A7s -Anyone shooting video with the E-Mount lenses? Not FE, but E. Like the 18-200?

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sparky33

Well-known member
Looking to pick up a lens for casual family shooting with autofocus.
Torn between the 16-70 Zeiss F/4 and the all arounder 18-200 F/3.5-F/6.3.

I realize I will be in crop mode (24-105 and 27-300mm, respectively) but how well does the continuous AF work?

Any thoughts on the 18-105 with the a7s?

Right now I use the 24-70 F/4 Canon with the Metabones IV, but would love to occasionally shoot AF video. I know, a cardinal sin. :Drogar-Love(DBG):
 
I've been looking at the 18-105. So perfect on paper if you don't need or want full frame in video. Good range, constant aperture, stabilized, autofocus, non extending/rotating and nice zoom button. And cheap too! But that travesty of manual focus... What the hell is wrong with Sony and this fly by wire nonsense?
 
I use e mount lenses quite frequently. The way I use them is I'm in manual but then push the 'push auto' when needed.
This worked really well with the 18-200 Power Zoom. The 35 & 50mm 1.8 are a bit slower. Sold the 18-200 with my EA50 though so haven't tried it on the A7s.

A thing to remember is if you're in crop mode, still pictures are just 5mp. So if you're also taking stills it might be worth investing in a FE lens.

I'm also eyeing the 18-105. As soon as the promised firmware that will make the FS700 compatible I'll get it.
But want to get the 24-70 f4 Zeiss for the A7s.
 
Be careful Sony 18-105 f4 has huge distortion it is useless for video !!!! In crop mode you lose some quality , I do not know is a7s can correct distortion , but I can imagine how much more you lose quality . Sony should make 2nd version of 18-105 f4 I can pay double just for not to see any more distortion .
 
I tried a several of the Sony E-mount lenses when I picked up the A7s body. With exception of the wide zoom lens, they all breathed when focusing manually, meaning the image pumped in or out when moving the focus ring. Be cognizant of this when trying out the lenses before you laying down your money. A lens that breathes when pulling focus for video should be a deal breaker.
 
I love using e-mount glass on my A7s for video. Push auto is awesome for run and gun.

The focus by wire issue can be hard to get at first, but just dont make any quick movements and it's pretty good.
 
the sony/zeiss 16-70 f4 practically lives on the A7s. I just got back from China shooting a doc for a European broadcaster I shot exclusively on the a7s the 16-70 was on 90 percent of the time- its sharp constant f4 gives you a perfect range (24-104 equivalent in super35) for doc work might be the only lens you will need. Also used the zeiss touit 12mm UWA - its great and the Zeiss 50mm Loxia.
 
Andrew Stone said:
I tried a several of the Sony E-mount lenses when I picked up the A7s body. With exception of the wide zoom lens, they all breathed when focusing manually, meaning the image pumped in or out when moving the focus ring. Be cognizant of this when trying out the lenses before you laying down your money. A lens that breathes when pulling focus for video should be a deal breaker.
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I understand this; this would be merely for AF during video. I have a boatload of EF glass I'd use most of the time.

I have a lead on a 18-200 for around $350; the original silver version. I know it's slow and variable aperture, but for the money and the range it's tough to pass up on. Has anyone tried it on the a7s? I'm surprised since quite a few of you shoot the FS700 - I know this lens is pretty common.
 
icarusfilm said:
the sony/zeiss 16-70 f4 practically lives on the A7s. I just got back from China shooting a doc for a European broadcaster I shot exclusively on the a7s the 16-70 was on 90 percent of the time- its sharp constant f4 gives you a perfect range (24-104 equivalent in super35) for doc work might be the only lens you will need. Also used the zeiss touit 12mm UWA - its great and the Zeiss 50mm Loxia.
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I used the 16-70 also and found it a step above the 18200 in IQ for sure (but not OSS). It's certainly very practical.

But I found the 50 1.8 and 24 1.8 (and Sigma 30) the most pleasing NEX lenses of all. The 35 1.8 I had had some decentering, and the tonality was different, more contrasty. The 16-70 also seemed quite a bit more contrasty, less smooth than the 50 and 24.

Haven't tried the Touits and suspect they should be very good.
 
Demistate said:
I love using e-mount glass on my A7s for video. Push auto is awesome for run and gun.

The focus by wire issue can be hard to get at first, but just dont make any quick movements and it's pretty good.
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I really like E-mount lenses for run and gun too. I use follow focus rings to increase the lenses' diameter but not an FF setup. The focus by wire is so quick and light and comfortable. All it takes it a flick of the thumb, or pinky, or palm.
 
Part of my problem with getting the 16-70 F/4 E mount is the fact that for a couple hundred bucks more I could get the 24-70/4 Zeiss, which then I would have the option of FF 24-70 or crop 36-105, and retain my full 12 MP stills as well.
Then again, I have the Canon 24-70/4 with the metabones IV and that is a fantastic walk around kit; just no continuous AF in video.
So I might get the 18-200, set it to F/8 and use it for AF. I wish it didn't hit F/6.3 at around 80mm though. Sigh. I don't know what to do.

I briefly owned the FE 35 2.8 and it just didn't ring my bell. F/2 and I'd have kept it, but again, I have the 35/1.4 L. I like this a7s with heavier glass; it balances much better with the grip.
 
sparky33 said:
Part of my problem with getting the 16-70 F/4 E mount is the fact that for a couple hundred bucks more I could get the 24-70/4 Zeiss, which then I would have the option of FF 24-70 or crop 36-105, and retain my full 12 MP stills as well.
Then again, I have the Canon 24-70/4 with the metabones IV and that is a fantastic walk around kit; just no continuous AF in video.
So I might get the 18-200, set it to F/8 and use it for AF. I wish it didn't hit F/6.3 at around 80mm though. Sigh. I don't know what to do.

I briefly owned the FE 35 2.8 and it just didn't ring my bell. F/2 and I'd have kept it, but again, I have the 35/1.4 L. I like this a7s with heavier glass; it balances much better with the grip.
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After 2 months with the FE 24-70, I'm thinking of selling it. I got it just for 2 reasons 1) stills (AF) and 2) AF in video for situations like a steadicam where it might be useful. What I've found is that the AF in video isn't really usable professionally - it does a little "shimmer" refocus every so often, so I might as well just use my canon lenses. For photo autofocus, I might as well just use the cheaper sony 28-70 - for the type of photos I take it really doesn't matter any slight loss in image quality or the focal length loss on the wide side.
 
The Sony A7S + SEL18200 with AF+Auto ISO were used for all shots except the sunset pan (5D3 RAW+70-200 2.8 mkII) and green screen shots (Panasonic GH4 + Panasonic 12-35 2.8):
https://vimeo.com/107981791

Also have the Sony SELP18200 (power zoom). Prefer the SEL18200 for handheld work as the zoom ring is a bit wider. The SELP18200 power zoom is slow which limits its utility (good for slow cinematic zooms on a tripod).
 
I ended up picking up the original 18-200. I'll just stop down to F/8 or something, have a nice sharp image, good stabilization and a great zoom range (27-300mm). Can't beat it for the price.
If Canon would only fix the video IQ of the 70D I'd have stuck with that.
 
I found this too with other FE (35, 55 & 28-70) lenses but I turned off pre focus in the menu and it fixed it. I have just got the 24-70 and haven't had any problems.
 
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