SONGRAW 85mm F1.2 under €600 sharpest lens?

davethebirder

Bargain of the century ..... there's no excuse to not own a top flight F1.2 portrait lens .......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssSvp8B1QPw

Klaus

I've dropped them a message. Let's see whether they are willing to provide a test sample.

davethebirder

If any lens deserves a lab review this one does ...... it's big, but not as heavy as the Sigma or the Nikon for example .......

Btw, it has 22 elements only one of which is standard glass ..........

Klaus

22 elements also means that a lot can go wrong .. ;-)

davethebirder

Klaus

   I made a mistake with the element count ......

It is in fact 18 elements in 10 groups ...... so 4 less to create issues.

davethebirder

I understand but ........

..... it looks like everything couldn't have gone better ..... 🙂

Klaus

As general rules ... more elements ...

flatten field curvature and maximize edge-to-edge sharpness
lower microcontrast because every extra air-to-glass boundary introduced a tiny chance for light reflection, internal scatter, and veiling glare, which lowers fine tonal contrast

FWIW, no response from Songraw.

davethebirder

Let's hope they will reply positively soon ...

I wonder, is it possible that among the hierarchy of the optical Gods, special dispensation was sought by Songraw and that those Gods had consented to turn a blind eye to the laws of optics that apply to us and instead applied the laws from another arm of the Universe?
It's the only feasible explanation I can think of given Dustin Abbot's praise of the lens's high micro-contrast ........ 🙂

Klaus

Well, no response. Maybe they are too scared (like some others). LOL
I suppose their main market is still China.

davethebirder

It could well be that Songraw are more taken by the social media route with such hosts as Chris Frost and Dustin Abbot as well as others ....... (non lab reviews) ....

I've just googled "are there many laboratory lens reviews in China /Japan" ...... and got:

"If you are looking for bench-tested, highly technical camera lens evaluations, both countries are primary hubs:
• Japan: As the historic home of camera manufacturing (Sony, Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, Sigma, Tamron), Japan has an extensive network of specialized optical labs and reviewers. Platforms like Camera Laboratories Japan provide deep technical teardowns. There is also a massive culture of independent engineering blogs, such as the Japanese site LENS Review, which evaluates actual lens design values directly from manufacturer patents and real-world example photos.
• China: China’s optical industry has shifted aggressively from producing cheap budget gear to high-end, precise optical glass. "Boutique labs" and brands like Light Lens Lab (which reverse-engineers historic Leica optics using exact chemical formulas) have sparked a wave of extreme laboratory-level comparisons on Chinese platforms like Bilibili and Weibo. Reviewers frequently bench-test these Chinese optics against legendary German and Japanese counterparts."

Maybe they think they have that route covered?

Has the lens hit the Aussy shores? .....

Klaus

The main OL audience is from the US and Europe.
Viltrox, Sirui and 7Artisans are sending lenses for reviews.

Well, it is what it is.

davethebirder

Maybe leave it a while and see if a Lab test appears ... if not bring it to their attention?

Klaus

Well, time will tell.
I just tested a 85mm f/1.2 and, honestly, it's no fun. Wayyy too heavy in my book.

davethebirder

Tested an 85mm F1.2? ...

They are only a tiny bit heavy ..... but they are F1.2 ........

To use Paul Hogans Crocodile Dundee scenario ..... "that's not a knife ...... this is a knife!

An 85mm F1.2 is not heavy ...... my D850 plus grip /600mm F4E + TC ..... now this is heavy!!

🙂

Rover

Would be interesting to see a review of this, and their 50/1.2, in due time, that's for sure. But with today's proliferation of third party manufacturers, there's loads and loads of lenses to test, but there's only 24 hours in a day (yours, C.O.) :-)