Sigma ART 50mm vs Zeiss 55mm vs the new Samyang 50mm size comparison by Eggry.blog.

I got some good news on the new Samyang 50mm f/1.4 FE autofocus lens. Our reader Egrry wrote:

Representative said the price is not set but would be less than 600 USD and more than 400 USD with tax in Korea. It won’t be available until late June.

This is a very competitive price! Finally a fast FE lens that everyone can afford to buy! The question for you now is…

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He also shared some more tests and findings on Eggry.blog. It’s Korean but he did it sum up for us in English (Thanks!):

1) AF lenses is not named yet. They’re conducting naming contest in Kora. That’s why it’s just engraved like AF 14/2.8 FE.
2) 14mm f2.8 is not ready for the exhibition so no hands-on time.
3) 560g. almost double of FE55.8ZA but it’s f1.4. Sigma 50.4 Art is 860g even without adapter.
4) closest focus distance is 45cm which is not suprising in Fifties.
5) Aluminum casing feels good, very similar to Sony lenses.
6) Unfortunately, focus ring is focus-by-wire. They confirmed it.
7) Sharpness at 1.4 is not surprising. It improves vastly at f2. There’s some amount of CA from 1.4 to 2. from 2.8, there’s nothing bothering in my eyes.
8) AF is good. not fast as 55.8ZA but I guess faster than 50.8. for sure it’s faster and reliable than Sigma 50.4 with MC-11. Wobbling is bigger than Sony lenses. Noise is not big but noticable than Sony.
9) Movie AF is not satisfying. You can check it another article here.(also sharpness and Bokeh test! sharpness at f2 is certainly wrongly focused.)
http://www.popco.net/zboard/zboard.php?id=samyang
10) Price is not finalized yet. Samyang is listening visitors’ opinion. I said 600 USD with tax and they said it won’t be that expensive. The other said 400 USD and told it will be more than it. So I guess it would be around 500 USD. I think it’s good positioning.
11) All lenses are beta version. so it can be improved when launched.

You cna see the first image samples at Popco (Click here). There is also a new autofocus test video:

Long time SAR reader Eggry shared to use the world’s first real world images of the new Samyang 50mm f/1.4 FE autofocus lens! These are the pictures he posted on Twitter:

And this is also an autofocus test (via Poor but happy shop):

He told me that:

“Size is reasonable. Bigger than 55.8 but much smaller than Sigma 50.4 Art. Also quite light weight. not heavy at all. Aluminum casing feels good, very similar design and feel of Sony lenses. AF is good enough, not fast as 55.8 but faster and reliable than Sigma+adapter. 14mm f2.8 is not ready for the exhibition(P&I 2016) so no hands on with it. ”

Sounds good!

TheCameraStoreTV tested the new Sony 24-70mm GM lens. And if you don’t have time to watch the full video here are the key findings regarding the lens:

• Sony autofocus is the worst of the bunch (but that may be more a limitation of the body than the lens)
• Bokeh of the Sony was the best of the bunch
• Sony is the sharpest of all lenses

Overall TCSTV team says the Sony is the best lens of the bunch!

24-70mm f/2.8 GM FE store links at BHphoto, Amazon, Adorama, BestBuy. Amazon Germany. Calumetphoto.de. WexUK. Jessops.

Image courtesy: 3Dkraft

3Dkraft writes:

The Batis 2.8/18 demonstrates an impressive level of optical performance that can be achieved in a compact and lightweight mirrorless full-frame system. Although at the time of this writing there are no lens correction profiles available in Lightroom / Adobe Camera Raw for this super wide angle Batis, I see no demand for it as the results were almost free from distortion and vignetting. Only at open aperture you may see a need to correct some minimal CA at extreme contrast edges. Resolution, contrast and color richness are excellent even when you shoot against direct sun light. The autofocus works fast and reliable, it may be helpful especially at open aperture when playing with depth of field in the close-up range. This lens is simply amazing!

BAtis 18mm hands-on videos:
Zeiss Batis 18 f/2.8 initial impressions by Artur Kociola on Youtube.
Zeiss Batis 2.8/18 – 18mm Super Weitwinkel mit f2.8 an der Sony a7II – netucated.com on Youtube
Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 Lens Unboxing & Quick Look by Digitalrev on Youtube.

Batis 18mm store links at [shopcountry 47045].

Canon to Sony Adapter Review: Sigma MC-11 vs Metabones Mk IV by Tony Northrup

Tony Northrup (video above) and David Kilpatrick (video below) made a good job to tell you how good (or bad) the new Sigma MC-11 adapter is.

Sigma MC-11 with 50mm ART and A7RII by David Kilpatrick

Sigma MC-11 Adapter Updated Review with Video and Autofocus Samples on a6300

The Sigma MC-11 adapter is in Stock for the first time at Amazon US (Click here).

Imaging Resource posted a first preview of the new 70-300mm FE lens:

The I.S. system did its job though, and the image turned our fairly sharp, though the depth of field is quite shallow so the sharpness is limited to the rather thin plane of focus. There is a slight trace of noise, but it’s not bad at all and likely of the variety easily removed, especially if processing from the RAW file

Autofocus employs a linear actuator which is reported to offer fast and precise AF performance, and I found this to be true in my own shooting experiences. On the A7 II I rarely had to wait for much if any “hunting” except a few times when the light got low at dusk.

New FE lens store links:
FE 70-300mm at BHphoto. Amazon. Adorama. FocusCamera. Calumet Germany. WexUK. Jessops.
FE 50mm f/1.8 at Amazon. BHphoto. Adorama. FocusCamera. Calumet Germany. WexUK. Jessops.

Mobile01 from Taiwan published a full 85mm GM review with many “sexy” lens images :)

Here are brand new reviews you may be interested to check out:

Photographyblog reviewed the 85mm GM lens:

The Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM is an outstanding prime lens for portraiture, offering a winning combination of sharpness and very appealing bokeh. Shooting at the maximum f/1.4 aperture does reveal a minor reduction in sharpness, but this is already resolved by f/2, and even at this aperture the lens is able to produce beautifully smooth bokeh and completely blurred backgrounds. Vignetting is apparent when shooting wide-open at f/1.4, but quickly disappears as you stop down, while chromatic aberrations are very well controlled.

85mm GM Store links at [shopcountry 47395].

Mirrorlessons compared the Sony a6300 vs. Fuji X-Pro2:

The Fujifilm X-Pro2 is a professional camera that shows what Fujifilm is capable of doing in 2016. It doesn’t have the most impressive numbers if we purely consider specifications, but when it comes to substance, it is one of the best on the market right now.
The a6300 has a more attractive price and its performance is the same, if not slightly better. The video capabilities are clearly superior. If you can cope with some flaws in the user experience, there’s no doubt it is the best mirrorless camera you can find right now when it comes to quality/price.

A6300 Store links at [shopcountry 47396].

Admiringlight tested the new Sigma 30mm f/1.4 E-mount lens:

The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 is a lens that generally performs well for its price point, but it falls short of the outstanding performance of the Art series Sigma mirrorless primes. If you’re shooting closer up, the lens is plenty sharp with nice bokeh and a nice rendering.  It’s also a well-built lens that feels notably better than its $339 price would suggest.  If you plan on using this lens mostly for shooting people or for street work, I think you’ll be very pleased with the 30mm f/1.4. It does a very nice job in these situations, producing images with a really nice look.

Sigma 30mm Store links at [shopcountry 47397].

Imaging Resource posted the Sony A6300 Field Test.