In 2022, we have more than ten 24mm prime lenses available for Sony full-frame E-mount cameras. The Zeiss Batis 25mm F2 and Sony 24mm GM F1.4 are currently the two most expensive options in the market, where the Batis costs $1200 and the GM costs $1400.
Is there any benefit to upgrading your current Zeiss Batis 25mm F2 to Sony 24mm GM F1.4? Or should you spend $200 more on the GM for your only 24mm fast prime? Let’s check it out!
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If you own the top-performing lens in 2015 that cost you a thousand dollars, would it be outdated when paired with the latest entry-level full frame camera in 2022? I got the Zeiss Batis 25mm F2 and the Sony A7 MK IV today. How well could the lens keep up with the camera? Is the Zeiss Batis 25mm F2 still worth the $1200 premium in 2022? Let’s check it out!
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Sony announced its first full-frame mirrorless camera, the Sony A7 in 2013 with 5 FE lenses. Many people criticized that the number of FE lenses was far less than sufficient. More and more 3rd party manufacturers have joined the line to produce Sony FE mount lenses throughout the years. Samyang is one of the manufacturers that produce amazing FE AF lenses at an affordable price. The Samyang AF 24 mm F2.8 FE lens is the latest product in Sony FE lines. It is designed in a compact form that is almost identical to the Samyang AF 35 mm F2.8 FE and Sony Zeiss 35 mm F2.8.
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In 2012, Sony announced the original Sony RX1 and RX1R- a surprisingly small form factor compact full-frame camera. Technically, Sony RX1R is a Sony RX1 without an AA (anti-alias) filter. Both of them come with an outstanding Zeiss Sonnar F2 fixed lens and output impressive images from the 24 MP sensor. (You may read my review for the original RX1R here). Although the original Sony RX1R gives impressive output, it still has a lot of room for improvement. After three years of waiting, Sony finally announced the successor – the Sony RX1R II.
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Bokeh! A special optical effect that almost every photographer is pursuing. It is pronounced as “boh-kay”, which originated from Japanese that means something blurry. In the photography world, Bokeh is defined as how the lens renders the out-of-focus region. The Bokeh can be the background with a circular out-of-focus effect or smooth blur out-of-focus rendering background. There is some debating for the definition, but we treat both of them as Bokeh here.
Bokeh is always one of the key difference between the interchangeable lens camera (ILC) and compact camera because it is challenging to get this smooth-rendered background from the compact camera. However, some people are using ILC but do not get the Bokeh effect as well. So we will have a look at what is essential to get the Bokeh in our shots.
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The last photography tips discussed about 10 Factors to be Considered Before Buying a Lens, and basically, we know that there are two types of lenses, the prime lens, and the zoom lens.
Above is the Sony Zeiss SEL55F18Z prime lens, which provides one wide and smooth focus ring. You don’t get the second zoom ring here because it does not change the focal length!
Many photography amateurs and professionals are in love with the prime lens or even insist on using it whenever possible. However, many people who just migrated to interchangeable-lens-camera (ILC) are intimidated by the prime lens. It is because we have to move closer or get away from our subject physically. And we will think, “it is for professional use, not for me.”
So let’s get rid of that mindset. We will find out why so many people are in love in the prime lens in today’s post.
We always hear people talk about “fast prime,” so what is it? The prime lens usually comes with a larger aperture like F1.8, F1.4, or even F1.2 that we never see on any typical zoom lens (usually we see the zoom lens comes with the max aperture at F2.8). A larger aperture allows more light to hit the image sensor in a shorter time, which means we can use a faster shutter speed to avoid any motion blur. It is handy when we are shooting in the low-light scene.
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IIn the previous posts, we discussed 5 Considerations Before Buy a Camera, 5 Reasons to Own a P&S camera, 5 Reasons to Own a Mirrorless Camera, and 5 Reasons to Own a DSLR camera. If you buy a Point and Shoot (P&S) camera, then congrats, you can start your photography journey immediately. However, if you want to buy a mirrorless camera or DSLR, you must have at least one lens to pair with your camera before starting shooting.
So which lens should you buy? How to choose a proper lens for yourself?
Kit lens, a standard zoom lens that comes with purchasing your new camera at a very low price. It covers the standard zoom range from 28mm to 70 mm in 35mm equivalent for normal daily usage. If you are new to photography, a standard kit lens is enough for you to learn all the necessary skills for photography.
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After visiting the SEA Aquarium and having an extensive collection of shootings (over 500+), I have some thoughts about shooting in the aquarium to share with you guys.
If you never or rarely visit the aquarium, it is very easy to over-shoot. You may have multiples shots for each scene to ensure that you have at least one or few good shots for that scene. I almost used up two fully charged batteries throughout the tour. Each of them lasts for around 300 shots.
Focal length between 24 and 50 mm (in 35 mm equivalence) is recommended because they have a wider angle of view and allow you to shoot closer to your subject. A larger aperture allows more light so that you do not need to bump up too much ISO. Be careful here, large apertures like F2, F1.8, and any smaller F values, will have a tiny part of the subject in focus. I used the Sony SEL24F18Z and kept my aperture between F2.8 and F5.6 to get enough DoF while having a large enough aperture to maintain a lower ISO.
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Today, I would like to review the Sony Zeiss SEL24F18Z prime lens, as mentioned in the previous post. Although the SEL24F18Z was introduced and released in 2011 December, it is still one of the best prime lenses in the market. Besides, I prefer to do a specific review for each E-mount lens before comparing them (e.g., the SEL24F18Z, SEL35F18, and perhaps the Carl Zeiss Touit 32 mm).
Sony introduced and released their “home-made” Zeiss E-mount prime lens – the Sony Zeiss SEL24F18Z in 2011 December. This lens aims to deliver superior corner-to-corner sharpness with minimum distortion even at the largest aperture F1.8. The SEL24F18Z performance had been praised and complimented by most of its owners, but it comes with an extremely high price tag (SGD 1,699). So is it worth the price for you to purchase it? And so, how does it perform?
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