The Amazing Sony A1/A7/A9/APS-C & Anything else welcome Mega Thread!

Sorry to hear this Alan.i know how much you wanted the lens.have you considered the Raynox 250 if youve not already trued one that is
 
Sorry you're not happy but I have to say I've never considered using a Macro lens as a walkabout because it's just not what they're designed to do. If you want a good indoor/fast focusing portrait lens, use your 55 prime. If you want to shoot Macro, use manual focus.

Is it so bad to carry a set of extension tubes in your pocket if you really only want to carry 1 lens? It takes 30 seconds to fit them if you come across something close you want to shoot.
 
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To add, I really wouldn't use close up filters on your 55. You'd be putting unknown glass in front of probably the sharpest FE lens there is just to save 30 seconds of mounting extension tubes or swapping to a suitable lens. Your first post said that the Macro lens is sharp when it focussed, did you try it using manual focus which is really how you should be using a Macro?

A Macro lens is designed to focus at its' closest distance rather than everything up to infinity so it's never going to be a general all round lens. They also need lots of light as per all Macro work so you're right, it would probably fail miserably (to be a fast prime) in a low light restaurant but that's not the fault of the lens, it's the way it's being used.
 
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There is only one good Macro lens for the FE mount, the FE 90mm f2.8 Macro :D anything else seems a compromise.
 
Fuguru said:
There is only one good Macro lens for the FE mount, the FE 90mm f2.8 Macro :D anything else seems a compromise.
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I reckon it's as much down to the way it's being used but yeah, anything less than a G just isn't worth using.. [emoji42]
 
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stevelmx5 said:
Sorry you're not happy but I have to say I've never considered using a Macro lens as a walkabout because it's just not what they're designed to do. If you want a good indoor/fast focusing portrait lens, use your 55 prime. If you want to shoot Macro, use manual focus.

Is it so bad to carry a set of extension tubes in your pocket if you really only want to carry 1 lens? It takes 30 seconds to fit them if you come across something close you want to shoot.
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I don't agree with your point about me using the lens wrongly. I may be wrong but I think there's a lot of people using 50mm macro lenses how I'd like to, as a quality general purpose lens, and indeed I'm pretty sure this is why they make them and indeed it's even mentioned in reviews :D but sadly I just can't see the Sony working for me as I'd be better off using it in MF not just for close up shooting but for distance shooting too and that would take away the advantage of having AF available for faster than MF shooting at normal distances, and I already have a perfectly good MF 50mm macro.

Anyway, your two points about how I'm misusing it.

The light gathering ability of f2.8 is enough for me a lot of the time especially when considering the pretty good higher ISO performance of modern cameras and if I could choose between a 50mm f1.x and a close focusing f2.8 as a walkabout and general purpose day out and holiday lens I'd take the f2.8 for its close focus ability and have a 50mm f1.x for the much rarer times when I want f1.x-2.8 as I like to take close up pictures of things that catch my eye. With a 50mm f1.2/1.4/1.8 I sometimes can't take the pictures I want as the minimum focus distance is too long and instead I have to take the shot and carry out heavy crops and sometimes if the subject is small it's just not worth it as the crop would be too heavy and IQ would go down the toilet.

As I've owned AF macro lenses before I'm well aware that they're normally slower focusing but as I don't tend to shoot fast action this isn't generally a problem for me and the Sony lens would be fast enough if it was consistent but sadly I just can't get consistent results from it at any distance. Close up focusing is maybe not a problem as I'd be using MF anyway but at other distances I'd want to use the AF. Yes, the speed of operation at normal distances and infinity is slower than a normal non macro lens but is still acceptable as is even the speed of operation from close up to infinity, that's not the problem, the problem is the inconsistency. I've owned AF macro lenses before and I've even used what I think is a similar design before, the Canon 50mm f2.5, that lens is a similar extending slow to operate mechanical thing too.

The problem I have with this lens isn't the light gathering ability or the speed of operation it's the inconsistency. Focus is "achieved" when it's off and focus lock is inexplicably inconsistent. It'll lock on to the same target several times and then just fail and the next time it may fail to lock on to the same subject on the first attempt whereas my other lenses are much more consistent. It's as if everything is at the edge of the lenses performance capability but it's below my rather low minimum expectations.

I'm not exactly new to this and I do put the focus point where I'd expect to be giving the gear the best chance but I just didn't get consistent performance. I don't and haven't had this problem with any other lens I've had. I couldn't get 6 shots in a row I was happy with and that just isn't right and I'm not talking about the small focus differences you'd expect when pixel peeping DSLR shots, I'm talking about failure to consistently and accurately lock onto subjects that I'd expect to be hitting consistently.

Maybe I have a duffer and maybe I'm the only one reporting this inconsistency. I couldn't find too many review and those I found did mention hunting but my experience testing the lens in both lower and good light gave performance that was beyond the odd hunting and I'm not happy with it.

Sorry for the long post. It's a lovely lens apart from the focus performance.

And a PS.
I've had close up filters for a looooong time and sharpness in the centre is good, performance is less good at the edges and these things are never going to be as good as a macro or even close focusing lens but they're good enough and putting them on the front of one of the sharpest consumer lenses there is (the 55mm) is only going to make them sharper where they are sharp.

I would post some examples but I can't be bothered. Just trust me on this, reasonably good close focus filters are ok :D but just like any other filter they're a faff and need to be retrieved and fitted for one shot and taken off and put away for the next.
 
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Fuguru said:
There is only one good Macro lens for the FE mount, the FE 90mm f2.8 Macro :D anything else seems a compromise.
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If I was going to choose a lens for close up shooting it'd probably be the Sigma 150mm. I had that lens and it was perfect for the sort of stuff I used it for which wasn't 1:1 shooting as such but just close up shots of flowers, leaves and interesting stuff and the like. The problem with that lens (and I'd choose 150mm over 90 every time for the perspective and DoF) and other longer lenses like the 90mm is the bulk and also the FoV which isn't my normal home. My normal home is somewhere between normal widish and normal longish so something between 28 and 85mm and I particularly like 35 to 50mm FoV. A 50mm macro will allow close up shooting but isn't going to give the perspective a 150mm would give but all of life is a compromise and given the choice between a big fat long lens with lovely perspective and DoF but a limited FoV for non close up stuff and a compact 50mm lacking the perspective and associated DoF but more useable in my normal FoV range and I'd mostly choose the 50mm as a one lens solution.

Others obviously disagree and would go for a two or more lens solution and I do do that, I sometimes take two or three lenses out with me but a one lens setup is better for me in two scenarios... when I'm with other people and I don't want to be the geek with the camera slowing everything up and when I'm in a place I don't want to be changing lenses.

YMMV.
 
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It's going back.

The dealer said they sell a lot of them so I assume it's just my copy or me :(
 
@woof woof Sorry if my post sounded like I was having a go, that wasn't my intention. You obviously have the lens in front of you and I don't but I still believe that a Macro lens isn't an ideal 'walkabout' option as it's built with a specific function in mind. It's a bit like me buying a tilt-shift and being unhappy about the performance shooting football with it :0)

I'm glad you've been able to return it, maybe if you use the 55 as a walkabout and put a small manual Macro lens in your pocket for those times you want to shoot close up?
 
I don't think you're having a go Steve (and even if you were we all do from time to time and we seem to get over it) and that's why I made such long winded replies, to explain to you and any other interested parties what the issues were and that I'd tried my best to give it a good chance to work well when testing it.

To be honest I've probably got too much into a mindset of ignoring reviews or at least taking them with a pinch of salt as my needs are honestly a little more humble than those of the average on line reviewer and pixel peeper so when I read reports of slow focus and hunting maybe I didn't give them quite enough weight. It is still possible that I just got a duffer or maybe the lens would work better on a MK2 body, I don't know but I would advise anyone thinking of getting one of these to buy from a dealer with a good returns policy rather than someone off evil bay who could be a problem if you don't get on with the lens.

I got mine from Bristol Cameras and it was £70 cheaper than Wex and Jessops and as they're a good dealer I've bought from before they agreed to take it back (and it's my legal right to return it) and all it costs me is the postage. Fair enough.

Tilt shift lenses are different and to be honest the cost, weight and bulk would put me off using them for any other function but even if a normal FoV macro isn't for you I hope you can see how it could well be for me and others who just want a good 50mm with close focusing ability. Not all macro lenses are used for 1:1 and indeed not all do 1:1 such as the Canon f2.5 and even older manual focus ones like the Minolta, Canon FD and Olympus Zuiko offerings and indeed in those days 1:1 was rare and I think the Sigma I have is one of the few that do it without a lifesize adapter which is just an extension tube. Some modern ones still need a lifesize adapter. In the past there were even 35mm macro lenses but I don't know if anyone still does them. These sort of lenses and not longer ones used to be the go to lenses for stuff like copying because of their performance across the frame and their FoV. Going by your interpretation of a macro lenses and its uses who would ever buy a 35 or 50mm macro and possibly one that doesn't even do 1:1? The answer is that it depends on use and whilst for many uses a longer macro would be better than a shorter one for reasons of working distance (for bugs and stuff that may get frightened and fly away) and perspective for my use sometimes a shorter macro is more use.

I have the Sigma which I occasionally use on my A7 but mostly use on MFT for a 100mm FoV. I would like an AF 50mm close focusing lens but I'll have to wait for Sony to do another or for Sigma or Tamron to do one. TBH I don't know why Sony have done this lens like they have. Why not just fit a more modern focus system and charge more for it? I'd pay another £100-200 for a lens of the same packaging and image quality but with more reliable and consistent focus performance.

There is the option of getting a Sigma 50mm 2.8 (that's a true macro) or another Canon 50mm f2.5 (not a true macro as it needs the lifesize adapter) but both would involve using an adapter and at the mo I don't want to do that and would much rather have a lens that mounts onto the A7. Silly Me :D
 
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I use an OM Zuiko 50/3.5 Macro for the times I want to get close and either the Sony E 50/1.8 or sometimes an OM 50/1.8 if it's nearer for walkabout or portrait work. I know the Zuiko Macro isn't 1:1 but with a basic extension tube it get close enough for what I want and is still small enough to go into my pocket.

DSC03187 by Steve Lloyd, on Flickr

Might just be an idea to use the 55/1.8 you already have for your walkabout and keep a comparatively tiny Macro lens in your pocket by you can fit in 30 seconds if you see something interesting? Unfortunately there is no single perfect lens so it's sometimes more about the best compromise.
 
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Made a thread on dp about how poor the a7r2 is for studio work and got lots of replies that within days it got closed cuz it reached max post limit!
 
jonneymendoza said:
Made a thread on dp about how poor the a7r2 is for studio work and got lots of replies that within days it got closed cuz it reached max post limit!
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That's because Sony went backwards in their firmware updates that made some of the lenses including G Masters very difficult to use for studio work, it's the way the auto-focus / lens IRIS works.
 
Fuguru said:
That's because Sony went backwards in their firmware updates that made some of the lenses including G Masters very difficult to use for studio work, it's the way the auto-focus / lens IRIS works.
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Bs innit. I don't think I will upgrade to an a9 or whatever until it's fixed.
 
jonneymendoza said:
Bs innit. I don't think I will upgrade to an a9 or whatever until it's fixed.
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I know, I hope they fix it and that it's not a inherently bad design, I believe it was something to do with AF focus shift which prompted Sony to change the way the IRIS open/closes during AF acquisition.
I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned on here.
I'm expecting the Sony A7III / A9 to be a FF version of the A6500.
 
jonneymendoza said:
i did mention it here but got ignored lol.

The thing is, the A6500 still has same issue?!?!?
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I think it's a inherent design of the Sony mirrorless system and how Sony's AF system works with certain lenses to acquire focus.
It was working on the first two firmware versions but Sony said this configuration caused mis-focus / focus shift with certain lenses. Not great for pro use, they then changed it and made it worse for studio work! Lol
 
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jonneymendoza said:
Some lenses don't stop down when focus and stay at f8 or whatever aperture u had making focusing difficult as it hurts even in good light in af-c mode
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Do you mean the lens aperture doesn't open up to make focusing easier then stop down to the aperture you select when you take the shot? I could see where Sony would say there would be mis-focusing with stop down focusing because the camera will (in theory) lock focus more easily with a narrower aperture and resulting deeper depth of focus but that it going to mean pushing the ISO and risking hunting.
 
stevelmx5 said:
Do you mean the lens aperture doesn't open up to make focusing easier then stop down to the aperture you select when you take the shot? I could see where Sony would say there would be mis-focusing with stop down focusing because the camera will lock focus more easily with a narrower aperture and resulting deeper depth of focus but that it going to mean pushing the ISO and risking hunting.
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Yea that's what I mean. But the other issue is that when doing this. It only uses contrast detection. Not the phase detection which is faster
 
Even I'd heard of the studio shooting problems... Doesn't affect me though :D

I'm trying to convince myself that my 50mm macro was duff and I should buy another... I've asked on DPR as there are more people there and there might be some who've used the lens on an A7. If it's not duff and mine was a typical example of the lens and how it works... Jeeez :(

I've never had to send a lens back in my life before this.
 
Durbs said:
Can you not ask for it to be replaced to see if it is just a bad copy?
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Could well be a bad copy as Sony lenses are notorious for QC. Even the G Masters, think my 70-200mm f2.8 G Master was a bad copy.
 
Durbs said:
Can you not ask for it to be replaced to see if it is just a bad copy?
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Fuguru said:
Could well be a bad copy as Sony lenses are notorious for QC. Even the G Masters, think my 70-200mm f2.8 G Master was a bad copy.
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I maybe should have asked for a replacement but I think I just lost confidence and sometimes to be honest I don't think too clearly, I sometimes don't get to bed until 4am and have to be up and at it at 8 so sometimes I'm not quite at my best :D That's my life.

But to get this when the focus is taken off the chip? I can understand if it was soft on one side and not the other etc... but inconsistent focus? Maybe?
 
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Sorry about the double post. I missed a quote and then I lost my post and had to start again... what was I saying about being tired?
 
stevelmx5 said:
Might just be an idea to use the 55/1.8 you already have for your walkabout and keep a comparatively tiny Macro lens in your pocket by you can fit in 30 seconds if you see something interesting? Unfortunately there is no single perfect lens so it's sometimes more about the best compromise.
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When I'm by myself it's not a problem as I can take a bag full of lenses but when I'm with someone else and especially when I'm with my GF I'm conscious that I spend too much time messing about with gear so one camera one lens is best. I guess for now I'll just stick to the 35mm (or 50) when out with her and crop heavily if I want to shoot a flower, or summot.
 
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woof woof said:
When I'm by myself it's not a problem as I can take a bag full of lenses but when I'm with someone else and especially when I'm with my GF I'm conscious that I spend too much time messing about with gear so one camera one lens is best. I guess for now I'll just stick to the 35mm (or 50) when out with her and crop heavily if I want to shoot a flower, or summot.
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I get that and agree that nobody wants to be lugging a full bag of kit on a non-photography outing. My suggestion was to just keep a manual 50mm Macro in your pocket and fit it to the camera if you see something you like the look of. It's only going to add 30 seconds to swap lenses and you're then not compromising on the result or cropping.
 
jonneymendoza said:
Made a thread on dp about how poor the a7r2 is for studio work and got lots of replies that within days it got closed cuz it reached max post limit!
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Just had a look at the locked pt2 over there. Eejits over there, and predictable eejits.
 
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