Hi there, I have an original A7 for which have two FE Zeiss primes and the FE 70-200mm G. All works great, incredibly sharp pics. I also bought a A6500 body recently as well, mainly for use with the 70-200mm but obviously making it an effective 300mm with crop factor (I always felt 200mm was a bit short). The a6500 is clearly a good camera, but when I use the zoom lens, it is impossible to get a sharp photo. I have used the DMF focus setting and the camera is never able to get the image in focus. In fact, the focus peaking can't even find a sharp edge. I have tried switching off lens stabilisation but to no avail. By comparison, the A7 is ten times sharper, with same camera settings.
Any suggestions for improving sharpness, or is it a case that this lens simply isn't suitable for the A6500? That would be disappointing given it was a recommended combination.
Thanks, Jamie
I have owned a Sony Zeiss 24-70/2.8 SSM lens for about 6 years. Since I bought it (new), I have told myself the sharpness at the corners is normal. Maybe I have been trying to justify the cost of the lens, but I want to know what you think. I also want to hear form other SAL2470Z owners. What do you think of the lens you own? Does it look like this in the corners? (For full resolution version, click here.) This shot was handheld with a Sony a900 at ISO200, 1/500sec, ƒ7.1. I made sure to turn off any distortion correction in Capture One, and turned the sharpening down to zero. Note the smeared details at the corners. For what it's worth, no amount of correction in Capture One fixes this issue. Everywhere else in the image is amazingly sharp and always has been. It's just the corners that annoy me. If this were a $500 lens, I'd maybe get used to it, but it was over $1200 and that stings.
I've also noticed that even a single filter causes terrible vignetting at the corners at 24mm. Again, I've told myself this is normal, but it sucks when I use a polarizing filter for a landscape and I end up with black corners at the widest focal length. You can see it slightly in this shot. Apertures smaller than ƒ8 are much worse.
I am looking for recommendations for a tele zoom to be used only on the A7RII. I am pretty flexible in terms of focal length and speed, and mostly interested in optical performance as well as price. Size matters, but it is not the most crucial factor.
Basically, I wish to find a fairly affordable lens which gives a flat field and good, even sharpness across the frame, at least at f/8-11, preferably at f/4-5.6, too. The focal length range should cover at least 100-200mm, over 400mm is definitely not needed, and down to even 28mm range is a nice option (as long as the 100-200mm performance is strong). As the mirrorless Alpha system opens so many possibilities and my requirements are not dictated by the numbers on the lens barrel, I am quite at lost. In this focal length range, I have previously used pretty much all the Canon L zooms and many of the 70-300 type consumer lenses in EF mount. I have no experience on their performance on this new body, and I no longer even have access to any of those lenses. For adapted lenses, I anyway prefer a solution that is usable with a dumb adapter ring (Canon EF isn't).
The intended use for the lens is mainly tight landscapes and cityscapes. I therefore require the 100-200mm focal length range, and sharpness across frame is very important. May print really big sometimes, and will definitely view big at 4k resolution (and higher as soon as available) including crops. I will certainly use the lens also for detail shots, portraits, and some wildlife and sports. However, sports and birds in flight etc. are no priority, and this need not be the most flattering portrait lens either. Manual focus is just fine, and I currently mostly use MF lenses. Lens speed is secondary, but an f/2.8 lens is interesting. I prefer constant aperture, but it's not a major consideration (and does not rule out the 28-200 type zooms, if there are good alternatives out there). Tripod ring on the lens is good to have, but not a requirement.
I travel a lot, walk around and do plenty of hikes, so small size is nice. My initial thought therefore is buying two lenses for this tele-zoom-for-landscapes purpose: one good smaller lens, and one bigger lens with higher performance. If a single lens gets the job done, this allows spending more on it. The short-term budget is perhaps about 1000 EUR/USD (for one lens), but I really don't mind going cheap. I don't think I will spend more than 2500 EUR/USD for the one or two lenses combined, and I may not have that much right away. Good adapter should be included in the price, if it isn't a native lens. I have some adapters, but they may be too flimsy for large and heavy lenses, and I have not tested them on the full-frame body so far.
In summary, what's your recommendation for:
- Tele zoom covering at least 100-200mm
- Sharp across the frame
- May be native or adapted
- May be AF or MF
- As small and light as possible (optical performance more important)
- Should not cost much more than 1000 EUR/USD (with high-quality adapter)
I am looking for real use experience / recommendation on the Sony A6300 and associated lens for taking what one could argue is one of the harder shots to take without going to high end pro cameras and lens that cost a few thousand dollar: indoor action shots in which you need a zoom to get close enough to the subject with less than ideal lighting (think dance, indoor sports, etc.)
I am coming from an older Nikon D80 with a Nikor 18-135 (F3.5-5.6) lens and taking any indoor action shots with it at zoom was not even possible. As I am looking to update my camera, I am looking to see what I would need to improve the one area I never could do with my Nikon. Again, I understand, that one really likely needs a $3K camera and a $5K lens to do this well, and something less to likely get acceptable shots.
Considering the high majority of my use does not push the camera to this limits, I like the other features, size and price of the A6300 which is why I am really liking this as my next camera, but I am concerned I will not get much improvement over my Nikon D60 / lens to get much better for these indoor action shots. The only Sony lens that I think would come close is the 70-200 lens with an F stop of 2.8 but that itself would cost $2500 just for that one lens alone, and I am not even sure that would significantly improve my ability.
Does anyone have any real world experience with the A6300 with indoor action shots with zoom and any reports you can provide and / or other lens recommendations?