LensTips: Sony 135mm and Samyang 135mm Review

Samyang AF 135mm f/1.8 FE:
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM:
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

Lenstips posted reviews for the Sony 135mm and Samyang 135mm a few days ago and it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the Samyang lens arguably comes out on top. You can view the Sony 135mm review here and Samyang 135mm review here or just check out the excerpts below:

Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM

Pros:

  • solid, weather-sealed mechanical construction,
  • excellent image quality in the frame centre up from the maximum relative aperture,
  • acceptable image qualtiy on the edge of the frame,
  • very good correction of longitudinal chromatic aberration,
  • negligible lateral chromatic aberration,
  • lack of problems with distortion,
  • practically zero coma,
  • out-of-focus images nice to look at,
  • slight vignetting on the APS-C sensor,
  • quick, silend, and accurate autofocus.

Cons:

  • a bit too high astigmatism,
  • visible vignetting on full frame.

Samyang AF 135mm f/1.8 FE

Pros:

  • excellent image quality in the frame centre,
  • good image quality on edges of the frame,
  • slight longitudinal chromatic aberration,
  • negligible lateral chromatic aberration,
  • practically zero distortion,
  • excellent coma correction,
  • low vignetting on the APS-C sensor,
  • silent and accurate autofocus.

Cons:

  • a bit too high astigmatism,
  • problems with the performance against bright light.

The summary of this test should consist of superlatives only. Let’s face it, Samyang offers you an excellent lens. It’s a device that is able to rival on equal terms with the Sony model and, additionally, in many categories it prevails. Mind you, its price is two times lower than the price of the Sony. You have to admit in such a situation it would be difficult not to recommend the new Samyang.

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Tilta 512GB CFExpress-A to M.2 SSD Camera Cage


Tilta has a 512GB CFExpress-A to M.2 SSD Camera Cage coming for Sony cameras that allows photographers/videographers to write their files to an SSD instead of a CFExpress card.

[TILTA and Zhiyu Technology jointly launch a hard disk handle] I just saw that TILTA and Zhiyu Technology jointly launched a CFe-A to M.2 hard disk handle, which looks like an L version with thicker sides , Insert the CFEXPRESS TYPE A connector into the card slot to achieve stable transmission, which looks a bit interesting.

Tilta products can be found on its Amazon Store Front

via Weibo

Posted in Accessories| Tagged , | 5 Comments

NiSi Wide Angle Announcement Coming in 2 Days


NiSi is teasing a new wide-angle lens on weibo that will be announced in two days on 9/21. Below are the first images:

Posted in 3rd Party Lens| Tagged | 4 Comments

DA: Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD Quick Review

Tamron has so many great lenses for E-mount now, and the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD is yet one more. Dustin Abbot posted his quick review, which you can watch above or check out the bullet points below:

  • 50-400 increases the traditional 100-400  4x zoom to an 8x zoom
  • Tamron’s lenses on Sony have been more upscale with an improved finish and features like focus hold, multiple OIS modes, programable, and more
  • Nine weather sealing points and fluorine on the front element
  • The lens is quite compact at 183mm in length and 85mm in diameter with a 67mm filter size that most Tamron lenses use on E-mount at 1155g which makes it very light compared to Sony’s lenses
  • The tripod collar has to be purchased separately, which is unusual
  • This lens isn’t compatible with a TC
  • The lens has a high magnification level with 0.50x macro at the wide end and 0.25x at the telephoto
  • The vibration stabilization compensator works well except for video work above 100mm
  • AF is silent, fast, and accurate
  • Frame rate is capped at 15fps
  • Eye AF worked well
  • Sony’s lenses AF a little better but not much
  • Image quality is quite good, even wide open and sharp wide open, with minor improvements from stopping down
  • This is a very sharp lens with high contrast and low fringing of any kind
  • There is minor pincushion distortion and vignetting, but they are easy to correct
  • Pretty much everyone should be happy with this lens
  • The Tamron 50-400mm is very versatile
  • The reason to get a Sony lens over this lens is if you need a teleconverter or you want to shoot at higher framerates

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Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD: B&H Photo / Adorama

Posted in 3rd Party Lens| Tagged , | 6 Comments

New Topaz Photo AI and Tutorial Videos


Topaz Photo AI just came out, and you can save $40 plus an additional 15% on it by using the code GETPHOTOAI when you order here with the code.

Topaz Labs is announcing Topaz Photo AI, which automatically detects and fixes image quality issues with deep learning, allowing photographers to focus on the creative editing process in much less time.

Autopilot for maximizing image quality
Topaz Photo AI will help photographers maximize image quality faster and more accurately than ever before by pairing its extensively trained AI models and deep learning capabilities with its brand new Autopilot inspector and improved RAW workflow options.

“Getting a clean, crisp, and high-resolution photo is really important, but the current process of increasing image quality is quite slow and error-prone. To solve this, we’ve built Topaz Photo AI to be an autopilot for image quality. It detects the unique problems in your image and intelligently applies the correct methods to maximize resolution, detail, and clarity,” says Eric Yang, CEO of Topaz Labs.

Topaz Labs has spent years training and refining its AI models to address some of the most common issues affecting the objective image quality of its users’ photos. With the Topaz Photo AI Autopilot, Topaz Labs is taking it a step further by automatically analyzing photos and applying the most appropriate models and optimal settings, freeing users up to apply the creative edits that make their photos uniquely theirs, which is something that no AI model can ever replace. Read More »

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Sony is Tamron’s Biggest Shareholder


I wasn’t aware, but apparently, Sony is Tamron’s biggest shareholder, according to Tamron’s shareholder newsletter. Sony has been Tamron’s largest shareholder since July 2020.


Major shareholder of Tamron Shareholding ratio

  1. Sony Group Corporation … 14.80%
  2. The Master Trust Bank of Japan, Ltd. (trust account) … 12.40%
  3. GOLDMAN SACHS INTERNATIONAL … 10.58%
  4. Custody Bank of Japan, Ltd. (trust account) … 7.05%
  5. Saitama Resona Bank, Ltd. … 4.74%
  6. Nippon Life Insurance Company … 2.74%
  7. Argo Graphics Inc. … 2.55%
  8. Nagawa Co., Ltd. … 1.68%
  9. THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON 140044 … 1.39%
  10. Tamron Subcontractor Shareholding Association … 1.32%

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Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD FE:
B&H Photo /  Amazon / Adorama
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III VXD G2 FE:
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD FE:
Amazon
Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD:
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III RXD FE:
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD FE:
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

Tamron 20mm F/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2(Model F050):
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Tamron 24mm F/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2(Model F051):
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama
Tamron 35mm F/2.8 Di III OSD M1:2(Model F053):
B&H Photo / Amazon / Adorama

via dclife

Posted in 3rd Party Lens| Tagged | 9 Comments