charles.K wrote:
I have the 50 Lux Asph, the latest version. This lens is amazing, and it was a favourite on the M240, until I just sold my last one before my trip to Spain. On the A7r's this lens does not work IMO. On the A7r it will render wonderfully near for portraits, but stopped down for mid to far distances it does not work. I have tried different adapters, and different A7r's. There are a number of versions of the 50 Lux, and the pre Asph may well work on the A7/A7r. The rendering of pre-Asph is wonderful, and has that Leica glow. For portraits, I am really enjoying the 50 Cron Rigid DR, built in 1964, as it is very sharp, but gentle. It yields to nice B&W conversions, and is then just a question of finding the right PP'ing to suit. It would seem all the version of 50 Cron's work well, either in the M or R version.
The 50 Lux Asph on the A7s works great, with no issues at all, as most of the M lenses on the A7s. As I mentioned before, the only lens that does not gel is the 28 Cron Asph. For this reason alone the A7s is a gem for my collection of M lenses. In fact my wife loves the A7s as it is silent, fast AF and you take shots at night walking the streets.
A shot with the 50 Lux Asph and A7s, at f/5.6 in Ranxiera, Pondevedra. ...Show more →
Charles, I enjoyed your images from Spain
I have had similar experience with the 50 Lux ASPH; I loved it on my already sold M9 but I wasn't too thrilled with its performance on the A7r. I just received my A7s today. So, I will get that lens out and take it for a spin with the new body.
On my Leica M9, the 28 cron ASPH was a gem but I didn't like it that much on my A7r. I sold that lens already since I did not intend to keep any Leica M body anymore, sad as it may sound . There are a few lenses that I like better on the A7r than on the M9: both the 21 and 24 Luxes ASPH and the WATE.
Thank you Joshua and Jack
Joshua, like you I don't have any Leica M bodies left. I must say I am happy I don't have to concern myself with checking the RF calibrations of my lenses before any overseas trips, and then having to get them quickly re-calibrated, particularly the fast lenses. I have already once in 6 months have had one of my M240's sent back to Solms for 2 months to be recalibrated. I have always invested in glass, and feel this is where the magic lies anyway! Like you I prefer the WATE, 24 Lux and the 75 Lux on the A7r now. I am looking forward to the Loxia 50/2 and 35/2 on the A7r. I feel the ergonomics of just having to touch the focus ring to MF, will be excellent. Yes the aperture will be as is, but any focus shift will already be compensated for. Also I think the rendering will be less harsh than that of the FE 55, which I do love BTW. Ergonomics, size and weight are everything to me.
While travelling the other benefit of the A7x's, is that if you lose or damage a body, they are readily available.
Jack, love your bold PP'ing, and really nice series of images! The A7s makes for a great companion to the A7r. I thought I would not use the A7s as much, but it is the first camera I picked up when we were walking through the streets of Pondevedra. Had the A7s not arrived, I would still have had the M240.
A relative of my wife, hiding in Pondevedra
A7s and 50 Cron DR
charles.K wrote:
The 50 Lux Asph on the A7s works great, with no issues at all, as most of the M lenses on the A7s. As I mentioned before, the only lens that does not gel is the 28 Cron Asph. For this reason alone the A7s is a gem for my collection of M lenses. In fact my wife loves the A7s as it is silent, fast AF and you take shots at night walking the streets.
Also: does the Lux 24 work well on the A7S? I'd assume so, but on the A7R too? I've seen smeared and purple corners from the A7R + Lux 24 combo I think.
Also: does the Lux 24 work well on the A7S? I'd assume so, but on the A7R too? I've seen smeared and purple corners from the A7R + Lux 24 combo I think.
The samples from the article seem fine, but I am not replicating this. I will revisit and check with another adapter, as I would be thrilled if there were no issues!
The 24 Lux appear to work very well with the A7r. The purple/magenta can marginally appear when the sun is crossed at an angle in front, but this used to happen with the M9 before the latest FW updates. If it does appear, it is easily corrected, but I have not seen smearing.
Jack..great shots with the Lux, and Charles, too. I really would love a Lux( and I do love my Lux R 50E55 on my A7), but couldn't justify the cost at the moment. But, I do really like my CV 50 Nokton 1.5 ASPH on the A7, and it seems very close in rendering to the M Lux 50( both by Jack above, and Steve Huff!!)...
Charles or Josh(or anyone with experience)...what about pre-ASPH M Lux's?? Even Mandler's 50 Lux?? How do they compare on the A7(r,s)? I hear the Mandler design has tons of character, just not up to the sharpness of the ASPH?
Anyways...
A few more shots from Hawaii...these images from Hanalei Bay, Kauai
Gregg
Greggf wrote:
Jack..great shots with the Lux, and Charles, too. I really would love a Lux( and I do love my Lux R 50E55 on my A7), but couldn't justify the cost at the moment. But, I do really like my CV 50 Nokton 1.5 ASPH on the A7, and it seems very close in rendering to the M Lux 50( both by Jack above, and Steve Huff!!)...
Charles or Josh(or anyone with experience)...what about pre-ASPH M Lux's?? Even Mandler's 50 Lux?? How do they compare on the A7(r,s)? I hear the Mandler design has tons of character, just not up to the sharpness of the ASPH?
Gregg...Show more →
Gregg, sorry, I am not familiar with the pre-ASPH Lux lenses. You have the 50mm f/0.95 Mitakon. Why do you want to bother with the "slower" 50mm pre-ASPH lux ?
Just FYI, I started buying Leica-M lenses, their prices were "reasonable" (under Leica terms, that is) some 10 years back. As such, I ended up buying more the ASPH version of lenses. Here is an example to describe the "affordability" of Leica lenses back then: a 50mm Noctilux sold for approximately $1,700 and I ended up selling that lens for 3X the price a few years later and the buyer was extremely happy as it was selling for around $6K+ at that time. The only lens that I would be very interested in in the category you described is the Leica-M 75mm Lux. Frankly, at the current price of somewhere between $3K+ to > $4K, I am not sure I want that lens badly enough. Maybe I should just go for the Leica-R 80mm Lux for 40% less.
You have the 50mm f/0.95 Mitakon. Why do you want to bother with the "slower" 50mm pre-ASPH lux ?
One has to keep options open!! The M 50's astound me. I love my Lux R 50E55...and have created some of my best images with it. I'm now entertaining the idea of selling it?? I really like the Mitakon 50 .095. About the same size as my Lux w/adapter, but it's .095 vs 1.4...very tough decision. The Lux just has tons of character, and it's really very, very sharp in the center WO. And I have my CV 50, too, which is pretty phenomenal too!
I just need to compare the 2 side by side...another FM'r actually said he was going to sell his M 50 ASPH since getting the Mitakon!!
Sony A7R, Canon 24mm TSE f3.5II, Zork rear shift adapter. 4 image panorama with rear shift adapter.
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Great shot!
Stupid question: Is it possible to set the aperture manually on this lens?
I am still looking for a good 24mm (I don't like my nFD and FD) and I would consider a tilt-shift lens as an option.
AGeoJO wrote:
The only lens that I would be very interested in in the category you described is the Leica-M 75mm Lux. Frankly, at the current price of somewhere between $3K+ to > $4K, I am not sure I want that lens badly enough. Maybe I should just go for the Leica-R 80mm Lux for 40% less.
The R80 is my favorite lens, optically and mechanically and as a physical object. Thinking I'd downsize to M, I bought a late M 75, but I didn't get along with it at all. It's lighter (560 grams vs 700 for the late version), but I just found it too thin and fiddly, the rings too cramped.
I like girth.
If I were to get the M 75 again, I'd get the first version without the built-in hood. I think ergonomically it's the best.
That said, I do find the 80 hard to use and often either too long or not long enough. I shoot 35mm almost 90% of the time.
. There are a few lenses that I like better on the A7r than on the M9: both the 21 and 24 Luxes ASPH and the WATE.
50mm pre-ASPH lux 
