Tag: SEL24F18Z

  • Photography Tips: 10 Consideration Before Buy a Lens

    Photography Tips: 10 Consideration Before Buy a Lens

    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.

    Sony A-Mount Lenses Image taken from: Sony Official Website
    Sony A-Mount Lenses Image taken from: Sony Official Website

    So which lens should you buy? How to choose a proper lens for yourself?

    1. Kit Lens

    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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  • SEL35F18 vs SEL24F18Z

    SEL35F18 vs SEL24F18Z

    Before Zeiss introduced the E-mount Zeiss Touit 32 mm, people always asked whether to choose the Sony SEL35F18 or the SEL24F18Z. Why? These were the only two lenses available for the E-mount NEX, which are not too wide or too narrow for the angle of view, and the main concern is their price difference which is almost 2.5 times (SGD 629 for the SEL35F18 and SGD1,699 for the SEL24F18Z). If the price difference is lesser, most of us will definitely go for the Zeiss.

    SEL24F18Z (Left) and SEL35F18 (Right)
    SEL24F18Z (Left) and SEL35F18 (Right)

    However, we cannot do anything about their prices. Many websites have individual reviews for each of them but not the comparison between both of them. So I decided to make a simple comparison for both of them here since I have the chance to test out both lenses. I hope that this post can help those who are frustrated/annoyed/hesitant about which lens is the one for you, and anyone who owns any of these lenses is welcome to leave your comment too here to help out those potential owners.

    You may also read my individual reviews about the Sony SEL35F18 and Sony SEL24F18Z for more information.

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  • Photography Tips: Shooting in Aquarium

    Photography Tips: Shooting in Aquarium

    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.

    1. Bring an Extra Battery or Two

    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.

    2. Use a Lens with Wide-Angle Focal Length and Large Aperture

    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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  • Photography Tips: Shooting at the Wedding Banquet

    Photography Tips: Shooting at the Wedding Banquet

    This is my first post for the photography tips series. Although I’m not a professional wedding photographer, the tips below are what I learned and sorted from various online resources and applied during the wedding banquet. In addition, by sharing my experience with all of you here, I hope you will share yours with me to help each other improve.

    Tips

    1. Be Ready and Well Prepared

    Check your camera condition, ensure all the settings like exposure, white balance, ISO, flash mode, or any other settings are set up correctly. Ensure the battery is fully charged and the memory card is formatted.

    2. Have Extra Backup Equipment

    Having multiple batteries and memory cards is a plus. I highly recommend you to bring an extra camera as backup (yea I know the it costs more $$). Ensure you are familiar with it and the settings are identical/similar to your primary gear. A zoom lens is good enough and convenient. But if you prefer to use a prime lens on your primary camera, attach another lens with different focal lengths on the backup camera as you do not have extra time to change your lens carefully.

    3. Shoot in RAW

    It is another highly recommended tip. It is critical and easy to overexpose the bride’s white dress or underexpose the groom’s dark suit. You will need the capability of RAW to get them right.

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  • Review: Sony Zeiss SEL24F18Z

    Review: Sony Zeiss SEL24F18Z

    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).

    Introduction

    Sony Zeiss SEL24F18Z - with B+W UV Filter
    Sony Zeiss SEL24F18Z – with B+W UV Filter

    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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