Comments on: Zeiss 85mm f1.4 ZA, LA EA4 and the Sony A7s

By: mike.kobal

mike.kobal — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 04:32:18 +0000

Yes, no prob with the 85mm but only the LA ea4 AF is at work when attached.

By: Way

Way — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 03:47:28 +0000

Can the a7s still focus in very low light with the adapter? Or is that benefit gone?

By: mike.kobal

mike.kobal — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 13:11:48 +0000

Go with the orig Zeiss fe 35mm. Great IQ and you can find it very cheap on eBay. As for 135mm, the just announced samyang 135mm f2 will be your best option

By: Bobby

Bobby — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 11:31:04 +0000

Thanks bud ill keeo that in mind. do you have any recommendations on a 135mm & a 35mm lens for the a7 bodys? wont have a lot to spend but would like something decent. i really do love playing with my 135mm

By: mike.kobal

mike.kobal — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 22:54:12 +0000

Thanks Bobby! The Loxia 50mm is a beautiful lens. However, you get the same MF behavior with native Zeiss e mount lenses. I went with the 55mm, you can find crazy good deals on eBay and when Sony finally releases a body with superfast af you ll be happy to have AF

By: Bobby

Bobby — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 22:20:09 +0000

Hey Mike
Really loving the blog, i came across your work when looking more into the a7 bodys
im currently selling off my canon gear to switch over to an a7r but im struggling to work out what lens to get first up. i had canon’s 85mm 1.8, 135L & a sigma 35mm art.
The 35mm only came out when the others where not able to work so im looking for a 85mm or possibly an emount 50mm (had the loxia 2/50 in mond) that wont break the bank (around 1k). any idea’s? im fine with manual focus only as long as bokeh, sharpness & Colour are exceptional.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Cheers
Bobby

By: mike.kobal

mike.kobal — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 12:08:04 +0000

Hi Ole.eye AF doesn’t work with the adapter. Focus accuracy is really important with this lens, make sure it doesn’t front or back focus and calibrate it if necessary.

By: Ole

Ole — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 11:56:40 +0000

Hi Mike.
I have the same lens, and use it with a a7mk2 with the LA EA4 adapter.
I have not had the lens long, and are still trying to figure out the best way to get accurate focus for portraits. I will try AF-C mode with focus tracking as you suggest.
I wanted to ask you if you can get the Eye AF function to work with this lens and adapter. I get a message that the function is not valid for this lens.

By: mike.kobal

mike.kobal — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 04:07:39 +0000

Hi Laurence, no reflectors, no flash, what you see is the sky reflecting. Yes, the cheap, 5 elements Takumar 135mm f2.5 and 100mm Series E show very little CA. The much sharper, version II Takumar, lots of CA, however, the bokeh is a lot smoother on the Zeiss when shooting full figure, for close ups, it doesn’t matter that much since everything gets very blurry very fast.

By: Laurence Zankowski

Laurence Zankowski — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 01:32:20 +0000

Mike,

I see catch lights in her eyes, is there a flash unit on the camera or is an assistant behind you with a speed light of some sort.

Can uncoated old vintage glass reduce the chromic aberrations? It is all a learning thing for me.

Be well

Laurence