![]() Zeiss Loxia 35mm f/2 Biogon T* (full frame, 340 grams, $1,299 or less): After enjoying the inexpensive manual focus lenses above, I wanted to try a top-tier manual. ![]() It’s very sharp, but so are the cheapies above. Rokinon 21mm f/1.4 (APS-C, 303 grams, $299): After I’d bought a few Chinese bargains below, I wondered how a higher-grade manual focus lens would work. Zeiss Touit 50mm f/2.8 MacroħArtisans Photoelectric 25mm f/1.8 (APS-C, 138 grams, $79) and 7 Artisans 35mm f/1.2 APS-C (157 grams, $119): These bargains and the TT above are well made, compact, and sharp. But the new Laowa below is challenging that. It’s razor-sharp and one of my favorites. Unlike some macros, autofocus is fast at any distance. Like all macros, it works well at any distance. Zeiss Touit 50mm f/2.8 Macro (290 grams, $999): This is the one I grab because I like the light weight. They gather fuzz from leaves to line their nest. Would I buy it again? No, it’s too heavy and 50mm macro works for me. One nice feature of the 90mm though is that a quick pull of the focusing ring (back towards the camera) switches to manual focus and it feels just like real manual focus, unlike rubbery focus by wire. Consequently, I mostly grab my 50mm f/2.8 macro when I want macro and have found that the 50mm’s working distance is entirely adequate. I’ll confirm the raves about sharpness, but I’ve found that its weight is an issue. I chose it for its sharpness and because many writers stress the need for working distance from the subject. Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS (602 grams, $1,048): This is widely reviewed as one of the sharpest lenses available at any distance. Agreed, but I prefer autofocus on moving subjects, like bees. It’s generally thought that manual focus is the preferred way to shoot macro. This leads to the realization that many conventional lenses can focus close enough for macro or close-up photography. Potato Bush Flower with 1/2mm green aphids show the macro capability. But despite its great performance and wide range, I’m not using it much because I don’t like the weight. It out-resolves many high-quality primes. Then this breakthrough lens changed that. Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD (575 grams, $729): We’ve long had to put up with the inferior sharpness of wide range “superzooms”. ![]() But I returned mine because I wanted a lighter zoom to walk around with. Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS (663 grams, $1,198): This is one of the sharpest wide-range zooms in existence. It too has now been retired in favor of the 28-60. Nevertheless, this lens’ light weight and low price are attractive. However, my tests confirmed published Imatest results that the Zeiss is slightly sharper. It’s dismissed as a “kit lens” but, surprisingly, DXOmark rates it higher than the above Zeiss 4.0. Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS (295 grams, $398 or less): My first full frame zoom.
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