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35mm GM f/1.4 Sharpness at f/1.4


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I just bought the 35mm GM and I thought it was really sharp at f/1.4. If you watch every review on YouTube that's what everybody says. I tested it today and I found that it is really soft at f/1.4.

Does anyone has it? Is it just my copy or every one is like this?

Here you have a comparison between 1.4 and 2.8 with zoom on the image.

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The photos certainly illustrate your point but how many shots have you taken with this lens before coming to your conclusion?  Have you conclusively ruled out human error?  You have taken these shots at slow shutter speed, I think you should shoot under better lighting condition to shoot at higher shutter speeds.  Utilize the AF/MF switch on the lens to shoot in both modes and when shooting in AF, use DMF setting to focus as critically as possible.  If after doing an exhaustive testing of the lens and you conclude that the lens is indeed soft, return it and ask for another copy.

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I assume that the test shots were replicated with the exception of the aperture value being closed down from f1.4 to f2.8.  If so, I think you have a legitimate cause for concern regarding the lens' performance and return your lens for a refund or a replacement.  If you do get a replacement test it like you did for the problematic lens - you might end up repeating this a few times but for a lens of this caliber to have that sort of softness is inexcusable.

Good luck!

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He does not indicate whether the tests were done in auto-focus mode or manual, nor what the shutter speed was and whether it was on a tripod -- what the lighting was.  Basically nothing.

It's called the "scientific method".  You can't examine something unless you control the circumstances.

There are lots of reasons why his result is "fuzzy" -- other than a bad lens.

Edited by XKAES
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Albert is shooting under the same lighting condition for each pair of images, natural or otherwise.  He is shooting at f1.4 then at f2.8.  If you look at the shutter speed, you will see that there is a two stop difference, corresponding to the aperture opening.  Looking at the paired images from the downloaded files, i would say the images in each pair were shot within seconds of other.

It doesn't matter whether Albert used a tripod, Af or MF, as long as the same parameter was maintained for the subsequent shots @f2.8.  I don't doubt your ability to educate but you really need to give Albert the benefit of doubt.  Albert has spent his own money to purchase a $2,000.00CAD lens, and asking for a peer review of the lens' sharpness.  I am making the assumption that Albert has done his due diligence to duplicate the parameters from one image to the next, otherwise what would be the point?

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5 hours ago, tadwil said:

Albert is shooting under the same lighting condition for each pair of images, natural or otherwise.  He is shooting at f1.4 then at f2.8.  If you look at the shutter speed, you will see that there is a two stop difference, corresponding to the aperture opening.  Looking at the paired images from the downloaded files, i would say the images in each pair were shot within seconds of other.

It doesn't matter whether Albert used a tripod, Af or MF, as long as the same parameter was maintained for the subsequent shots @f2.8.  I don't doubt your ability to educate but you really need to give Albert the benefit of doubt.  Albert has spent his own money to purchase a $2,000.00CAD lens, and asking for a peer review of the lens' sharpness.  I am making the assumption that Albert has done his due diligence to duplicate the parameters from one image to the next, otherwise what would be the point?

Thanks tadwil. I'm just asking for an honest opinion on the sharpness of these images and I'm only seeing people questioning my ability to take 2 pictures...

I took all the photos using a tripod. All the photos you've seen are the same photo taken 5 seconds later (the time I needed to change aperture and shutter speed). I first tested using autofocus and then I tested using manual focus with a magnifier to be able to nail the focus. I'm always seeing the same results. Even if I only used AF, for me it's unacceptable that it never nails focus (if that was the problem).

I'm a professional photographer and I have the 16-35, 24-70, 24 GM, 85GM and 55 Zeiss. I bought the 35 because it was technically the best of it's kind and I find these results... so my question was if any of you who has it, has different results or not.

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Thanks for the feedback.

To me the problem shot may not be just an issue of focusing -- but DOF.

Book ends are not flat -- they are curved -- and DOF is basically nil at f1.4.

Compare pictures that are FLAT.  Try a FLAT newspaper.

But that gets back to the scientific method -- don't compare apples to oranges.

Just my opinion.

Edited by XKAES
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13 hours ago, Albert Trepat said:

Thanks tadwil. I'm just asking for an honest opinion on the sharpness of these images and I'm only seeing people questioning my ability to take 2 pictures...

I took all the photos using a tripod. All the photos you've seen are the same photo taken 5 seconds later (the time I needed to change aperture and shutter speed). I first tested using autofocus and then I tested using manual focus with a magnifier to be able to nail the focus. I'm always seeing the same results. Even if I only used AF, for me it's unacceptable that it never nails focus (if that was the problem).

I'm a professional photographer and I have the 16-35, 24-70, 24 GM, 85GM and 55 Zeiss. I bought the 35 because it was technically the best of it's kind and I find these results... so my question was if any of you who has it, has different results or not.

You are welcome Albert.  As a caveat, I have to admit that I do not own the 35/1.4 GM lens or any of the higher end Sony FE lenses. As a hobbyist on a limited budget such lenses are completely out of my league.  But looking at your images, it's clear that it is not the focusing capability of the camera.  If a late model Sony camera body was this atrocious in it's focusing, Sony would have been chased out of business a long time ago.  Let's hope the 35/1,4 GM that you bought was a bad example and the replacement would satisfy your expectations.

You might try going back to those reviewers of the 35/1.4GM lens and ask if you can get some images that were shot wide open.  I am sure if you explain to them the problems you have had with your copy of the lens, they would be glad to help you out.

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  • 1 year later...

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