NRKStudio
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
|
 p.18 #13 · 7Artisians 28mm 1.4 tests coming | |
Steve Spencer wrote:
As I had the Leica M 28 lux and Zeiss ZM 35 f/1.4 for a couple of years, and now have the 7 Artisans 28 f/1.4 (but the Leica M version--I actually bought mine from Guy so it is the lens tested earlier in this thread) let me chime in. I agree with Bastian that all three lenses are similar in several ways. All are quite sharp wide open in the center. All show a noticeable mid zone dip that to my eye in these Leica M mount versions never totally clears up but has very little effect by about f/6.3. This mid-zone dip makes rule of thirds shooting wide open less than optimal and all three lenses do better stopped down to at least f/2.8 for such compositions. None of the lenses have great bokeh, IMO, but all can have at least pretty good bokeh in some circumstances. So, you have to understand the way each lens performs in different circumstances and distances to get the best out of focus backgrounds. All three lenses have CA that can be problematic in some circumstances, so again you have to understand the way each lens performs with regard to CA to avoid problems. All three lenses have pretty strong vignetting and coma wide open, which only partially clears as you stop down.
Now let me say a bit about the differences. First, one of the obvious differences is that both the 28 lux and the ZM 35 f/1.4 have a floating element design and the 7 Artisans does not. This shows up with much better close focus performance with the two more expensive lenses with floating elements. Both of these lenses are affected by using an adapter with extension as you get a bit more CA when you do, but both are still quite good at close distances. The ZM 35 f/1.4 is especially good close up and even better than the 28 lux, IMO, but the 7 Artisans is pretty far behind both although for central compositions it does pretty well by f/2.8.
Second, with regard to contrast, IMO, the ZM 35 f/1.4 is the most contrasty and has a very distinct Zeiss type signature with quite high contrast. The 28s are still high contrast but a bit less so and pretty similar to each other.
Third, the bokeh although variable in all three lenses is quite different. The ZM 35 has in some ways the best and the worst bokeh, IMO. Up close and especially if you can avoid anything in the corners and edges I like the bokeh from the ZM 35 a lot. Typical portraits, however, with a central or rule of thirds composition means the corners and edges have bokeh that is distracting and which I just don't like. Part of this is field curvature as the edges and corners become sharp with such a composition and part of it is the what I find ugly highlights that are basically diamond shapes and prominent. Between the mid zone dip and this bokeh pattern, I found the lens pretty poor for portraits. The only solution I could find was using a more central composition and planning for a pretty big crop that cut out a fair bit from the edges and all the corners and allowed cropping to modify the composition. For me not an ideal solution at all. If I want a 45 or 50, then I would just shoot one.
The bokeh from the 28 lux was both less ideal in some situations, but more manageable in general. The 28 lux has bokeh like many modern lenses--it has difficulty with transition zones with complicated backgrounds but if you can avoid problems with such transition zones the bokeh will be at least pretty good. I never saw the problems with the corners and edges with the 28 lux that I had with the ZM 35. I also liked that there are still some residual spherical aberration wide open that softened the bokeh and covered some of the CA a bit. Still the bokeh is pretty high contrast and you will definitely get lots of cat's eyes with this lens and sometimes (but not often in my experience) some onion rings in highlights as well. I also like that with 28mm I feel like I have a bit more flexibility in cropping which made the mid zone dip less of a problem for me. I could compose a bit more centrally and go back to a rule of thirds type composition through cropping pretty easily.
I have only had the 7 Artisans for a little over a week and I haven't had much time to use it less, but it seems to me that the bokeh is different and I mostly like it. Wide open it looks to me like there is just enough uncorrected spherical aberrations to soften the bokeh while enough correction that out of focus highlights have slight outlining. This is a look I like and a lot of classic lenses had (e.g., the Leica R 80 f/1.4). Compositionally I can do much the same that I could with my 28 lux. I also don't find the edges and corners to be too problematic. I may not like it as much as I use it more, but for now I seem to like about as much as the 28 lux for portraits.
So, to summarize I think the Zeiss ZM 35 f/1.4 is a great lens for closeups and can be used well for landscapes stopped down to about f/6.3 and with a PCX filter can probably be used for landscapes at wider apertures (I have no experience with that, however). I didn't keep it, however, because it never suited me for a portrait lens and if I have a fast 35mm I want it to be a good portrait lens and for me this wasn't just about adapting it to Sony. I didn't think it was a very good portrait lens on the Leica M10 either.
The Leica M 28 lux was a wonderful all around lens with a few quirks and weaknesses and perhaps while it may not be exemplary at anything, it was good enough at pretty much everything. I would still have this lens and happily use it if it were not stolen. It is also a lens that works almost as well on a Sony A7 series body as it does on the Leica M10. Someone in this thread has this lens and is considering the 7 Artisans. Personally, I wouldn't bother as the 28 lux I think is the better lens in almost every way even if the 7 Artisans can get close to it at a tiny fraction of the cost.
That brings us to the 7 Artisans 28 f/1.4. I think this lens is an amazing value. For portraits it quite decent. Stop it down to f/8 (or even f/4 from Bastian's tests if you get the FE version) and it will be quite credible for landscapes. It won't perform well wide open for close ups, but if you stop it down it will do just fine even with extension. I would say it is over 95% as competent and the Leica M 28 f/1.4, but for a tenth the price. I am happy to have it in my arsenal and although I would prefer the 28 lux, the cost difference just doesn't make it worth it to me....Show more →
Great info man, thanks.
The D35ZM I agree is sharp as a tack close up and far on the A7r3 and M10, corners are a little soft though on the Sony and it does vignette. The severity and difference between resolution and local contrast is so serious though on the D35 it’s the highlight of the lens I believe. Leica on their new SL lenses has boasted about this difference in contrast between focused vs OOF quite a bit in their marketing material, even creating graphs and measuring the effect. It’s what they say gives a wide open shot it’s “pop“, “separation”, or dimensionality/depth. See the graph comparing the 75 SL to 75 Lux. I believe the D35 has this in spades. It’s why Zeiss engineers call this lens one of their 3 modern crowning achievements.
The 28 Lux though on the M is just plain sharp. According to my usage, reviews, and it’s MTF. I have a test comparing it on the A7r3 vs. the new Sigma 28 which according to lensrentals has a very notable mtf result. The CA is a huge pain in the ass though and one of the worst offenders in my kit.
I looked at Bastians pics and his wide open shots do have some smooth bokeh as he notes. I always thought the 28 Lux had smooth bokeh, but the 7A 28 definitely competes or betters it. Who knows if it touches the sharpness stopped down though, like you said it does not do so wide open and especially up close. You should do a side by side if you have time of those two lenses  .
Thanks for the info though, I’m going to rent it as soon as lensrentals offers it.
Looks like 7A came out swinging here. Can’t wait for the 75/1.25, it’s news of its release definitely put my search of a Leica 75 Summilux on permanent hold.
|
