Best Lenses for Sony A7 +, 2017 Edition

I love my Sony A7. The A7r, A7II, A7IIr, and the upcoming A7III looks great, but the A7 it still hitting on all cylinders for me.

My love of this camera, quickly extends into love of lenses. With such a high-resolution camera, underperforming lenses really stick out like a sore thumb. This list is not about the best lenses money can buy, though it's not a budget list either. These are all solid performing lenses—ones that are worth the investment, that you'll want to grab every time.

General Purpose Lenses

Sony FE 35mm F2.8, $698

My favorite lens hands-down, and one of the smallest E-mount lens available. This makes it a great general purpose, travel, or street photography lens. It's compact and still relatively fast at F2.8, not to mention some of the best optics you can get at this focal length.

Sony FE 55mm F1.8, $898

This is one of the first lenses released, and still one of the sharpest. And the 55mm focal length makes it quite flexible for general use, street, and even some types of portrait photography. There's a new 50mm F1.8, $200 that has okay performance, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 G Master, $2,198

This is probably the best all-around lens for the A7 series of cameras. The build quality and optics are perfect for the A7+ image quality. But, this lens is pretty heavy—it's 1.95lbs, where the Canon 24-70mm F2.8L is only 1.75lbs.

Now, there is the F4 version, and the variable F3.5-5.6 version, but neither have the performance to do justice for the A7+.

Landscapes

Sony FE 16-35mm F4, $1,248

This lens is a bit on the bulky side, but quite versatile at the wide end.

There are a few other great lenses ideal for landscape photography, such as the Zeiss Batis 18mm F2.8 and the Zeiss Batis 25mm F2. But, I've often found that a prime lens for landscape photography can be a bit limiting.

Action

Sony FE 70-200mm F4, $1,398

If you can deal with the F4 aperture, this is an okay lens. You have good reach with pretty good glass. However, F4 is still pretty slow if you're shooting moving objects. Using this lens for hummingbird photography in the middle of day still needed a pretty high ISO.

Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8, $2,598

This is big, heavy, and expensive; but it's the size of any other like DSLR lens. If you want performance and optics, you have to pay for it. But you won't regret having this lens.

Sony FE 400mm F4, TBD

The rumor-mill is buzzing about this upcoming lens. It promises to be solid optics at a crazy-high price.

Portraits

The traditional portrait focal length is a well traveled path in the industry. That means you have a lot of great options.

Zeiss Batis 85mm F1.8, $1,199

The entire Batis line is amazing, and this lens is no different. This lens has amazing optics and great bokeh. The one downside is the autofocus is a bit slow and sometime hunts in low-light while trying to focus, something that might not mater too much if using it for traditional portraits.

Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM, $1,798

This lens is currently the highest rated lens on DxOMark for optical quality. It's likely the best portrait lens you can buy for the A7+ line.

Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G, $998

Another heavy (literally) hitter from Sony. Heavy but solidly built, and great optics, this lens will likely be the top portrait lens for the A7+ line. This lens is #3 on DxOMark and the 2nd highest ranked portrait-length lens... for $800 less than #1. Oh, and the added bonus of 1:1 macro magnification. This lens is a must-have in your camera bag.

Sony FE 85mm F1.8, $598

I haven't tested this one, but a lot of the early previews say this is a great budget portrait lens. Right now it's only available for preorder, but should be shipping any time now.

Manual Lenses

I separated manual lenses out because I have a love/hate relationship with them. I love using them, but so often I miss the shot due to timing or focus. I know 'practice-makes-perfect'... but the A7+ series has a good autofocus engine, so I might as well use it.

I'd recommend any of the Rokinon/Samyang lenses if you're looking or manual focus fun. Good optics, modern quality, but affordable price. Best of all, you don't have to fight for vintage glass on eBay, worry about lens fog or mechanicals issues... just shoot.

Lenses for the Sony A7

The Sony A7 / A7R / A7S / A7II has become quite a popular camera in 2014 — a full frame mirrorless camera that’s about half the size of a DSLR full-frame. Another jewel in the A7’s crown is the ability to mount almost any lens, which (unfortunately) has increased the demand for manual-focus lenses significantly.

This is an ongoing list of lenses that have been tested by myself or others on the A7 camera series.

Native Lenses

Looking at Sony’s FE roadmap you can see they don’t have many auto-focus lenses yet. Of the ones available now, many are expensive and don’t have as wide of an aperture that I’d expect for the price.

For example, Sony released a 24-70mm f/4 for $1,200, and when compared to Sony’s 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, the image quality isn’t that much better to justify the price. I’d rather save my money for an f/2.8 lens. Luckily, there are plenty of manual focus lenses, both new and old.

New Manual Lenses

The Samyang company has gained a lot of popularity lately for making modern, quality, manual-focus lenses for almost any lens mount (commonly rebranded as Rokinon, Bower, Bell and Howell, etc). From the countless reviews, these lenses are sharp and their build-quality is ever-increasing.

With the demand for ‘vintage’ lenses so high, in many cases it can be cheaper (or negligible) to buy a new manual lens rather that fight-it-out on eBay. For example, a Nikon AI-S 85mm f/1.4 averages $550 on eBay, compared to the Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 Sony FE mount for $299.

Lecia Lenses

I purposely left Lecia lenses off this list because people report mixed success based on adaptors, A7 variant, and lens itself. Plus, they’re mostly too expensive for me to seriously consider buying.

Manual Lenses

Samyang 8mm f/2.8 UMC Fish-Eye

Samyang 10mm f/2.8, $350
Solid performer, not the lens-of-choice for bokeh. Review

Samyang 12mm f/2.0, $300

Samyang 14mm f/2.8, $300

Samyang 16mm f/2.0, $350

Canon FD 20mm f/2.8
Decent color and contrast, distortion's simple to correct, corners are good stopped down. If you're focusing below two meters, be mindful of your angle and don't go too far off axis. Surprisingly compact for an ultra-wide with an f/2.8 max.

The 20mm f/2.8 performs a little better than the 24mm f/2.8 but they are very similar. At f/8 center and extreme corners are excellent.

Canon FD 24mm f/2.8

Canon FD 24mm f/2
Kind of legendary among FD shooters for the performance improvements over the (smaller and less expensive) 24 f/2.8. Very strong performance throughout the focusing range. The 24L is better corrected, but it's big, hard to find, and pricey.

Minolta MD W Rokkor-X 24mm f/2.8

Samyang 24mm f/1.4, $550

Contax Zeiss 28mm f/2.8
Small, lightweight, great image quality.

Canon FD 35mm f/2 concave
Perfect optics and contrast is off the charts. Just a little big/heavy

Canon FD 35mm f/2.8 Tilt Shift
Great for landscapes or architecture, though it's pricey and getting harder to find.

Rokinon 35mm F1.4 AS UMC f/1.4, $500

Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 Planar T*, $1300
Newly-released manual lens with native Sony FE mount.

Voigtlander 40mm f/2.8 Heliar, $400
Leica M mount, but built for the Sony E/FE lens mount. Requires the Voigtlander VM-E Close Focus Adapter, $300. Steve Huff’s Review

Canon FD 50mm f/1.2L
I think this one is second to only to the Olympus 50mm f/1.2 for smallest, lightest fast normal. The rising prices make it tough to recommend over the very good 50mm f/1.4, but, aside from being better corrected, the wide open performance is great for people with less than perfect skin, and close-up performance from f/1.4 on to be better enough to justify the price difference. Stopped down to f/5.6 or more, it's one of the better landscape lenses.

Rokinon 50mm f/1.4, $400

Zeiss Loxia 50mm f/2 Planar T*, $950
Newly-released manual lens with native Sony FE mount.

Samyang 85mm f/1.4, $299

Canon FD 85mm f/1.8

TOKINA AT-X MACRO 90mm f/2.5
Review

Canon FD 135mm f/2 or f/2.8

Vivatar 135mm f/2.8

Minolta MC/MD Rokkor 135mm

Nikon AIS 135mm f/2

Canon FD 300mm f/4 L
Review

Zooms

Canon FD 28-85mm f/4
Despite the fact that it's a big lens, it doesn't feel at all awkward on the A7. Strong, consistent performance throughout the zoom range, great flare control.

Contax 35-70mm

Native Sony Lenses

Sony Vario-Tessar T* 16-35mm f/4 OSS

Sony Zeiss 35mm f/2.8
The smallest autofocus lens available with really stellar performance (but not as good as the 55mm).

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8
Considered one of the sharpest autofocus lenses ever made. This lens is made by Sony, with licensed Zeiss technology.

Sony Zeiss 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 (kit lens)
Okay performance, but I wouldn’t buy it again.

Sony Zeiss 24-70mm f/4
When compared to Sony’s 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, the image quality isn’t that much better to justify the price, weight, and size. And when compared to Canon’s 24-70mm f/2.8L II for $2,000 (which I sold when switching to the A7), I’d just rather save my money for a f/2.8 version (probably never coming though).

Sony 70-200mm f/4.0 G OSS

Lens Systems

For similar coloring, fall-off, and overall picture feel:

• C/Y 21 f/2.8, C/Y 28 f/2.8, a Contax G 45 f/2, and a Contax G 90 f/2.8
• Contax 28 f/2.8, 35-70, and 100-300

My Ideal Lens Mix

I’m still trying to decide on what my perfect lens mix will be, but here is what I’m thinking for now.

Sony/Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 with autofocus or Voigtlander 40 f/2.8 Aspherical Heliar (adapter required). These focal lengths are close yet different, but it really depends on the shooting experience. Do you want to shoot fast with sharp autofocus, or do you like to take time to compose and focus your shot (not to mention the Lecia-esq colors from the Voigtlander). But for now, I’m thinking both.

Sony/Zeiss 55mm f/1.8
This lens is so sharp, it’d be a mistake not to have this lens. At $1,000, this is the first lens you should buy for the A7.

85mm f/1.4 or 135mm f/2
This is focal length is ideal for portraits, but I’m still trying to decide which is right for me. I’d really prefer autofocus for this focal length, but manual is the only option for now.

300mm f/4 or f/2.8
This will have to be a manual lens; I’d really love to find a Canon 300mm f/4 for a decent price.

Sony 16-35mm f/4, $1300
This lens would be great for landscapes, but I’m not sure I need autofocus for that. I certainly want something wider than 24mm or 28mm

Sony 24-70mm f/4, $1200
I have the 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 now, but I'd like to upgrade it sometime. However I find f/2.8 a necessity for this lens — having the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 really spoiled me. But with better high ISO performance and the A7II’s image stabilization, I’m not sure a f/2.8 will be in the works for quite some time.

Sony 70-200mm f/4, $1500
I’d love this to be f/2.8, but I don’t think it’s in the cards for this focal length any time soon.

Title image by s58y

Perils of A/B Testing

I’ve been enamored with SquareSpace lately after testing it for my wife’s business site. It’s an amazing tool. Once everything was in place using their free trial, I went into the billing section to purchase the service. That’s where my confusion began.

During the free trial I’ve looked at SquareSpace’s pricing plans several times and they’ve always had an $8 Personal plan, $16 Professional plan, and $24 Business plan, billed annually.

But this time their plans didn’t show any sign of the annual discount: plans were now $10, $20, and $30. I accepted this as the normal cost of doing business—I waited too long to purchase and they’ve raised their rates.

A few days later SquareSpaces rolls out a new feature and posts about it on their blog—Commerce for All (emphasis added):

… That’s why we’ve added the ability to accept donations or cash gifts, as well as sell a single item, to our new Personal plan, which starts at just $8 per month

… For those folks who have basic e-commerce needs without integrations, we’ve created our new Professional plan – with the ability to sell up to 20 products – starting at $16 per month.

For more information on each of our plans, please visit our pricing page. Please note that with this update, our plan pricing remains the same.

Now I’m starting to question my purchase, and for that matter, SquareSpace. I paid 20% more for my product, but a company communication posted after my purchase advertises a lower price and reinforces that prices didn’t change. Hmm.

I decide to go into my SquareSpace Admin section to see if changing my plan gives me the current prices listed on their website. But the Billing section doesn’t even list the correct plans (Personal, Professional, Business) available:

Even more confusing, I singed up for the Business plan which is advertised to have unlimited pages, products, and users. If the Business plan gives you unlimited everything, then what is the Unlimited plan? And why is it cheaper than my current plan?

After a few emails back and forth with SquareSpace, everything was settled. It seems that I purchased in the middle of their A/B testing and just happened to be the lucky winner of a higher rate: $360 vs $288 for the year.

That in itself is not the problem. Like I said earlier, I accepted that the rates raised. But everything on the site pointed to lower rates than what I paid, and no reference to the higher rates I was charged. This led me to believe it was a genuine billing mistake.

The issue is the lack of consistency:

• Different prices depending on the day
• No explanation of pricing changes or testing in the support area
• New blog posts referencing the ‘old’ prices
• Admin panel showing plan names that I had never seen before

Suggestions for Smoother Testing

1. Don’t reference constants (such as a price) in blog posts. Sure this isn’t possible all the time, and you certainly don’t want to alienate readers by being coy with key information such as price. However, things change; especially prices. In SquareSpace’s case, they could have referenced plan names rather than prices to future-proof their content.
2. Perform a content audit before the A/B testing phase. This audit gives visibility to times where you might have talked about an item/topic that is the subject of an A/B test. This also segues into the topic of modifying content of previous blog posts or writings. Is it okay to do? I don’t know, but I think it heavily depends on the company culture, topic, and method of communication. In the case of SquareSpace, I think it would be perfectly fine to edit past posts to remove all references to prices.
3. Keep updated internal documentation on where key data is referenced. That way when a company decides to move forward with A/B testing, they could reference their internal wiki page on that topic. A page about pricing might say something to the affect of ‘Prices and plan names are listed on …/pricing/ and plan names are listed on …/admin/billing/’. This gives you a checklist of things to update before rolling out the test.
4. Keep user’s experiences consistent. I signed up for SquareSpace’s free trial when the $8/16/$24 plans were active. But when I clicked the ‘Trial Account — Upgrade Now’ button I saw different prices; I should have seen the same prices that convinced me to create my free trial in the first place. The same thing goes for the email SquareSpace sent saying ‘Your 14 day trial is almost up… upgrade now’. Only new users should be funneled into the A/B test, not users in the middle of the trial/conversion process.
5. Communicate the test outcomes to your customer service team. Your customer service team is the first line of defense, and often the face of the company for most customers. They should be kept up to date or every customer-facing decision. This cuts down confusion and enables your service reps to solve customer issues at lightening fast speeds. It seems as SquareSpace got this one right!

When All Else Fails

Even if you have the best execution plan ever planned in the history of planning, hiccups will inevitably occur. And when they do, you need to have a top-notch customer service team at the ready to deal with issues. SquareSpace had exactly that.

Coffee

I’ve been a coffee drinker since I was 18 or so, though then I was into the syrupy, surgary coffee drink that may or may not have contained actual coffee. In college I occasionally had coffee but often was too cheap to pay for real coffee from a café. And I didn’t want to taint my ramen maker either, a $12 Mr. Coffee 12-cup coffee maker.

Before I really went overboard with coffee, I got married to a lovely furniture builder and honeymooned in Hawaii. We rented a quaint one-room house buried deep in the tropical forest on a collapsed volcano tube and only half-a-mile from the ocean. A few times I would see locals in our bushes around the house. After a little investigation, I discovered we were staying in the middle of a functioning coffee plantation, at the peak of season! But alas, I didn’t really care much about coffee as it all tasted the same with enough sugar and milk.

Now I’m a bit of a coffee snob. Shameful, I know, but it’s true. That doesn’t mean I won’t drink your average cup of coffee, but I really enjoy a great cup of coffee. Below are a few things I’ve picked up along the way.

Better Beans, Better Coffee

You want to start with fresh beans—the fresher the better. Generally the beans you find in the grocery store are a few months old at best. It’s worth your time to track down a local roaster and try everything they have.

If you’re brewing espresso, bean freshness is even more important. A bean approaching 3-4 weeks old will have noticeably less cremé and start to have a bitter finish.

Drip coffee can be more forgiving, though you can still usually taste stale coffee.

Fresh Beans in the Mail

If you don’t have a roaster near by, try ordering freshly-roasted beans online; most roasters will ship the day after roasting. Below are a few roasters with subscription services (except the last) I will be trying in the near future. I left off a few popular roasters because they do pre-paid 3, 6, 12 month subscriptions which I don’t care for.

• Tonx — Drip coffee only, no espresso roasts. $19/12oz bag.
• Intelligentsia — This is quite a popular roaster, known for their prized Black Cat espresso. With shipping, it works out to be $26.72/12oz bag.
• Terroir Coffee / George Howell Coffee — Huge selection of beans. With shipping, it works out to be $23-$27/12oz bag.
• Ritual Roasters — $20-$22/12oz bag.
• Equator Coffees & Teas — Equator is interesting because they grow and roast their own beans. Equator has 9 different espresso roasts alone (decaf doesn’t count). Works out to be ~$21/12oz bag depending on bean and shipping choice; no subscription service available yet, but they’re such an interesting roaster it’s worth putting on the list.

Grind for the Best Extraction

For most people, the grinder should be the most expensive piece in a coffee setup. Blade grinders dull quickly and tear the coffee which makes for an inconsistent grind. Burr grinders are your best bet, such as the Baratza Preciso or any of the Mazzers. A grinder like this is key to get a fine enough grind for espresso.

Espresso Yo Self

I still find it’s quite hard to make a great espresso, though it gets easier when your budget increases.

Grind Size

Grind size is important. Too coarse and your shot will be thin, go too fast, and blonde too early. Too fine and you choke the machine and no water can get through.

Water Temp

Ideal temp is 195º, plus or minus a few degrees. Too cool and the flavors won’t pop; too hot and you’ll have a bitter-tasting espresso. It’s hard for some espresso machines to keep this temperature. Your more expensive machines have an incorporated PID to keep the temperature more exact. Other machines can be modified so you can add one yourself. Those of us not willing to risk machine surgery might opt for temperature surfing.

Dose

On average, you want to use 19.5 grams of coffee for a double espresso, though it might vary based on your beans and grind. Experiment to find what you like. The amount of coffee in your basket will have a direct result to the amount of pressure pushing through your grinds, which affects taste, consistency, and creme. Too much coffee and the water can’t make it through, or more likely, you won’t be able to fit the portafilter into the grouphead. Too little coffee and the water will blast through the grinds creating a thin and cloudy shot.

Pre-infusion

This is a bit of controversy, oddly enough. The idea is that once you put filled portafilter in the grouphead you turn on the water for just a few seconds, then turn it off, let the water infuse in the grounds for a few seconds, then flip the water pump back on and finish the shot.

The idea goes back to lever machines where pulling the lever down released water from a boiler into the portafilter, then the barista would lift up on the lever to force the water through the grounds creating the 9 bars of pressure. Automatic pumps now force water through the grinds immediately without this few-second transition period. Some of your higher-end machines that have the E-61 grouphead or similar have a optional pre-infusion option. Personally, I can’t tell the difference.

Time

The perfect shot takes between 20-25 seconds. Some people suggest 30 seconds, but I find that’s a bit long and results in an overly-bitter shot.

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Now go forth a make ye great coffee.

Starting Fresh

I'm rebooting my blog.

There are a few posts I may convert over, but for the most part, I'm starting fresh. New platform, new host, new design. Feels good.