A7s

Zeiss 135mm 1.8 ZA : bokelicous freeze

135mm_str_021115_9718 copy_12deg

The wonderful Zeiss Sonnar 135mm 1.8, a lens I mostly use for beauty and life style shoots, however, once in a while it can be fun to break up the routine of street shooting with shorter lenses, isolating subjects from the crowd instead.
I use it on any of my A7 bodies with the Sony LA EA4 adapter,

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Quick look at the Sony A7II, how does it compare and integrate with current A7 models


A quick video comparing the A7II with the A7s and A7r. A few things I should add:
You will need a fast 64 GB SDXC card to record in XAVC S codec, SDHC cards will only allow AVCHD.
I am using the PNY 64 GB SXHD, currently the best deal, I have been using these cards for a few month on the A7s without issues.

Relocated shutter button: makes perfect sense on the new grip, not a significant upgrade, since I don’t have a problem with the shutter location on current models.

AF speed: I don’t have the A7 any longer to do a side by side comparison, feels very snappy in good light, you even get the little dancing squares from the A6000 (only in wide af mode).

Sensor: same as in A7, I don’t mind the AA filter since it is very weak, however, this sensor without an AA filter would have been a nice upgrade.

Port access: I am not a fan of the new rubberized port covers on the A7II, the orig design was and is much better.

Who should get the A7II: anyone who misses image stabilization on their lenses.

Who shouldn’t get the A7II: A7s shooters, who don’t need the additional resolution. AF speed is about the same in bright light, in low light the A7s focuses faster and the insane high ISO easily makes up for the lack of IBIS.

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A closer look at bokeh-licous short tele lenses that will help you get over the Otus blues


Sony A7r with the Takumar mk2 135mm f2.5

Don’t despair my friends, you have a few options left to create great images without
remortgaging your home
more after the break,

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Portrait session with John Batiste: Musician


This article originally appeared in Soma magazine.

Jon Batiste is a unique individual. Hailing from a celebrated musical family in New Orleans, music runs in his veins. Not just in his blood, but also in his gait, the lilt of his speech and his whole being.

more after the break

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