My favorite lens ...

[sparkie1263]

I guess it is the 28-75 then. I wll have it shipped right to you for testing.LOL
Thanks
Frank
PS The pano is on its way for printing.

[dr4gon]

No, a great question.

The best test that I have seen, which kind of "tells the truth" is this:

1. Put your camera in "spot focus" mode
2. Take and place three "AA" batteries on a flat table top, staggered about one-inch apart, front to back, in a diagonal (/).
   
   Attachment 42115
   
3. Set your lens to f/4 aperture
4. Focus on the center battery
5. Use a tripod to get a good, steady shot ... or a shutter release cable, if possible (best if you have BOTH), to prevent shaking of the camera. -> Take the image.
6. On your computer, review the image. Look to see which battery looks in focus. If it is the middle one, great ... test complete. If it is one of the other batteries ... oh, oh
   
   Attachment 42116
   

Simple, right? You do not even need another lens to see the problem. You can do this type of test with ALL your lenses and determine if the focus is correct ... or screwed up. Just bear in mind the M.F.D. (minimum focus distance) and that your are beyond it. It can range from 8-inches to 10-feet! If you take a moment and click on MY GEAR LIST, in my signature, I have posted M.F.D.s for all my lenses.

It really is hard for the repair guys to argue with this kind of depicted PROOF!

Thanks for the tip. I was wondering myself but didn't know the specifics of how to do it (1" apart) to check for front/back focus.

Also regarding 50mm, thanks.. I'll be going to the Sony Style store this week to see what's what and what I should get next. The more I look at the reviews and the numbers (photozone), I see the 135mm is a pretty clear winner for the IQ. Range is a different story, I'll have to use it and see. The 85mm also seems pretty far ahead of the 50mm/1.4 since it provides very clear IQ at the center and edge even at 1.4 and beyond.

I guess it is the 28-75 then. I wll have it shipped right to you for testing.LOL
Thanks
Frank
PS The pano is on its way for printing.

I think that's a great choice. I wish my 17-50mm had more range. But for wide shots, it's nice, but you could use your kit lens for that. Just do what don said post if you aren't too sure. I think it should be obvious

I'm going to go through and test all my lenses in the coming week .

[scotts630]

Thanks for the tip.

[AJ Gressette]

Hey Don, nice post on the Focus test. I think this is a great tip because so many Sony owners have complained about soft photographs.

I had to end up doing the same thing with my Alpha-7. Turns out it was not the lens but the camera. However I tested my lenses wide open because it was the 2.8 Sensor in the A-7 camera that was an issue. Several Minolta lenses at 2.8 and below had serious back focus. Lenses above 2.8 focused perfect. Sony replaced the SI Screen, Focus Screen and recalibrate the camera. It’s 100 percent better now. I was glad to see the Alpha-9 with the micro adjustment.

[e_dawg]

Any other reason you chose the 135mm F/1.8 over the 85mm F/1.4? It seems like the 85mm would be more usable especially on the APS-C sensor. I'll have to try them out before making the decision obviously. The 85mm also has a larger aperture but I hear the 135mm is a tad sharper.

I feel somewhat similar to Don if you aggregate his thoughts over several replies in this thread... Basically, that 85-90 mm on APS-C is a bit of a no-man's land... at ~130 mm in 35 mm FF terms, it's too long for portraits and general shots indoors in small / med sized rooms, but too short for longer range shots at or above ~200 mm in 35 mm FF equiv. It would be a good macro focal length, but I assume you want this to be a multi-purpose macro / portrait / low-light lens.

IMO, most people would be better served by a 50-70 mm f/2.8 macro prime for a multi-purpose macro / portrait / low-light lens on APS-C. The Nikkor AF-S 60/2.8 macro on APS-C is a perfect multi-purpose focal length. 50-70 mm is too short if you are an avid macro / insect photographer, but most people usually want macro capability for occasional use and for larger than insect sized close-ups.

I am thinking the Tammy 90 mm macro would be equally as good as a multi-purpose macro / portrait / low-light lens and was tempted to purchase it, but it wasn't on sale at my sources. They had the Tamron 90 on sale for every mount EXCEPT for the A-mount.

[e_dawg]

Don, that's a great little test for front/back focus. The only thing I would add is that one should do this many times at different distances (and at different focal lengths for a zoom lens).

I do this sort of thing all the time for my Nikon and Sony lenses to calibrate my lenses to the bodies, and I often find that the optimal setting varies with both zoom setting and focus distance. So if I need +13 to correct for front-focus at 24 mm @ infinity, I might need to use +6 to correct for front-focus at 70 mm @ 4 feet, or vice-versa.

IMO, take 3-4 shots near the minimum focus distance and 3-4 shots near infinity focus for a prime... if you have a zoom, repeat at both the wide and long ends.

[dr4gon]

I feel somewhat similar to Don if you aggregate his thoughts over several replies in this thread... Basically, that 85-90 mm on APS-C is a bit of a no-man's land... at ~130 mm in 35 mm FF terms, it's too long for portraits and general shots indoors in small / med sized rooms, but too short for longer range shots at or above ~200 mm in 35 mm FF equiv. It would be a good macro focal length, but I assume you want this to be a multi-purpose macro / portrait / low-light lens.

IMO, most people would be better served by a 50-70 mm f/2.8 macro prime for a multi-purpose macro / portrait / low-light lens on APS-C. The Nikkor AF-S 60/2.8 macro on APS-C is a perfect multi-purpose focal length. 50-70 mm is too short if you are an avid macro / insect photographer, but most people usually want macro capability for occasional use and for larger than insect sized close-ups.

I am thinking the Tammy 90 mm macro would be equally as good as a multi-purpose macro / portrait / low-light lens and was tempted to purchase it, but it wasn't on sale at my sources. They had the Tamron 90 on sale for every mount EXCEPT for the A-mount.

You still looking for one? lol

[DonSchap]

What are you planning to replace it with, "dr4gon"?

[dr4gon]

What are you planning to replace it with, "dr4gon"?

iono lol, just asking. I'm not sure where I want to go to next. Gotta get me to the sony store to see lol...

Few up top:

Sony 70-300mm F/4-5.6 G SSM
Sony 135mm F/1.8 ZA T* Planar
Sony 24-70mm F/2.8 ZA T* Vario-Sonnar

Others I'm toying with the idea (no particular order):

Tamron 200-500mm
Tamron 10-24mm
Sony 16-80mm F/3.5-5.6
Sony 85mm F/1.4
Sony 50mm F/1.4

In time.... I really want to try the first two up top.

[DonSchap]

The CZ 135mm f/1.8 is a rare find at the SONY Style store. I found mine at Calumet Photographic, down the road, in Chicago.

SONY Style has the lower-end lenses, but I would call ahead before I made a trip specifically for that one. They may be able to special order it in, but these lenses are factory sealed. I would not take possession of it if it were not, unless they gave you a serious price break on it. If you are going to pay that kind of premium price for Zeiss certification ... no one touches the lens until it is in my hands.