Fred Miranda
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 p.4 #1 · First Sighting: A7rii Thin filter in action | |
uhoh7 wrote:
Really, I think SEM 21 would easily compete on Sam's body. We don't know, but I'm not sure why anyone has the urge to pre-judge or predict. Or, Gary, to tell people they should just use M lenses on M bodies. 
Especially since the best 35 available for STOCK A7r2 is ZM 35/1.4 according to Fred, AN M LENS, unless I have that wrong. So why on earth can't the SEM 21, which is a fully modern 2011 design with fantastic MTFs, meet or beat the Zeiss 21/2.8, with a thinner filter than Kolari? The Sony micro lenses and sensor design is fine with the ZM 35/1.4. No reason to assume they won't be with wider lenses and Leica "glass in path" thickness.
In fact, Gary, the SEM 18 actually equals M240 performance in the Kolari v2 mod, using A7ii, according to Kasson, and on A7rii, according to lloyd, before a thinner filter is even considered. The SEM 18 is a very friendly wide angle, but the SEM 21 seems nice as well. The SEM 24 less so.
So I respectfully call BS to the negative input from Gary and Fred, both of whom I admire. You guys have made your choices, and that's fine--for you and your priorities. I would never presume to tell you to do otherwise. But there are plenty of people with a serious soft spot for M and other RF lenses. They are small, MF like a dream, there's alot more choices, many of which are very interesting. That's why many of us wanted a FF Nex in the first place. AF is now an option as well. We do not know how the SEM 18 or 21 will go up against the native Zeiss lenses on any of the mods, unless I missed some head to head testing somewhere.
What we do know is that native lenses will not perform as well on modded camera. So you don't do a mod to shoot natives. That's been obvious from the start, no?
No offense, but for me the A7 FF is more interesting as an ALT platform, than one dedicated to what Sony offers, which, let's be honest, are a mixed bag with all sorts of issues, depending on the lens, in size, handling, QC and performance. Those issues are moot for some and deal breakers for others. Quite a few have actually left sony partly over some of those issues, if you follow the Fuji forum. I don't think anyone is "wrong" to choose natives and go all Sony or part Sony. But I sure don't think anybody is "wrong" to pass on the thick filter choices and try to make the camera work better for non-natives, especially the great M/LTM lenses.
"M lenses are best on Leica Bodies" The ZM 35/1.4 on stock A7r2 puts the lie to that, before mods are even considered, since some would argue the Sony 42mp sensor is already winning at landscape apertures.
What about other M wides?
https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5687/21878493909_6982ff95a7_b.jpg
Light up the leaves by unoh7, SEM 21 A7.mod v1 Kolari
Above the 21 on Kolari v1. Below, you have a native Sony 28 at this level?
https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5452/30015837501_691d928b50_b.jpg
Keyhole by unoh7, 28 Summicron on A7.mod Kolari v2
In fact just the normal Kolari mod, v2 takes the 475 gram plain A7 and removes the AA, giving it a new character altogether, and enabling landscape performance from M mount 18mm on up if you choose carefully. SEM 18 and 28 Lux are shooting as well as M240 according to Lloyd, ON V2 A7rii, right now. V1 completely revived the A7 for me. I have plenty of samples from before the mod with many lenses. The A7r and r2 are likely less fundamentally changed compared to the 24mp models, as they are already "R", so edges and corners will improve with M wides, but overall clarity and "look" remain similar.
Sam and his gutsy coverglass pulling Master in Taiwan have now taken A7 thin-filter M shooting to another breathtaking level, which may well already equal any M digital body. Kolari has not been asleep, and Ilija has been studying up since this thread began, inspired by new possibilities, and the quest to offer great performance with ALL M wides. To that end, he has found a new ultra-thin IR glass which may get us there without having to pull or replace the bottom coverglass.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/603/32622694052_78f0082f54_z.jpg
Filter Side by side labelled by unoh7, on Flickr
On the right, labeled v4 is a new ultra-thin IR cut, 4x thinner than current v2 Kolari. It's now in a A7, and that camera will be in the air to Idaho tomorrow, so I can test it straight up against the M9 and A7.mod v2 with a bunch of lenses, including ones like the CV 21/4 and ZM35/2 which are better on M9 than Kolari v2 for sure.
Ilija is making no claims pending our tests, but he wants us to know he's trying. He found the glass, got the camera, had his techs install the mod, and is sending it to me to try. I'm counting on help here from everybody to interpret and direct test shots in the coming weeks, including naysayers Fred and Gary if they are willing, so we can see if it works. llija thinks it could be very good based on very quick preliminary tests he did, but he does not know. We will all-- those willing anyway-- decide, realtime, if the "UT" or whatever we should call it......V10, in a nod to M10..will be a viable option which anyone can get. It's a reach to channel faithfully some of the greatest, sexiest, compact lenses ever made, old and new, from the 30's fledgling wide angles all the way to the latest incredible M lenses from Leica, Zeiss, CV, and that crazy guy who made the Sonnetar. Cmon, who can put that down? 
We are starting with a A7 simply because it's cheap and predictive. I already have one with v2. To risk a A7rii before we get a good idea where we are at is over our budget.  But once I test for a time, then we can send this camera to others. In an ideal world we would send it to Nico, who has M10 and 21/4 skopar, and that is not out of the question at all. Since the A7 is 24 mp it would be great to compare to M10.
Ideally we want to find people who have M240 or M10 (or both) and "problem" wides, of which there are quite a few, and who are willing to do some head to heads at infinity, "Fred Style"
A great M shooting A7x.mod is not to "dis" native Sony or Leica bodies. Jeez, I'd love a M10. If somebody sends me 6600, I promise to buy one straight away. But I'd still want to test this new mod for Sony. There are a ton of reasons some people would enjoy a very strong thin-filter mod on one flavor or other of A7. It might be for the 42mp files from a r2, or the affordable 24mp files from a very light A7. The mod might be somebody's only camera, or a second body with complimentary strengths to M or native Sony, or a cheap M backup body, in case the 240 goes down on a job, or the M9 goes in for a sensor. TYG I had v1 when my M9 went in for a shutter. The main thing for all these folks is to try and get the mod working really well, like at "240 Level" for more than just a few M wides like SEM 18 and 28 Lux. llija knows how important that is, so let's see
Will the IR cut be enough? How will the edges and corners be improved? Can we get the WB working right? Let's find out
Is anybody excited yet?
Well, I am  ...Show more →
Wow, strong words.
I wrote that the Loxia 21/2.8 is in my opinion, the best choice for the A7RII simply because it's native and has incredible rendering and IQ for a reasonable price. My point was that we really don't need to adapt another 21mm and modify our bodies for this focal length.
Currently, that's not the case at 35mm as the ZM 35/1.4 is excellent on the A7RII at smaller apertures and that's an exception to the rule since it's superior to the native Loxia 35/2 and FÉ 35/2.8 and that's without the corrective front lens which improves it even further.
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Then a year and a month later I tested it on the Kolari A7 v1:
