The Phoblographer

Get your mask on, and get ready to breathe heavily at the new Fotografiska New York exhibits.

New York City is truly blessed to have two great museums dedicated specifically to photography. It reminds the public that photography isn’t just the act of taking a photo. There’s a lot more meaning behind it. Those meanings come to the fore at the new Fotografiska New York exhibits. Martin Scholler’s latest exhibit investigates folks who got off death row using video, stills, and chilling sound snippets. Naima Green has an exhibit that, to me, stood out mostly for its emphasis on the human touch. Cooper and Gorfer have the most conceptual series there that’s bound to enthrall. But you’ll start with Hassan Hajjaj–who wants to take back his country from just being a nice backdrop.

Fotografiska New York bills the exhibit as VOGUE: The Arab Issue. But what really stood out to me were the words of Hassan Hajjaj. Photographers from Europe would come to Morocco to photograph. But it was really just to use it as a cool background. He didn’t see any sort of investigation into the land itself. So he wanted to put the people at the front–and he does a fantastic job.

Hassan’s story is incredibly relatable both as a person, a native New Yorker, and an American Desi. If someone came onto your property and just started to use it as a backdrop for images, wouldn’t you be taken aback? It’s similar to a media outlet paying attention to your neighborhood only after gentrification. You, a human being, will naturally question why you were never good enough before. And I’ve wondered the same thing about yoga. My dad was a yoga teacher and taught me meditations from ancient teachings. And it still bothers me to see such an ancient art form distorted for mass consumption. These emotions are all present in every single photo. And the images portray the Arab world in a light that we don’t see often. It’s genuinely heartwarming and kindled by a passion for honest expression.

This specific exhibit puts a big emphasis on color. And the work is positively fantastic in every single way, both technically and artistically. However, Fotografiska New York seems to be lacking a bit in their lighting. Before the pandemic, I’d never seen photo exhibits lit in such a modern way. And for the most part, that’s still there. But they seemed to relax their standards a bit. Considering that we’re on the tail end of a global pandemic, I’m willing to forgive this.

Naima Green’s Brief and Drenching is one that personally really got to me. It’s mostly centered around showing off the entire spectrum of the LGBTQ community. You can look at it in a few different ways. One can see that these folks are all just ordinary people like the rest of us. In 2021, I think that’s pretty obvious. But I remember reading something in the description about human touch–and immediately thinking of how deprived of it lots of folks are right now. You’ll see a lot of it in the images. Personally speaking, I 100% agree with the message. We’ve taken similar stances many times in the site’s history. But I think that some of the work wasn’t very gripping, and I probably put too much emphasis on the idea of touch.

My personal favorite has to be that of Cooper and Gorfer’s Between These Folded Walls, Utopia. It puts emphasis on hard stories of women all around the world. And the images are shot in a way that you’d expect of stained glass that you see in a church. One can easily walk through the exhibit and imagine rays of Sunday morning light seeping through. Theirs is the most conceptual series, and that’s what I’m currently gravitating toward. I strongly believe in the power of documentary stories, but I think that they need to try harder these days. But I also believe in the power of creative ideas in photography. And that holistically permeates through this specific exhibit.

Again though, Fotografiska New York needs to fix the lighting on the photo descriptions. It’s challenging to read some of them.

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There are great APS-C lenses for all types of photography for Sony APS-C cameras.

It has taken quite some time for dedicated APS-C lenses for Sony E Mount cameras to emerge. Fortunately, the wait has been worth it for those who shoot with the capable crop sensor cameras. No matter what genres of photography you shoot, you can get lenses that will suit your style. The APS-C lenses we’ve featured here are affordable, reliable, well built, and all produce stunningly sharp images. If you want to expand your library of E Mount APS-C lenses, check out four of our favorites after the break.

Sigma 16mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary (For Landscape Photography

“It’s sharp, has nice bokeh, contrast, manageable fringing, and autofocuses at a fair speed. Plus, it has weather sealing. There isn’t a whole lot to hate with the Sigma 16mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary. If you’re the type of photographer who shoots wide, does documentary style work, and needs a reliable lens in their bag, this is one of the best options you’ve got if you’re a Sony shooter.”

Buy now: $375

Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary (For Portrait Photography)

“The Sigma 56mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary produces some of the best images we’ve seen to date of any lens designed specifically for Crop Sensor Sony E Mount cameras. In-focus areas are tack sharp, while out-of-focus areas pack plenty of bokeh. Images produced by the Sigma 56mm f1.4 are consistently sharp in the center of the frame throughout the available aperture range (f1.4 to f16), with no significant loss in sharpness detected when moving towards the perimeter of the frame.”

Buy now: $429

Pro Tip: Are you interested in buying a Sony APS-C camera but are on the fence? Check out our reviews. We have put the a6000, a6100, a6300, a6400, a6500, and the a6600 through our real-world tests. Have a read, look at the sample images, and then decide if they are right for you.

Tamron 17-70mm F2.8 Di III-A VC RXD (For Documentarians)

Chris Gampat – Editor In Chief

“The Tamron 17-70mm f2.8 Di III-A VC RXD is a fantastic lens overall. You’re getting old-school Sony image quality, lens character, weather sealing, fast autofocus, and a lightweight body. How could you complain? My absolute favorite thing about this lens is the nostalgic feeling I get working with it. “

Buy now: $799

Sony 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS (For Wildlife, Birding, and Sports)

In our review, we said:

Brett Day – Gear Editor

“The Sony 70-350mm f4.5-6.3 G OSS is an excellent lens for the price. Sony owners who shoot with APS-C cameras will truly love how versatile this lens is. It is well built, produces sharp images with great colors, and focuses incredibly quickly. This lens is perfect for wildlife photographers who want extra reach, is great for photographers who want to capture sports or any action, and you can even put it to use in landscape and portrait genres. If I shot with an a6XXX series Sony camera and needed a super-telephoto lens, this is the one I would reach for. It was reliable and hit all the notes it needed to hit.”

Buy now: $898

You can get your hands on this rare Nikon F3 that’s surely a piece of history.

It’s sporadic that something like this actually appears. But when it does, it’s truly exciting. What we have here is an incredibly rare Nikon F3. Specifically, this is a variant of the Nikon F3 that was made for NASA. However, there’s a special cherry to top this wonderful sundae off. In fact, there’s evidence that this specific Nikon F3 went to space.

According to the listing, this Nikon F3 has astronaut instructions on it. That was only done if the camera indeed went to space. Others were sold off ASAP. And I completely understand why! Only around 50 of these cameras were ever made. The seller isn’t the only one to say this. We’ve reported on cameras like this before, and another seller said the exact same thing. In our previous coverage, we stated:

“The Nikon F3 was introduced in 1980 and is still considered today as Nikon’s finest manual focus camera. Early in the decade, NASA collaborated with Nikon to modify the F3 for Space Shuttle Program. This partnership produced several variations for the so-called NASA F3 cameras, including the “small” and “big” versions. The former was fitted with a motor drive while the latter came with interchangeable film backs and longer film for bulk loading.”

According to Nikon’s website, this camera was made in 1981. Gear for NASA is made to some very insane specifications. If you’re a fan of watches, you probably know the story of the Omega Speedmaster. It was one of the only things that worked. And Nikon is very proud of the F3’s durability. In fact, their website gives this golden nugget:

“The F3 models for NASA, and those for mass consumption, were developed side-by-side at the Ohi Plant. Another special team was assigned to the development of the F3 for NASA. The “Big Camera” was equipped with an interchangeable film back and used a thinner special long film for bulk loading. Members of the special team needed to concentrate on developing a new technology that would accelerate film advancement. After much effort and brainstorming, they solved the problem and succeeded in delivering the cameras for the space shuttle. The F3 for NASA had many of the same features as the F3 for mass consumption, including internal parts. Compared to the modified F models for NASA, the F3 for NASA was much more similar to the F3 models made for the public.”

The price of this relic? A casual flex of $24,950. That’s almost my yearly rent here in NYC.

Who knows?! Maybe someone that’s an avid Nikon fan might want to sign up for the next Space X mission. Then you’ll bring some film up there and have a little bit of history in your hands as you go shooting. Of course, that’s a far stretch. But this Nikon F3 is in excellent condition. It includes the special NASA viewfinder, focusing screen, camera back, etc. If you pick this up and want to shoot with it, buy a giant roll of film. As it is, I don’t know many folks who freeze film in bulk and roll it themselves anymore. Besides, this camera belongs in a safe or a carefully cared for collection.

All images from the listing by allgoneby2000

No, HDR images and high contrast aren’t really the same thing.

Lots of new photographers picked up the hobby in the pandemic. And we genuinely think that that’s wonderful. However, there’s a lot of misinformation and a lack of understanding of what’s what. Some folks believe that if they go for higher contrast that they’ll get better photos. That’s not necessarily the case. And some folks also think that everything needs to be an HDR. They hate when something is blown out. And to those folks, you’re surely entitled to your own opinions. Some folks want a contrasty lens thinking that it’s always going to be sharper. But that’s wrong: sharpness is sharpness, clarity is clarity, and contrast is contrast.

What Is High Contrast?

Lots of techies will sit here talking about histograms and all that stuff. Yes, they help. They’re not necessary, though. Let’s say you don’t want to look at a computer screen or a mobile phone for a while! Instead, you just want to shoot and get it right in-camera. There’s nothing more rewarding.

So let me first talk about this with lenses. One reason why so many folks like vintage lenses are the character. Lots of the optical flaws are still in there. The coatings don’t sterilize the image. But also, the images aren’t as high contrast.

The above and below photos are in high contrast. And I totally see why folks would like this look.

Contrast quite literally talks about the difference between the brightest brights and the darkest darks. If the full gamut isn’t in there, then it’s a high-contrast image. Bring any photo into your favorite editing software and just play with the files. This tends to make things pop at the expense of details. But modern camera sensors and coatings tend to mitigate that. This can fool the eye into thinking it’s sharper than it really is. If you look closely at images from medium format lenses, you can see just how sharp they are. They’re doing this with the low contrast of film. But when you add it to an already sharp optic, the images look even sharper.

Sometimes you may want more clarity instead. Clarity refers to the mid-tones of an image.

The perfect example of a high-contrast image is a person against a plain white background. Why does this matter? Well, if you want to edit the photo later on, then you’ll have a harder time.

It can also exist between colors. And that can differ based on luminance, hue, and saturation.

What Is Low Contrast?

These two photos above and below are low contrast renders.

Again, we’re not talking techy here.

Low contrast may probably not be actually appealing to you folks at all. Some folks confuse it with the pastel look. Pastel isn’t necessarily low. In fact, if you do it with Fujifilm’s PRO400H film, you’re most likely getting something high contrast.

Low is when things are a bit more muted. Instead of the image showing really bright areas and really dark ones, it’s more balanced.

The photo above is a high render. The photo below is a low render. What you like will probably depend on the situation.

The perfect example of a low-contrast image is a person against an outdoor background with cloud coverage. There are tons of details and tonality in a photo like that.

What Is HDR?

HDR is what you get when you combine multiple images together. You usually use ND filters for this. It gives you loads of tones. It’s obviously how you can get the most dynamic range. Because of that, it’s a low-contrast image. And you’re mostly supposed to use HDR in scenes where there’s high contrast.

The Fujifilm X Pro 3 is the best camera on the market for anyone who doesn’t want to stare at a screen all day.

“Aren’t you just sick of all these zoom meetings,” is what a rep called and told me on the phone earlier in the pandemic. She called me out of the blue, and I completely agreed with her. But I didn’t realize how deep her words hit me. The entire staff has discussed how we’re all sick of staring at screens. And the Fujifilm X Pro 3 is the perfect answer to that. Yes, there are options like the Leica M10-D. But you’ll probably complain about its price more than you will the X Pro 3’s screen.

I’ve got the first dose of the vaccine. And I’ve now started to open up a bit more and explore again. The other night I wanted to photo walk, but I didn’t want to use anything digital. I was staring at a computer screen all day, and I didn’t want to stare at it again. So I reached for my film cameras. The problem: the film in them is all slide and slow speed film. I can’t use those easily at night.

So instead, I just walked around, but I should’ve reached for my Fujifilm X Pro 3. After all, I gave it an Editor’s Choice award. The hidden LCD screen is just like shooting film with the optional convenience of digital. No other series of cameras have a hybrid viewfinder. You can look at the world and see an overlay in the optical viewfinder. Or you can switch to the electronic viewfinder when you want. And for most of the pandemic, this was my bread and butter camera. The small lenses just work so well with it. It has unique image quality from all the rest. And it isn’t recycling the same sensor made by Sony. This is all incredibly important to me because I can get something unique.

At the same time, I packed my Fuji gear into a backpack, put it in my closet, and swore I wouldn’t touch it for a while. The Fujifilm X Pro 3 has been there to shoot when I didn’t want to constantly stare at a screen. But it also feels like heartbreak is around the corner from this relationship. Fujifilm hasn’t updated the firmware to bring it up to snuff with the other cameras in the lineup. One rep has told me that it’s probably a memory spacing issue. But as a Fujifilm customer, I can’t help but be angered. Where are the autofocus tweaks? Where are all the improvements that came to other cameras? Why should I need to buy a new camera to get a new film simulation?

Hear me out.

Since the Fujifilm X100 and Fujifilm X Pro 1, the company has changed how the camera market approaches product life. Fujifilm used to issue loads of firmware updates. By the end of the camera’s life, you felt like you had a brand new camera. But you stuck with Fuji. You kept buying new lenses. And eventually, you got a new camera, then new lenses, etc. That’s how I’ve been. I’ve owned four Fujifilm cameras and at least five lenses. That’s one new product for pretty much every year that the X series existed. Then Fujifilm goes and doesn’t update their most expensive camera in the series?

Why?

This camera is perhaps the single best thing for anyone still feeling anxious about the pandemic. I know it’s coming to a close, but we’re far away from that. And lots of folks are going to wait for the vaccine anyway. Aren’t you sick of staring at your computer screen and being in zoom calls? Aren’t you tired of looking at your phone and endlessly scrolling? But you don’t want to shoot film?

Quite honestly, I don’t blame you on the latter. Film isn’t for everyone, but I think that everyone should experience it. And I’m not just talking about the standard stuff. Go for the special stuff: like CineStill, Dubble, or Lomography film. Use the stuff that digital can’t copy. That’s what film’s future is.

Or if you want that experience with the convenience of digital, go shoot the X Pro 3. That way, you’re forced to not stare at a screen when you’re shooting. It’s the closest thing you’ll get to a digital Contax G2 on the market.

PS: This isn’t a sponsored piece. I wrote this of my own accord.

There are stories about how these lenses have survived incredible odds.

The worst feeling is that of a lens or camera suddenly not working anymore. You don’t think you need weather-sealed lenses until you do. That’s why photojournalists always reach for them. They never know when they’ll be in the rain or the desert. But they’ll know that their sensors will be clean, their lenses will focus, and the quality will be great. So we dove into our Reviews Index and found some of the best. These weather-sealed lenses are all for full frame cameras. And you’ll be happy to know that they’ll always work no matter what!

Leica 24-90mm f2.8-4 SL

Why is it Special?: The standard for most photographers is the 24-70mm lens. But Leica decided to give you even more focal range. And indeed, it becomes handy.

Pro Tip: This lens is really designed to cover all your bases. And for the most part, it does just that. Try it with Leica’s Interval Shooting mode and slow the shutter speed down a bit. You’ll be able to document scenes in a totally different way.

“One of the reasons you pay for a Leica is that they don’t play around with build quality. Leica went ahead and IP rated their cameras, but not their lenses. However, the Leica SL 24-90mm f2.8-4 is very weather sealed. We’ve taken it out into the rain, snow, and other conditions. The lens kept working: this is a very reliable lens.”

Buy Now: Get it at the Leica Camera Store for $5,495

Leica 75mm f2 SL

Why is it Special?: The Leica 75mm f2 SL is an incredibly special lens for the focal length and image quality. It’s amazingly sharp across the board. And it’s an enjoyable focal length to use for portraits and documentary-style work. Photojournalists will love it!

Pro Tip: This lens has very muted colors vs. the company’s 50mm f1.4. If you really care about portraits, this is probably the one to reach for over the company’s shorter option.

“Better yet, it’s a prime. And it’s got a nice balance of being lightweight while solidly built. Personally speaking, this is the most pleasingly built lens for the SL system I’ve used.”

Buy Now: Get it at the Leica Camera Store for $5,295

Leica 50mm f1.4 Summilux SL

Why is it Special?: This 50mm lens is one of the highest pinnacle lenses I’ve tested in terms of image quality. The colors and sharpness combine to create a look you can’t get from other cameras. Check out this article we did about Jarle Hagan and his work with the lens years ago. It’s why we fell for it in the first place.

Pro Tip: Slow down with this lens and do something more documentary-based with it. Use it like you were using a large-format camera. You’ll be rewarded with similar results!

“We took the Leica SL 50mm f1.4 Summilux out into the rain several times in both Germany and in the US. It survived and kept working without any issues. The professional photographers this lens is designed for will be delighted to know that the lens will hold up to pretty much anything.”

Buy Now: Get it at the Leica Camera Store for $5,895

Leica 35mm f2 APO-Summicron SL ASPH

Why is it Special?: The Leica 35mm f2 Summicron SL APO has an APO design–which stands for apochromatic. This means that it’s designed to correct aberrations in all three categories. That’s incredibly difficult to do. Plus, there’s a ton of aspherical surfaces in this lens. And they do this while keeping it well built.

Pro Tip: Turn on Face Detection and set the camera to continuous autofocus for the most accurate results. Photojournalism is demanding. If you’re doing something at a slower pace, then use the single autofocus.

In our review, we state:

“…it’s very well built. The Leica 35mm f2 Summicron SL APO is also weather sealed. So you don’t have to worry about it in the rain or most other situations.”

Buy Now: Get it at the Leica Camera Store for $5,095

Editor’s Note: This blog post is presented in partnership with Leica.

Capture One’s CEO Rafael Orta drops a lot of possible hints at what’s coming to Capture One in the future.

Capture One has a new CEO: Rafael Orta. His background begins as an engineer and evolved into critical technological advancements. It’s no surprise that folks have been asking more of Capture One. It’s not the fastest photo editor, but it’s still the one that gives the best colors. In an interview with us, he didn’t rule out a number of possibilities. In fact, we’re fascinated by Rafael’s responses. And there are hints of AI, support for video, and the long-overdue mobile workflow.

Phoblographer: Congratulations on your new position as the CEO of Capture One. In your years working as an engineer, you’ve done work in the technology advancement field. How do you feel Capture One needs to evolve in the coming years?

Rafael Orta: Indeed, I started professional life as a Computers Engineer and the through-line in my career since then has been my ever-growing conviction about how technology makes the world a better place.

There’s never been a more exciting time to be at the intersection of photography and software.

High-end cameras are evolving at the fastest pace ever and we’re extremely excited about the recent and future announcements from manufacturers, many of which we partner closely with, like Leica, Sony, and Fujifilm.

Edited with Capture One 21’s Dehaze tool

There are huge industry-wide shifts in the technology industry, including mobile, cloud, and AI, which are widely and easily available at an unprecedented scale for software companies like us.

The emergence and consolidation of the Passion economy has allowed more people than ever to embrace their passions and interests as a viable full-time or part-time career path.

All of the above will shape our future plans, we’re excited about their potential and how we will grow the role we play in helping photographers achieve their vision by building the most powerful image editing software.

Phoblographer: Your open letter to the community mentions the word, “Selfie.” As a long-time C1 user, I was a bit shocked by that, but also interested. Am I reading too much into this when it makes me believe that the future of C1 is Mobile and involving AI technologies?

Rafael Orta: Mobile and AI are two of the most important paradigm shifts in the history of technology, they have transformed and disrupted entire industries.

We expect the same will be true for photography, we’re excited about the possibilities these platforms will bring to our software, they compel us to continue finding new and innovative ways to help photographers achieve the vision they have for their images.

Phoblographer: Sports is another area mentioned in your letter. It’s an area where C1 traditionally didn’t really tread. However, it excites me as a journalist. Is this to mean that C1 is paying close attention to the sports and photojournalism markets at all?

Rafael Orta: One of the most inspiring things about entering the photography software industry has been experiencing the extraordinary diversity and creativity of the photography community.

The range of applications and scenarios is endless and only limited by our imagination.

As we grow, we look forward to engaging and serving an ever wider range of disciplines within photography.

Phoblographer: What do you believe are some of the biggest challenges are in the photography software space these days?

Rafael Orta: Similar to many other software verticals, the pace of change and innovation is breathtaking, while the war for talent rages on.

Over the last couple of years, we’ve invested significantly in expanding our Product and Technology teams, including opening an Engineering Site in Athens and reinventing our work practices to enable us to deliver software faster and on a more continuous basis.

We will stay very focused on building great software, reinforcing our core strengths and ensuring that our customer obsession and love of imaging shines through...

The Boris FX Optics suite is a powerful, easy-to-use photo editor that puts tons of effects at your fingertips.

There are dozens of photo editing suites on the market right now. Apart from Luminar, which offers AI editing features, the rest are just basic editors that allow you to change exposure values, remove blemishes, crop, and so on. Optics, from Boris FX, is different. While you can indeed make basic changes with Boris FX Optics, this package is more about adding flair and drama to your images through effects such as lightning, shadows, fog, stars, and more. We’ve had a short time to get to play with the Boris FX Optics suite. Is it right for you? Find out in our review.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Hundreds of quality effects

The UI is great and is easy to get to grips with

An easy to use masking system

It can be used as a standalone program or as a plug-in for Lightroom and Photoshop

Nicely priced at $149

Cons

You need a pretty beefy computer to run Boris FX Optics smoothly

Gear Used

We used Boris Optics FX with a custom built PC that features a core I5 10400 CPU, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, Radeon 5700XT GPU, and various SSD’s and NVMe storage devices.

Features

The feature list below has been take from the official Boris FX website:

Apply Optics and choose from 160 filters and thousands of presets. Optics provides everything you need to creatively enhance and improve photos using a staggering amount of filters and presets. Color grade your image using film-style controls or go from reality to sci-fi with incredible lighting effects.

Filters are grouped into 9 categories: Color, Diffusion/Blurs, Film Lab, Grads/Tints. Image, Lens, Light, Render and Stylize

Create stunningly beautiful and realistic lens flares, subtle soft glows, photorealistic lighting effects, stylized looks and treatments, and more. Optics features 75 of the Emmy Award-winning Sapphire filters from Boris FX. Used by top visual effects artists on the world’s most famous television and films, Sapphire’s superior image quality and on-screen controls offer massive time-savings and creative options. Top effects included with Optics:

Recreate analog photography, and classic film looks with ease. Match vintage film stocks and grain, then customize looks to add luster and polish to your images. Or add film damage, scratches, and borders for an artfully decayed aesthetic.

294 color and black and white still photographic film stocks, motion picture films stocks, and historical photographic processes

89 color grading presets from Academy Award-nominated movies including 2001 A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, Back to the Future, Frankenstein, Gone with the Wind, King Kong, Saving Private Ryan, and Titanic

Performance

Sparks fly. The background texture was added in Boris FX Optics

For the most part, Boris FX Optics runs fairly smoothly on my PC. I have a 10th Gen Intel I5, 32GB of RAM, a 5700XT GPU, and NVMe drives. However, there are times when applying effects that my computer would hiccup and stutter. Usually, when just applying presets, the software is fast, but note that if you get into multiple layers with effects in each, unless you have a mighty powerful computer, you will see a few performance issues. This, I might add, was with me choosing to run in 2K mode. In 4K mode, my computer ran like molasses uphill. There is an option above 4K. I did not try it as the heater in my home already does a fine job. You can take the resolution down below 2K if you wish, and that does increase performance.

Boris FX Optics – Ease of Use

When you first open up the Boris FX Optics suite, you might feel a little overwhelmed. However, after just a few minutes, you’ll find that there was nothing to get worked up about. The layout is nice and clean, and all of the tools are easy to find. You’ll find the image you have selected and any subsequent layers you produce in the top left.

Along the top left, you’ll find reverse, crop, rotate, and mask icons. Along the top center, you’ll ...

The Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master was announced today, but is it better than the Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM?

Before I go into this, I need to make a few things transparent. I’m the type of photographer who’s leaned more into my photojournalism roots recently. I don’t like doing a lot of photo editing. And that’s fine. If you’re the type who wants something perfect out of camera, then you’ll think like me. That will in turn affect my choice in gear. And quite honestly, the Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM and the Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master shouldn’t really be compared. But if you’re considering switching from one system to another, there’s some useful info here. So we put these two 50mm f1.2 lenses head to head. How’d they do?

Gear Used

Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master

Sony a7r III (for fairness)

Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM

Canon EOS R5

Profoto B10

Ergonomics

Ergonomically speaking, the two lenses are pretty different. Sony seems taller and thinner. Canon is a tad shorter and a bit chunkier. Sony’s aperture ring is on the bottom near the mount. Canon’s is near the front. Canon’s mount is larger, so the lens is more uniform throughout. Sony’s lens gets thinner at the mount.

Build Quality

Both of these lenses are said to be weather sealed. During our presentation of the G Master, our reviews team laughed. Sony’s presentation, to us, seemed to be clutching at straws. Sony tried to argue that their own build quality was better because Canon has a moving element up front. But Canon’s weather sealing diagrams have shown us that it’s protected. Further, we’ve done a whole lot of testing with this lens in the rain. The three of us can attest to how well built Canon gear is. What’s more, Sony gear tends to give us a lot more issues in inclement weather.

However, they’re both well built. In the long run though, I’d probably throw my hat in with Canon.

Ease of Use

Both of these lenses are pretty easy to use. But for what it’s worth, it sort of varies.

Sony has a dedicated aperture ring control. You can set it to the A-mode and control that through the camera body. There’s also two custom function buttons. Either way, it gives you options.

Comparatively speaking, Canon also gives you options. On the Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6, you gain a fourth control dial. The programmable ring around the lens can be set to any variable you wish. With the Canon EOS R and the Canon EOS RP, you’re best off setting this to the aperture mode. So again, it varies per camera that you’re using.

Autofocus

To get the fairest test, we pit the Canon EOS R5 against the Sony a7r III. Before I got the units in, Sony said that the a7r III wouldn’t do so well when autofocusing. But in real life tests, it outperformed the Sony a7r IV. Either way, the point is that the Sony a7r IV’s autofocus performance is confusing. And that’s why we used the a7r III.

In an informal comparative studio test, Canon narrowly won out over Sony. Sony was set to AF-C and wide tracking mode with human face detection. It nailed the focusing every time. Canon was set to servo AF with Human face/eye detection on. Again, it nailed it. Our model was shot with a Profoto B10 and a 6 foot Westcott umbrella.

We’ve found similar to be the case in other tests we’ve done here on the site. And so Canon’s autofocus is starting to show an edge.

Image Quality

We’ll let you draw your own conclusions here. But personally speaking, I like the Canon render more than the Sony render. I’ve also been a long time owner of the Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM. These images are RAWs straight out of the camera and converted to JPEG.

Sony

Canon

Findings

Here’s a quick summary of our findings:

Sony is slightly longer and thinner

Canon is slightly shorter and chunkier

They both can be easy or complicated to use

Canon narrowly outpaces Sony

Canon has a nicer render where you need to do less post-production

They’re both very good.

The Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master will satisfy those who obsess over clinical sharpness with the bokeh to match and just a bit of lens flare.

I spent the better part of an hour trying to figure out the right title for this piece. The Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master lens is here. And it’s obviously their best 50mm lens yet. It’s packed with 11 aperture blades, weather sealing, two custom control buttons, an aperture ring, and more. Of course, what would a Sony lens be without overengineering? And that’s where I was scratching my head. The Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master lens is like a table hot sauce. Some of you may think Frank’s Red is hot. Others may adore Cholula. But to the elitist snobs among us, these are barely hot. However, they’ll satisfy the needs of most. And that’s what the Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master lens is doing. If it were a hot sauce, it would be a high-end product with a lot of bite but little flavor. Of course, we’ve come to expect that from Sony. And fear not, we compared it to the Canon RF 50mm f1.2 L USM Lens.

Editor’s Note: A big thank you goes out to our wonderful model Michelle. Further, this is a long, extensive review. You’re going to want to make use of this review’s table of contents feature to navigate it for sure.

Too Long, Didn’t Read

The Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master is a pretty great lens. I personally don’t see a reason to upgrade beyond the 55mm f1.8 if you own it already. If you’re a Canon camera owner, there’s also no reason to jump ship. But if you love the 50mm field of view and want the bokeh, spring for this lens.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Fast to use on both the Sony a7r III and the Sony a7r IV

Nice render

Very sharp

Wow, Sony actually listened to us and allowed a little bit of flare in. Bravo!

I actually think that over $2,000 is a fair price.

Pretty lightweight

Cons

A few autofocus issues with strong backlighting

Two different hard function buttons are a bit odd.

Still has this render that’s nowhere as gorgeous as Canon’s

Gear Used

We tested the Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master with the Sony a7r III, Sony a7r IV, and the Profoto B10.

What’s Innovative?

The Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master is the third autofocusing 50mm f1.2 lens to hit the modern mirrorless camera market. Quite honestly, Sony isn’t doing anything necessarily different here. They’re all weather sealed. They all have control rings of some sort. If anything, Sony is playing catch up to the rest of the market with this lens.

Tech Specs

Weather sealing

11 aperture blades

Two function buttons

Aperture ring

72mm front filter thread

778 grams

3 XA elements

108mm tall

87mm diameter

Nano AR II lens coatings

Ergonomics

The Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master is a very typical Sony lens. First off, it’s a G Master. So it’s assuredly bigger and bolder than their other optics on the outside. You can spot the black plastic exterior that covers most of the lens. Both the aperture and focus rings have rubber handling on them. And there are two buttons for custom functions.

The aperture ring is closer to the mount. That may be odd if you use certain camera brands. But in use, it feels right at home.

On the side of the lens are two controls. There is an autofocus/manual focus switch. Plus, there’s a function button. On the other side, you’ve got a switch for de-clicking the aperture.

The front boasts a 72mm filter thread. That’s smaller than most!

Build Quality

We wanted to test the Sony 50mm f1.2 G Master in the rain as we typically do. But during our testing with it, no rain came. So we did the next best thing: we splashed water on it. Attached to the Sony a7r IV, the weather resistance surely did hold up. The lens continued to work and didn’t give us any major issues that would degrade the way it performs.

In the hand, the lens is surely made of plastic. And that’s fine, except that the plastic doesn’t feel as high quality as others on the market. It surely feels thinner than Canon’s version. The aperture ring is, especially, in a great place. But I ended up never using the two custom function bu...