Third party A mount fast ultrawides.. and some thoughts on walkabout

[tsk1979]

I own a A7 and a D7000. In a few months(whenever a APS-C stabilized A7000 comes), I will sell the D7000 and the lenses.

The target is to have A7 with a ultrawide zoom (currently using 14mm F2.8 from Samyang but its too wide. Great for Astro, but sometimes you need to narrow down a bit).

 

A good choice would be 16-35 FE.

 

But

1. Its slow  F4 is a little slow for astro work

2. Its expensive

 

I was checking out third party lenses and it seems there is a

1. Tamron 15-30 F2.8 in the works

2. Tokina 16-28 F2.8 already being sold.

 

I am not sure if (2) is available for Alpha.

 

Can you list some good fast zooms which do 15-30mm approx range?

I will buy a LA-EA4 as 1/3 stop I can live with.

 

Other option is cheaper LA-EA3. but i am not sure if AF will work(do third party lenses have built in motors in Alpha land?).

 

So my kit would be

 

A7 + 14mm F2.8 + 15-30 2.8 lens

A7000 + Sony 24-240 OSS

 

 

I carry two bodies with me, and this would pretty much cover everything for me.

If I need birding, then the 150-600 options from Tamron etc., would be good due to in body stabilization. Saw some samples with 50-500OS on A6000 and they were great!

 

Only thing missing would be a potrail lens, but I guess 60mm F2.8 from Sigma on A7000 would be a great thing!

 

Any more suggestions and tips you have for me?

For dpr members, i have asked this question there also, but unfortunately, most popular threads there are how we all need Full frame, how we all do not need full frame. Now m4/3 will die. How canon is god. How E mount lenses are so good so high cost does not matter at all etc.,

 

Considering quality of threads here and a large congegration of actual Alpha shooters, I am hoping to get some good answers here.

 

 

[Sinan]

I'm not sure if you want the ultrawide for your FF or APS-C body but if you consider it for APS-C, Tokina 11-16 2.8 is one of the best A mount APS-C ultra wide lens regarding the comparison. I find it a little heavy for my taste so I stick with my Sigma 10-20 but well.. Also even though not 2.8, Sigma 12-24 is a very extraordinary lens on FF because its focal length is totally amazing.

 

As for portrait lens, I suggest Tamron 90mm 2.8. It can be used by FF and APS-C + its also a macro lens and its sharpness is very impressive even wide open.

[tsk1979]

I am looking at Full frame. That is why 11-16 is out!!

[dmward]

I really like the 16-35 range for a wide zoom.

I've had that lens for Canon full frame.

When I moved to X system I got the 10-24. Haven't noticed the F4 compared to F2.8 a bit.

I just ordered the 16-35 FE for my A7R. I sounds like an outstanding lens.

 

Since you have the ultra-wide covered maybe the 24-70 FE for the A7. Again F4 but the OSS is nice.

[Cheatah]

Any SWA zooms are an greater compromise as an fixed SWA lens, regardless of which manufacturers, if someone wants best optical qualities!

[Aforns]

Your best bet for fast wide angle at a reasonable price would be the Voigtlander    Would have to get a Leica mount then adapter.   On all models except the S will have some purple fringing but easily removed with Adobe flat field convert ... free download.   They are manual focus but with such wide angles makes little difference, not inconvenient at all.    Not really fast but have a 12 Voigtlander, full frame an sharp.

[LeButler]

For crop portraits, Sony’s E 50mm f1.8 is well-regarded and decent value.

The Zeiss FE 55mm f1.8 would of course be the ultimate choice, with the benefit of being useful on the A7 too.

 

While it’s not a zoom, if you can wait until February/March, the FE-native 28mm will be released with two converters which allow it to cover the wide angle range you desire at f2.0 (21mm rectilinear and 16mm fisheye).

 

I too bought the Samyang 14mm UMC. For any shot wider than 19mm Dx0 rate it’s resolution so highly compared to every other sub-21mm lens that you get similar detail by taking the shot at 14mm and just cropping to whatever FoV you wanted. Just be sure to use something like PTLens to correct it’s distortion.

[Michael_j]

I use a Vivitar Series 1 19-35mm f3.5-4.5 in Minolta A mount. Big but very light it is surprisingly good and outstanding value for money. Needs the La-EA4 as it is 'screwdriver' autofocus. Have a look here for more info and samples.

[Austerror]

The Sigma 12-24 is something I would look at too.

 

Keep in mind the LA-EA4 adds bulk to the package though.