Andy Westlake tries out Sony’s latest premium fast prime designed for Alpha 7 users.
Back in 2006, Sony took over Konica Minolta’s troubled camera business in a bid to become a major player in the market. Ten years on and its relentless experimentation and innovation have paid dividends, with the Alpha 7 full-frame mirrorless system rapidly establishing itself as a serious alternative to high-end DSLRs.
There’s no point having hugely ambitious cameras like the 42.4-million-pixel Alpha 7R II, though, without lenses to match. To this end, Sony has also been rapidly building up its full-frame FE range, which, from a standing start in 2013, now numbers 17 lenses as well as various converters. Its latest is the premium Zeiss-branded Planar T* FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA.
Sony’s marketing tagline is ‘Tomorrow’s lenses today’, and by this it means that it is designing optics to satisfy the requirements of not just the latest high-resolution sensors, but future generations as well. To this end, it has established a couple of premium lines, with its home-grown ‘G Master’ range exemplified by the recent FE 85mm f/1.4 GM. Somewhat confusingly, the line developed in partnership with Zeiss is essentially parallel, but the lenses have a specific balance of optical properties.
Whatever the design intention, it’s impossible to miss the new 50mm’s price. At £1,499, it’s more than double that of the existing Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA, which, at around £620, is already very much a premium lens and has gained an enviable reputation for optical quality. In context, Sigma’s stunning 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM | Art for full-frame DSLRs is currently around £580, while Samyang’s new, directly competing FE-fit 50mm f/1.4 will cost just £449. So how can Sony conceivably justify such a wallet-busting price tag?
Features
Bu hikaye Amateur Photographer dergisinin August 20,2016 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Amateur Photographer dergisinin August 20,2016 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
John Wade considers...World War II: Home Front 1940, by A.J O'Brien
Say the word 'Wall's' to those of a certain age and two things spring to mind: sausages and ice cream.
Panasonic FZ82D
If you want the flexibility of a superzoom bridge camera, then the FZ82D is a new model to tempt you. But is it any good? Amy Davies finds out
Leica D-Lux 8
Leica's latest advanced zoom compact resurrects a much-loved line, but can it challenge the Fujifilm X100VI? Andy Westlake finds out
Focus stacking for macro
In macro photography, depth of field is a real issue, but Rod Lawton shows how focus bracketing and Photoshop can fix it
Something magic
The official invention of photography is hard to pin down, but it's possibly 200 years old this year. Michael Pritchard takes a closer look at one of its pioneers
Fugue by Lydia Goldblatt
A profound and moving reflection on love, life, grief, childhood and motherhood, Fugue is a wonderful body of work, says Amy Davies
Honor's new phone crush, plus eye-tracking tech
It’s not exactly been a quiet summer for new phone announcements, but the pace is about to get even more hectic, with the massive IFA consumer electronics show taking place soon in Berlin (on 6-10 September).
Final Analysis
Peter Dench considers...'Matt, Border Morris Dancer, Clerical Error, Chester City' by Ryley Morton
Join the Club
PhotoClub247 is an online-only club of 400 friendly members and offers free live webinars
A new light on landscapes
Liam Man's dramatic, drone-lit landscapes have won him international acclaim. He tells Geoff Harris about his approach, and why still images still appeal more than video