New Sony A7 mk2 with S-Log2 and built in Image Stabilisation

[Paul Cronin]

Hi Brian,

Thanks for the great input. The 10-18 might be a options, I will know after trying one. I have heard mixed reviews of the 18-105 from a few FS7 owners. Would be a logical choice but again testing is the only way.

When did you order your FS7? From B&H? I am about to order the FS7.

[Brian Jansen]

Yes... the 10-18mm is nice and compact. The 18-105 is better on the wide side than the 28-135mm but at $600... I'll keep it.
I also have the sony 28-135mm on order, but delivery date on it has been pushed back. I wish that one too, was f2.8 and a bit wider - I'd gladly pay double for it.
It's possible that the sony 28-135mm may suffer from the same distortion as the 18-105 when paired with FS7. I'll have to test it when it arrives, but if the FS7 can't correct the lens distortion in 4K....that might be a deal breaker for me. Ordered from BHphoto.

[Rakesh Malik]

Originally Posted by Paul Cronin

Thanks for the comment Rakesh,

I am looking for lens that will work wide on the FS7 for video and A7 for stills. So to go F/4 is just too slow for me. Understand you point about going wide and deep depth of field but I want the same lens to go 2.8 or faster for stills. I think that is possible and just looking for a nice match.

I generally like having the extra aperture even in wides also, even though most of the time f/4 is enough for my needs. I'm guessing that Sony probably will have faster wide lenses in the FE mount lineup, but maybe they're starting with the slower lenses to seed the market a bit, and also to appeal to the travel/adventure crowd. For that sort of thing, an f/4 lens is fine, since it saves good bit of weight over an f/2.8, especially in a zoom lens.

[Paul Cronin]

Thanks Brian,

It is hard to beat the prices on the 10-18 an 18-105 compared to PL an Eng I am use to buying.

I think a lot of people are in the same boat with the 28-135, faster an wider an we would all pay more. Maybe that is the delay? I know it was built for the A7.
But with distortion I am not really interested unless they correct it for over rank an 4K.
Hoping B&H will have a FS7 for me by the end of the year. Need to sell my PMW-300 Kit with Canon eng lens first. Just listed it here today, great setup.

Rakase,
Sony seems to be very slow on releasing new glass. I went mirrorless last year with the Olympus even though it is 4/3 I like it more then all of my full frame Canon's except the 1DX.

[Rakesh Malik]

I'm mostly using Minolta and Nikon lenses on my Sony as well as on my Black Magic cameras, in addition to one of the lovely Sony/Zeiss 135mm f/1.8 lenses. I'm leaning toward moving up to 4k via a Sony a7s rather than a 4k Black Magic, while we grow our business so that we can move up to (eventually) PL mount lenses and even nicer cameras. :)

[Doug Jensen]

Originally Posted by Paul Cronin

But my buddy just tested the 18-105 at a NFL game and I have not heard what he thinks about that option. That could also be nice.

I am that buddy, so I thought I'd chime in. Plus I wanted to be the third Rhode Island guy to post on this thread.

The 18-105 performed very well for me shooting on the side lines at the Giants-49er's game a couple of weeks ago. The focus takes some getting used to, but for a $600 lens it performed well enough. I was shooting 1080P so I can't say how it would work for 4K. You should also be aware that distortion control does not function during 4K or S&Q over 60 fps. However, most of what I shot with that lens was at 120 fps and I don't really see any distortion problems in the footage. I guess in that type of environment there aren't enough straight lines for it to be noticable. There are zero shots where I see any distortion issues, and if I didn't already know about the limitations of the lens, I'd would never even cross my mind. I'm going to do some further testing soon to see how, but have not had time yet. I also had my RED 50-150 and Duclos 11-16. I ended up using the Duclos about 60%, the 18-105 about 30%, and the RED about 10%.

I wish I could give the link to the highlights reel I cut together, but I don't have permission to show it publicly.

[Paul Cronin]

Thanks Doug,

Rhode Island operators unite!

Glad to know it works at 120fps without any distortion problems. I think for $600 it is worth a try, and I have added it to the order..

The Dulcos 11-16 or GL 11-16 is on my list, just added the E to PL to my order today. I really liked the Dulcos 11-16 when I used it with the F55, never failed me.

[Doug Jensen]

Just to be clear, I didn't exactly say there weren't distortion problems. I just didn't notice any on my shoot. That is different. I'd have to do some actual controlled testing to know when it shows and when it doesn't.