What's your BEST-resolution UWA lens for your 'R3 or '4?

I bought a Panasonic S1R (47MP) this summer and found my copy of the Sigma 14-24 Art native-mirrorless lens (available only in L- or E-mount) to be excellent at F8* up thru 21mm and a little soft from 22 thru 24mm.. Bought one for my a7R4 and found it even better--it's excellent at F8 thru its entire range..

So what's the problem? High weight, high bulk, and bulbous front element that precludes the use of screw-on filters.. Just for kicks, I rented the very-well-regarded Tamron 17-28/2.8; it's excellent in center third at F8 but too soft for me at the left and right extremes, so it's going back.. I've considered the two Sony Zooms (16-35/2.8 and 12-24), the Tokina Firin 20, the EF-mount Zeiss Milvus 18/2.8 (and have tested and rejected the latter two plus the Zony 16-35/4), but they didn't appeal to me

* These relatively heavy UW Zooms are NOT walkabout lenses for me.

Have you found an extremely-hi-rez UW, prime or zoom, for your 'R4? If so, pls tell us about it.

jeffreybehr wrote in post #18941553
I bought a Panasonic S1R (47MP) this summer and found the Sigma 14-24 Art lens (available only in L- or E-mount) to be excellent at F8 up thru 21mm and a little soft from 22 thru 24mm.. Bought one for my a7R4 and found it even better--it's excellent at F8 thru its entire range..

So what's the problem? High weight, high bulk, and bulbous front element that precludes the use of screw-on filters.. Just for kicks, I rented the very-well-regarded Tamron 17-28/2.8; it's excellent in center third at F8 but too soft for me at the left and right extremes, so its going back.. I've considered the two Sony Zooms (16-35/2.8 and 12-24), the Tokina Firin 20, the EF-mount Zeiss Milvus 18/2.8 (and have tested and rejected the latter two plus the Zony 16-35/4), but they didn't appeal to me

Have you found an extremely-hi-rez UW, prime or zoom, for your 'R4? If so, pls tell us about it.

WOW; NO ONE has a screw-on-front-filters UW they're proud of to share with us?

Well, I now have one--the Zeiss Batis 18.. Rez at F5.6 and F8 in the broad center is EXCELLENT, and at the sides it softens to merely very-good-to-excellent.. Little did I know how much better it is than the Milvus FE 18.

Here I am almost two months since the last post, and I've been plenty happy with that Batis 18...and the 40 and 85, too.. Altho--again--the 85 is my least-used lens, I'm glad it's in the bag and ready when I want it.

But I still have an itch for an UW zoom, so I've bought (and quickly returned) another Zony 16-35/4 and now have a Sony 16-35/2.8 GM arriving tomorrow from LensRentals*. I guess we'll see how well-resolved I can shoot it on my 'R4.


* $168 including 2-way shipping and $8 salestax for seven days

First tests of the (rented) 16-35/2.8GM are very encouraging.. With both @ F8, the 18mm image from the GM looks better than that from the Batis.. More today.

The new GM is arriving Tuesday from B&H.

Resolution and centering tests...
https://phillipreeve.n​et …-decentered-your-lens-is/
...of the new 16-35GM produced excellent results, and I'm happily keeping it.

The Batis 18 is now surplus, and I'm now wondering why I'm less willing to sell the Batis 40/2 and 85/1.8 lenses, since I have a very fine Sony 25-105/4 in the bag.. I'll have to think about that..

The pics include the SmallRig 'R4 plate, which has made the 'R4 rather comfortable to handle; this is the first time that's happened with my FOUR a7R(any) bodies..

Note the griptape on the RF of the base.. That helps the little finger NOT fall off; the aluminum base's cute patterning is slippery, NOT grippy.

The whitepaper tag is to help my poor memory operate the three cutomized function buttons.. I use C2, easiest to get my shutterfinger on, for manual-focus magnification to its 2nd degree; C1 for getting to the IBIS-on/off menu selection; and C3 to get to the focus-mode menu selections.. The control wheel's drive and ISO buttons work just finely.