Just Blew the Rest of My A99 II Money

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peterottaway
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Just Blew the Rest of My A99 II Money

Unread post by peterottaway »

After several weeks debating with myself whether to buy into the Batis or Loxia lens range, I am now the owner of the Loxia 21 and 35 lenses. So at the moment I am spending my spare time relearning how to properly manually focus a wide angle lens on a hand held 42 MP camera. Both composing and focusing at the same time has become rather a lost art for me.

Much of my serious shooting on the A7r II has been done on a tripod and sometimes manual focus and sometimes on auto focus but this is proving to be rather different. On the tripod I also sometimes use the Sony video monitor as well so shooting becomes more like a micro sized field camera rather than like my old Olympus OM 2n etc.

The lenses are a real revelation after modern by wire lenses, and although early days the lenses certainly have something about how they portray the world. They both have 180 degree focusing throw and you do need to apply a certain amount of pressure to the focus ring to get it to move - so not much chance of them moving with just a slight accidental knock.

The aperture ring ( remember those ) on first examination appears to be too close to the camera body but mounted on the camera it becomes quite OK as long as you don't have very large fingers.

My only complaint is the so called de clicking key which for a lens of this price and quality is a complete and utter piece of doggie-doo. Instead of being something large enough and sturdy enough to put on a key ring so that you don't loose it, quiet frankly the pop top bit on the last drinks can was a far more impressive bit of metal work.

Not that I have much interest in video but it would be better if you got something usable for your money.
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sury
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Re: Just Blew the Rest of My A99 II Money

Unread post by sury »

Looking forward to reading your further experiences. I keep reading glowing remarks about these lenses.
Since I am not (yet) sucked into the E-mount vortex, I am safe for now. :D
Am on the fence apropos A99II. At this time, I don't need to make a call since none
available for purchase anyway. :)

With best regards,
Sury
Minimize avoidable sufferings - Sir Karl Popper
peterottaway
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Posts: 600
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:24 am
Location: Northam, Western Australia

Re: Just Blew the Rest of My A99 II Money

Unread post by peterottaway »

I did have quite a long initial comment to make but it appears I took too long to post and got logged out.

Salient points were I'm not in a position to devote much time at the moment to extensive testing so it may take some weeks to have a decent idea about the lenses in practical terms and if they are really suitable to me. Or their colour and how they render a real work scene into a 2D image.

I did get out to take a few just after sunset shots this afternoon. But the conditions would have made even a mediocre lens look good. it is after all definitely Summer here now and you get a decent glow from what the Northern European art world used to refer as the Tuscan light. They need to be much more seriously stressed.

Whilst the Batis AF and the new Canikon families of MF lenses have been given the 21 Century look the Loxia lenses are definitely intended as the Zeiss version of the Leica M lenses. I have compared the Loxia's with my older Contax CY and G lenses plus Olympus and Minolta lenses, and there is a major order of magnitude in construction and focusing rings between them. Only my old OM 100 / 2.8 has a focus anything like the new lenses. The Zeiss seem to have the lens barrels machined out of a metal block rather than simply assembled.

You could try and simply shoot like you has an AF lens in manual mode but the lenses seem to demand more of a considered approach. And given the cost of the lenses it would be a pretty big waste of money. The lenses have the electrical contacts so all the information is transferred to the camera body and such things as Live View, Focus Peaking and the Zebra function all work if you will let them. So manual focus is rather more a relative term as opposed to a pre tech age camera.
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