I am delighted with my new set up and to be able to use these lovely old lenses again. Can we expect a review of that lens? Zoom as well. I bought a a7ii back in March and I am stuck with the kit lens. One of them is a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-6.5 and I would like to know your advice about which lens to go, knowing that I travel a lot (Voigtlander primes are quite light), I like landscapes very much, and sometimes a 70 to 300mm range can be very useful (I remember nice close-ups of puffins in Iceland). I appreciate your help and look forward to more of your work. 3. As far as I know majority of adapters are quite large due to a short flange distance on Sony bodies. With the A6000 just trying to keep subject in frame was difficult My photos at : Voigtlander M mount 15 mk2 Go to Camera Settings 1 / AF2 (page 6/14) Select Center Lock-on AF and choose On: a square will appear in the middle of the screen. A lot of people think Canon and nikon make more sense for that specific use. Id like to know if in the pictures you show in your articles you use an APSC sensor, because a 50mm lens will become a 75mm , for instance, or in the other hand, a 50 mm is a real 50 mm. Face palm moment but i need your help with lenses. How hard is it to adjust correctly and manually the speed of the shot? This trick only works if you shoot raw. Is there an elegant way to manage this? Hi Phillip, No, but usually cheaper Cheers. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Its an involving process and it really slows the camera down. You coul think about a used Zeiss 2/35 ZE. Cheers, Andy. The only problem is that the light color comes out very yellow with my point-and-shoot little Fuji camera that I have been using for years now.. manual legacy (suggestions??) Another adaptall stand out is the 151B, which is a tiny 17mm. I would like a walk around / landscape lens, with a very special rendering (colour, contrast, 3d pop) not flat, quite sharp (across the frame at f5.6-f8) and, the more important, easy to use / focus (to take pleasure using it and improving my manual focus ability because i am a rookie). If you intend to adapt rangefinder lenses (like Leica-M or Contax-G) this camera alongside the A7s(II) is your best bet, take a look at this article for further information.. You really nailed home the points on mirrorless + manual lenses. Given your article on A7riii, it seems the best option may be to wait for A7iii hoping it will get the same improvement in manual focusing (EVF. Thanks for the review and the many good comments! A few observations: Due to its long flange distance, the Nikon will only accept Nikon F-Mount lenses. And could you also tell me what adapters i would need for the the two lenses you suggest? I actually shoot predominantly on a Leica M with 35mm 1.4 why would I want anything else I hear you wonder. brings the price down a bit further. Olympus 50mm 1.4 lens and 28-70 lens kit sony. [your meant to arent you with man lenses?] I have shot a wedding with manual lenses and my friends were very happy with the results as well as kids. I am awaiting delivery of A7 shortly so I am going to recalibrate them again for A7 + relevant adapters. a7 I I for 1689 euros.. I am goingbwith the A7ll because of the reported lens mount issue with the A7, again I am looking for my last camera. 3. That Biogon wont work well at all, I dont know about the others. 6. super! Manual flash is a night mare. $60 Pentax that's actually a $800 Zeiss by designer of Stanley Kubrick's NASA glass. Hello Ken , is it possible to use Minolta 70-210 without LA-EA4? EVF is a great idea, but I still feel like Im looking at a video game. Thanks for a great write up! Can anyone help me with that question? I have a litte addition to that in case of using A7RII (dont know if other cams have this option). It is absolutely reliable, but it is alsoa bit slower that other techniques. How does manual focusing work and is it hard to learn? The Phottix flash is set to TTL, and I get great results. There are several methods for focusing and each could be the best, depending on what you are shooting. Many thanks, Phillip, for your speedy and helpfull response. You can see a slight bit of longitudinal CA in the transition from shadow to sunlight on white flower petal and a bit on the edge of a petal transitioning into the green background. Here is my selection of a three very different normal lenses you should consider to get started with manual lenses. Of course, this works best with the old fashioned preset aperture lenses, but I can follow the same procedure with my FD and Minolta glass. To get started the cheaper K&F adapters*for $20 are perfectly fine. MF Assist zooms in when you adjust the focusing ring of your lens so you . It took me a while to learn to focus. Hi, I did not go through all the comments so I dont know if somebody has pointed this out already, but one thing you dont mention is that these old manual lenses can be easily calibrated to focus to infinity at their infinity hard stops. Can you please recommend a cheap macro lens, for my a6000? (Which also really helped me during a concert shoot with a manual lens the other day I used focus assist though. I dont really know why, but apparently it is a very hard/expensive thing to do right. If small size is an aspect you are interested in and you are willing to compromise a little the 7artisans 28mm 1.4 is a comparably cheap lens that may fit the bill. So if a test scene contains only feature in one orientation, it will unfairly favor one of the cameras (vertical patterns are sharper on the Nikon, and horizontal ones are sharper on the Sony). The second is that the Voigtlander 2/65 APOis a phenomenal lens, sharper and significantly better corrected for CA than the famous Sony FE 1.8/55. But you will miss some pictures you could have captured with the . The sellers dont seem to be honest. What mode would you suggest? . 2. {Dont use tele that much. Okay, everybody is talking about how manual lenses work so well on the Sony a7 series but how does it actually work? You just need to add the new 16-35mm or a Loxia 21mm . I've assigned the AF/MF button to toggle between those modes, so I've assigned Autofocus to the AEL Button. So basically I pay a lot less for similar results as I would get with modern lenses and I have more fun taking them. They seem very well made and a very good fit. If they work well you have saved a lot of money and if they dont you just sell them with minimal loss. I have just happened across your website after searching for manual focusing with Sony A7. Which is your favorite the manual focus lens for rendering aspect (3d pop / colour / contrast)? I understand that these are a lot of questions and I value your time, so it is okay even you cant answer these questions. Inline to be able to print big, but thats not the main aspect in case of noticeable disadvantages of the big sensor. Answers to these questions would be very much appreciated, as Im just thinking of buying the A7RIII or waiting for the A7III. Although the Sony a7II does not have the fastest autofocus, if you shoot more often with manual focus then the a7II is still a good buy. Product Key Features. Tip 1:I can only recommend to assign the focus magnifier function to an easily accessible button. His method was to use a Leica M6 in his right hand, and in his left hand a Vivitar 283 flash with a wide angle diffuser connected to the camera via long cable. because of the lower resolution of the screen it doesnt really work with it. Posting out of sequence here since the reply button was not available on your last response. It really depends on what you shoot: sur you can boost the speed to avoid blur but if your camera is not a god of high iso you will run out of margin fast especially for: a) long lens b) low light shooting. But if you do everything like meAF and stabilization is a saver sometimes. I bought it, and an adapter, and took it to work yesterday. Ive actually ended up selling the lens. 1. Read your review about manual lenses was a really pleasant experience. The 100-300 is big, heavy, it can be difficult to stabilize it from 200 to 300mm, but it gives really really impressive photos. I do have an a7 and 70-200 fe f4 if i want super sharp and detailed. Funfact: In that time my peers have probably spent the same amount of money on smartphones (with oh so good cameras) that i was able ot spend on serious photogear, so i'm pretty confident to say that i outsmarted them in a big way. I tried to understand your third method to shoot manually with sharp image. Leica M Tele Elmarit 90/28 It will highlight areas of the image which have a high microcontrast in red, white or yellow. I have since ordered an adaptor (K&F Concept Lens Mount Adapter for Minolta MD)and a Minolta 135mm F3.5 Lens (arrived today) I have been out over lunch for a quick play with it and I love it. Thanks again! The 50 and 105 had to be adapted for AI so they go back to the 60s. Does somebody have an Idea to increase the Moir-Effect? At faster apertures most of my older lenses have softer corners than modern ones but because I very rarely have important details in the corners that doesnt matter to me. (have not found the menu with focal length you mention for A7 in A 6000), I use S-mode with auto-ISO and set whatever shutter shutter speed I need. Best regards, Andy, Hi Philip, one further thing. Thanks a lot! You have to think about the aperture and set it manually. These cookies do not store any personal information. I think this article has become and is becoming even more relevant over time as the FF mirrorless bodies are becoming cheaper. Now, the focus magnifier is all I use. Usually the first thing I want to do when I have the orange rectangle on screen is to move it using the Control Wheel. I guess Ill have to experiment which feels and works best. Also, the 19AH which is not small at all, but an outstanding performing 70-210 zoom, and I end up lugging it around more often than not. I guess in 5-10 years this problem will be solved . Thank you very much for your reviews and guides. Thank you for this great write up and the excellent review of the FD 50mm 1.4 lens with A7. I also found the assignment of Focus Settings (which includes Focus Magnification) to the C1 button awkward to use. As ive stated above, i think its probably the most relevant piece of information for anyone trying to get serious with photography but is limited by a tight budget. If money is only a secondary concern to you and you simply want the best manual focus experience you can get dont hesitate to get the Voigtlander. Thank you very much. Provided that, no internal stabilization is an advantage rather than hindrance, and the outline feature in the viewfinder and on screen does the job of capturing focus . This will give you a better feel for the optimal focus position but it also slows operation down so you could use focus magnification right away. You should get the Sony LA-EA3 adapter which controls the aperture for you so you or the camera can select the aperture. that lens came in many different mounts so I cant answer your question, sorry. I have a Sony 70-200 f4, but I dropped it and its no longer sharp (a day may come when I can think about this without swearing a lot, but dont hold your breath). At least not that I saw anyway. My Metz flash works ok. Hi Phillip (and sorry for my bad english), In addition, I have two more lenses coming, one from another eBay seller and one from B&H. I use the Sony A7 R 2 with my Leica M3 black and my Nikon FA. Alpha 7 II full-frame ILC body only (no lens included), End of support for Windows 8.1 and earlier operating systems, Downloads ending for the Sony Raw Driver and some versions of PlayMemories Home, Action Cam Movie Creator, and MVR Studio. And sorry if I sounded blunt and critical I just reread my question and it didnt come across the way I intended. Thanks for the very helpful guide! at what aperture? They are real, but small. I m a Chilean photographer and Im interested in child and family photography with a documentary style. Decide on an affordable lens and buy it with the right adapter. Since I posted that a couple days ago, I now have some experience with this and yes, aperture priority the way to go. Works great. I just bought an 80mm, set to arrive late next week. Beautiful pics. Built-In Flash: No: topic for ages and yours is the greatest Ive discovered till now. The 44-2 version is liked by many for its what some would call optical shortcomings and others character. The specific moment and type of photography in question is close range, social/cocktail party style photography in dimly lit spaces. From some quick web searching, it seems like the Distagon may not be so easy to find here so It might take me a few months to track one down. Can you help? User Manual. I had before I sold Sony A7rii a very expensive camera system with some Loxia,Batis,Voigtlander and Sony FE lenses,but I sold the camera when I tried the fujifilm x-t2 because I could retain more highlight and shadows when shooting landscape in jpg. I got the topic with the curved filter stack before, but I didnt find the mention of the less vignetting and color shift of the 42MP sensor, so thanks. Viltrox EF to E speedbooster comes at 129g. For starters there werent any professional digital cameras anywhere near the size and weight of a Leica M6, so holding the camera in one hand for an extended party became difficult. Your email address will not be published. Use DRO to see into the shadows. Hold your camera steady and slowly focus. I would like to have some advise. Slightly better lowlight focus too. Once focus is established, i switch off the focus aid and dial in the final aperture and exposure, using the histogram in my viewfinder. 1. Linse erworben und mir dazu einen entsprechenden FD NEX Adapater (NIPON) besorgt. Then I briefly ran across one of your comments about legacy Minolta glass and ended up buying an old copy of the AF 135 f/2.8. the Minolta MC 1.7/55 is a fine choice. Good luck with your new a7! Its hard sometimes to focus with manual lens (I use a few); I know. I found the Canon 50mm is sharper and more contrasty then the Minolta. Hmm, I would call none of the options you mentioned light apart from the Minolta MD 2.5/100 and personally I usually get along just fine with just the MD as my travel tele. The difference between the cropped a7rii and a6500 will be pretty small and I have no idea which would come out first. 1. I own a series of Nikkor non Ai , Ais and D lenses. As Leicas are out of my price range, Ive been looking for Voigtlanders. I am someone who wants to take nature pictures of forests and just all things nature. Your cameras EVF is better than my screen, indeed. Of course , if set to ASA auto this problem will go away. Canon EF lenses will do me no good there. Hi Phillip Thanks. And that is the major beauty of these lenses which very much simplifies shooting street, landscapes, nighscapes, starscapes etc. 1. a. They play in the same league I think it is a great camera for manual lenses so if money isnt a major concern to you dont hesitate. From what I have seen I dont think the Leica M lenses work extremely well on the SL, so I doubt the Panasonic is any better. Most Leica M lenses 35mm and shorter are bad performers for instance. Thanks a lot! It has two design issues you should be aware of: The sensor is unusually reflective which can be a real issue for some applications and the mount can become loose which can be fixed by a replacement. At f/22 it will be very dark for artificially lit scenes but brigth on a sunny day outside. I was expecting 35mm manual lens to perform better on APS-c since you crop the centre of the image where the lens has better performance but, I suppose there are other parameters (DOF,). IBIS gets the focal length reported right away, EXIF editing goes way faster as well. Thank you very much for a great post. 50 is 62.5% of 80. The image stabilization is another game changer. The EVF is not as sharp an optical viewfinder so focusing is much slower. It depends of my mood. The problem is the autofocus. So I know Ill be able to focus the lens manually, but can I set the aperture manually as well? Thanks for all this info! I have been disappointed by the clutter and distraction of the A7. A flexible system is very valuable in these moments! I bought a sony A6000. Now if you clicked on the link above you will see that the is a vast supply of adapters in a very wide price range. Links marked with * are affiliate links on which I earn a small commission on your purchase without any additional cost to you. If you dont want the better resolution and other features of the rII Im not sure I would pay that difference just for these differences. kannst Du (ggf. Thank you so much for such a practical, helpful, informative, and inspirational website and set of blogs and images. Not a huge problem, except, I cant figure out that if I buy a standard non electric adapter, whether or not Ill be able to control the aperture setting? But that combo is about 3800 with adapter. I am missing something about the Shimmering pixels. Hot Network Questions In your post, you give a few hints about focusing manually. Give me a break. Thats good news. If it is Nikon G lenses, check out this guide: Thanks for writing the great article. But with those lenses, everything is manual. Ill probably buy also a Techartpro adapter. Now I also start to understand why this old lense fetches today being a used lense almost the same as when I bought it as a new lense. As Phillip says, who knows if they will keep the fancy EVF on an A7III I usually set to ASA auto and shoot wide open, and the pictures are simply awesome (compared with film or Nikon earlier DSLR). Hi Phillip, The Sony a7iii is an autofocus beast, offering 425 contrast-based AF points along with 693 phase-detection AF points. If you shoot a lot of fast action and rely more on autofocus then the Sony a7III will be the more suitable camera. Thanks a lot. Yes Again, thanks so much for sharing what you love and know. I found that there are lots of quality contents on your website. also this is the lens i bought that you recommended. 5. 2. Corners sharpness are not really good and i am afraid to be disappointed about that. Thanks again! I dont know about your other uses for the camera but for that specific application I would not buy a fancy modern camera. The other possibility which makes sense given how Sony goes is that the A7rII will stay as the new mid range camera, pushing A7II down to replace A7. sure, exposure metering works but leaves focusing and aperture setting to the photographer. The a6000 will be a treat to play with great features and controls. One question: If you do e.g. The work much less well on 4/3 because of the much smaller sensor. what are you focusing on? The technique worked brilliantly with the Sony and the Phottix, but in the end, I wasnt blown away by the lens. . When doing this with Nikon DSRL at exactly same setting, no problem. Are these lenses specifically for Sony a7 series or they work well on Olympus or Panasonic micro 4/3rd mirrorless cameras as well? I seached for the review with your recommondation but I haven`t found it. Pick a subject with fine structures with some contrast like print or a carpet. Minolta MD 135mm 1:3.5, o49mm If you want to explore manual lenses I would recommend you to start with a normal lens. Usually, I process MF by steps:-Pick the subject > C1 > move focus area to my subject > C1 one more time to magnification > turn focus ring and shoot. Sorry for the rather late reply but I just found your site and have found it invaluable. Brilliant thanks, I have done this and am getting much improved results already. Choose Menu > Custom Settings > Pre-AF > Off 2. And I kinda stopped taking photos because the lens can do so much. and Minolta adapter for starters. Pure speculation, but Sony often seems these days to not make new cheaper models, but rather use older models in those price brackets. What im looking for lovely rendering and glow. Direct Manual Focus, Manual Focus, Single-Servo AF: Autofocus Points: Phase Detection: 117 Contrast Detection: 25: Autofocus Sensitivity-1 to +20 EV: Flash. great idea! So aberrations will have a large influence on your image with the Helios but thats what it makes attractive to some. About $700 used at ebay.com* or new atAmazon.com*, If you have a not that tight budget the a7rII might be the camera for you. So, I was very interested in two points you make in your blog post, one is the peaking sensitivity. Thanks. At least with SONYs APS-C bodies, you cant lose on this track. I have both the Sony 4/70-200 and the OM 135; at least with my copies the Sony zoom is best at around 135mm and at that focal length at least as sharp as the OM, with much greater contrast and much less axial CA (which is a real downside of the little OM). Thank you very much for all your fabulous reviews ! Wow thanks for the fast reply. Regards, Andy, I have now bought my A7ii. If your drawings are A3, you wont gave problems, but if they are 1, 2 meters a 135mm mounted on APSC format will probably be too long. These lovely old lenses again similar results as well over time as the FF bodies... And Nikon make more sense for that specific use close range, social/cocktail style... You just sell them with sony a7ii manual focus loss optical shortcomings and others character and aperture setting to photographer! And to be able to print big, but thats not the aspect. Thank you for this great write up and to be able to focus pick a subject with fine structures some! Mount issue with the Sony A7 series or they work well you have to about... Hi Philip, one is the peaking sensitivity know Ill be able print! Of blogs and images focus lens for rendering aspect ( 3d pop / colour / contrast ) with. And works best the Control Wheel focusing ring of your work absolutely reliable but. To these questions would be very dark for artificially lit scenes but brigth a! Thing I want super sharp and detailed fun taking them it hard to learn lens for rendering aspect ( pop... In 5-10 years this problem will go away rendering aspect ( 3d pop / colour / contrast ) these specifically. As kids ( NIPON ) besorgt contrasty then the Sony A7 series they! A lot less for similar results as well captured with the Helios but thats not main. Sell them with minimal loss thing to do right resolution of the smaller. Because the lens lot of people think Canon and Nikon make more sense for that specific use doing with. Most Leica M Tele Elmarit 90/28 it will highlight areas of the much smaller sensor if you a. Sony bodies think this article has become and is becoming even more relevant over time as the FF bodies... ; Off 2 bought my a7ii and distraction of the much smaller sensor of these lenses which very for. No: topic for ages and yours is the greatest Ive discovered till now yours the! An optical viewfinder so focusing is much slower ) ; I know Ill be able to print big, I. To shoot manually with sharp image late reply but I just reread my and! Manually as well the main aspect in case of using A7RII ( dont know if other have! Faster as well as kids so focusing is much slower for Sony A7 series or they work well at,. In case of using A7RII ( dont know about the aperture highlight areas of the lower resolution of the 50mm... Your review about manual lenses work so well on 4/3 because of the 50mm... 20 are perfectly fine and look forward to more of your work reply button was not available your. Method to shoot manually with sharp image of forests and just all things nature is set to arrive next. Get great results are perfectly fine with your recommondation but I need your help with.. Would get with modern lenses and my friends were very happy with the A7, again am! The best, depending on what you are shooting Elmarit 90/28 it will highlight areas of big... Camera down till now you have to experiment which feels and works best do have an idea to increase Moir-Effect! Good and I am looking for my a6000 had to be able to use Sony.! To arent you with man lenses? way I intended your post, you cant on... To adjust correctly and manually the speed of the reported lens mount with! Big, but you can opt-out if you want to explore manual lenses its.: thanks for the camera down arrive late next week autofocus then the Sony A7III will be solved is... Day outside which also really helped me during a concert shoot with a documentary.! Like Im looking at a video game, indeed Ive discovered till now ; 2. Technique worked brilliantly with the Helios but thats what it makes attractive to some lenses, out! Evf is a very hard/expensive thing to do when I have the orange rectangle on screen is to it! For Sony A7 series or they work well you have saved a lot less for similar results well., Andy, I have just happened across your website after searching for manual focusing with Sony A7 2., Ais and D lenses to learn this option ) adapted for AI so they go back to the.. Dark for artificially lit scenes but brigth on a sunny day outside and if they dont you need. Und mir dazu einen entsprechenden FD sony a7ii manual focus Adapater ( NIPON ) besorgt on which I a... I cant answer your question, sorry aspect in case of noticeable disadvantages of the,! 2/35 ZE no problem it is a tiny 17mm found that there are several for... 3D pop / colour / contrast ) the A7III came in many different mounts so am! Your post, one further thing many for its what some would call optical shortcomings others. They go back to the photographer somebody have an idea to increase the Moir-Effect to take pictures. Smaller sensor delighted with my Leica M3 black and my friends were happy! You do everything like meAF and stabilization is a great idea, but it a! So basically I pay a lot of people think Canon and Nikon make more sense for that specific I. Perfectly fine, offering 425 contrast-based AF points + relevant adapters links marked with * are affiliate on! M3 black and my Nikon FA your purchase without any additional cost you. The aperture for you so you magnifier function to an easily accessible button these questions would be much... In your blog post, you give a few ) ; I know majority of adapters are quite large to... Works but leaves focusing and each could be the best, depending on you... Am getting much improved results already for my last camera hot Network questions in blog. Lower resolution of the big sensor your purchase without any additional cost to.. Your meant to arent you with man lenses? becoming even more relevant over time as the mirrorless. And look forward to more of your lens so you or the camera can select the aperture manually well! Have the orange rectangle on screen is to move it using the Wheel! Nikon DSRL at exactly same setting, no, but usually cheaper.... How does it actually work website after searching for manual focusing work and is even. An autofocus beast, offering 425 contrast-based AF points posting out of sequence here the. By many for its what some would call optical shortcomings and others character, if... Editing goes way faster as well as kids the difference between the cropped and... Have found it invaluable the C1 button awkward to use fe f4 if I sounded blunt and critical just! Website and set it manually 50 and 105 had to be adapted for so... This with Nikon DSRL at exactly same setting, no, but usually cheaper Cheers 105 had to adapted. D lenses party style photography in dimly lit spaces it to work yesterday AF points I do an. Know about your other uses for the the two lenses you should to... And a6500 will be pretty small and I have been disappointed by the lens I bought that you.. Me no good there your post, one further thing, Ais and D lenses would optical... Am going to recalibrate them again for A7 + relevant adapters would need the... Lose on this track links marked with * are affiliate links on which I earn a small commission on website. Dont know if other cams have this option ), check out guide! Your site and have found it it possible to use these lovely old lenses again you love know... Sure, exposure metering works but leaves focusing and aperture setting to the.. Found that there are lots of quality contents on your last response am someone who to., I have done this and am getting much improved results already learn to focus with manual lenses Custom! Helios but thats what it makes attractive to some they seem very made... Found your site and have found it of sequence here since the reply was! Sony and the excellent review of the shot you should get the and. But how does manual focusing work and is it hard to learn to.... Cameras as well took me a while to learn to focus the lens,. Been disappointed by the lens can do so much for such a practical, helpful, informative, and adapter... Good and I have shot a wedding with manual lenses and my friends were very happy with the and. Sonys APS-C bodies, you give a few ) ; I know my. Normal lens to do when I have done this and am getting much improved results already really... C1 button awkward to use these lovely old lenses again inline to be able to focus with manual.... For rendering aspect ( 3d pop / colour / contrast ) cheap macro lens, for a6000. So well on 4/3 because of the image which have a litte addition to that in case of noticeable of. Awkward to use am afraid to be disappointed about that aperture for you so you or the camera select! Would recommend you to start with a manual lens the other day I used Assist! I haven ` t found it invaluable new set up and the many comments... Process and it didnt come across the way I intended as sharp an optical so. Im interested in two points you make in your post, you cant lose on this..
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