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Archive 2013 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

Herb1911
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

Adapted lenses are fun but results are mediocre at best in a technical sense.
Unless using longer than 50mm rangefinder lenses with top class adapters.
Or heavy DSLR lenses like the Zeiss ZF.2 range or Otus that do not break the Nex mount.
Which makes no sense when going lightweight and small.

Sofar there is only one native lens to me available for the A7r. That is the Sony/Zeiss 35mm FE.

Size and weight are ok, as is autofocus for me.

Results are not good unless you have the Steve Huff style of taking pictures. High vignetting and color shading which cannot be properly corrected in camera. Only acceptable edges at f/8.

Let's wait for the rest of the promised lenses.
Although almost everyone is saying otherwise; Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Leica users do not fear yet

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leicasonyzeiss/11134464966/

Nov 30, 2013 at 11:11 AM

michaelwatkins
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

Herb1911 wrote:
Although almost everyone is saying otherwise; Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Leica users do not fear yet

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leicasonyzeiss/11134464966/

In the Flickr photo stream there are some comparisons between the RX1 and A7r which show the narrower field of view of the FE35/2.8 lens quite clearly.

As for the other makers fearing this camera, they can't wait until Sony (and Zeiss on their own, and others) fill in the native lens line up. It's not so much the camera they will fear, anyway, but buyer response to it. In that regard maybe Sony already has a success, given they are selling a high end camera system that currently only has one native lens!

One or more of the other makers are bound to respond with their own full frame mirrorless product line up.

Nov 30, 2013 at 11:34 AM

davewolfs
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

Just some ideas.

Nikon creates their own mirrorless camera with S like mount, for smaller lenses. Provides F mount adapter. Basically the next camera in the DF line.

Zeiss releases high end MF lineup that takes advantage of A7R microlenses. Rivals Leica. Costs 1/3 the price.

Leica slowly fades away and is acquired before going out of business.

Nov 30, 2013 at 12:25 PM

douglasf13
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

Shooting Leica M is about using a rangefinder focusing mechanism and/or the brand heritage. That isn't going to change much with more mirrorless cameras on the market.

Nov 30, 2013 at 12:30 PM

Tariq Gibran
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

michaelwatkins wrote:
In the Flickr photo stream there are some comparisons between the RX1 and A7r which show the narrower field of view of the FE35/2.8 lens quite clearly.

Yes, the infinity RX1 vs FE 35 farm landscape shot is very informative. The RX1 image, even after distortion correction, is noticeably wider than the FE 35 image. Of course, the caveat here is that we know the RX1 lens is slightly wider than 35 so we are likely looking at two extremes - one 35mm lens noticeably wider than it's focal length by a few MM's (RX1) and one 35mm lens obviously longer than it's focal length (FE 35).

The other major thing I see in this particular pair is that the RX1 image shows just as much - even perhaps a bit more - detail than the A7r + FE 35. This is very noticeable at the edges of the frame. That's somewhat shocking given the MP difference AND the fact the RX1 lens is wider. I base this on resizing both images in PS and comparing. I guess there is no substitute for a great lens.

These are the two images of Herb's I looked at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leicasonyzeiss/11104863796/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leicasonyzeiss/11104913096/in/photostream/

Nov 30, 2013 at 12:36 PM

LightShow
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

Herb1911 wrote:
Adapted lenses are fun but results are mediocre at best in a technical sense.
Unless using longer than 50mm rangefinder lenses with top class adapters.
Or heavy DSLR lenses like the Zeiss ZF.2 range or Otus that do not break the Nex mount.
Which makes no sense when going lightweight and small.

Sofar there is only one native lens to me available for the A7r. That is the Sony/Zeiss 35mm FE.

Size and weight are ok, as is autofocus for me.

Results are not good unless you have the Steve Huff style of taking pictures. High vignetting and color shading which cannot be properly corrected in...Show more →
You can wait for the promised lenses, I'll use the manual lenses I have.... Even with their sub par performance, and love every second of it.

Nov 30, 2013 at 12:55 PM

davewolfs
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

douglasf13 wrote:
Shooting Leica M is about using a rangefinder focusing mechanism and/or the brand heritage. That isn't going to change much with more mirrorless cameras on the market.

Let's revisit in 2 years. I respectfully disagree.

Nov 30, 2013 at 11:57 PM

freaklikeme
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

davewolfs wrote:
Let's revisit in 2 years. I respectfully disagree.

It seems unlikely to me that a company that struggled through a decade plus of dwindling interest and sales would fold so quickly after their return to profitability. I haven't heard any rumblings about PE being dissatisfied with their investment. I'm guessing if you dug into it, their fingerprints would be all over the recent acquisition activity. So what makes you so positive they've only got two years?

Dec 01, 2013 at 12:41 AM

Gary Clennan
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

davewolfs wrote:
Let's revisit in 2 years. I respectfully disagree.

You honestly think another camera manufacturer will come out with a digital FF RF body??

Dec 01, 2013 at 01:02 AM

davewolfs
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

Two years is a reasonable timeline to complete a lens line, have sony make another revision and let Zeiss push out a few ultra performing mf lenses. How about throw a mini otus on top of that too.

You perfect that and let's see how long people will continue to pay a 5k premium for rangefinder experience. There are only 150+ pages of posts so far on the leica forums for a non leica camera.

Dec 01, 2013 at 01:06 AM

davewolfs
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

By no means am I saying these companies are going to roll over tomorrow but it definitely can be a slow death (think blackberry) if they choose to rest on their laurels.

Dec 01, 2013 at 01:10 AM

ISO1600
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

I would almost put money on Zeiss putting a lot of.... money and time into developing good native FE lenses, before they make a DIkon (digital Ikon) that so many have been waiting for.
Outside of Zeiss, I don't think there is another company out there that would put out a true Digital RF, with a FF sensor. Voigtlander won't do it, and if they do, they'll probably get some aspect of it (RF baselength, strap lug position, etc) horribly wrong.

The future of small form factor FF digital is in cameras like the A7(R).

Yes, it seems like most of the adapted alt lenses will NOT be as good as the (limited) native solution, but they are plentiful and fun.

Speaking of fun, aesthetic enjoyment is probably the #1 reason people shoot Leica M cameras and lenses. They are extremely well built, and a pleasure to use. I wouldn't credit the RF mechanism, but just the build, feel, and design of the cameras themselves as a major factor.
Now that I have had my A7 for a week, it's very well set up, and I really enjoy using it.

Dec 01, 2013 at 01:24 AM

sflxn
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

It's yet to be seen whether these cameras will significantly hurt Leica. The only similarities between these cameras and Leica digital Ms are that they are small FF cameras that can use small lenses. Leica owners are a stubborn bunch. They have many reasons why they use Leica, just like many of us have reasons why we don't use Leica. I think a big part of why Leica users own them is because of exclusivity and the belief that they are using something special. I do not believe not having an small FF alternative is one of the reasons they are using Leica.

The only variable that may end up hurting Leica and other competitors is price. Sony looks hellbent on having their way with the industry by pushing the price of FF down. I believe SAR has said there are more than one NEW FE cameras coming out next year, and one of them will be in a NEX-5 like body. I believe Sony will be the first to hit the $1k FF camera mark, and it'll likely be next year. It will be hard to justify $3k pro DSLRs or $7k RF cameras when $1k can get you a Sony sensor with a stable of Zeiss lenses to back it up. I am a convert. I sold my Nikon DSLR and plan to buy nothing but Zeiss and Sony-Zeiss lenses for this camera.

I'm curious which set of MF lenses that Zeiss plans to make for this camera. Will they be based on their DSLR lenses or their RF lenses. I'm hoping they are updated versions of their RF lenses.

Dec 01, 2013 at 02:48 AM

curious80
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

For traditional Leica users, obviously nothing is going to replace the Leica rangefinder experience. However my impression, which could be wrong, is that a sizable number of M9 users are those who were not traditional Leica users but got attracted by the potential of a high quality FF system in a smaller form factor. For those users, an alternate compact FF systems with a lineup of high quality lenses would certainly hold a lot of appeal.

Dec 01, 2013 at 03:13 AM

michaelwatkins
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

Is it a given that A7/r (and future) camera successes for Sony must automatically mean Death For Leica (tm)?

Maybe not death, but some M-ecosystem weakness at the very least, providing Zeiss and others really step up to the table with new MF lens designs, made explicitly for this short back-focal length digital age we live in.

Dec 01, 2013 at 03:25 AM

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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

The 55/1.8 has already been reviewed at least once:
http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1656/cat/82

Dec 01, 2013 at 04:34 AM

waterden
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

michaelwatkins wrote:
maybe Sony already has a success, given they are selling a high end camera system that currently only has one native lens!

I imagine you are referring to the FE 35 rather than the 28-70 kit lens, available only with the a7. Here in the UK, apart from a few at the beginning, there are now apparently no 35s nor likely to be this side of Xmas so presumably everyone buying the a7r is doing so for use with adapted lenses. It would be interesting to know whether Sony has sold many bodies alone - certainly both seem to be readily available. Very odd idea launching a pair of up-market bodies without lenses unless you are aiming at alt-lens enthusiasts.

Dec 01, 2013 at 04:48 AM

carstenw
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

In a highly unusual move, the Sony Style Store here in Berlin is selling third-party (Novoflex) adapters for E-mount. When I was there, they still had the A7 kit and body, A7R, and the FE35 in stock. I can't guarantee this is still the case, but for anyone planning a trip to Berlin, it might be worth a peek.

Dec 01, 2013 at 06:36 AM

carstenw
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

ISO1600 wrote:
I would almost put money on Zeiss putting a lot of.... money and time into developing good native FE lenses, before they make a DIkon (digital Ikon) that so many have been waiting for.

Zeiss' situation is quite different than Sony's. Sony has a camera division which is barely profitable, but Zeiss is very solid. Sony can take chances on odd directions, since they have little to lose, no partnerships or existing product lines to respect or protect. Zeiss has a number of existing relationships, and a solid business to protect, and I doubt that they will jump in head-first here. I am sure that they will announce their five first lenses at Photokina, and that they will then watch what happens very, very carefully, to decide where to go from there.

Dec 01, 2013 at 06:49 AM

sflxn
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Native Sony A7(r) lenses

waterden wrote:
I imagine you are referring to the FE 35 rather than the 28-70 kit lens, available only with the a7. Here in the UK, apart from a few at the beginning, there are now apparently no 35s nor likely to be this side of Xmas so presumably everyone buying the a7r is doing so for use with adapted lenses. It would be interesting to know whether Sony has sold many bodies alone - certainly both seem to be readily available. Very odd idea launching a pair of up-market bodies without lenses unless you are aiming at alt-lens enthusiasts.

That is very interesting. Here, in the US, the 35 FE has been more abundant than the cameras. It was a tough product launch. Trying to release products at the end of Nov. Usually, companies try to have supplies ready to launch in Sept-Oct, in time for the holidays. Given the late launch, I think Sony did exceptionally well. I'm hoping the 55 are shipped before people leave for the holiays.

Dec 01, 2013 at 09:00 AM

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