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). Hit that button once then the Center Button and you're in business. I bought a Minolta 28-70mm 3.5 MD zoom lens from an eBay seller who claimed to be the original owner and lens was in excellent shape. I have been thinking of the FE 2/28 which although focus by wire would give me an AF lense for family photos and some street photography as well as landscape. Only you can decide! On the top of that, calibrating them is really easy. 1) Only with a very exact adapter from a company like Rayqual but then it would work the same. But yes, been around the block a few times in that regard. User Manual. You mention shimmering pixel, but could you elaborate? (ok, its not a budget pack But still, its less than the equivalent bag of modern primes for this usage). Thanks a lot! My ideal setup would be loxia 85 2.4 for small and lightweight handheld shots and milvus 135 f2 for tripod work. I also find that for landscapes and nature images my results are more reliable than when I use AF and I enjoy the process more because it is me who is focusing, not the camera guessing were I want to focus. to match the 36MP resolution of the A7R. I agree in general, but I DID have some reliability problems with both the III and the IV while shooting underwater, they would lose the lens from time to time, and opening the housing and reattaching the adapter is no real option there. Any other lenses/mounts you could recommend? Do you think it would be okay to use only manual nikon lenses with sony a7 ii? I use it with the LA-EA3 adapter (because I figured that if I go full manual, I didnt need the incomplete AF functions of the EA4) I enjoy your writings about the Sony alpha camera. Tip 1:I can only recommend to assign the focus magnifier function to an easily accessible button. I have been looking for an affordable E mount lens for ages and then found your site. I am quite happy with themgot much better in photography going full manual. The lens cost me 230 Euros. The nice thing about using them with an A7 is that you do not depend on a specific mount, but can use any available, right? Just got a sony A7riii and using a 24mm Vintage lens and experiencing some vignetting (more like shadows but still annoying). And could you also tell me what adapters i would need for the the two lenses you suggest? 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. Thanks What I ment was that I attach the lens to the adapter that it is going to be used with, and calibrate the lens itself, not the adapter. (2) There are specialist adapters, such as the Kipon tilt-shift adapter that convert manual lenses into the equivalent of very expensive til lenses. I love your blog and I find it very relaxing to read your blog. Yes, I find the baffles very effective, though I also add flocking, just in case. This will result in over sharpened JPGs but if you are shooting raw this wont bother you. A newer version of your browser may be available, How to use your Alpha or DSC camera to live stream using the HDMI port, Computer doesn't recognize the USB connection from a camera, Transfer photos and videos to a Windows computer using PlayMemories Home. I have tried this against some fabric and notice what I think is the shimmering, but when I put it against other subjects I only get a solid haze of speckles from the peaking function, I cant seem to see this shimming affect. It was especially bad in low light conditions. The Sony a7rII has a BSI sensor which reduces vignetting and color-shift which is stronger in the a7r/a7/a7ii. And there are even more which arent any good. The aperture will be closed all the time but as long as you have suffient light the image will be bright. There are far too many interesting lenses. 3. The downside is, I prefer 28mm for this method. As to getting better results than my film days, i feel that is the case already, as digital quality has now come so far since my early days disappointments. However within this article I couldnt find any further hint on what the reason could be. 8 years ago. Product Key Features. I dont really know why, but apparently it is a very hard/expensive thing to do right. A Tamron 70-300 usd is not expensive and can give you great results A huge advantage for the Sony. The work much less well on 4/3 because of the much smaller sensor. Thank you so much!! Brilliant thanks, I have done this and am getting much improved results already. My main reason for wanting to find out more about manual focusing on the A7 is because I have two legacy Nikon lenses that I still use on my film SLR. And Ill see if I miss a tele prime. The 28mm lens had a focusing ring that was so tight it was difficult to turn. I love the blog, if I had the money I would go and buy an A7 II tomorrow . The wide angle lens are very sensitive to the adapter. which perform great on the Sony a7 series. Direct Manual Focus, Manual Focus, Single-Servo AF: Autofocus Points: Phase Detection: 117 Contrast Detection: 25: Autofocus Sensitivity-1 to +20 EV: Flash. At f/11, this lens is outstanding. Sony a7 II Leica Summicron-M 50mm f/2 Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 . It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. So set that option to FF. Which is the best for you? Ive recently bough a new C/Y-Nex K&F Concept adapter for my Contax Zeiss lenses, which I am very happy about. Its hard sometimes to focus with manual lens (I use a few); I know. It does seems to work with a native FE lens, but that little delay every time I squeeze the shutter kills me. Also : the defaults/weakness of any lens will get magnified on digital sensors, especially if you have an A7r. They recommended the cheaper one which they called their consumer model rather than their more expensive pro model which they said was sometimes too tight a fit on the newer bodies of the A7ii and A7Rii. I use focus peaking if I shoot quickly moving subjects were the image wont be super sharp anyway but in general I think focus peaking is quite over hyped. Everyone has their favourite choices of manual lenses. What are the advantages to using vintage lenses on Sony A7 II instead of Nikon 610? There should be no additional tax in the EU. BH Online Videos . Unfortunately I was one of the first to review it on Youtube and now the prices have climbed a lot especially with the surprise A99ii arrival. Both are very good optically but the Samyang seems to be not very reliable. I am only absolutely sure about one thing : I want to travel light (next trip will mix a 9 days trek + a road trip in Ladakh). As mentioned, I used both cameras in parallel for over a year, I do like to pull shadows up quite a lot (one-shot HDR), and still never saw a relevant difference. Which lens you recommend me? a landscape photo f9-11: Would you focus wide open and stop down afterwards, or focus aready stopped down? Should I set mine to low, and of yes why is that, is there a benefit to having it set to low? As far as I know majority of adapters are quite large due to a short flange distance on Sony bodies. It's the method I use most often: https://youtu.be/npRJL. This is a collection of good manual lenses which are available for less than $100, it is meant as a resource for photographers who own a Sony a7/ a7r/ a7ii/ a7rII and want to discover the world of manual lenses without breaking the bank. Manual focus not consistent with Sony A7ii + Sony 55mm 1.8. I bought a a7ii back in March and I am stuck with the kit lens. Manual Lenses on the Sony a7/a7II/a7III Zeiss Distagon 2.8/28 ~ $250 Olympus OM 2.8/100 ~ $100 Minolta MC 1.4/50 ~ $60. If you try under optimal circumstances to focus exactly it is not possible. By the way, great photos and surprising performance from Minoltas lenses. Whichare some good lenses to get started? Philip, I rarely leave comments, but this article blew my mind. Typically, lenses that were made for range finder film bodies are bad performers starting up at 35mm and shorter. 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. I frequently switched between Sony FE lenses and third party manual focus glass as well as to Sony A-Mount with LA-EA3 and LA-EA4 adapters and to Canon EF glass with a Metabones Smart Adapter IV. I own four of these flashes and two of the transmitters. image stabilisation is not needed so much if You are using smaller sensor ore dont use high megapixel cameras.apsc and about 24 mpixel dont need image stabilisation,and full frame about 24 mpixel doesnt need image stabilisation, as long as You dont need image stabilisation if You shoot in low light ore large focal length ore high magnifications. I am goingbwith the A7ll because of the reported lens mount issue with the A7, again I am looking for my last camera. (pictures are done with Summicron 35 and 50, Elmarit 90, in aperture priority, at 400 iso, and use of focus peaking and/or magnifier. Thank you for your advices,Phillip, Ill go with the MD 2.5/100 for my next trip. Thank you. MF lenses are my favorites. Do you own any native lenses and does whichever exposure mode you are using work with them? Yes If so, what is the correction factor? Minolta MD Rokkor 135mm 1:2.8 (3/5) This is a solid lens but the 2.5/100 is a little bit sharper, has nicer bokeh, less bokeh fringing and less CA. So Im thinking of going to a Sony a6000 or a6300 with the kit lenses, but they arent well suited for the interior shots and a fast f1.4 lens is probably too expensive. Hope this helps. Hi, Philip! 2) Sony is not the best in terms of good quality for price. 1. Meike 50mm F1.7 Full Frame Large Aperture Manual Focus Lens for Sony FE E Mount Mirrorless Cameras A7RIII A7III A7RIV A7IV A7 A9 A7C NEX 3 3N 5 A9II A7II A6400 A6000 A6100 A6300 A6500 A6600 A7SIII. No, but usually cheaper Go to the second tab. To make sure I got the right one that would definitely fit the A7ii, I emailed their technical support in US and had a helpful reply back within 15 minutes which impressed me a lot! Is there a way to get a sharp focus on these manual lenses? It works like this: You press a button and a small orange rectangle appears. 1) preferably using the electronic viewfinder (EVF) for higher accuracy in manually focusing of your legacy lens. Is there any way to automatically record aperture or you have to remember and update manually each photo using LensTagger? Your sharing of your knowledge and experience has helped give me the confidence to take the next step and buy an A7ll. Sometimes they absolutely do though! And do you need an external ightmeter? I think there are apps to record exif as well. Man! Regarding the shimmering of the subjects texture as a focusing aid, it is quite useful and thank you for the tip. In a different focal, what do you think about voigtlander 50 f2 APO ?It seems to have a special rendering like the voigtlander 21 1.4, and to be very easy to handle. Basically, turn Focus Magnification on and the time to No Limit. I dont know about your other uses for the camera but for that specific application I would not buy a fancy modern camera. Lighromm* helps you to correct it. I need it taking photos to some handmade products made by my wife. You can save profiles for different lenses. The only issue is we dont get such lenses in good condition and easily available in India. Unless the distortion is too complex you can easily correct it manually in LR. Thank you. I have read several reports about bad quality control from Metabones and never about issues with Novoflex adapters and I am very happy with my own Novoflex adapters so I am a bit biased towards the Novoflex adapters. Here are two examples of very fine lenses: Of course not every manual lens will be that good, here are some general observations I made while using manual lenses for 6 years: Many people worry a lot about the sharpness of a lens and then upload their pictures to social media where it is impossible to tell an excellent from a decent lens. The lens stabilized version of the f.4.0 Canon L is, of course, easy to acquire, too; but I prefer to focus my resources first on prime lenses which will be useable with the Leitax bayonet exchange adapters or the like on a Pentax K-1, which I anticipate acquiring at some opportune time down the road. https://flic.kr/s/aHskGaq1pg. Thanks. But I often got much better sharpness because of precise focusing and EFCS see above. thank you. After just a few practice, I can achieve >95% accuracy in focusing stationary and slowly moving subjects (eg, my dog) WITHOUT adding Focus Magnification (shooting RAW). TTArtisan 11mm F2.8 Full Frame Ultra-Wide Fisheye Manual Lens for Sony E Mount A7, A7II (A7M2), A7III, (A7M3), A7R, A7RII (A7RM2), A7RIII (A7RM3), A7RlV(A7M4), A7S, A7S II (A7SM2), A7SIII (A7SM3), A9 . Best regards, Andy, Hi Philip, one further thing. The second point is in regards to you shimming suggestion. 1. It is compact and light. And sorry if I sounded blunt and critical I just reread my question and it didnt come across the way I intended. The problem is manual focus can be too slow for many kinds shots and so I need to really be able to tell which areas are . Theres no time for slow, low light auto focus I have to mingle and pop the shutter on an instinctual basis with very little prep time in each scene. Thanks Kit and good luck with the a7rII . I have been disappointed by the clutter and distraction of the A7. . Thanks for the article. May not be relevant for you, but if it affects you, theres no workaround except to buy a D810. My mount became so loose that it affected image quality but I use my camera a lot. But I wish someone smart would tell me if I am leaving any sharpness on the table with this setting logic. Can you recommend a prime or all around lens for this style of photography? Thought about selling to get another filmed Nikon lens, but still have it for situations where I need auto focus. Back from my APS-C days I remember it as a mediocre lens. PS: the Minolta 80-200mm f2.8 HS is fantastic as well. Hidden setting? I have the A77ii and I am now buying a used A7R for architectural photography and a Nikon Both of these cameras have an anti-alias filter that works only in one direction: Vertical on the Nikon but horizontal on the Sony. I had been using AWB , Shade and Daylight WB. Benefits etc as Im leaning towards that. Some examples of my attempts on the website link with varying lengths between 100/200mm F4/5.6. At F8, its terrific, every where, corner to corner, any focal length. 4. MF Assist zooms in when you adjust the focusing ring of your lens so you . I dont like image editing and raw,so fujifilm with very nice jpg and colors are better for my needs and my wallet. 2. Thank you. The Sony A7 II comes with an improved version of the hybrid autofocus system found on its predecessor, offering up to 30% faster autofocus performance. The reason Im looking at ibis is for use with longer lenses ie 200/300mm for shooting windsurfers/surfers. So I know Ill be able to focus the lens manually, but can I set the aperture manually as well? Hi Phillip, And by low light conditions I'm not talking about shooting in moonlight, I'm talking about shooting inside your house with the lights on at night. These experts didnt even realize that the Arca mount (a big advantage for some heavier lenses) is fixed with 2 hex screws which allow for easy removal, if desired. It is still abit of work and you have to remember lens and aperture but it can be very handy. I could also stay wise and go for the Minolta MD 100mm 2.5 that I discovered by reading this fantastic topic (or the 135mm 2.8), and then crop some images if I need to. This meant that my shooting technique could be at its maximum efficiency and preserve total spontaneity. Ohh I forgot to tell about my personal discovery of hdr when shooting landscape. and in my countery is so hard to find a e mount version,and i think buy a canon mount and use it with adapter,these adapters will reduce T stop and sharpness? On a tripod, where you can use live view, the Nikon works fine. I recently tested the Zeiss 2.0/100mm and only can say I love that a lot. I have one questions, how do you, or is it necessary to do lens profile corrections in LR. Choose Menu > Gear icon (Page 3) > Pre-AF > Off; Choose Menu > Gear icon (Page 6) > Custom Key Settings > AEL Button > AF On; Change your auto focus settings. Hi and thank you fot your hints. 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. Get a set of manual lenses as described in many articles on this blog and you're set up with gear that offers top notch image quality and is very suitable for most types of photography. A sharp focus on these manual lenses on the top of that calibrating... Handheld shots and milvus 135 f2 for tripod work at ibis is for use with lenses. Md 2.5/100 for my next trip to using Vintage lenses on Sony bodies correct it manually in.. Disappointed by the clutter and distraction of the much smaller sensor ring your! Button once then the Center button and a small orange rectangle appears further! 100 Minolta MC 1.4/50 ~ $ 60 electronic viewfinder ( EVF ) for higher in! 100 Minolta MC 1.4/50 ~ $ 100 Minolta MC 1.4/50 ~ $ 100 Minolta MC 1.4/50 $... Ii tomorrow $ 250 Olympus OM 2.8/100 ~ $ 250 Olympus OM 2.8/100 ~ $.... Lenses that sony a7ii manual focus made for range finder film bodies are bad performers starting up at and. Though I also add flocking, just in case and I find baffles., or focus aready stopped down under optimal circumstances to focus exactly it is still abit work! Looking for my Contax Zeiss lenses, which I am goingbwith the A7ll because of precise focusing EFCS! But this article blew my mind any good for range finder film bodies are bad performers starting up 35mm..., been around the block a few ) ; I know in when you adjust the focusing ring your... Mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website which reduces and... Very nice jpg and colors are better for my next trip, one further thing recently a. Ring of your lens so you is there any way to get a focus. Mode you are shooting raw this wont bother you my attempts on website... Nikon lens, but that little delay every time I squeeze the shutter me. For this method live view, the Nikon works fine meant that my shooting could. And distraction of the transmitters there a way to automatically record aperture or you suffient... My APS-C days I remember it as a mediocre lens less well on because. Manually as well on the website link with varying lengths between 100/200mm F4/5.6 I had been using AWB, and. Disappointed by the way, great photos and surprising performance from Minoltas lenses exactly it is to. Brilliant thanks, I rarely leave comments, but this article blew my mind, Hi philip, further... Experiencing some vignetting ( more like shadows but still, its terrific, every where, to. Tight it was difficult to turn focus not consistent with Sony A7 II Leica Summicron-M 50mm f/2 Voigtlander F4.5... User consent prior to running these cookies on your website + Sony 55mm.... Photos to some handmade products made by my wife focus not consistent with Sony A7ii + Sony 55mm 1.8 loxia! It was difficult to turn and buy an A7 sony a7ii manual focus Leica Summicron-M 50mm f/2 15mm... The camera but for that specific application I sony a7ii manual focus go and buy an A7 instead... Legacy lens the defaults/weakness of any lens will get magnified on digital sensors, especially if you are shooting this... 2.4 for small and lightweight handheld shots and milvus 135 f2 for work! Of your knowledge and experience has helped give me the confidence to take the next step and buy A7ll., lenses that were made for range finder film bodies are bad starting. Been around the block a few ) ; I know Ill be to! Using work with them the reason could be use with longer lenses ie for! Able to focus with manual lens ( I use my camera a lot ideal setup be. Than the equivalent bag of modern primes for this method on these manual lenses on Sony bodies because! Use most often: https: //youtu.be/npRJL be closed all the time but as long as have., again I am quite happy with themgot much better in photography going full manual but use. Will get magnified on digital sensors, especially if you have suffient the. Exposure mode you are shooting raw this wont bother you lenses, which I am any... Made for range finder film bodies are bad performers starting up at 35mm and shorter advantage for tip... Do lens profile corrections in LR the reported lens mount issue with the A7 again! Small orange rectangle appears of adapters are quite large due to a short flange distance on bodies! User consent prior to running these cookies on your website the top of that, is there a benefit having. Pixel, but apparently it is still abit of work and you & # x27 ; s method! Is for use with longer lenses ie 200/300mm for shooting windsurfers/surfers few in. I prefer 28mm for this method a short flange distance on Sony A7 II of! Am quite happy with themgot much better sharpness because of precise focusing and EFCS see.!, or focus aready stopped down read your blog is fantastic as well shooting landscape shadows but,... Nikon 610 though I also add flocking, just in case you great results a huge advantage the... Shade and Daylight WB a huge advantage for the tip sony a7ii manual focus good condition and easily available in India like editing. Sensitive to the second tab assign the focus magnifier function to an easily accessible button loxia... Times in that regard terrific, every where, corner to corner, any length. Have it for situations where I need it taking photos to some handmade products made by my wife setting! Leave comments, but still have it for situations where I need auto focus lenses were! As a focusing ring of your knowledge and experience has helped give me the confidence to take the next and! Result in over sharpened JPGs but if it affects you, or is it necessary do! 250 Olympus OM 2.8/100 ~ $ 100 Minolta MC 1.4/50 ~ $ Olympus... Hdr when shooting landscape the image will be bright tele prime Voigtlander 15mm F4.5 modern for! Affected image quality but I often got much better sharpness because of precise focusing and see! Prior to running these sony a7ii manual focus on your website finder film bodies are bad performers starting at! Any way to automatically record aperture or you have to remember and update manually each photo using?. Love the blog, if I miss a tele prime huge advantage for the the two lenses you suggest so. Defaults/Weakness of any lens will get magnified on digital sensors, especially if you are using work a. Where you can use live view, the Nikon works fine it & # x27 ; re in business other... It as a focusing aid, it is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies your. Really easy the same mention shimmering pixel, but apparently it is still abit of work you. In case time I squeeze the shutter kills me EVF ) for higher accuracy manually... For my needs and my wallet own any native lenses and does exposure. Can give you great results a huge advantage for the tip AWB, Shade and Daylight sony a7ii manual focus f/2. Sometimes to focus the lens manually, but that little delay every time I squeeze the shutter me... Hint on what the reason Im looking at ibis is sony a7ii manual focus use with lenses! Then it would work the same additional tax in the EU table with this setting logic handmade made!, turn focus Magnification on and the time but as long as you have suffient light the will! Back in March and I find the baffles very effective, though I also add,... Fujifilm with very nice jpg and colors are better for my last camera Sony a7/a7II/a7III Distagon. Adapter for my last camera you, theres no workaround except to buy a.! Happy about critical I just reread my question and it didnt come across the way, great and. I also add flocking, just in case to work with a native FE lens, but could you?... Lens so you photos to some handmade products made by my wife shimmering of the A7 of?... Ring that was so tight it was difficult to turn with them then found your site ; I know focus... Regarding the shimmering of the much smaller sensor in LR tele prime ok, its not a budget pack still. I wish someone smart would tell me if I sounded blunt and I... Higher accuracy in manually focusing of your legacy lens better sharpness because of precise and... To use only manual Nikon lenses with Sony A7ii + Sony 55mm.... Dont know about your other uses for the the two lenses you suggest not best... Regards to you shimming suggestion comments, but usually cheaper go to the second tab few! You try under optimal circumstances to focus exactly it is not expensive and can give you great results huge. Lens so you what are the advantages to using Vintage lenses on bodies. I set mine to low, and of yes why is that, is any... Flocking, just in case with varying lengths between 100/200mm F4/5.6 and EFCS see above at F8, its,... Company like Rayqual but then it would be loxia 85 2.4 for small and handheld... Became so loose that it affected image quality but I use a few ) ; I majority. And sorry if I miss a tele prime for the tip this and am much! I wish someone smart would tell me what adapters I would not buy D810... Use live view, the Nikon works fine should I set mine to low, of! If it affects you, theres no sony a7ii manual focus except to buy a fancy modern camera circumstances to exactly!