Sony A7x lounge

Charlie wrote in post #18371611
I did my brother's engagement this weekend, and the IQ coming from the FE 85 vs 135L..... FE85 is clearly next level, making me itch for the sigma again.......

the FE 85, but not the GM correct?

And its interesting you say that...because I get very clean, sharp images from my 135L...as sharp as any other lens...and when my Sigma 50ART can focus...it is outstanding. Makes me wonder if native like the Zeiss 501.4 would be as good...AF might be better.

TRhoads wrote in post #18371581
soooo...how did you like the Sigma 135? Which adapter was it paired to?

In good light it was great. Really sharp, but TBH I didn't shoot any scenes that really put the bokeh to the test.

That said, my shoot started late because it was raining and the latter end of the shoot turned into a night-time shoot...and the AF started to suck when the light got low. At one point I got frustrated with it because I had people stuck holding a a pose while the lens kept failing to focus...so I dropped it into MF and for some reason MF didn't work hah. At that point I slapped the 85GM on and it got the job done for the rest of the low shoot in really low light.

Long story short....Sigma 135 f1.8 is very good in well lit scenes....not so good when things get dark. I was playing with the lens a lot throughout the weekend and it worked well enough to snap photos of my kids playing. If I was never forced to shoot this thing in low light like I did y'day I'd probably be praising it right now, but yeah it didn't work last night. It's probably no worse than something like the 135L on a metabones adapter, and eye AF does work in good light. But the Sigma lens is $1,400 and I think it'd be best to wait for a true native option at that price.

FWIW the 135 and the 24-35 focus MUCH better on the a6500 than the a7rii.

TRhoads wrote in post #18371613
the FE 85, but not the GM correct?

And its interesting you say that...because I get very clean, sharp images from my 135L...as sharp as any other lens...and when my Sigma 50ART can focus...it is outstanding. Makes me wonder if native like the Zeiss 501.4 would be as good...AF might be better.

yes, el cheapo FE 85

It may possibly be sharper than the 85GM wide open, but not likely at the same apertures.

at 100% the 135 is certainly good on it's own, but side to side with the 85 with similar framing, the 85 is clearly crisper (and in general more crispy SOOC). It feels like the 135L when stopped down a stop, just so darn crisp, and with studio lights, it's razor.

I didnt do studio lights the whole time, most natural lighting as the lights werent possible at some locations

This is another shot using 3 lights. I had 2 stripboxes behind and to the sides and the 3rd, main light high center through a beauty dish. I also used a silver reflector angled up from the position of the tripod.

I should do this more often with my AWESOME FE 85 GM to look for pesky blackheads.

IMAGE LINK: https://genelewis.smug​mug.com …graphy/People/i​-5WmwBR2/A

navydoc wrote in post #18371687
This is another shot using 3 lights. I had 2 stripboxes behind and to the sides and the 3rd, main light high center through a beauty dish. I also used a silver reflector angled up from the position of the tripod.

I should do this more often with my AWESOME FE 85 GM to look for pesky blackheads.

IMAGE LINK: https://genelewis.smug​mug.com …graphy/People/i​-5WmwBR2/A

That is one cool self portrait Gene. Lighting is great

Got a report from Precision. I paid 318 for the body. they have to replace the board and the wheel at the back for the aperture and free cleaning and maintenance.

for the AF of the 85GM, i paid $191 also with cleaning and maintenance, making it work as it should like new.

vinmunoz wrote in post #18371727
Got a report from Precision. I paid 318 for the body. they have to replace the board and the wheel at the back for the aperture and free cleaning and maintenance.

for the AF of the 85GM, i paid $191 also with cleaning and maintenance, making it work as it should like new.

Are you pleased with the service with Precision Camera so far Vinz? I assume this is being done via the Sony Pro membership or did you send your camera to them as a non member?

If I recall, you've submitted a request for membership with Sony Pro Services, have you been accepted yet and if so, what cameras did you list to meet their requirements?

xpfloyd wrote in post #18371710
That is one cool self portrait Gene. Lighting is great

Thanks, Eddie.

navydoc wrote in post #18371742
Are you pleased with the service with Precision Camera so far Vinz? I assume this is being done via the Sony Pro membership or did you send your camera to them as a non member?

If I recall, you've submitted a request for membership with Sony Pro Services, have you been accepted yet and if so, what cameras did you list to meet their requirements?

Did it as a Pro member. The guys at the Precision Camera seems very nice and also the guys on Sony Support Pro. They're all polite and prompt.


The RII, A6000, 85GM, 24-70GM, FE28F2, SEL35F35, 2 Sony ActionCam and one Sony Speedlight(HLVF-60M)

Sucks that you had to pay that Vinz.

What ended up being wrong with the 85GM?

But yes I've had my first dealings with Sony Pro Support today and am impressed so far. Sending my rx1rii in for that light leak recall I never got done. Very personable service and the guy who was helping me even called me back after the shipping label and forms were emailed to make sure that I got everything and it looked ok. Small gesture but a nice touch that feels less like a process.

mystik610 wrote in post #18371756
Sucks that you had to pay that Vinz.

What ended up being wrong with the 85GM?

But yes I've had my first dealings with Sony Pro Support today and am impressed so far. Sending my rx1rii in for that light leak recall I never got done. Very personable service and the guy who was helping me even called me back after the shipping label and forms were emailed to make sure that I got everything and it looked ok. Small gesture but a nice touch that feels less like a process.

yeah, curious to find out what was wrong with the 85GM...

The Auto Focus. It's having a hard time focusing. Sometimes the green confirmation comes but it throws out of focus.

I'm aware of the original grinding noise of the 85GM, it doesn't sound metal. Lately it sounded like sharp metal sound.

vinmunoz wrote in post #18371749
Did it as a Pro member. The guys at the Precision Camera seems very nice and also the guys on Sony Support Pro. They're all polite and prompt.

The RII, A6000, 85GM, 24-70GM, FE28F2, SEL35F35, 2 Sony ActionCam and one Sony Speedlight(HLVF-60M)

Thanks for the info Vinz. I think I would qualify except for the fact that I don't have what I would consider an online portfolio.

navydoc wrote in post #18371687
This is another shot using 3 lights. I had 2 stripboxes behind and to the sides and the 3rd, main light high center through a beauty dish. I also used a silver reflector angled up from the position of the tripod.

I should do this more often with my AWESOME FE 85 GM to look for pesky blackheads.

IMAGE LINK: https://genelewis.smug​mug.com …graphy/People/i​-5WmwBR2/A

If anyone is interested, here is the full frame, straight out of the camera image before any editing. I used TTL with an FEC of -1.5 stops on both strip lights and 0 FEC on the beauty dish flash.

Here is the BTS shot too.

Charlie wrote in post #18371611
I did my brother's engagement this weekend, and the IQ coming from the FE 85 vs 135L..... FE85 is clearly next level, making me itch for the sigma again.......

What do you mean by "Next level"?