Summicron 23 and Sony 35mm 2.8 comparison?

[Guest]

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Hello,

Does anyone have any experience with the Sony/Zeiss 35mm 2.8 on the A7 series? Any thoughts with how it compares to the Summicron 23mm would be appreciated. I own the T and 23mm and enjoy the rendering and contrast but have been considering Sony full frame. Would there be a noticeable difference in depth of field with full frame 2.8 vs crop 2.0? The only thing I feel the T occasionally lacks is background separation for environmental portraits.

Cheers

Edited June 1, 2019 by Guest

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[lct]

I have no experience with this Summicron sorry but at full aperture, any 23/2 APS-C lens has more or less the same DoF as a 35/2.8 on full frame cameras

[jaapv]

10 hours ago, shawrob said:

Hello,

Does anyone have any experience with the Sony/Zeiss 35mm 2.8 on the A7 series? Any thoughts with how it compares to the Summicron 23mm would be appreciated. I own the T and 23mm and enjoy the rendering and contrast but have been considering Sony full frame. Would there be a noticeable difference in depth of field with full frame 2.8 vs crop 2.0? The only thing I feel the T occasionally lacks is background separation for environmental portraits.

Cheers

As LCT says, there should not be a DOF difference based on numbers. Should you opt for a lens of the same aperture for full-frame, the DOF will be more narrow on paper, but:

You'll only see a difference from DOF if your style of photography depends heavily on the amount of DOF. If you, like many of us, control subject separation not only by the aperture ring but also by framing, subject distance and composition, or indeed by subject choice, the effect will be small.

I might add that the acuity and contrast of the Leica lens increases the impression of shallow DOF, as it is a subjective phenomenon anyway, so  any difference you see will be less than the bare numbers indicate, or in your case, the DOF of the APS-C lens should appear to be slightly more pronounced.

Edited June 2, 2019 by jaapv

[Guest]

4 hours ago, jaapv said:

As LCT says, there should not be a DOF difference based on numbers. Should you opt for a lens of the same aperture for full-frame, the DOF will be more narrow on paper, but:

You'll only see a difference from DOF if your style of photography depends heavily on the amount of DOF. If you, like many of us, control subject separation not only by the aperture ring but also by framing, subject distance and composition, or indeed by subject choice, the effect will be small.

I might add that the acuity and contrast of the Leica lens increases the impression of shallow DOF, as it is a subjective phenomenon anyway, so  any difference you see will be less than the bare numbers indicate, or in your case, the DOF of the APS-C lens should appear to be slightly more pronounced.

Interesting that it would be a similar depth of field, of course with framing and distance from background etc that can be adjusted. I agree that there's something about the contrast that gives the affect of a larger sensor, I do truly think the T with latest firmware is a great piece of kit. Will probably look at some adapted options for portraits/shallow DOF rather than change system. Any lens suggestions for around 50-85mm equivalent with adapter? I've seen there is a cheap 7Artisans 55 but maybe not the sharpest wide open. 

Thanks for the input!

Rob

[jaapv]

My favourite on the CL is the Summicron-C 40 mm.

[Boojay]

If looking for separation, obvious choice would be sticking with L mount and 35mm 1.4TL, keeping autofocus and no adapter needed.  Expensive, but cheaper than entire new system (Sony).    If sharpness and dof is your thing then the new Voigtlander M Mount 50 or 40mm 1.2's are really good performers.  I am using the 40mm1.2 more and more, very sharp lens, nice size and weight for the CL.  Good luck with your choices, mirrorless opens up so many options with plenty of adaptors out there.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 2, 2019 by Boojay

[colonel]

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On ‎6‎/‎1‎/‎2019 at 10:20 PM, shawrob said:

Hello,

Does anyone have any experience with the Sony/Zeiss 35mm 2.8 on the A7 series? Any thoughts with how it compares to the Summicron 23mm would be appreciated. I own the T and 23mm and enjoy the rendering and contrast but have been considering Sony full frame. Would there be a noticeable difference in depth of field with full frame 2.8 vs crop 2.0? The only thing I feel the T occasionally lacks is background separation for environmental portraits.

Cheers

thats a FF lens vs APS-C lens.  no comparison is valid

BTW the sony 35mm f2.8 is super sharp

Edited June 4, 2019 by colonel

[jaapv]

3 hours ago, colonel said:

thats a FF lens vs APS-C lens.  no comparison is valid

BTW the sony 35mm f2.8 is super sharp

Oh, but there is a valid comparison, in fact, the most valid of all. Process and print an identical image from both lenses to the best of your ability, forget everything about gear, and compare.

[colonel]

On ‎6‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 2:20 PM, jaapv said:

Oh, but there is a valid comparison, in fact, the most valid of all. Process and print an identical image from both lenses to the best of your ability, forget everything about gear, and compare.

soon you'll be saying that your iphone is comparable to a GFX100 on a phone screen in good light

 

[jaapv]

Well, it is...

 

On a smaller scale, I can process MFT images to match M240 ones on my A3+ prints, provided I use the same or same level lens. 

[michaelbogdan]

I sold my TL2 over the summer along with this lens and the 35mm summilux for the Sony A7 iii. I much prefer the Sony 35 2.8, separation is better and it's sharp as hell. That said, I really really miss the 35mm Summilux-T. I bought the Sony 50mm 1.4 planar, and while it's a gorgeous lens, it doesn't have the same look and feel as that lux. It's also so big that I hate taking it out. The TL2 with that lens was perfect, I switched systems though because I have a baby now and that that eye focus on the newer Sony bodies is no joke, I missed way too many shots with the TL2. I thought about going with an SL, but those lenses are even larger. All that's to say, there's a need for small, high quality cameras. I hope Leica doesn't abandon APS-C, faster focusing and 23mm summilux would for sure bring be back.