a thief wants to, or can, grab it, they will. Considerations of size (or ‘pocketableness’) never stopped thieves stealing iPhones.
It’s not the weight (or the size—unless you’re one of those photographers in the US who seems to be afraid that anything bigger than a pancake lens on a small body or a Ricoh GR is an irresistible invitation to a mugging*) of the lens that matters most, although many commenters seem to think so.
It’s how it balances on the camera. I’ve always found that far more important over forty-plus years of a variety of SLRs and their successors. Unfortunately, that’s really a matter of experiencing it for oneself, so I’d suggest either finding a Sony ‘try before you buy’ show, or hiring the most likely candidates for a couple of days: especially if your chosen few comprises the more expensive GM’s!
In my, admittedly limited experience, Sony’s ‘Mkii’ and newer GM lenses generally seem to be both lighter (an advantage for carrying a collection around as much as use on-camera) and balance very well on the smaller and lighter bodies, with good access to the lens controls as well. Also important. But they are rather pricey.
(In choosing, I’d also be cautious about any reviews that suggest older lenses might not resolve well enough for a high-res sensor. Mostly, that seems to be opinion rather than scientifically—or even observationally—proven.)
NB: The only small Sony’s I use are actually an NEX-6 or an A6000, but some FF lenses, and even some A mount teles with an adapter, don’t cause any handling problems with either. A big tele on a tiny body does look a bit odd, but do we really care?
* I doubt if however small a camera plus lens is, once it’s out in the open, if a thief wants to, or can, grab it, they will. Considerations of size (or ‘pocketableness’) never stopped thieves stealing iPhones.
Interceptor121
Forum Pro
- Messages
- 11,791
- Solutions
- 8
- Reaction score
- 9,603
Impulses
Forum Pro
Hmm, I'm generally not too worried about balance tbh, I use one hand under the lens, and I'm usually not worried about getting mugged or anything like that. I'm also young enough (41) and relatively fit enough that I can carry whatever... However there's still a bunch of occasions where lens size still matters to me tbh. For social occasions something like my tiny Samyang 45/1.8 or even the 75/1.8 (49-58mm front threads) will elicit a very different reaction from subjects than my 35GM, let alone my 135/1.8.
Sometimes I just want less bulk, period, I don't mind carrying the 20G, 35GM or that 135mm when I want optical excellence but for a night out with no real photographic objective it's a lot nicer to be able to cram my A7R IV into a waist pack with something like the 24/2.8 G and the 45/1.8, if I have the opportunity to shoot something great but if I don't then I didn't drag around a 6L Sling for no reason. There's a bunch of other instances where a more inconspicuous option is handy too.
At concerts for instance I've never been hassled when using 2-3" primes and/or a smaller flat top body (M4/3 in some instances), but at a recent one I took my 135/1.8 because at 5" I thought it was well within their 6" rule (and security at the entrance didn't bat an eye even tho it was visible in a clear bag), yet once I started shooting with it the stadium security was having a fit and they actually took me to one of the tour managers who said they didn't care but the stadium did and I'd have to put it away or be escorted out.
I wasn't about to argue that it was <6" or whatever, they seemed to be falling back on the ambiguous "no professional gear allowed" (first time I've ever seen a Samyang called professional gear, heh). I imagine a similar situation could arise in museums and other places. Point is I wouldn't assume that a preference for smaller gear is born solely out of an irrational fear of being mugged, there's loads of reasons someone may prefer smaller and/or lighter gear tbh. A parent may not wanna lug a lot on addition to a diaper bag, etc.
I'm not even touching the assumption that a fear of crime would be solely an American one... But iPhones are actually a lot harder to flip now than cameras since they're locked and encrypted, you can pawn or resell a camera much much easier FWIW.
P.S. Welcome to DPR's boards! (unless that's a new account for an existing user)
Last edited:
N
No account anymore
Guest
How excactly would using the A7cR reduce sharpness and other lens qualities?
Similar threads
Keyboard shortcuts
- f
- Forum