Lens hell

B

boulder

Well-known member
I have to make a choice between a FS100 and an AF100. I'm leaning towards the FS100 EXCEPT I really want OS. I'm having a very difficult time finding lenses for this with the confusion of e-mount vs a-mount. Every search I do for Sony lenses doesn't seem to specify which mount the lens is (what's up with that?). In another thread I asked for help finding a fast wide zoom with OS and there doesn't seem to be any. Is there a way I can get a listing of ALL available E-mount lenses from all manufacturers? Is there some resource I can go to?
 
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Thanks but isn't that only Sony lenses? Doesn't anyone else make E-mount? Sigma, Tamron, Tokina?
 
OK, I have good news and bad news.

Good news: it's very easy to keep track of all the E-mount lenses on the market.

Bad news: ... because there aren't many.

Adorama has a pretty good leans search feature that lets you search by mount. Looking for E-mount, you'll find:
  • Sony 16mm F/2.8
  • Sony 30mm F/3.5 macro
  • Sony 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
  • Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS, aka "the kit lens"
  • Sony 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 OSS
and "coming soon":
  • Sony Carl Zeiss 24mm F/1.8
  • Sony 50mm F/1.8 OSS
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's it.

The one I have is the kit lens, and it's definitely better than it looks on paper. It may look slow, but with this camera, I'm usually using ND filters when outdoors just to keep the shutter speed down -- even when stopped down. Check out this thread:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?263716-The-Kit-Lens-Shines

The one big issue is that the focus ring is totally fly-by-wire, with variable speed, so forget any kind of focus marking. (All my other lenses are full manual.)

As for whether OS on alpha-mount will work with the FS100... I don't know no it won't, because alpha cameras have IS in the body, not the lens.

So far, I haven't even been able to get the firmware update into my LA-EA1 adapter; it looks like currently, you need a NEX-5 or NEX-7 in order to apply the update to the adapter.
 
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+1 on that. Got the kit lens last week. It's a good lens and adds a level of useability to the FS that can only be matched by having
a really excellent top handle ; )
 
Thanks AtticusLake, that helps. I'm wondering about the LA-EA2. Sony is VERY sparse with details. I could live without OS but I really would NEED a fast wide zoom which doen't exist for the FS100 right now. At least the LA-EA2 would allow me to use Sigma and Tamron A-mounts. This is kind of depressing as I was pretty much leaning towards the FS100 because of the larger sensor but now the needle is back in the middle.

And wouldn't you think Sony would have come out with a faster zoom for this initially? WTH? it's not like they don't already make fast lenses fot the A-mount. Boneheads.
 
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boulder said:
At least the LA-EA2 would allow me to use Sigma and Tamron A-mounts.
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It should certainly give you fast AF. The LA-EA1 supposedly gives you AF too, once you get the firmware update (maybe I'll be able to borrow a NEX-5 off someone, or maybe the FS100 firmware update will come out and help me), though from what I've heard it can be very slow.

You won't get OS, though, because alpha cameras have OS in the body, not the lens. To get OS on the FS100 you will need an E-mount lens with OS.

So I guess you want an OS zoom wider than 18mm? In which case I think you're pretty well out of luck. However, at that wide an angle, I generally find IS to be less of an issue in any case, and the Tokina 11-16 is a great lens, f2.8 through the zoom range. For run-and-gun situations the kit lens works great, for more controlled setups, the manual lenses (see my sig) are great for me too.

Anyhow, hope this helps, and that you get the camera/lens combo that works for you. The AF100 is certainly a nice camera. But I love the pictures coming out of the FS100, and the portability/modularity is really nice for me (I hike it up mountains a lot).
 
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How is the focus ring on the Sony E mount prime lenses? Been debating between Rokinon, Canon FD or Sony E lenses for the FS100. Decisions...decisions :)
 
AtticusLake said:
So I guess you want an OS zoom wider than 18mm?
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I would like to have OS in a zoom that goes about that wide. The reason is that I have been caught with some very shaky footage when I have had to go handheld and when I stabilize it turns to goo (yes I have rolling shutter fixers). Now I know this won't be as much of a problem with a form factor like the FS100 but I have really grown to like OS (the old film guys are shaking thier heads in disgust right now)
 
No we were rolling our eyes, not shaking our heads. Ha!

Seriously though, if you need to go handheld you need to have a stable solution and practice!
 
boulder said:
I know, but OS is really nice.
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Well, yes, BUT... by making it a must have you have narrowed your lens choices for a camera mount system that almost any lens ever made will adapt to. (Still or 35mm cinema of course).


I said "Almost" so let's not get nit picky with obscure lenses!!!
 
David G. Smith said:
Well, yes, BUT... by making it a must have you have narrowed your lens choices for a camera mount system that almost any lens ever made will adapt to. (Still or 35mm cinema of course).


I said "Almost" so let's not get nit picky with obscure lenses!!!
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Ah but I said want not must. I can live without but I am dissapointed by the lack of E-mount lenses...that IS a drawback (pun intended).

alaskacameradude said:
That's one of the reasons to get the kit lens. The OIS steadyshot is just incredibly good.
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Kit lens is quite slow. I'm not asking for the world...just basic lenses most other camera systems have. I have nice manual primes but I like to have a fast wide zoom to compliment. There is no arguing the fact that E-mount seriously lacks lenses at this point.
 
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boulder said:
Kit lens is quite slow. I'm not asking for the world...just basic lenses most other camera systems have. I have nice manual primes but I like to have a fast wide zoom to compliment. There is no arguing the fact that E-mount seriously lacks lenses at this point.
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True, but if you are looking for 'wide' zooms, and you use the kit lens at the 'wide' end of it, it's not as slow.....it's F3.5 at 18mm. With the chip that is in this
camera, it is PLENTY fast, you will be needing ND, even with the kit lens for shooting outdoors. With no ND, I had to 'iris down' to about F20 before I could
get proper exposure. Now that may not work for you, but as far as I know, you are going to have to choose one or the other, fast zoom or OIS. It IS a pretty
new video system after all, I too wish there were more lenses, but it is what it is....
 
Boulder. can the you point us at some 18mm lenses faster than F3.5 for any camera system?

(with an S35 or larger chip)

BTW IMO most 17-xx F2.8 (stills) zooms are not sharp CA free until F4 so they dont count!

..apart from canon 16-35, nikon 17-35 and nikon 14-24

S
 
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morgan_moore said:
Boulder. can the you point us at some 18mm lenses faster than F3.5 for any camera system?

(with an S35 or larger chip)

BTW IMO most 17-xx F2.8 (stills) zooms are not sharp CA free until F4 so they dont count!

..apart from canon 16-35, nikon 17-35 and nikon 14-24

S
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Sure...Tamron 17-55, Tokina 11-16, Sigma 17-70...etc
(My Tokina 11-16 is super sharp at 11/f2.8)
Dude, all I'm saying is there isn't much choice right now for E-mount....you disagree?
 
boulder said:
Sure...Tamron 17-55, Tokina 11-16, Sigma 17-70...etc
(My Tokina 11-16 is super sharp at 11/f2.8)
Dude, all I'm saying is there isn't much choice right now for E-mount....you disagree?
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I just think most of those lenses are soft open so really they are F4 - just my opinion

I have a nikon adapter on my FS100

You are correct that there Sony its a new mount (compared to decades of CanNIkon mounts) - I dont disagree

Just you are not really going to get a lot of options with another camera so it doesnt make much difference

S
 
Thank you for your opinion. IMHO even though they may be soft for stills, they are acceptable for video. I love my Tamron 17-55 and my Tokina 11-16 and I use them more often than my primes...Nikon 50 f1.4, Vivitar 24mm f2 etc. I'm just dissapointed they arn't available for E-mount and it makes me pause as I have my shoot starting in late March. In my opinion even with new systems (m4/3 etc) things have moved faster. I will probably still end up getting the FS100 because of the sensor size.
 
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