Manny Ortiz shoots at f/0.95: The pros and cons of the Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 Speedmaster lens

posted Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at 4:00 PM EDT

Shooting with an f/0.95 lens offers numerous advantages, particularly for portrait shooters. Not only are you able to shoot in lower light with a higher shutter speed and lower ISO, all else equal when compared to an f/1.4 or slower lens, you can also get a very shallow depth of field. The depth of field can also prove challenging, however, as nailing focus is very difficult with such little room for error.

Photographer Manny Ortiz recently got a Mitakon 50mm f/0.95 lens, which costs $799 and is available for Sony E-mount. In the video below, Ortiz used the lens with his Sony A7R III camera. Along with nice behind-the-scenes footage, Ortiz discusses the lens' strengths and weaknesses, paying particular attention to its ease of use and optical quality. To see more of his work, follow him on Instagram and visit his YouTube channel.