Anybody care to compare some of the Oly wides to the RF's ... in the WA/UWA camp @ 18-24 range ... toss in the Distagon for reference would be good to see just how much IQ is being sacrificed in exchange for the size/weight relationship.
Has anyone tried the CV 15mm f4.5 with the A7?
I have both, and I think the lens performs well on it. There is some purple color on the edges but Lightroom seems to deal ok with it.
I know I should post a sample; perhaps I am not seeing what is there, or I am not critical enough (both of which are possible!) But I don't even have a flickr account. I will work on it!
sebboh wrote:
that's great to hear charles! have you had a chance to compare them directly on the a7r versus the m240?
also, do you have any full sized images or corner crops you've shared? i seem to remember something from the 24 but all i remember seeing at full sized from the 21 was ron's test.
Yes, it was Ron's testing for the 21 Lux, and the 24 Lux I tested at the beach. I will try and run some comparisons with the 24 Lux on the A7r and M240
Yeah, the 21 Lux surprised me. It looks better than the 21 SEM at wider apertures on the a7, at least in regards to edge smearing.
asecsc4 wrote:
Has anyone tried the CV 15mm f4.5 with the A7?
I have both, and I think the lens performs well on it. There is some purple color on the edges but Lightroom seems to deal ok with it.
I know I should post a sample; perhaps I am not seeing what is there, or I am not critical enough (both of which are possible!) But I don't even have a flickr account. I will work on it!
This is because the rear element is closer to the sensor when focused at/near infinity and the light rays reach the sensor edge at a stronger angle than when the lens is focused closer and the rear element is farther from the sensor.
Jim Kasson has some tests of RF lenses with the A7r on his blog. One thing that I found interesting is that he found that in most instances, the corner color shift is in the blue direction vs. magenta on the Nex 7. A blue color shift would be much less noticeable in many photos. I'm not sure how this squares with a lot of WA RF lens images that I've seen posted where I see a magenta shift on my monitor.
Jeff Kott wrote:
Jim Kasson has some tests of RF lenses with the A7r on his blog. One thing that I found interesting is that he found that in most instances, the corner color shift is in the blue direction vs. magenta on the Nex 7. A blue color shift would be much less noticeable in many photos. I'm not sure how this squares with a lot of WA RF lens images that I've seen posted where I see a magenta shift on my monitor.
Unless you're converting all the images to B&W, who needs this? The smearing in the corners is likewise a lens-specific issue and often accompanies the color shift. Personally, I'm not about to spend weeks cherry picking glass after testing. I'd just rather skip this release altogether, maybe rent one now and again, after someone else does the due diligence. I already have a NEX-M and NEX-R adapters, bought weeks ago in anticipation.
As for my SLR lenses, they're better suited for handling on an SLR rather than atop a 1-2" adapter with this small mirrorless. Becomes too unwieldy with lenses like the NOCT, Nikkor 85/1.4, Leica R 100 Elmarit and the like, unless you're using the grip. You do that, and it's no longer a compact setup.
If I had a collection of OM lenses (maybe the 21/3.5, 35, 50/1.2) then I think I'd be less bothered.
j.liam wrote:
Unless you're converting all the images to B&W, who needs this? The smearing in the corners is likewise a lens-specific issue and often accompanies the color shift. Personally, I'm not about to spend weeks cherry picking glass after testing. I'd just rather skip this release altogether, maybe rent one now and again, after someone else does the due diligence. I already have a NEX-M and NEX-R adapters, bought weeks ago in anticipation.
As for my SLR lenses, they're better suited for handling on an SLR rather than atop a 1-2" adapter with this small mirrorless. Becomes too unwieldy with lenses like the NOCT, Nikkor 85/1.4, Leica R 100 Elmarit and the like, unless you're using the grip. You do that, and it's no longer a compact setup.
If I had a collection of OM lenses (maybe the 21/3.5, 35, 50/1.2) then I think I'd be less bothered....Show more →
I have been finding that my A7r with the Novoflex ASTAT-NEX rotating collar and Novoflex Leica R to NEX adapter that my R lenses like my 100mm f2.8 Apo Macro Elmarit handle great mounted to my tripod. I am sure that I will also find this to be the case when using other non collared R lenses including my 35mm-70mm f4 Vario Elmar, 80mm-200mm f4 Vario Elmar, 180mm f3.4 Apo Telyt, and my 28mm f2.8 Super Angulon PC lenses. But I do most of my work on a tripod. The camera handles extremely well hand held for lenses like my R 50mm f2 Summicron.
naturephoto1 wrote:
I have been finding that my A7r with the Novoflex ASTAT-NEX rotating collar and Novoflex Leica R to NEX adapter that my R lenses like my 100mm f2.8 Apo Macro Elmarit handle great mounted to my tripod. I am sure that I will also find this to be the case when using other non collared R lenses including my 35mm-70mm f4 Vario Elmar, 80mm-200mm f4 Vario Elmar, 180mm f3.4 Apo Telyt, and my 28mm f2.8 Super Angulon PC lenses. But I do most of my work on a tripod. The camera handles extremely well hand held for lenses like my R 50mm f2 Summicron.
For studio and landscape work on a tripod, it remains unclear to me what the a7R provides that the D800E does not, outside of improved high-ISO performance. Yet another menu set to learn, (several) adapters to buy, more tripod use to stabilize proportionately large lenses.
Its release would seem to me more revelatory for Canonistas trapped at 24MP's for years now.
j.liam wrote:
For studio and landscape work on a tripod, it remains unclear to me what the a7R provides that the D800E does not, outside of improved high-ISO performance. Yet another menu set to learn, (several) adapters to buy, more tripod use to stabilize proportionately large lenses.
Its release would seem to me more revelatory for Canonistas trapped at 24MP's for years now.
it makes a lot of sense if you have a ton R lenses you still shoot on film (or rokkors, FD, konica, OM, pentax, contax, contarex, etc). much better focusing in liveview would also be reason enough for me for studio/tripod work.
p.144 #10 · A7/A7r - performance with WA RF lenses
j.liam wrote:
For studio and landscape work on a tripod, it remains unclear to me what the a7R provides that the D800E does not, outside of improved high-ISO performance. Yet another menu set to learn, (several) adapters to buy, more tripod use to stabilize proportionately large lenses.
Its release would seem to me more revelatory for Canonistas trapped at 24MP's for years now.
The A7r is about half the size and weight of the D800E with a much greater number of lens options many of which would not be possible on the D800E and a large number that would only require the use of an adapter and not to Leitax them. In my case, I only needed an adapter to use all of my R lenses on the camera where as on the D800E I would have needed to Leitax the lenses.
p.144 #11 · A7/A7r - performance with WA RF lenses
naturephoto1 wrote:
In my case, I only needed an adapter to use all of my R lenses on the camera where as on the D800E I would have needed to Leitax the lenses.
Rich
I recall you have a collection of 19 or 20. That would be a costly undertaking.
sebboh wrote:
it makes a lot of sense if you have a ton R lenses you still shoot on film (or rokkors, FD, konica, OM, pentax, contax, contarex, etc). much better focusing in liveview would also be reason enough for me for studio/tripod work.
Having never had to depend on live-view, I see how this makes sense. Aside from the R's and select others, do these old lenses have what it takes for such a sensor? Remains to be seen after many adapters have been bought.
p.144 #12 · A7/A7r - performance with WA RF lenses
j.liam wrote:
Having never had to depend on live-view, I see how this makes sense. Aside from the R's and select others, do these old lenses have what it takes for such a sensor? Remains to be seen after many adapters have been bought.
depends on what you demand from them on the sensor – they'll all look better on the a7r's sensor than they do on the 6D's or D4's. for a given print size increasing the number of pixels without decreasing dynamic range will always yield a better print. as far as the lenses looking pixel sharp out to the corners wide open, most lenses old or new won't do that. all of the systems mentioned above have at least a couple great lenses will outperform most modern lenses though. most of the old wide angle lenses suck though.
p.144 #13 · A7/A7r - performance with WA RF lenses
j.liam wrote:
I recall you have a collection of 19 or 20. That would be a costly undertaking.
Having never had to depend on live-view, I see how this makes sense. Aside from the R's and select others, do these old lenses have what it takes for such a sensor? Remains to be seen after many adapters have been bought.
Only 16 R lenses at present soon to be 17 with the R 28mm f2.8 V2 to be ordered in about a week.
And I can also use all of these lenses with adapters on my Fujifilm X-E1 and M4/3 cameras.
p.144 #14 · A7/A7r - performance with WA RF lenses
naturephoto1 wrote:
I have been finding that my A7r with the Novoflex ASTAT-NEX rotating collar and Novoflex Leica R to NEX adapter that my R lenses like my 100mm f2.8 Apo Macro Elmarit handle great mounted to my tripod. I am sure that I will also find this to be the case when using other non collared R lenses including my 35mm-70mm f4 Vario Elmar, 80mm-200mm f4 Vario Elmar, 180mm f3.4 Apo Telyt, and my 28mm f2.8 Super Angulon PC lenses. But I do most of my work on a tripod. The camera handles extremely well hand held for lenses like my R 50mm f2 Summicron.
You may be disappointed with the 35mm-70mm f4 Vario Elmar. My copy as well as the more compact Leica R 35-70 f/3.5 showed internal flare from 50-70mm - with the peak at 50mm. They work fine at 35mm. I've ruled out the adapter because I do not have this issue with my Angenieux 35-70 f/2.5-3.3.
Dave
p.144 #15 · A7/A7r - performance with WA RF lenses
sebboh wrote:
most of the old wide angle lenses suck though.
And the ones that don't suck are a short list ... until you start getting into the newer behemoth designs.
I've got the Oly's @ 18/3.5, 21/3.5, 24/2.8 and 28/3.5
Nikon AIS 20/2.8 and 28/2.8 AIS (Galen Rowell was a fan of the 20/3.5 AIS for landscape, iirc but I wanted the CRC of the 2.8 for mfd work)
C/Y 28/2.8
And I have the much larger 24L TS-E II ... guess which one I use the most.
Oly's, Nikon's and Zeiss approach their designs differently, so depending on if you are wanting a centrally (Zone A) sharper lens or a more even across the frame (Zones A, B, C) lens that can influence your choices. That and whether you prefer distortion vs. vignetting.
The wider you go, the tougher it gets and you simply have to choose your poison(s) at size, weight, cost, vignetting, distortion, zones of sharpness/contrast. The simple truth is that you can't have it all in one lens when it comes to WA/UWA's ... the vector forces involved are working against you the wider (and closer) you go.
With WA/UWA's you really need to know whether you are judging for landscape or street or interior applications as distortion may not matter for one, but be a deal breaker for the other. Same goes for vignetting or zones of sharpness @ A vs. A,B, C.
Imo, the C/Y 28.2.8 is the (widest) closest I have found to having it all in one lens @ size, weight, distortion, vignetting, $$$, etc. After 28m, the poison(s) tradeoffs start getting evermore challenging.
Note: I've no experience with Leica R wides yet ... I understand the 19R is very good and have seen some excellent 28mm images too, but again, we have to choose our poison(s), i.e. $$$.
p.144 #16 · A7/A7r - performance with WA RF lenses
dbehrens wrote:
You may be disappointed with the 35mm-70mm f4 Vario Elmar. My copy as well as the more compact Leica R 35-70 f/3.5 showed internal flare from 50-70mm - with the peak at 50mm. They work fine at 35mm. I've ruled out the adapter because I do not have this issue with my Angenieux 35-70 f/2.5-3.3.
Dave
Dave,
Where did you see the flare and what adapter are you using?
I just mounted my R 35mm-70mm f4 Vario Elmar onto my tripod with the Novoflex adapter and the Novoflex rotating collar. I did not take any photos, but looked at the screen with the A7r both in the house and looking out the window running through the zoom focal lengths and at different f stops. I didn't see anything on the screen but I did not have any prominent light sources like the sun either in view or off axis.
p.144 #17 · A7/A7r - performance with WA RF lenses
+1 The Distagon 28/2.8 is a great lens for all those reasons. Another lens that comes in around the same price is the Nikkor 28/2.8; I have both and in side by side comparisons when i don't know which is which I prefer the Distagon. The C/Y lens has another advantage - the rings turn the correct way.
