Lens addition advice?

F

firehawk

Veteran
I have the NEX-FS700R and NEX-EA50U.
The lenses I have are all Sony E-mount: 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3, 50mm f/1.8 and 18-105mm f/4.
I plan to mainly use these cameras for corporate work; 1 and 2 camera setups.
What additional lens would you recommend?
I prefer E-mount but will have a Canon to Emount metabones adapter arriving in the mail eventually.
 
There should be a 24-70 F2.8 E-mount coming out soon. It's being tested by the various Sony "artisans" for the last few weeks/months.
 
i feel like the 18-105 f4 might be a bit more appropriate for super35 tsensors than the 28-135, though i've enjoyed using that on the fs7 quite a bit.
honestly i'd say you'd maybe want to consider one or two more lenses that have faster speeds as f4 can get pretty dark in some circumstances, and a 50 might be too tight.
 
Thank you.
Maybe the sony 24-70 f/2.8 and a fast really wide lens? Then I'd have everything covered but super telephoto?
 
For APS-C with E mount, a set of Samyang primes would work great. I would start with the ones specifically designed for mirrorless APS-C:
12mm f/2.0 (I own this one, it's AWESOME)
21mm f/1.4
50mm f/1.2
At around $1300 for the set, it's a cheaper option than an eventual 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom, and gives you something completely different from what you already have (fast primes).
 
To me, a big question here is, “Do you want to stay with all E-Mount lenses?” I think you need one or two, which you have. But I don’t want a huge stable of E-Mount lenses, because they are unusable on other cameras. Most of my lenses are Nikon mount. Others prefer Canon. I think it’s important to make this decision before you decide which lenses to buy.
 
Thank you everyone. I am grateful for the input.

I would already have the Sigma 18-35 1.8 if it were E-mount. Nonetheless I am still seriously considering buying it for EF Canon and using an adapter for my Sony cameras.
In which case then the Sigma 50-150 F2.8 would cover the rest of the range and be fast as well. So basically the pair of Sigmas would (together) cover everything from 18-150mm and be good in low light, yet lose OSS and autofocus. Tempting...

Good point, Jim Ritscher, about E mounts not working on other cameras. I prefer them because I want to avoid adapters as much as I can and sometimes they have OSS and autofocus abilities (which I don't need for interviews) but nice for other projects. For resale value I understand they are not a great choice.
Another reason is I eventually want to get a better DSLR than my Canon Rebel XT and am looking at Sony for that (A7S, A7RII, A6000).

Samuel H; I am really thinking about that Rokinon 12mm. I think that would accomplish my wide angle needs and is not expensive.

Another lens I have been looking at is the Sony SEL35 for a shorter prime lens. My thought there was my existing 50mm on one camera and the 35mm on the other in a two camera setup. Of course the Sigma zoom covers that range too or a Rokinon prime could be substituted for the Sony 35. Choices....

Anything I need to be aware of between sharing lenses between the EA50U and FS700R since one is APS-C and the other Super 35? I have barely unboxed the FS700 and haven't spent much time with it yet.
 
firehawk said:
Thank you everyone. I am grateful for the input.

I would already have the Sigma 18-35 1.8 if it were E-mount. Nonetheless I am still seriously considering buying it for EF Canon and using an adapter for my Sony cameras.
In which case then the Sigma 50-150 F2.8 would cover the rest of the range and be fast as well. So basically the pair of Sigmas would (together) cover everything from 18-150mm and be good in low light, yet lose OSS and autofocus. Tempting...

Good point, Jim Ritscher, about E mounts not working on other cameras. I prefer them because I want to avoid adapters as much as I can and sometimes they have OSS and autofocus abilities (which I don't need for interviews) but nice for other projects. For resale value I understand they are not a great choice.
Another reason is I eventually want to get a better DSLR than my Canon Rebel XT and am looking at Sony for that (A7S, A7RII, A6000).

Samuel H; I am really thinking about that Rokinon 12mm. I think that would accomplish my wide angle needs and is not expensive.

Another lens I have been looking at is the Sony SEL35 for a shorter prime lens. My thought there was my existing 50mm on one camera and the 35mm on the other in a two camera setup. Of course the Sigma zoom covers that range too or a Rokinon prime could be substituted for the Sony 35. Choices....

Anything I need to be aware of between sharing lenses between the EA50U and FS700R since one is APS-C and the other Super 35? I have barely unboxed the FS700 and haven't spent much time with it yet.
Click to expand...
You can use lenses just fine between the EA50 and the FS700. Super 35 is
quite close to APS-C....you probably won't be able to tell the difference as
far as FOV goes. I personally have lenses of all types. I started with a FS100,
added a VG20 as a second camera, then upgraded to a FS700. I also grabbed
an A6000 since they went on sale for $398. My primes are cheap Canon FD primes,
each has a cheap FD to Emount adapter permanently left on. I've got the
18-200 'kit' lens as well as the 18-105 F4 lens for Emount goodies.
(for a review of this lens you can go here
http://www.alaskacameradude.blogspot.com/2015/04/sony-18-105the-baby-sea-monster.html

Then I have several Sigma zooms in Canon mount 10-20, 17-50, 18-35 and 50-150.
If you are just starting out, you might go with an Emount lens for awhile as they
are cheap. If you do, you are kind of committed to Sony....as was said you can't use
the lenses with other cameras. For me that's not a big deal, E mount is here to stay
I figure and I was never a DSLR shooter so I had no backlog of other glass. Going
forward, my lenses will work on something like a FS7, a FS5, an A7S or A7R or any
other random cameras Sony might come out with next week....

If however you aren't sure about going with Sony cameras in the future, you
might want to go with Nikon lenses which can be adapted to most anything, or
Canon which are very popular and can be adapted to Emount. Both will give
you better resale value as there are tons of still photogs out there using Canon
and Nikon.
 
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(just keep in mind that those Samyang/Rokinon/etc are fully manual -no autofocus, aperture controlled from ring on lens-, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you like to use your lenses)
 
Thank you all again. I am planning on sticking with Sony so I have no problem being committed with mostly E-mount lenses.
I plan on a Sony photo camera to share lenses and possibly in the future, an FS7 or successor once my current cameras are not cutting it.
That A6000 is looking tempting for a stills camera.

I thought APS-C and Super35 were close but wasn't sure if there was some issue I might not be aware of.

Thank you all again.
 
Speedbooster ultra, lives on my fs700. Not sure why you prefer e-mount lenses since they all are impossible to focus and force you to use AF. I'd go for a 24-70 2.8, 70-200 2.8 and 28-300 3.5-6.3 on the Speedbooster and add primes or specialty lenses as needed.
 
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