High sharpness ~ 75mm - 90mm for studio?

eric4

eric4

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Howdy y'all,

I'm in a nice predicament where I'm requiring a camera that can be used to tether with Capture one.

My current K-3 and DA* 55mm 1.4 has been great so far in the studio. High sharpness, good flare resistance. The immense downfall is a new gig of mine is really going to require a C1 type software.

I will be shooting a high volume of product in a warehouse and can't really leave the warehouse as well, so color accuracy and tethering are quite vital. Especially because I've got to travel to these warehouses.

Looking to pickup an A7 for it's cost, ability to tether with C1, and because I wouldn't touch canon or nikon. A nice bonus is I've got a few nice M-mount lenses (esp the VM 50 1.5) that I can adapt.

Really looking for a ~90mm M-mount lens. Can't find much on the ZM 85 f4

Thanks
 
Assuming that you are not doing close ups, the 75 & 90mm Summarit-M lenses are very good indeed. The ZM 85 is too, albeit slower. The CV 90mm f3.5 is superb and probably the best value of the lot.
 
Given that you can put an adapter on, the cheapest quality lens would be the 85/2.8 c/y or 90/2.8 Contax G Sonnar, which is essentially the same lens. In Leicaland, the cheapest high sharpness option would be the latest 90/2.8 M Elmarit. Think also about the 60/2.8 Macro Elmarit R if you might want some closer range shots.
 
For absolute performance at this focal length few lenses can beat the 75mm APO-summicron. It is the sharpest lens I own and even at f2 it is technically superb.

But since you have an A7, why not take a look at the Zeiss 85mm F1.8? IMO having AF is a nice thing at these focal lengths, and particularly for product photography.
 
In my experience, if you are using lights (speedlights or studio lights) then your lens will be at it's best sharpness wise. Even lenses that aren't so sharp will look razor sharp in that situation.

One thing to consider is FOV. Framing and DOF. That's going to be a consideration too.
 
Probably the sharpest M-Mount tele that I own (and I have a few, including Summicron and Summilux) is the 90/4 CLE Rokkor. Tiny, too, half the size and price of the ZM 85/4.

For the A7, there is also a focusing AF adapter for classic Sony/Minolta SLR lenses. Even Nikon-biased Ken Rockwell gives that adapter thumbs-up, I remember. As a plus for your product shots, the adapter (Sony LAEA4) has a tripod mount. If you are interested, you might consider the Minolta AF 100/2.8 Macro lens, a stunning performer.

Either lens will be less than 300 bucks. If you want more glass and don't care about macro, there are also Minolta AF 100/2 or 85/1.4 lenses, both highly rated, and so much cheaper than equivalent Leica glass. The 85/1.4 is quite small actually (fat but short). For me - retaining the camera's AF capability would be a huge plus.

Roland.
 
ferider said:
Probably the sharpest M-Mount tele that I own (and I have a few, including Summicron and Summilux) is the 90/4 CLE Rokkor. Tiny, too, half the size and price of the ZM 85/4.

For the A7, there is also a focusing AF adapter for classic Sony/Minolta SLR lenses. Even Nikon-biased Ken Rockwell gives that adapter thumbs-up, I remember. As a plus for your product shots, the adapter (Sony LAEA4) has a tripod mount. If you are interested, you might consider the Minolta AF 100/2.8 Macro lens, a stunning performer.

Either lens will be less than 300 bucks. If you want more glass and don't care about macro, there are also Minolta AF 100/2 or 85/1.4 lenses, both highly rated, and so much cheaper than equivalent Leica glass. The 85/1.4 is quite small actually (fat but short). For me - retaining the camera's AF capability would be a huge plus.

Roland.
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I'll check out the Rokkor. I've got a pentax WR 100mm 2.8 macro which is a stunning lens but has no aperture control. I think it's possible to purchase a pentax to e-mount adapter that has a diaphragm to control aperture.

I don't own an A7 yet, but it seems like the cheapest option to avoid Canon or Nikon
 
meanwhile said:
Why not just the Sony FE 90mm? It's supposed to be a superb lens.
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That's for sure :) Supposedly sharper than the new Batis 85.

But really on the A7 all the 85s will be decent. I agree few if any will beat the 75 cron, besides that Sony, which is a bit slower.

The bokina is fantastic on the A7 cameras, cheap and also a great macro. I often use my Leica 90/2.5 Summarit, which I prefer to the Elmarit-M.

Just prepare for the A7's extreme pickyness 35 and wider, where very few lenses shine through that sensor.
 
You don't say what kind of product you're shooting. I shoot a lot of catalog work and by far the best combination Ive owned is my Nikon D800 and 85mm PC-E. Depending on the product the tilt and shift are invaluable. I shot a lot of pocket knives for a major knife manufacturer. When I started shooting these almost 15 years ago I quickly discovered when shooting at an oblique angle with blades partially open (standard catalog images) that it required stopping down to a point diffraction started causing softness. The depth was there but the image wasn't sharp. Every lens does this because it's diffraction. I went to a tilt shift lens and by tilting the lens I was able to achieve greater depth of focus at wider apertures eliminating the softness of diffraction. In normal catalog shots it wasn't obvious but some of the images were enlarged to six feet or more and softness was very apparent.

The 90mm TS-E is extremely sharp and corrected for close focus. The TS-E works much like a view camera.
 
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