Absolute Sharpest Wide Angle For A7R ii?

[Christo25]

I have and A7Rii on order and have an A7ii and an A7R already but have yet to find a wide angle lens that really is as sharp as I would like. If anyone has found a really really sharp 24mm or wider lens no matter what mount or brand that can be put on the FE camera please let me know what it is? Currently I use the Canon 24mm TS mark2 which is pretty good but would ideally like something that matches the sensor a little better. Currently the two sharpest lenses I have are the Zeiss 135mm F2 Appo Sonnar and the Sony 90mm OSS F2.8. These are great but I want something with that clarity in a wide angle.

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who has found that magic lens :-)

[christer]

The Zony 16-35mm f/4. 

 

OSS also helps tremendously to get sharp pictures. Seriously.

 

Read here 

 

http://www.systemkamera-forum.de/blog/2015/07/sony-fe-16-35-za-oss-t-test/

[Fapertur]

Batis 25!!!

[delewin]

Hi Christo25,

 

My choice would be the Sony Zeiss SAL-1635Z / F2.8 with the LA-EA3 adaptor.

 

Excellent for low light, indoors. All photo applications have the corrections built in.

 

The only downside is the weight, but the image quality makes it all worthwhile.

 

Good luck with your choice.

[SangRaal]

Since you already have a canon ef to sony E adapter; you are prepared to focus manually and you already like the Zeiss 135mm APO try the Zeiss 21mm f2.8 best in class corners and edges for that class of lenses. Same great color pallet and micro-contrast. The downside of that combo is size and weight. Another good choice in 21mm lenses that actually fits the A7 series size and weight wise is the M mount Voigtlander 21mm f1.7 good color decent edges and corners  very 3D images. Downside is that it vignettes wide open but that is gone by f2.8.

[Marolou]

What about the 15mm Zeiss f/2.8 Distagon?: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Zeiss-15mm-f-2.8-ZE-Distagon-Lens-Review.aspx

[NamarBurton]

Batis 25!!!

I second this.... All evidence points to this being one of the sharpest lenses you can get. Wait for this to ship in the next month or so.

[Christo25]

Thanks for all the opinions guys. I will probably try the Zeiss at some point. It is mainly for landscape work so autofocus and aperture speed is not an issue. I find a lot of wide angle lenses look fine on close subjects but not as sharp when focused on the distance. The Batis also looks interesting but some people reviewing it have put it on a par with the sony 28mm f2 which I have and I would only class it as quite good and not excellent which is really what is required when using a 42 mp sensor.

[delewin]

Hi Christo25

 

Now we know your use, can I suggest the process I use.

 

For absolutely pin sharp landscapes, I use my 70-200 G @ 200 mm and stitch multiple images together using Kolor Autopano Giga.

I do not use a tripod (although it would be better).

I typically take from 5 to 50 images and can end up with a final image of greater than 50,000 x 20,000 pixels.

The results are far superior than anything you can achieve from one single shot no matter what lens you had.

 

You can always down scale and apply a small amount of sharpening (if needed).

 

Good luck with your choices.

[kiawui]

Hi Delewin, when you say you take 5 to 50 images, do you mean all composition 1 photo with some upper, middle and lower portion or its a couple images per one composition? Will be interested to see your images and find out more about how you shoot your panoramas.

 

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

[Christo25]

Thanks for the suggestion Delewin, that is actually something I have been doing already for a number of years with a Manfrotto 303 sph head which is designed for stitching images and I use the Canon 70-200 2.8 ii. As you say they are absolutely pin sharp but they become a lot more tricky when photographing thins like the sea unless of course you do a very long exposure for each as the moving water is hard to stitch. I also really would like to just use the one shot method now as the sensor on this camera should be good for the large prints.

[cadibob]

Très bon et pas cher : OM Zuiko 24mm f2.8.

[iiiNelson]

My unscientific opinion is that I get the most perceived sharpness from the 25 Batis and the 35 Distagon FE. The Sony 28 FE isn't far behind in IQ if you don't mind the additional distortion or the focal length. It just so happens to be my most hated common focal length but it pairs well with the 55 FE.

[Christo25]

Thanks,will try and test the 25mm Batis when I can then. Got the A7R ii yesterday and been testing the different lenses including the Canon ones, very interesting!!

[Cheatah]

Thanks for all the opinions guys. I will probably try the Zeiss at some point. It is mainly for landscape work so autofocus and aperture speed is not an issue. I find a lot of wide angle lenses look fine on close subjects but not as sharp when focused on the distance. The Batis also looks interesting but some people reviewing it have put it on a par with the sony 28mm f2 which I have and I would only class it as quite good and not excellent which is really what is required when using a 42 mp sensor.

 

The 2/28mm SONY is cheaper, but not better as the Batis 2/25mm !  The best is, you should testing both lenses yourself, and make your choice!  Don't listening to other people's twaddle!

[JimmyD]

I own and have shot the Sony/Zeiss 16-35 f/4, the Zeiss Batis 25 f/2, and the Olympus 24mm f/2.8 w/ the Novoflex adapter on my new A7Rii.  To me, all can produce great images.  The 16-35 wins for focal length versatility, the Oly wins for size and weight (even with the adapter), and IMHO the Batis 25 wins hands down for overall IQ (including sharpness), and for speed if you are interested in creative shallow depth of field with a wide angle, as the Batis' bokeh is unparalleled for a wide angle in my experience.  So, if sharpness is the number one criteria, the Batis is the lens for you.

[Bluebird]

How wide do you want to go? Try the Canon 11-24mm or 14mm II lenses - stellar quality.  Took the 14mm out for a spin today and results were rather good. 

[angry]

The Zony 16-35mm f/4. 

 

OSS also helps tremendously to get sharp pictures. Seriously.

 

Read here 

 

http://www.systemkamera-forum.de/blog/2015/07/sony-fe-16-35-za-oss-t-test/

 

 

The batis is sharper

[JimmyD]

Yes, the Batis is noticeably sharper.

[Christo25]

Thanks, will have to wait for the Batis to come to NZ then!!

[bbphoto]

I've been getting good results at center (mediocre towards edges) with the Sony 28mm f/2. Not that wide though. 

 

I stuck on my Rokinon E-mount 12mm f/2 and used in 18MP crop mode on the a7rii and it gets good results. Pretty wide and distortion isn't really that bad in my opinion. Better than the 28 and wider. Just no Lightroom correctional profile, unfortunately.

 

Take a gander:

 

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This was almost wide open at f/2.2 at 18MP. ISO 200 in raw. Light falloff isn't fantastic though.

[thomed]

I really like my Zeiss Biogon 2.8/21 in M Mount.  Sharp as a tack!