p.43 #1 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Here's a comparison from shots 8 months apart on the A7 before and after the mod, with the Leica 21/3.4. Jako mentioned that this shot was what convinced him to get the 21 SEM so I figured I'd re-take it post-mod.
The edges/corners are quite a bit better. I still can't shake the feeling that my WB is not the same and/or the Huelight color profile doesn't work well any more though.
Also, for fun, here's the same shot taken today with the 28 Cron and 35 Lux FLE.
Each shot from today may have been rotated a bit. I'm noticing vignetting in the corners from the VM-E adapter, of course right after I plunk down the $$ for it they announce a version II with reduced vignetting on full-frame. Anyway, the vignetting I saw today was uniform, so any differences between corners is from me straightening the image in LR.
p.43 #2 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
naturephoto1 wrote:
I am aware. I am checking to see when they expect to have the corrosion resistant versions available for installation again as a result of the Shott fire.
Rich
Rich,
Ilija told me around the end of this month. BG39 glass is already back in production, but not with corrosion resistant one.
p.43 #3 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Taylor Sherman wrote:
Here's a comparison from shots 8 months apart on the A7 before and after the mod, with the Leica 21/3.4. Jako mentioned that this shot was what convinced him to get the 21 SEM so I figured I'd re-take it post-mod.
The edges/corners are quite a bit better. I still can't shake the feeling that my WB is not the same and/or the Huelight color profile doesn't work well any more though.
Also, for fun, here's the same shot taken today with the 28 Cron and 35 Lux FLE.
Each shot from today may have been rotated a bit. I'm noticing vignetting in the corners from the VM-E adapter, of course right after I plunk down the $$ for it they announce a version II with reduced vignetting on full-frame. Anyway, the vignetting I saw today was uniform, so any differences between corners is from me straightening the image in LR.
Taylor, thank you for test . Would you mind taking a slanted horizon shot at WO? I would like to compare it against my Elmar 24. I might get an SEM 21 in a trade.
p.43 #4 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
naturephoto1 wrote:
I am aware. I am checking to see when they expect to have the corrosion resistant versions available for installation again as a result of the Shott fire.
Rich
If you are aware, why are you asking this forum for an update?
Why don't you call Kolari directly and ask them instead of taking a second hand word here?
p.43 #5 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Taylor Sherman wrote:
Here's a comparison from shots 8 months apart on the A7 before and after the mod, with the Leica 21/3.4. Jako mentioned that this shot was what convinced him to get the 21 SEM so I figured I'd re-take it post-mod.
The edges/corners are quite a bit better. I still can't shake the feeling that my WB is not the same and/or the Huelight color profile doesn't work well any more though.
Also, for fun, here's the same shot taken today with the 28 Cron and 35 Lux FLE.
Each shot from today may have been rotated a bit. I'm noticing vignetting in the corners from the VM-E adapter, of course right after I plunk down the $$ for it they announce a version II with reduced vignetting on full-frame. Anyway, the vignetting I saw today was uniform, so any differences between corners is from me straightening the image in LR.
Yes!!! Thank you Taylor.
Swapping Zeiss Distagon 2.8/21 for SEM 21 was a sketchy move for me, but thanks to Kolari's mod I am happy with the new 21.
Thank you again for posting your test shots. Light and weather dependent I actually prefer the modded colours, at least in this set, maybe because of white shades of walls?
p.43 #6 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
JimBuchanan wrote:
If you are aware, why are you asking this forum for an update?
Why don't you call Kolari directly and ask them instead of taking a second hand word here?
Jim,
Due to the poster's response, I perhaps mistakenly thought that he was from Kolari so I posted the question. If he was from Kolari then the information would have been valuable not only to me but to others considering the modification.
p.43 #8 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Great images from Greece Nico!
I used to live in Athens for 3 years a while back and travel around there a lot. Love that country! Too bad my Greek had faded out
p.43 #9 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
To deal with the WB shift (it does indeed shift after the mod), I use the ExpoDisc to set up the three custom WBs in the conditions that I most likely shoot in (daylight, shade and indoor tungsten) .
p.43 #10 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
hiepphotog wrote:
When you have a chance to work with the A7 you have, would you find out the thickness of the clear glass on top of the sensor? Some believe it's about 0.5mm. If it is, you can use similar glass like that for your future mod.
It's interesting to know that the Baader filter can go down to 0.3mm. How's the IR contamination issue with this filter? Is there any breakage incident so far? Thank you.
Most sensor cover glass seems to live in that 0.5-1mm range at most.
However, remember that removing the bayer also cause the sensor to become VERY reflective, or more shiny than it was designed to be.
a lot of people had issues with the original cover glass causing reflections in their images (essentially the light is reflected back from the sensor to the cover glass and then back to the sensor again), so we stopped reusing them after the mono conversion and started using a very high quality clear glass with AR coatings and have not had a single issue since.
The baader files are absolutely of the highest quality i have ever seen.
I have never heard of any baader filter breaking unless it was by intention or gross negligence. Normal wear and tear should never be an issue for baader filters.
The IR cutoff of the baader is also second to none, which is why 99% of AstroPhotographers use it for blocking IR. I have never seen any IR contamination in either daytime images or astro images, so i am assuming that it performs as it was designed to.
Just to make a note here, I do not have any affiliation with kolari.
i do have affiliation with Baader in that i get dealer prices on thier products through Alpine Astro, which is the distributor for baader in NA....however i will and always have done what is best for the customer as i do not do this to make a living, i do this because i love it and everything about photography/cameras/astronomy/etc
p.43 #11 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
JaKo wrote:
Yes!!! Thank you Taylor.
Swapping Zeiss Distagon 2.8/21 for SEM 21 was a sketchy move for me, but thanks to Kolari's mod I am happy with the new 21.
Thank you again for posting your test shots. Light and weather dependent I actually prefer the modded colours, at least in this set, maybe because of white shades of walls?
To clarify, the processing on the old/new shots is definitely not the same, sorry. Yes the recent ones are more neutral I believe and the shot from August is a bit on the warm side.
Right out of the camera, with the "daylight" in-camera WB set, the shots from yesterday were quite green.
p.43 #12 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
It is the first time I see a before/after comparison with the SEM 21 (thanks, Taylor!), and it litterally doesn't look like the same lens. Everything seems to be substantially improved. Wow! While I really don't like the idea of the mod, it makes me feel sorry that I sold my Elmar 24 and my Lux 50...
p.43 #14 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Guys,
For anyone looking for an Elmar ASPH 24mm f3.8, which I have and love, there is an EBay seller in Hong Kong who seems to have a stash of them (new) selling at $1420 plus $40 shipping, which is an incredible deal. I wondered if it was a scan since I saw him repost after listing, but there is positive feedback on the prior sales, so it seems legit. No affiliation with the seller but, if I didn't already own one, I'd jump on it.
p.43 #16 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
pdmphoto wrote:
How does the Elmar ASPH 24mm f3.8 perform on the A7rM? I haven't seen any samples that I recall.
I believe that Michael and others indicated that it performs outstandingly well on the A7rM. I considered purchasing one of these lenses from the seller in Hong Kong even prior to Michael's post. But since I already have the WATE I have decided that though the cost of the the 24mm Elmar Asph 3.8 was so good and though it may perform better, the focal length is too close to the 21mm for the WATE (which offers multiple focal length and zooms).
p.43 #17 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
There will be color cast and vignette no doubt (color cast even on the A7s). But you get straight out sharpness from the tip corner-to-corner at WO, no mushiness. I agree with Lloyd on this one, it's the sharpest WAs Leica ever produced.
p.43 #18 · A thinner sensor stack may be possible after all!
Actually I would not expect a big color cast with 24SEM, but perhaps you might notice it on the R.
Neither my ZM18 or SEM21 require correction for color cast on the plain A7.mod.
hiepphotog wrote:
To deal with the WB shift (it does indeed shift after the mod), I use the ExpoDisc to set up the three custom WBs in the conditions that I most likely shoot in (daylight, shade and indoor tungsten) .
I had fits at first with WB, but now Im used to the A7.mod, and pretty happy with WB. Sometimes even OOC. I can't believe I ever had problems Of course now I don't deal with snow.
On great tip from JaKo: switch the camera profile in LR from Adobe standard to Camera standard or Camera Landscape....or at least try these settings if you are not happy.
Nice walk-about lens. Tiny. A bit soft and low contrast at f2 but cleans up a bit at f2.8 (where I find it easier to focus because the contrast is better) and is excellent in the center and very good over much of the frame by f4.
Also added one taken in same place with Type V Summicron 50mm.
Both are AWB in Camera Neutral profile. I seem to get generally good results there with this BG39 mod (original modification) camera.
. Would you mind taking a slanted horizon shot at WO? I would like to compare it against my Elmar 24. I might get an SEM 21 in a trade.
Of course now I don't deal with snow.
