Changing lenses (yet again)

[rpcrowe]

Since I purchased the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 lens, I have seldom used my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens for Sony APSC.

I also have a Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 lens that is a great lens except: 1. no auto focus and 2. APSC format only.

I am going to sell both of the above lenses and use the funds to purchase a Rokinon 14mm AF f/2.8 lens. Actually, I will be making some money on the deal since I am getting a used 14mm for less than $400 USD...

That way, I will have a lens that I can use on both my APSC cameras and my full-frame, A7iii. The 12mm lens is an equivalent 18mm on an APSC camera. The 14mm is an equivalent 21mm on an APSC format camera but it is a much wider 14mm focal length on my A7iii. I think that I would have a lot more versatility with the 14mm (with the option to use it on either the full frame and crop format cameras) than I have with the 12mm which I can only use on my APSC camera.

I can live with the one stop difference between the f/2.0 and f/2.8 to gain AF and the full frame capability...

I don't shoot a lot of wide angle images so, I won't be looking at the Sony 16-35mm or the Tamron 17-28...

[William W]

. . . I am going to sell both of the above lenses and use the funds to purchase a Rokinon 14mm AF f/2.8 lens. Actually, I will be making some money on the deal since I am getting a used 14mm for less than $400 USD. . . I think that I would have a lot more versatility with the 14mm (with the option to use it on either the full frame and crop format cameras) than I have with the 12mm which I can only use on my APSC camera.

I think that you'll have a lot of fun with the 14mm Lens. As you probably remember I've had a dual format (Canon) kit since I transferred to Digital in 2004, I waited a long time to buy a 14mm Prime Lens, having had the EF 16 ~35: the extra 2mm on the 14 makes a lot of difference.

Looking forward to seeing the results.

***

Markedly wide is a 14mm Lens on 'full frame':



North Cronulla Beach in Winter, Sydney AUS

WW
Image © AJ Group Pty Ltd Aust 1996~2020 WMW 1965~1996

[Ken MT]

I thought that Australians went surfing all the time!

[William W]

Aside off topic -

haha! like the comment.

For the record they're behind me: up towards Wanda Beach. Not many, but there were some mainly the
long board blokes. As you can see there wasn't any good break at North Cronulla that morning, North Cronulla break is generally better suited for the shorter boards, when there's surf.


BTW - For those who don't understand the meaning I am standing in between a pair of red and yellow flags, the flag in shot is to the south and there is another behind me, about 30m distant: those two flags represent that firstly the Beach is open and secondly the area between the flags is the patrolled area and safe for swimming, but in that area, surf boards are not allowed, so we'd expect to see the boards (if there were any) in the shot that I made, but as mentioned, the swell was only make a little white water and there were 1-1.5m waves behind me, near Wanda Beach, about 800m north.

Back on topic:

The white rescue board is only about 40m from the camera and the end of the beach is only about another 30m, that's the 'distorted' feeling of depth such a wide angle lens can give in open spaces, especially when you can emphasise a foreground Subject, i.e. the Flag.

WW

[rpcrowe]

I placed the 12mm Rokinon on eBay yesterday and, decided that I also wanted to liquidate two of my APSC only lenses the 30mm f/1.4 Sigma and the Sony 50mm f/1.8 OSS.

The only APSC lens that I will keep is the 70-350mm E lens because I like its size and I because always shot my 100-400mm Canon on my 7D Mark 2, APSC camera.

It took a day to sell the 12mm while it took less than an hour to sell the 30mm and 50mm lenses.

I "may" sell my 70-200mm f/4 E OSS lens after I test it against the 70-350mm. I'd like a Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 lens because I think that would be a great portrait glass...

The seller of the Rokinon 14mm that I am buying just emailed me with these details, "The lens is updated with the latest Samyang/Rokinon firmware and has also been focus tuned from factory." That sounds very promising!

[William W]

Have you got the 14mm yet?

[Manfred M]

the extra 2mm on the 14 makes a lot of difference.

Agree 100% here. When one gets super-wide angle, then every mm adds a lot to what one can do with the lens!

[rpcrowe]

Right on! An extra 2mm or so makes a TREMENDOUS of difference when working in the UWA range of focal lengths.

However, the 12mm f/2.0 Rokinon, that I sold, was an APSC lens and thus equivalent to 18mm on the crop format.

My latest acquisition is a full frame 14mm which also can be used on a crop camera for a 21mm equivalent...

In reality, the 14mm on a full frame camera is actually 6mm wider that the 12mm equivalent of 18mm on a crop camera. That is a massive amount. However, shooting with both APSC and full frame formats, I have a 14mm or 21mm equivalent lens.

In reality, shooting with my 28-75mm Tamron on the full frame camera and the 14mm Rokinon(21mm equivalent) on a crop sensor camera is really a pretty nice combination. I could switch the lenses between cameras and have a 14mm on the full frame and a 42-105mm on the crop camera.

I am not at all sure but, the new A7C looks pretty interesting... It might just be a nice travel companion to the A6600. I "could" cull my camera bodies down to an A6600 and an A7C... At first, I didn't think I'd be interested in the A7C but, the more that I lean about it, the more interesting it would become. This would eliminate the problem of different batteries in my two cameras.

My travel and general purpose kit would be the A6600 + A7C and three lenses: 14mm Rokinon, 28-75mm Tamron and 70-350mm Sony.... BTW: I am quite happy with the ergonomics of the A6xxx cameras since I carry an Arca compatible base on the smaller cameras. That adds more size to the grip without adding significant weight. The extra size grip makes handling easier for me.

[xpatUSA]

When one gets super-wide angle, then every mm adds a lot to what one can do with the lens!

Right on! An extra 2mm or so makes a TREMENDOUS of difference when working in the UWA range of focal lengths.

Also a big difference in what a UWA lens can do to one. Apart from rendering noses big, my 8-16mm Sigma set below 10mm was very good at showing the hood in the corners of the frame ...

[rpcrowe]

I remember early on in my photo career when a 28mm lens for a 35mm format camera was considered "ultra wide" and a 135mm lens was considered "the limit that you could hand-hold effectively".

Things have certainly changed since then. Now I have effective 14mm and 550mm lenses that I use on my cameras...

If I were younger, I might think about getting a zoom that tops out at 600mm (900mm effective on my crop Sony camera)...

That would be a lot of fun for wildlife and airshows.

I will rent one when and if COVID-19 is no longer a major factor in my shooting experience...

[xpatUSA]

I remember early on in my photo career when a 28mm lens for a 35mm format camera was considered "ultra wide" ...

Those were the days:



Up-sized from 640px wide - IQ comment not invited ...