Sigma 60mm f2.8 DN Art Lens for Nex 7 Portraiture

My friends at Sigma hooked me up with one of the first samples of their new 60mm f/2.8 DN Art Lens in Sony E mount for the Nex 7. With the lens in hand on Friday I called Lauren who occasionally models for the photo classes I produce at Samy’s Camera and we were able to schedule a 2 hour test session at my downtown loft for Saturday. I’ve been anxiously waiting for this lens because 60mm on APS-C sensors is a nice telephoto focal length which translates to a 90mm full frame equivalent. I really like the SEL 50mm 1.8 but find myself wishing for a little more compression when shooting portraits. The Sigma 60 should fit the bill nicely. … Continue Reading

Voigtlander 75mm on Sony Nex 7

Continuing my search for portrait lenses on the Sony Nex 7, I found a mint condition Voigtlander 75mm f/2.5 LTM on ebay for around $400. This lens is in Leica Thread Mount (LTM) and was designed for rangefinder cameras. I already owned a LTM to Sony Nex adapter so I bought the lens. There are also Leica M mount versions of this lens if you have a M to Nex adapter. I imagine resell value will be a little higher for a more current lens mount like the M over the old screw mount.

Voigtlander has been making lenses for over 250 years. It is now owned by a Japanese company Cosina which has started to reinvigorate the lineup with new lenses aimed not only at rangefinders but the mirrorless segment as well. They recently released an update to the 75mm with a 1.8 aperture but because of the larger glass needed for this design it’s significantly bigger than the older 75 f/2.5 and it sells for around $700. I decided that the weight and price ratio added to the compression of an approximate 110mm (35 full frame equivalent) the older f/2.5 was the better choice for me. … Continue Reading

Sony Nex Portrait Lenses SEL 50 f1.8 Compared to Leica Summicron 50mm f2

I’ve been trying out a lot of lenses and adapters on my Sony Nex 7 so I decided to write up my tests in a series of articles on portrait focal lengths. This first comparison covers the only shipping portrait lens for the Sony E mount which is the SEL 50mm 1.8. On an APS-C sensor the 50mm focal length translates to a field of view similar to a 75mm lens on a full frame sensor. It won’t show quite as much compression as a 75mm but the depth of field does shrink a bit and there is a slight telephoto effect on faces. I’m putting the Sony 50mm up against the Leica 50mm Summicron 2.0 using a Novoflex NEX/LEM adapter. I chose this lens for two reasons. One, I have access to this lens from the Samy’s Camera rental department. Secondly because Ken Rockwell says this about it:

There is no better 50mm lens on Earth than the LEICA SUMMICRON-M 50mm f/2. The SUMMICRON is the world’s reference for a 50mm photographic lens.

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Alex Buono Visual Storytelling Tour

Oscar nominee and Director of Photography of the Saturday Night Live Film Unit Alex Buono is hitting 31 cities with his Visual Storytelling Workshop and seminar. Alex spoke at both the Collision Conference and the followup PhotoCine Expo. He is a great speaker and educator who shares his expertise in a very accessible manner. If you have never heard him then you should absolutely catch him if he comes through your city and if you live in the Los Angeles area stay tuned for a possible preview of this workshop. … Continue Reading

NAB 2013

I didn’t make it to NAB this year but here are some stand out pieces of gear that caught my eye.

Black Magic has done it again with their Pocket Cinema Camera. It’s a super 16 sized sensor in a small point and shoot sized camera that takes micro four thirds lenses. Black Magic is definitely creating disruptive technology and keeping everyone else on their toes. I love that this camera utilizes the non proprietary M43 lens mount which means you can use some of the nicest small lenses on the planet (like the Olympus 45 and 75) as well as being able to adapt most DSLR or cinema lenses. Expect a Redrock Micro cage shortly. … Continue Reading

Chimping

I’m taking issue with photo instructor “Guru’s” who insist that not looking at your images on the LCD screen is the proper shooting technique. They pejoratively call the action of tilting your camera forward to see the image you just shot “Chimping”. I argue that not looking at your images is “Chumping”. You are a Chump if you don’t take advantage the the modern miracle that is instant feedback in the digital age.

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