To 85 GM or not to 85 GM, that is the question:

[SA2016]

Ok, now that this lens seems readily available in most stockist's, is the general feeling to purchase now and take a chance on this first batch or hold back for a few months & see if Sony manage to iron out some of those disappointing issues which we've all read about & (heard),,,

[joshinthecity]

Personally, I'm going to wait it out.

But I wouldn't blame you for going forward.

It's a difficult decision...

[seb]

Ok, now that this lens seems readily available in most stockist's, is the general feeling to purchase now and take a chance on this first batch or hold back for a few months & see if Sony manage to iron out some of those disappointing issues which we've all read about & (heard),,,

 

My copy arrived at 29th march. I was one of the first asking about the noise, also about the closed aperture while focusing.

 

Here are my findings:

 

Noise: there is some noise. But nothing that is disturbing in any way. No one asked me about the noise and I was using the lens in almoust any critical situation. To summarize it: If you can't here a needle falling on the ground, you won't here the AF of this lens.

 

AF without wide open lens: AF-C works very fine with this lens. No matter of f-stop (faster than f9 of course) or light situation. AF-S does not work very fast though. But thanks to the very good AF-C you only need AF-S above f9. In such situation, where f9 is a possible f-stop, we are in good light anyway or will use MF to focus on a tripod. So this "big bug" is an issue in theory, but not in a practical situation.

 

First batch: I have the feeling (I didn't made any comparison videos), the new lens was much louder and the AF was slower, than now after several 100 shots. So, they may change the lubricant in the future to get smoother AF from the beginning. But I think the will just add a machine, which will turn the lens and focus several hundred times to spread the lubricant better before they sell it.

 

All in all, a great lens (even out of the first batches), that can shoot wonderful pics. but it is quite heavy.

 

Seb

[Mr_A7s]

These were shot AF-C @ wide open:  https://dylannguyen.smugmug.com/Events/2016-4-09-Sony-FE-85-f14/

 

I might be the odd one here, but I don't shoot f2.8, f4, f5.6 or smaller with f1.4 prime.

 

If you in dead silent room, then yes you will hear AF noise. Otherwise, it's normal to me.

[snpr9696]

Lens is amazing. Super sharp details and beautiful creamy bokeh. Great color rendition.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SA2016]

First things first, thanks everyone for the above input on this topic, after weighing up the many questions, reading countless threads and digesting every youtube video, I decided to go ahead with my order,

 

Lens was delivered this morning & Oh dear, where to begin,

 

I jumped the Canon ship last year when the A7R2 first became available, previous to that my bread & butter set up was a 5Dmk3 & a 85mm 1.2 L mk2, anyone with any experience of this set up will testify that yes this technology is very much outdated now but the possibilities of getting great results was also very high, so anyway since then i have been using the Canon 85/metabones combi with the A7Rmk2, yes it works but in all honesty it was never going to meet my needs on a professional level.

 

How delighted I was when earlier in the year Sony announced their new G Master range of glass & up first would be the native 85 i've been longing for, I can't argue with any of the other posts here as they are all correct, Super sharp details, beautiful creamy bokeh, Great colour rendition & a weight which in all honesty doesn't really feel that unbalanced at all, But, and this is a BIG BUT, the noise this thing makes is just completely unacceptable for a premium lens of this caliber and price,

 

​Within half an hour of having this mounted, I knew without doubt this was getting reboxed and shipped back to the retailers, yes I know it has a new designed motor & i've heard all about the lubrication issues but surly none of the boffins at Sony HQ thought lets make a loud one, I am no wedding photographer but i'd hate to be getting the stares of disgruntled guests if I was shooting in a church ceremony.

 

More to the point, this ovoiusly wasn't an issue with the pre-production batches, I can't possibly imagine everyone who reviewed this lens back then failed to notice this issue & what have Sony had to say since ? absolutely nothing as far as I can gather, 

 

I realise this is no big deal for you landscape shooters out there but the truth is, if Sony are serious with their  "pro market lenses" they have to make damn sure the product can justify not only the price but the design & real world situations that we work in,

 

Oh well, we live in hope,,,

[killermac1]

I cant hear this any more as this is not that big issue. Nobody at yesterdays wedding in the church noticed the AF noise.

 

 

Gesendet von meinem iPhone mit Tapatalk

[SA2016]

I'm delighted to hear you've had no problems, nothing pleases Me more than to know there's some good copies out there, they just seem very few & far between, all of us that have had this lens, loved it optically but have had to return it due to it's short comings are no doubt feeling quite jealous, that being said I would also recommend you invest in some good quality ear plugs as I feel discussions regarding lens are far from over,

 

Without doubt this is one of the loudest FE lens available, I realise it's quite unique & has it's own quirks but to say the noise is "not that big an issue" is misleading to say the least, Something obviously changed drastically between the pre release version of this lens & the mass produced version which are now available to purchase, Speak to any Artisan & they all swear blind their copy is silent, in fact nearly as silent as Sony's response in this matter. 

[killermac1]

I'm delighted to hear you've had no problems, nothing pleases Me more than to know there's some good copies out there, they just seem very few & far between, all of us that have had this lens, loved it optically but have had to return it due to it's short comings are no doubt feeling quite jealous, that being said I would also recommend you invest in some good quality ear plugs as I feel discussions regarding lens are far from over,

 

Without doubt this is one of the loudest FE lens available, I realise it's quite unique & has it's own quirks but to say the noise is "not that big an issue" is misleading to say the least, Something obviously changed drastically between the pre release version of this lens & the mass produced version which are now available to purchase, Speak to any Artisan & they all swear blind their copy is silent, in fact nearly as silent as Sony's response in this matter. 

 

 

Mine do also make some noise but roughly the same as my old Canon 85mm 1,2 II. If there were copies out (for testing) which were completely silent I would also blame Sony to trick their customers! But I saw never a silent copy nor heard I a video without noise

[SA2016]

If you were expecting a grinding motor noise coming from your brand new £1500.00 lens before you purchased it then its no surprise you find this acceptable, I like many others were expecting something different. 

[IamJF]

Is it louder then the Canon 85mm 1,2?

[killermac1]

Is it louder then the Canon 85mm 1,2?

No. I think it is the same noise level

[SA2016]

This is all matter of opinion, I would say yes & quite significantly, there are various videos on this forum to demonstrate the point, it doesn't give Me any joy to say this but when you consider the Canon 85 1.2 L mk2 was first introduced back in 2006 they obviously didn't do such a bad job on that lens, (ca apart of course).

[killermac1]

And corner sharpness of course. I had both before I sold the Canon after my non professionell Test. The most Important things for me: Eye-AF for Portraits, Corner sharpness for subjects not in the middle of the frame, weather sealing, less CA, no extending tube while focussing and therefore you have to take care more about the lens - or you think you have. For ME: valid reasons. For you maybe not

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[SA2016]

Oh dear, I don't wish to sound condescending but I'm not quite sure you understand, I agree with all the points you make above, I have also had both and yes the Sony GM is better on all accounts, I absolutely loved the lens, The additional features that Sony have incorporated in to this new technology are fabulous and the reason I have invested a small fortune in alpha/e mount equipment, my only disappointment with this glass is the noise from the AF motor, I realise this is no problem to you but to others it most certainly is,

 

Roll on the Mkii

[Guest Peter Kelly]

I won't be buying this lens, but not because of the noise. I believe that is a consequence of the use of a piezo motor and resonant frequencies of the lens body, unfortunate, but not a deal breaker for me.

 

My reasons for not getting one, however, are price, weight, and need.

It is an expensive lens, considerably more so than the Batis 85mm, and my customers, almost without exception, would never see a difference.

Being so big and heavy, it would contradict my whole purpose behind swapping from the A99, so the Batis would win again.

 

As to my specific need (also desire), the portrait shown above, by 'snpr9696' illustrates my reservations.

While it is a perfectly acceptable, very good portrait, I feel the DoF is far too shallow. Certainly, there is excellent subject separation, but the nose is out of focus too and I'm not keen on that.

I've mentioned elsewhere that I think there is a modern fixation with this 'paper-thin' DoF and while I see the attraction and that it can be very useful sometimes I also think it is overdone.

 

The other examples linked by 'Mr_A7s' also demonstrate this. While the one of the sleeping child gets it right, the others could do with more in focus.

 

Of course, this is a purely personal opinion which explains why I won't be rushing to empty my wallet.