kosmoskatten wrote:
Blaming the adapter and lens sample variation all the time gets old when the major problems stem from current technology as implemented in camera sensor design and the simple fact we alt users are not the highest priority. We want it so bad and every new offering is another straw to cling on to, before the straw snaps.
Agreed. Especially with "we want it so bad..."!
We've seen a couple of camera makers solve this problem with what is now dated technology, so it can be done, if the will is there.
I happen to agree with folks that feel the NEX was a happy accident, waiting for alt glass including rangefinder glass users to discover it. Maybe the NEX-7 could have been even better than it is for RF glass, but was too far down the road to alter, or RF / alt glass users isn't that important a benefit to Sony other than being "good enough". Who knows where Fujifilm's design principles were aimed at and if they deigned it necessary to pay more than lip service to RF lens users.
At the moment only Ricoh and Leica are designing for this specialized area - rangefinder lens users - and it does show. I hope we don't lose Ricoh, and I do hope others join them but it does seem unlikely until a sensor revolution of some sort occurs if that is even possible.
Washed the dog... time to head out side for both of us to dry off in the... finally... warm sunny weather here. Not Toronto warm mind you... only max 12C today.
The current NEX5N is better than the original NEX 5 with wide angle rangefinder lenses. Even so, I used the CV 15 on the original NEX 5 and while it suffered from color issues in the corners, it was much, much better than what I'm seeing here with the X-Pro1 with regard to sharpness/ detail outside of the center of the frame.
kosmoskatten wrote:
JimBuchanan;
I don't know about field curvature being that much of a problem on the CV15, to be honest.
Other images I have shot with the CV15 has indicated that the lens has no severe field curvature (i.e. not adversely affecting corner resolution for infinity shots) on APS-C crop sensor. I didn't have the lens when I had the M9. Is your experience with the field curvature on crop or full frame?
If this is what you can get with a random off the shelf CV15 and any other random wide angle I have put on the GXR then I can only assume the optics are not at fault when comparing with other camera platforms, in this case the X Pro 1. ...Show more →
My experience with the CV15 has only been with the NEX7, and to be fair, maybe the field curvature I observed has more to do with the sensor of the camera.
I can get much improved corners if I focus for the corners, which requires pulling back on the focus ring quite a bit. Again, the NEX7 camera sensor may be putting demands on the issue with this lens.
Then, on the other hand, I don't have to focus for the edges with the ZM25. There is practically no difference if focusing the center or corner for infinity shots.
That's the reason I assumed the CV15 had a field curvature problem.
Jim, I ain't saying you are wrong either, just that I don't have that experience with it.
Since I have stated it at least three four times already I am only saying this once, again:
Fuji themselves state that the 18/2 was designed with the rear angle of projection catering for the sensor - and not the other way around. This also implies that even though they will provide an M mount adapter they haven't put any special attention to the sensor to cater for the wider legacy glass. The end result is what we are seeing here. What baffles me is that they didn't even pull off the 18/2 that well. The notion that they will provide software correction for alt lenses is IMHO extremely wishful thinking.
I am excited to see if they can pull it together with the next wide angle lens/es.
Is anyone else producing high quality wides for compact short back focal length APS-C cameras that significantly outperform the Fuji XF18mm... for the same price point? I honestly don't know the answer to this.
The answer is going to be complicated by the "for which sensor" dimension.
Michael: I don't think so. The GXR A12/18 is a 2.5 and actually better in the corners, at a cheaper price. But, the Fuji lens is almost a full stop faster, arguably smaller (without the module box) and arguably sharper, with more bite in the center, perhaps due to the sensor as well as the optics.
There is hardly any competition in the APS C sensor league for the Fuji 18/2, no other lens is as fast, or as small at that focal length and sensor size.
The Fuji lens is as good as it gets at the moment, though it isn't stellar in my book.
Neither is my Ricoh A12/28, but it is quite good and perfectly usable, just as the Fuji 18/2 is.
aleksanderpolo wrote:
Doug, I am not very family with the NEX line, but is the 14MP NEX5 better than the 16MP NEX5N in terms of wide angle M performance? Just curious.
Nope. It likely has a slightly different sensor pack setup. AA filter, overall sensor pack thickness, distance of the sensor pack from the sensor, micro lens array, etc., all contribute to the different ways of handling the angled light rays.
aleksanderpolo wrote:
It will be unfortunate if the M performance on 5N is just a happy coincidence...
Yeah, who knows, but that is my bet. If Sony was really interested in optimizing for M lenses, they could have done even better on the 5N, and they would have certainly done more for the NEX-7.
aleksanderpolo wrote:
It will be unfortunate if the M performance on 5N is just a happy coincidence...
Not for those of us who bought them! I got mine because I skipped the first generation, I never expected it to be such a universal receptor of seemingly all lenses.
kosmoskatten wrote:
Fuji themselves state that the 18/2 was designed with the rear angle of projection catering for the sensor - and not the other way around. ..... What baffles me is that they didn't even pull off the 18/2 that well.
I am excited to see if they can pull it together with the next wide angle lens/es.
Yes, me too, but based on the lens reviews coming out, the Fuji lenses are reminiscent of older generation Leica lenses where the center frame are maximum resolution and the edges even with stopping down don't really measure up.
Reading about the large diameter element of the Fuji lens for decreasing the angle of light rays, I actually thought about getting a 18/2 and adapting it to NEX bayonet. From what I understand, the aperture ring works mechanically. A focus action would be required and a new bayonet, but what other APS-C wide angle prime options are out there?
looks like that's exactly what happened. X pro1 or Sony Nex... Why would they even care ?
They have their own lens to promote(shitty ones so far , must admit)
It seems to me there's no "cheap/poor man" M9 for now , huh....
aleksanderpolo wrote:
It will be unfortunate if the M performance on 5N is just a happy coincidence...
I wonder when we will see SLR lens adapters come out. I'd be okay with the performance of the XF 18 provided I can adapt a ZF 18 for a tripod landscape shot. One would think this wouldn't be a problem, but I am not the technical experts you all are.
I have read many,but not all, of the posts in this thread and I feel that the 2.5mm cover glass that Fuji is using is purposely designed to work with their lens formulations. Others may work well depending on their design but as some noted, older designs from other manufacturers may not perform optimally.
As to the complaints about the 18mm lens, AFAIK the only feedback is from Nick Devlin's article that cites the performance of one example lens. I would wait a bit to pass judgement on it but do find it curious that Fuji would let less than perfect examples out into the wild.
He also notes the image quality is superb and I have no reason to doubt his claim. However I wonder what magical properties do the image files contain that would make me dump my current gear.
Don't get me wrong, I am lusting after this camera as much as anyone here but I have to make money with my cameras. If I were a wedding photographer I would be all over this. As most of my work is architecture and commercial, the best features are wasted.
OTOH the X-100 makes all kinds of sense as the fun camera with my favorite angle of view and near silence in a compact body.
