Congrats on your new lens, Guy! Your findings are the same as mine. This lens has weaknesses on the A7, but there is so much to love.... I miss mine, but my 28 threatens divorce if I get another one..:-(
Thank you very much for sharing your tests Guy! Or not - I have lusted for this lens ever since it came out. Rendering looks delicious. I really like my CV Ultron 35/1.7 VM, but the strong field curvature on A7 is a bother sometimes. I wonder how the ZM compares in that aspect (on the A7 series). Thoughts on this?
I wish you hadn't done this! I have been on the fence about this lends ever since it was announced. Now after rereading this thread and looking at your examples I have one coming n the next couple of days!
HelenaN wrote:
Thank you very much for sharing your tests Guy! Or not - I have lusted for this lens ever since it came out. Rendering looks delicious. I really like my CV Ultron 35/1.7 VM, but the strong field curvature on A7 is a bother sometimes. I wonder how the ZM compares in that aspect (on the A7 series). Thoughts on this?
I have had that CV 1.7 twice now and I really do like it but I think this has a little less field curvature. On my tests before with the CV on Big Bronco it actually failed the test as I was not focusing before infinity and here we are actually getting good corners at really 5.6 it's best at 6.3/8 but 5.6 looks dang good. So I'm thinking at the moment it's a little less field curvature. I'll post some more shots here in a bit too. This lens is a real tease if your after a look. It's pure Zeiss quality. It's got the mojo and with this TechArt adapter a real joy to shoot. There are a couple on eBay still.
For me having the GM 24-70 as my workhorse I can play around with primes in these focal lengths because they don't have to work on a commercial shoot they can just be Guys toys to create ART. Now with this adapter I don't have to stop drop and magnify this changes things. I can actually work a little faster. I'm buying the ZM 85 F4 again. Fred has mine and is loving it.
This is a lens that was released just around the time I was getting away from Leica. I've always liked what I saw from it. It would be nice to have a native Loxia version. I'd bite on that as a smaller 35/1.4 (I still have a great FE version).
Congrats Guy! If you are happy with this lens on your Sony, you would be ecstatic with it on a Leica M body. Such character wide open and incredibly sharp right to the corners stopped down.
GMPhotography wrote:
These are with a cheap Fotosy adapter . I have the TechArt Pro now and that something I will check in the morning. Adapter could possibly be adding to it
I doubt the Fotasy M adapter is or could add any vignetting. It's so thin (as an M adapter) where would any physical intrusion come from? With the ZM in this adapter, just look at the back of the adapter + lens and I suspect you will see there is no mechanical intrusion by the adapter. It's cheap but I found it to be very well made. As an aside, I found notable extra vignetting with wide M lenses on my A7r. I think it's due to the cover glass thickness. It does add some character. Of course the technical argument would be that one could always add that in post but that removing extra vignetting after the fact does compromise IQ more. On the flip side, you may be seeing better/ smoother bokeh as a result of the thicker cover glass vs this lens on an M body.
Well no offense until Leica puts out a 42 mpx sensor for under 4 grand I will never buy a Leica again. Been there done that and have the wet t shirt from dealing with costs. So I'm happy with these results so far and I actually like the vignetting to be honest . Now at 1.4 and to f4 the corners are soft anyway. I don't want to see into the vignette anyway . At 5.6 I would open if needed but I agree it gives it the character, but that's why I bought it. I want clean I'll grab the GM zoom .
Guys theory if I'm going to go shoot in any way shape or form for clients or for me . I want as many MPX as they can shove into a FF sensor. I've been burned several times with clients working my images so big that the old stuff falls apart. I just walked out of a clients office shooting portraits but the walls are covered by my images that are in yards big. All Sony shots. Look freaking awesome on their walls . But that's Guy don't go by me, I get paid for this stuff. Most people don't need the horsepower. Nice to have though
GMPhotography wrote:
Well no offense until Leica puts out a 42 mpx sensor for under 4 grand I will never buy a Leica again. Been there done that and have the wet t shirt from dealing with costs. So I'm happy with these results so far and I actually like the vignetting to be honest . Now at 1.4 and to f4 the corners are soft anyway. I don't want to see into the vignette anyway . At 5.6 I would open if needed but I agree it gives it the character, but that's why I bought it. I want clean I'll grab the GM zoom . ...Show more →
Haha. Just saying if you want to really see what that lens can do, try it on a Leica. Much better performance for sure.... Sounds like you are happy with it on the A7RII and that is great. I have only mounted mine once on my A7RII after seeing what that sensor does with respect to performance. It's good but sooo much better on Leica. That's the body I use it on all the time. Great lens for the money....
I picked up the 35/1.4 ZM mostly for wide-open shooting, so it should not make a difference on A7RII, modded camera or Leica.
Here are a few snapshots today using the TechArt AF adapter.
All at f/1.4. The background was worse case scenario. Backlight and lots of foliage! Definitely a stress test.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I picked up the 35/1.4 ZM mostly for wide-open shooting, so it should not make a difference on A7RII, modded camera or Leica.
Here are a few snapshots today using the TechArt AF adapter.
All at f/1.4. The background was worse case scenario. Backlight and lots of foliage! Definitely a stress test.
Hi Fred,
Nice. But, I still believe there will be a difference even when shooting wide open with a stock A7rII and a modded A7rII. Even wide open on my A7rM V3, I do not believe that the lens will equal its performance on an M240. Close, but not quite. As the lens is stopped down a little probably to about f4 possibly less, my A7rM V3 may be all but indistinguishable from an M240 with the exception of greater resolution of the A7r and color rendering, etc. between the 2 cameras.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I picked up the 35/1.4 ZM mostly for wide-open shooting, so it should not make a difference on A7RII, modded camera or Leica.
Here are a few snapshots today using the TechArt AF adapter.
All at f/1.4. The background was worse case scenario. Backlight and lots of foliage! Definitely a stress test.
you should get less funky corner bokeh with the modded camera or the leica due to the lower astigmatism.
Rendering looks delicious. I really like my CV Ultron 35/1.7 VM, but the strong field curvature on A7 is a bother sometimes. I wonder how the ZM compares in that aspect (on the A7 series). Thoughts on this?
