Sony Showcase My first shots with the 7Artisans 35mm f/2.0 + A7III!

[Jonathan F/2]

I've been searching for a cheap replacement for my Voigtlander 40mm 1.4 Nokton MC. While it was very sharp in the center, the field curvature softness was really starting to bug me due to the thick sensor stack of the Sony bodies. I've been looking at other alternatives such as the Voigtlander 35mm 2.5 P Skopar, which was an even sharper lens, but with even worst field curvature softness! I've received recommendations of other Voigtlander and Zeiss glass, but to be honest I'm not really a Leica/film afficionado, I only like M-mount glass due to the smaller lens profile I get on my Techart Pro adapter, since my style is more run-n-gun!

I've read the reviews, but none really touched on the information I was looking for, when all I wanted to to find out is if the field curvature sharpness was a bit better towards the mid-frame! I finally stumbled on a decent used like-new copy of the 7Artisans 35mm f2.0 Leica-M mount lens on Amazon Prime. I received my lens yesterday and decided to go bang out a couple night shots in downtown LA.

Initial impressions is that the mid-frame stays sharper than the previous Voigtlander lenses I owned. Center sharpness isn't as good as the Voigtlander 40mm 1.4 or 35mm 2.5, but it has better uniform across-the-frame sharpness. The lens has lower contrast and points of light are more blurrier at f/2, versus the Voigtlander style of just nice star-like points of light. In fact if you tried the 7Artisans 50mm 1.1 lens, I'd say they both have a similar optical signature, but the 35mm is a bit more tame with smoother OOF blur that doesn't look wild like on the 50mm 1.1 lens. Overall I really like this lens especially for the price I paid on Amazon for $240 USD! I prefer the M-mount version mainly so I can use it on my TAP and gain auto focus.

The full set (where I also used the Voigtlander 15mm) can be seen here: 190413_DTLA_NIGHT_PHOTOS_FRIOLO

Check out the photos - Sony A7III + TAP + 7A 35mm f/2.0 Lens:

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

 

[Jonathan F/2]

A couple daytime samples showing off how the 7Artisans 35mm f/2.0 M lens handles in good light!

All shot with the Sony A7III + TAP + 7A 35mm f/2 Lens:

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Eagle Rock - Los Angeles, CA USA by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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Eagle Rock - Los Angeles, CA USA by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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Eagle Rock - Los Angeles, CA USA by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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Eagle Rock - Los Angeles, CA USA by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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Eagle Rock - Los Angeles, CA USA by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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Eagle Rock - Los Angeles, CA USA by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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Eagle Rock - Los Angeles, CA USA by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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Eagle Rock - Los Angeles, CA USA by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

 

[CraigC]

Great series of images and nice write up.

 

[Jonathan F/2]

Great series of images and nice write up.

Thanks! It's definitely a keeper and priced affordably! It really adds a different dimension in terms of rendering.

 

[Jonathan F/2]

I also did a few OOF test to see how the bokeh renders. I actually much prefer how this looks versus the 7A 50mm 1.1 lens. It's still creamy without looking crazy. 😉

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

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DTLA - Olvera Street and Chinatown by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

 

[rayvonn]

Must admit that 7Artisans 75mm f1.4 has got my attention as well

 

[gryphon1911]

The problem for me is that I'm not sure if I like the way the lens renders or if its your image processing! The good thing is that the lens is not holding you back, so a plus there!

 

[Jonathan F/2]

The problem for me is that I'm not sure if I like the way the lens renders or if its your image processing! The good thing is that the lens is not holding you back, so a plus there!

I've pretty much just narrowed down my raw presets to two looks I like and now I just use those presets for every camera I shoot with.

Also the lens is sort of weird. SOOC the images are actually quite flat and odd. It's when processing the raws, I'm able to pull out much more detail and color fidelity. If I was using this lens on a film RF, I'd probably stick with a nice contrasty b&w film or something with rich colors.

 

[Jonathan F/2]

Here's how the lens looks on the A7III + TAP:

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190416_GEAR_PORN_PHOTOS_FRIOLO_008 by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

 

[Covey22]

Eagle Rock - makes me long for the days I spent there as a young kid, I miss L.A.!

 

[drd1135]

Late to the party but great shots. Your work had a definite look to it. It sounds like it’s partially the processing. It reminds me of a video by Sean Tucker called Editing Color.

I’m not saying your stuff looks like his but rather that he emphasizes developing your own look. You seem to have that and, to my eye, it works. I also like the “undercover A7” look of your taped camera. I don’t tape mine but I live in a small town and your camera would stand out more than my “naked” one.