The 55mm is still an amazing lens, and in the right hands it can easily produce stunning images vs someone who might rely on the GM badge to better improve their photography.
mostly i'm fascinated that the 1.2 doesn't simply eat up the 55 regarding bokeh!! part of it goes to the slightly longer focal length, but also obviously zeiss got a few things to the right balance in the depths of lens design mastery!
I had the 50 1.2, sold it as i have been using the 55 1.8 more than the 1.2, sure the 1.2 is nice to have but i use lights and flash so the 1.2 doesn't really make a difference. Plus the 55 1.8 is way lighter. If youre shooting for 17 hours, the weight makes a huge difference. Another option I'd recommend is a good copy of a Rokinon/Samyang 45 1.8
Really thanks for the time and money spent getting the lens for the comparison and review. Definitely I'm going to get in the near future the GM lens but the Zeiss which currently serves me is one of the best lenses out there together with the 90mm macro. Both are the best value for the money. For sure the GM series is for the professionals. Thanks once again for the info shared.
Just purchased the 24mm 1.4 and struggling on the 50 or 55mm for the next lens. Planning a trip to NZ in the next two years and looking to have the 24mm and my final choice for the next lens as my trip lenses.
really great review, showing several things in great detail!! one thing i'm missing is a direct comparision of the bokeh balls with both lenses wide open, to see what is feasible with each lens. another small point is that while comparing flares etc at 2.8 is a great thing that's often missing, the flaring properties wide open still are most important. finally a small note that most people miss: the 55 is also special in that it's T stop is also 1.8!! usually in most lenses the transmission of lenses is lower than their aperture, due to losses in the glass and coatings - e.g. the sony zeiss planar 50/1.4 has a T stop of 1.6, therefore regarding light gathering the two lenses are less apart than one would think. i couldn't find the T stop of the GM 1.2 anywhere, but i strongly guess it's less then 1.2, which again, makes the light gathering difference actually less then expected.
Nice Kit! I'm curious if you can see a difference between your 50mm GM and 24-70 f.28 at 50mm focal length. I'm debating about picking up the 50GM, but often shoot find myself shooting at f2.8-4.0 in the focal length.
I have the 24mm, the 50mm, and the 135 GM and I'm really eyeing the new 14mm GM or the new 35 GM.. really hard choice for me haha, but I think the 14mm makes more sense in order to complete a little bit the focal lengths.
Yea you’re definitely missing that wider focal length for sure. But I use my 24 all the time on gimbals so I guess you just need to figure out if you do enough real estate stuff to justify the 14. For me my 16-35 is the widest I’d really need I’m just missing out on 1.3 stops
The 50 GM is faster and more reliable than the ZA 50 I had based on what I experienced on the A9 and then the A1. I did just recently get the ZA 55 because it does incredible for infrared photography. I prefer using the 135 GM over the 90 G if I can get by without macro.
I'm not sure how you test AF speed but my tests in a "sills based" setting is opposite of your results. I set up targets at near and far focus and shift back and forth and the GM is the fastest lens I've ever tested by a good margin allowing me to achieve roughly 2 shots per second; again going the entire distance from near to far focus. I'm assuming your tests we done in video mode which actually relies much more heavily on the camera and it's settings. Clearly the GM is designed to be much faster focusing and by my estimation it is.
How much of an issue has the focus breathing been for video with the GM? The focus breathing to me seems like the real dealbreaker with these GM primes and they are geared more for photography use. Sony has still not updated the FX3 or A7S3 will breathing compensation. This is very unfortunate and will most likely prevent me from getting this 50mm 1.2.
Yea if it’s a concern then I’d skip this lens. I doubt Sony will ever do breathing compensation for the a7s/fx3, since there isn’t enough extra pixels.
@@pizzomedia7261 I have not but I generally do corporate stuff where the camera is locked down on a tripod. In terms of minimizing, I’d say if you are locked down to turn off autofocus to avoid the breathing if the subject temporarily leans forward or back.
@@FilmIn5D thanks yeah, I think the problem is mostly when locked of on a tripod trying to rack focus. I think for handheld and gimbal work it seems just fine. I did a test video with the lens and the image quality is incredible. Hard to beat a 50mm as well. ua-cam.com/video/Z2IHtg5T7bA/v-deo.html
Just need info where did you sell your 55 lens? Because i have 24 gm prime , 16-35 gm, 24-70 gm now 50 gm prime i’m so inlove with 50, 85gm ,70-105 g oss and the last one is 135 gm i love this one too, but planning to sell all my zoom lens and get 35 gm and 70-200 gm. Do you know where i can sell those lenses thinking about ebay but might takes a while. Thank you..
I am a video shooter. I Use the fx3. I own a 241.4 GM. I used to own the Zeiss 55 1.8 but it got lost, absolutely loved that lens. Would you recommend I get the new sony 50 GM? Do you think the lenses would match a lot better optically vs a Zeiss or Sigma Alternative? The Sigma is 1.4 and that seems like plenty for me.
All of the Sony G Masters exhibit sharper corner to corner quality compared to older lenses (Sony specified 50 lines per mm as their testing criteria - rather than the usual 30 to 40lpmm for older Sony / Zeiss glass) but they all show much slower focusing with noticeable breathing. You would have been better 'upgrading' to the newer Sony 1.8 lenses (the 35mm and 85mm f1.8 lenses are much smaller, lighter and cheaper than the G Masters alternatives and are much faster at focusing with no noticeable breathing).
I have one question for you bro, now I have a sony a7 iii, 55mm zeiss and 35 mm gm, should I buy a new camera (sony a7 r5) or 50 mm 1.2 gm or 135 mm gm? What would you do?
I would do the same and invest on the lens. I have the Sony A7Rii and I will keep it till it dies. I made huge mistake in the past and sold my 85mm 1.4 GM purchasing an other camera and really regret it. Now I'm missing this lens and cannot afford to get it back.
These new G Masters disappoint with the focus breathing. I had my eyes on a complete set but looking at Sigma for the better control. Especially the 35mm f1.2 which has the most controlled breathing from the tests I’ve seen. Have you tried sigmas 50mm?
I’m about to pull the trigger on the 35 and 50 through out the summer which would then be the exact same collection you have lol including the 90 macro 😂. Great video man!
When you showed the landscape comparisons, the 50mm 1.2 looked more like a 47mm. The difference in field of view was huge compared to the 55mm 1.8. There’s no way that difference is just 5mm.
I do not like the focal length 50mm, any Lens shorter or longer ! I have the compact and light Sony Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8. My most used Lens are a 60mm 2.8 Macro Lens an excellent allround Lens.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The 55mm is still an amazing lens, and in the right hands it can easily produce stunning images vs someone who might rely on the GM badge to better improve their photography.
In such a person's hands the GM will still do better than the Zeiss, so what's your point?
Yep !
Sold the gm and bought the 55 back
Defenetly get the 135mm gm 1.8. It is by far the sharpest lens I have ever seen, a true masterpiece by sony. That 14mm looks amazing too
mostly i'm fascinated that the 1.2 doesn't simply eat up the 55 regarding bokeh!! part of it goes to the slightly longer focal length, but also obviously zeiss got a few things to the right balance in the depths of lens design mastery!
I had the 50 1.2, sold it as i have been using the 55 1.8 more than the 1.2, sure the 1.2 is nice to have but i use lights and flash so the 1.2 doesn't really make a difference. Plus the 55 1.8 is way lighter. If youre shooting for 17 hours, the weight makes a huge difference. Another option I'd recommend is a good copy of a Rokinon/Samyang 45 1.8
Can't believe I'm hearing the Zeiss focuses faster than the GM!
Really thanks for the time and money spent getting the lens for the comparison and review. Definitely I'm going to get in the near future the GM lens but the Zeiss which currently serves me is one of the best lenses out there together with the 90mm macro. Both are the best value for the money. For sure the GM series is for the professionals. Thanks once again for the info shared.
Just purchased the 24mm 1.4 and struggling on the 50 or 55mm for the next lens. Planning a trip to NZ in the next two years and looking to have the 24mm and my final choice for the next lens as my trip lenses.
Nice, I took my 16-35mm 2.8 GM to NZ and got some pretty amazing pictures
@@FilmIn5D It's an amazing country! My first thought was for one or two nice zooms but I've always loved primes. I hope it's the right choice!
Don't forget to pack the 70-200mm gm2 you will not regret it.
@@M.Montgomery 3000 EUROS. that's a lot of money if you are not a professional.
really great review, showing several things in great detail!!
one thing i'm missing is a direct comparision of the bokeh balls with both lenses wide open, to see what is feasible with each lens. another small point is that while comparing flares etc at 2.8 is a great thing that's often missing, the flaring properties wide open still are most important.
finally a small note that most people miss: the 55 is also special in that it's T stop is also 1.8!! usually in most lenses the transmission of lenses is lower than their aperture, due to losses in the glass and coatings - e.g. the sony zeiss planar 50/1.4 has a T stop of 1.6, therefore regarding light gathering the two lenses are less apart than one would think. i couldn't find the T stop of the GM 1.2 anywhere, but i strongly guess it's less then 1.2, which again, makes the light gathering difference actually less then expected.
Just got the Zeiss for 500 bucks
Nice Kit! I'm curious if you can see a difference between your 50mm GM and 24-70 f.28 at 50mm focal length. I'm debating about picking up the 50GM, but often shoot find myself shooting at f2.8-4.0 in the focal length.
I have the 24mm, the 50mm, and the 135 GM and I'm really eyeing the new 14mm GM or the new 35 GM.. really hard choice for me haha, but I think the 14mm makes more sense in order to complete a little bit the focal lengths.
Yea you’re definitely missing that wider focal length for sure. But I use my 24 all the time on gimbals so I guess you just need to figure out if you do enough real estate stuff to justify the 14. For me my 16-35 is the widest I’d really need I’m just missing out on 1.3 stops
The 50 GM is faster and more reliable than the ZA 50 I had based on what I experienced on the A9 and then the A1. I did just recently get the ZA 55 because it does incredible for infrared photography. I prefer using the 135 GM over the 90 G if I can get by without macro.
I'm not sure how you test AF speed but my tests in a "sills based" setting is opposite of your results. I set up targets at near and far focus and shift back and forth and the GM is the fastest lens I've ever tested by a good margin allowing me to achieve roughly 2 shots per second; again going the entire distance from near to far focus. I'm assuming your tests we done in video mode which actually relies much more heavily on the camera and it's settings. Clearly the GM is designed to be much faster focusing and by my estimation it is.
All tests were done in video mode
How much of an issue has the focus breathing been for video with the GM? The focus breathing to me seems like the real dealbreaker with these GM primes and they are geared more for photography use. Sony has still not updated the FX3 or A7S3 will breathing compensation. This is very unfortunate and will most likely prevent me from getting this 50mm 1.2.
Yea if it’s a concern then I’d skip this lens. I doubt Sony will ever do breathing compensation for the a7s/fx3, since there isn’t enough extra pixels.
@@FilmIn5D have you personally found the breathing a problem with the 50mm? Anything you do to minimize it?
@@pizzomedia7261 I have not but I generally do corporate stuff where the camera is locked down on a tripod. In terms of minimizing, I’d say if you are locked down to turn off autofocus to avoid the breathing if the subject temporarily leans forward or back.
@@FilmIn5D thanks yeah, I think the problem is mostly when locked of on a tripod trying to rack focus. I think for handheld and gimbal work it seems just fine. I did a test video with the lens and the image quality is incredible. Hard to beat a 50mm as well. ua-cam.com/video/Z2IHtg5T7bA/v-deo.html
How does the 50mm not have OSS for that price??
Just need info where did you sell your 55 lens? Because i have 24 gm prime , 16-35 gm, 24-70 gm now 50 gm prime i’m so inlove with 50, 85gm ,70-105 g oss and the last one is 135 gm i love this one too, but planning to sell all my zoom lens and get 35 gm and 70-200 gm. Do you know where i can sell those lenses thinking about ebay but might takes a while. Thank you..
Craigslist or any of the other various sites that allow you to sell locally
I am a video shooter. I Use the fx3. I own a 241.4 GM. I used to own the Zeiss 55 1.8 but it got lost, absolutely loved that lens. Would you recommend I get the new sony 50 GM? Do you think the lenses would match a lot better optically vs a Zeiss or Sigma Alternative? The Sigma is 1.4 and that seems like plenty for me.
I would go with the sigma over the Zeiss, but the 50 gm is really nice if you have the $$
@@FilmIn5D thanks so much for the quick response!
All of the Sony G Masters exhibit sharper corner to corner quality compared to older lenses (Sony specified 50 lines per mm as their testing criteria - rather than the usual 30 to 40lpmm for older Sony / Zeiss glass) but they all show much slower focusing with noticeable breathing. You would have been better 'upgrading' to the newer Sony 1.8 lenses (the 35mm and 85mm f1.8 lenses are much smaller, lighter and cheaper than the G Masters alternatives and are much faster at focusing with no noticeable breathing).
I have one question for you bro, now I have a sony a7 iii, 55mm zeiss and 35 mm gm, should I buy a new camera (sony a7 r5) or 50 mm 1.2 gm or 135 mm gm? What would you do?
General rule of thumb I live by is "marry the glass, date the body." Investing in your lenses should be the priority. But everyone is different.
I would do the same and invest on the lens. I have the Sony A7Rii and I will keep it till it dies. I made huge mistake in the past and sold my 85mm 1.4 GM purchasing an other camera and really regret it. Now I'm missing this lens and cannot afford to get it back.
These new G Masters disappoint with the focus breathing. I had my eyes on a complete set but looking at Sigma for the better control. Especially the 35mm f1.2 which has the most controlled breathing from the tests I’ve seen. Have you tried sigmas 50mm?
I have not sorry
Got the 1:2 love it
I've never been keen on the 50mm focal length - its not wide enough and not tight enough. So, I have the old 50mm 1.4 Planar around... LOL
Seems like you own pretty much all of the GMs.
I’m about to pull the trigger on the 35 and 50 through out the summer which would then be the exact same collection you have lol including the 90 macro 😂. Great video man!
Nice! Thanks
90 macro is so extremely sharp, it should be illegal hahah
But yeah also gonna pull the trigger on the 50 gm soon, so good for video work…
When you showed the landscape comparisons, the 50mm 1.2 looked more like a 47mm. The difference in field of view was huge compared to the 55mm 1.8. There’s no way that difference is just 5mm.
I do not like the focal length 50mm, any Lens shorter or longer ! I have the compact and light Sony Zeiss Sonnar 55mm 1.8. My most used Lens are a 60mm 2.8 Macro Lens an excellent allround Lens.