p.39 #1 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Jack, seriously awesome shots!!! The depth and tonality is wonderful in the first shot, and love the presence and colors of the second.
There has been a lot of discussion as to the DNG files from the A7r being very flat and lacking life, and your images show how excellent PP'ing skills can transform the RAW files.
p.39 #2 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
JaKo wrote:
Charlie, so, you’re back to your beloved [Leica] thread after few months of suffering
Otherwise, what’s the point of re-announcing Leica’s services superlatives on Kolari dedicated thread. Tell us, not!
I do like the camera and I like the lenses more. The service was on par with Sony for time and cost. Not really better or worse. I've had to send all my sony cameras in for service in the past, but the not the A7. I attribute that to it's light duty.
My "beloved" Leica thread? I try to post some decent shots from M9. It's pretty civil too "Beloved?" OK, be snarky and make fun of me all you want, but I did appreciate your tips for post, which have helped me with A7 post quite a bit. Certainly worth some probably well deserved abuse.
Nevertheless I've spread the word for Kolari far and wide. I'm very glad I made the mod and I've tried to share the results. The A7 is now a great backup camera for me. It let me use my favorite lenses while the other body was away; another reason I'm glad I did the mod.
@Derek. It's a doublet. It often does strange things, but is crazy sharp where it hits. Seems sharper, but who knows? Maybe FC is worse now. I will shoot some more shots and see
Here CV 35/1.2 WO on A7.mod: DSC04028 by unoh7, on Flickr
charles.K wrote:
There has been a lot of discussion as to the DNG files from the A7r being very flat and lacking life, and your images show how excellent PP'ing skills can transform the RAW files.
Fully agree on Jack's PP and great shooting skills. My issues with the Sony raws, besides how slow LR seems to manipulate them, compared to the larger Leica DNGs (25mb A7 RAW vs 36 mb M9 RAW), is how easy they make noise when adjusted. But, I'm still learning.
p.39 #3 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
^^^ Sorry Charlie,
We all have strongly attachments to our photo gear and knowing how much you like your M9 I shouldn’t have made my comment, which now I regret posting and definitely owe you an apology.
p.39 #4 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Not sure when and how you convert RAW files to DNG, but in my case the conversion is only needed for images that must to be corrected with CornerFix. The RAW to DNG conversion happened during import process via Adobe Bridge Photo Downloader (Adobe on Windows 7 64-bit) As per settings below, the original RAW is embodied in DNG for possible extraction. File size of each DNG image is roughly 100+MB. The only downside I can see is that RAW files are 16 Bit depth where DNG is only 14 bit. Most my post work is done in Adobe RAW using ProPhoto RGB colour space; apply lens profile, camera profile set to Camera Standard, contrast +10, saturation +5, sharpening set to 45/0.9/70 with masking at 40 and increased if background is smooth (say, shot wide open)
From there I export file to Photo Shop and do minor adjustment if needed then resize, add boarder and save as JPG using AdobeRGB(1998) colour profile and quality settings as per second screenshot.
p.39 #5 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Jack, interesting discussion point. There are forums relating to whether there is degradation regarding conversion of RAW to DNG files. After having read many articles, I am still not completely sure how to interpret the information. For the most part I have not visible seen the degradation in PP'ing, but maybe I am not looking close enough
Another point of discussion as it relates to modified sensors is what is the best technique for sharpening pictures. Generally I understood it was a three step process, "initial RAW", then "after adjustments" and then for "presentation". I use a combination of both Lr and CS6, and surprisingly I am finding the best sharpening as to my perception is after adjustment is with Lr sharpening. The algorithms here seem to give the best results, even more so than in CS6.
I am finding this for the A7r Mod, A7II and A7s. I don't fully understand why yet, as it may have to do with the sensor and lens combination as to which method of "after adjustment" sharpening is best suited.
p.39 #6 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Anyone tested the Contax G 35-70mm f/3.5-5.6 ?
I was initially interested in getting a C/Y 35-70/3.4, but thought that the Kolari mod might make the Contax G lens usable (which was not the case on a stock A7/A7r). Obvious advantages of the G lens are size & weight.
p.39 #7 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Charles,
Thank you for the info on possible RAW to DNG conversion side effects. I wasn't aware of it, though most likely adding extra conversion process affects purity of an image. Will have to search for more info on this topic.
After using D800E for over 2 years I carried similar PP process with A7R, including rather minimal sharpening. Similarly, I use 3 step sharpening process; in ARC (16-bit RAW), PSD full size (16 Bit ProPhoto RGB) and resizing stage with 2 extra layers; one with fine and one with coarse details (16 Bit ProPhoto RGB) The two mentioned layers are marged and adjusted opacity wise based on image content.
Sample below was downsized and sharpened with coarse details only. As mentioned earlier, I use masking in ARC to prevent sharpening being applied to sky, smooth bokeh-ish backgrounds.
p.39 #8 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
beetlephoto wrote:
Anyone tested the Contax G 35-70mm f/3.5-5.6 ?
I was initially interested in getting a C/Y 35-70/3.4, but thought that the Kolari mod might make the Contax G lens usable (which was not the case on a stock A7/A7r). Obvious advantages of the G lens are size & weight.
I did a very quick test on a7r mod. At 35mm there's not much improvement if any - sharpness drops noticably around where the color casts start. Color cast is severe at 35 and almost gone by 50. Sharpness at 50 and above - it's good from wide open.
On a side note it works very well on a5100 and I guess it will also do on a6000. Technically, there's color shift at 35 if you shoot someting like a white wall, but I practice I've never noticed it in real photos. Some slight smearing in the corners at 35 wide open maybe.
p.39 #10 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Jack, excellent shot! The 21 SEM has come alive on the A7rM
I really like your work flow for sharpening.
Two shots taken apart, with the Loxia 50 @ f/8 and FE 35/1.4 @ f/8. Shots have just been PP'd in Lr for ease and simplicity. For detailed landscape work, I would pick the Loxia 50, as I am amazed with this lens even with the A7r Mod. The FE 35/1.4 is really good too, but it's strengths are more in color drawing and rendering IMO
p.39 #11 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
JaKo wrote:
^^^ Sorry Charlie,
We all have strongly attachments to our photo gear and knowing how much you like your M9 I shouldn’t have made my comment, which now I regret posting and definitely owe you an apology.
De Nada, Jack. Apology not needed, but certainly accepted and no hard feelings. Thank you again for your help, and I always enjoy your shots.
I often misspeak myself, or state impressions which I later amend, after I learn things, often here.
Certainly I can whine epically about the A7 in certain respects, but I've spent much time with it, and defended the camera many times. We know, like the M9, it's not perfect. But Kolari has removed the biggest issue for me, which has been sensor stack.
p.39 #12 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Hello
The Voigtlander Ultron 35/1.7 LTM seems to work extremely well on the KolariVision modified A7RM
There is no colour shading even when shooting a blue sky - none of the images had any shading correction applied.
Corners are almost perfect after f5.6 at infinity with no need to focus in the corners with this lens.
Performance is very acceptable after f2.5 in the centre and for closeup subjects with beautiful bokeh.
I am very curious to see what the new VC Ultron 1.7 will be like performance wise but very happy with the old LTM version that I purchased for £250 GBP
An aperture series taken at infinity can be downloaded below
p.39 #16 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Nico...great images with the CV 35 1.7. Making me regret selling mine! I loved that lens on my plain A7. Very sharp WO, and very sharp stopped down. I too am looking forward to the new one if they ever release it!!!
p.39 #18 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
I just got the 50 Lux ASPH today. My third Leica so far... I have to say this is one heck of a people lens. This lens has the most balanced combination between sharpness and smoothness of all the 50s I have shot with. Landscape-wise, it's good enough, but certainly not as good as the Contax G 45 (and probably the ZM/Loxia 50) & FE 55 due to mid field dip, that can't resolve even at f/11. Mind you, the dip is not that noticeable unless you really peep or compare it to those Zeiss lenses. And this lens can flare quite readily compared to all the Zeiss 50s I have had. Trade-offs as usual.
Now to the mod, I believe the Kolari mod has certainly returned this lens to its original field curvature. Focusing at the center and at the corners yielded similar results. And though landscape might not be the main interest of this lens, I would like to share my usual slanted infinity aperture series to assess this lens' performance with the mod.
p.39 #19 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
^^^ Congrats on the Lux 50! It may take a bit to learn it's good and great sides; I am learning still.
"Focusing at the center and at the corners yielded similar results" <-- hence mid-zone dip?
Looking forward to you images.
For me the Lux-50 hasn't changed that much on modded A7R at close-mid distance wide open to f/2.8, but certainly it became much more usable for landscape shots stopped down.
Charles could chime in as well with his take on lux-50 + Kolari.
p.39 #20 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Hiep congrats on the 50 Lux
I have always used the 50 Lux Asph as a street portrait lens having f/1.4, even with the M9/M240. To be honest I never really paid much attention pixel peeping at 18/24mp for landscape shots with M9/M240. Previously for landscape shots I would use the 21 SEM or 28 Cron.
Now with the A7r, there were mid zone issues focusing at mid to far distances.
With A7r Mod at f/5.6 to f/8, I not finding this issue or least to a much lesser extent. Of course now we are observing with 36mp at 100%. It is possible some of the mid zone dip was always there, but to honest I never really paid too much attention to it. I also suspect the rich tonality and rendering with the A7s will really bring out the best from the 50 Lux Asph. For the same reason is why I have my 50 Nocti f/1.0 glued to my A7s.
The best 50 I am now finding for detail and rendering is the Loxia 50, particularly for landscape/seascape shots, both on the A7II, A7s and A7r Mod. For portraits the 50 Cron DR, 50 Nocti f/1.0 and 50 Lux Asph. I do wish I had the 50 Lux Pre Asph version as it has a gentler roll off.
"Beloved?" OK, be snarky and make fun of me all you want, but I did appreciate your tips for post, which have helped me with A7 post quite a bit. Certainly worth some probably well deserved abuse. 
