This topic is in the 2019 archive. You can read it and like its posts here. It is read only.
Archive 2019Alternate camera bodies for Leica M lenses
p.2 #1Alternate camera bodies for Leica M lenses
Desmolicious wrote:
I am getting a bit frustrated with the Leica camera digital bodies - they are just not reliable and practical..
* P.S. Please don't tell me "Leica M bodies are the best for M lenses," I know that!I had an M9(mE) and yes that was not reliable. But my M240 has been bulletproof and much easier and better to use with M (or other rf lenses) than my z7.
I would get nice used M240 or use an AF camera with its native AF lenses if your goal is to chase around your kids.
Hey, did you know that M lenses are best on an M body?! Cuz frankly they suck on my Z7.Gee, you have the wrong M lenses for the Z7. At least some of the M lenses are phenomenal on Z7, although all M lenses are best on M bodies.18mm asph, 28mm 2.8 asph, 35mm cron asph, 50 1.4 asph, various old Cron 50s.
I havent tried my non Leica M lenses - wait I did try the 7A 50 1.1. That was ok
Maybe these are the wrong M lenses for the Z7 but I already had them. And no way would I buy M
lenses specifically for the Z7....
From my own experience, I can say that the Elmarit 2.8/28 shows some smearing in the corners, which is not present with the Summicron 2/28. 18mm is probably a challenge due to the wide angle. I think I tested the Summicron 2/35 ASPH and the Summilux 1.4/50 and decided against them due to a combination of performance and price considerations, but I cannot definitely say they do not work on Z7. Older Lenses, which are designed for film, often have more oblique angles of incidence on the sensor and do not show optimal performance on Leica digital cameras, and the same is probably true for the Z7.
I think it's worth considering buying M lenses for the Nikon Z, although M lenses of course are best on Leica M bodies.
AcuteShadows wrote
Desmolicious wrote
Rynleung wrote
Hi everyone,I am getting a bit frustrated with the Leica camera digital bodies - they are just not reliable and practical..
* P.S. Please don't tell me "Leica M bodies are the best for M lenses," I know that!
I would get nice used M240 or use an AF camera with its native AF lenses if your goal is to chase around your kids.
Hey, did you know that M lenses are best on an M body?! Cuz frankly they suck on my Z7.
I havent tried my non Leica M lenses - wait I did try the 7A 50 1.1. That was ok
Maybe these are the wrong M lenses for the Z7 but I already had them. And no way would I buy M
lenses specifically for the Z7....
From my own experience, I can say that the Elmarit 2.8/28 shows some smearing in the corners, which is not present with the Summicron 2/28. 18mm is probably a challenge due to the wide angle. I think I tested the Summicron 2/35 ASPH and the Summilux 1.4/50 and decided against them due to a combination of performance and price considerations, but I cannot definitely say they do not work on Z7. Older Lenses, which are designed for film, often have more oblique angles of incidence on the sensor and do not show optimal performance on Leica digital cameras, and the same is probably true for the Z7.
I think it's worth considering buying M lenses for the Nikon Z, although M lenses of course are best on Leica M bodies.
Nov 19, 2019 at 09:42 PM
p.2 #2Alternate camera bodies for Leica M lenses
Considering the Techart AF adapter, I would be worried that, while it moves the focus plane, it doesn't produce the concurrent change in the relative positions of the lens groups (most importantly floating elements), possibly introducing aberrations. So it may work well with some lenses, but probably not for all of them.
Rynleung wrote:
Why are you not a fan? I was looking at the A7iii and seems you can 1) touch the screen to focus with the techart af adapter 2) shut off magnification if needed
Is that true? 🤯
I ordered a Canon EOS-R online (should be here later this week or early next week) after briefly testing my CV 21mm 3.5 Color-Skopar and 35mm 2 Ultron and satisfied the result. Both are modern lenses and didn't notice any corner issues.
Manual focusing was easy and pops the subject more than with Sony, no need to magnify except for critical focusing.
But activating the magnify button is different as you can't select the area you want to magnify first.
I like Fuji X too but didn't like the idea of shooting my legacy lenses cropped.
Fuji GFX I've read is nice but for the price, I might as well get a M240 or M10.
Never owned the Z6 and no interest as otherwise I would have to invest on native Z lenses too.
With EOS-R, since I own EF lenses and adore the 135L, it was a no brainer to consolidate into one system.
Rynleung wrote:
Why are you not a fan? I was looking at the A7iii and seems you can 1) touch the screen to focus with the techart af adapter 2) shut off magnification if needed
Is that true? 🤯
taemo wrote
I've been shooting M lenses on Sony since the Sony A7 and have owned in the past the A7R, A7RII, A7III and A7RIII and after testing the EOS-R on Friday, I felt ready to make the leap back to Canon. I might get flamed but I've never been a fan of Sony but it was the only option until a year ago.I ordered a Canon EOS-R online (should be here later this week or early next week) after briefly testing my CV 21mm 3.5 Color-Skopar and 35mm 2 Ultron and satisfied the result. Both are modern lenses and didn't notice any corner issues.
Manual focusing was easy and pops the subject more than with Sony, no need to magnify except for critical focusing.
But activating the magnify button is different as you can't select the area you want to magnify first.
I like Fuji X too but didn't like the idea of shooting my legacy lenses cropped.
Fuji GFX I've read is nice but for the price, I might as well get a M240 or M10.
Never owned the Z6 and no interest as otherwise I would have to invest on native Z lenses too.
With EOS-R, since I own EF lenses and adore the 135L, it was a no brainer to consolidate into one system.
Nov 19, 2019 at 09:49 PM
p.2 #3Alternate camera bodies for Leica M lenses
Rynleung wrote:
To be clear, i want to take pics of moving objects like pets and kids with Leica lens. I found it very difficult with my M9, but I am not sure if M10 will be that different. That’s why I have this question.
Why yes, that would be difficult to do with manual lenses, on any system.
Try stopping the lens down.
To be clear, i want to take pics of moving objects like pets and kids with Leica lens. I found it very difficult with my M9, but I am not sure if M10 will be that different. That’s why I have this question.
Why yes, that would be difficult to do with manual lenses, on any system.
Try stopping the lens down.
Nov 20, 2019 at 04:19 AM
p.2 #4Alternate camera bodies for Leica M lenses
coogee wrote:
I'd just stick my M9 on ISO800, scale focus and embrace the beauty of sometimes missing focus on a shot, kids and cats are sometimes blurry imho. Otherwise, good luck, get some awesome Fuji camera perhaps?
That's pretty much was I was going to suggest. Additionally, wider lenses and stopping down a bit make hitting focus a bit easier. But we don't know what kind of image look the OP wants to specifically achieve. Maybe he wants to shoot everything with a 50/1.4 wide open?
I'd just stick my M9 on ISO800, scale focus and embrace the beauty of sometimes missing focus on a shot, kids and cats are sometimes blurry imho. Otherwise, good luck, get some awesome Fuji camera perhaps?
That's pretty much was I was going to suggest. Additionally, wider lenses and stopping down a bit make hitting focus a bit easier. But we don't know what kind of image look the OP wants to specifically achieve. Maybe he wants to shoot everything with a 50/1.4 wide open?
Nov 20, 2019 at 06:54 PM
p.2 #5Alternate camera bodies for Leica M lenses
Rynleung wrote:
To be clear, i want to take pics of moving objects like pets and kids with Leica lens. I found it very difficult with my M9, but I am not sure if M10 will be that different. That’s why I have this question.
Well, you may already be acquainted with these techniques, but I reckoned that I should ask if you have tried setting the aperture for ample DOF, and pre-setting the distance, before taking the shot, or, when conditions permit, keeping the lens set at hyper-focal? Trying to focus on moving pets and children, with a rangefinder, or with a viewfinder, is a formidable challenge, regardless of the camera brand. This works better with wider-angle lenses, which have more DOF than normal and telephoto lenses.
An example is to use a 28mm lens, with the aperture of f/8, and the distance set at about 12 to 15 feet. Everything from six feet to infinity should be within acceptable focus. If a subject is closer than six feet, move the focusing tab to the three-feet mark. A 35mm lens will less DOF, for any given distance.
This is independent of camera or lens brand. I often used manual-focus Nikon lenses, with a Novoflex adapter, on Canon DSLRs. (Manual-focus Nikkors were an economical way for my wife and I to share lenses. Her employer issued Nikon DSLRs, and I was using a bag of pre-owned Canon stuff.)
The M10 has a better viewfinder experience, in my opinion, than the M9, especially as I normally shoot while wearing prescription eyeglasses. I only experimented with pre-owned M9 cameras, at a nearby camera store. It was the availability of a really nice pre-owned Summilix-M 50mm ASPH that prompted me to add the Leica system, and I started with an M10 body.
Edited to add: A 50mm lens, or longer, has little-enough DOF to make it necessary to use the viewfinder to achieve acceptable focus. The longest lens I will use, by setting the distance scale, is a 45mm, though it is not Leica, but a Nikkor, a “pancake” 45mm f/2.8P (AI-P) lens, which protrudes little more than a body cap, when in place on my D5.
To be clear, i want to take pics of moving objects like pets and kids with Leica lens. I found it very difficult with my M9, but I am not sure if M10 will be that different. That’s why I have this question.
Well, you may already be acquainted with these techniques, but I reckoned that I should ask if you have tried setting the aperture for ample DOF, and pre-setting the distance, before taking the shot, or, when conditions permit, keeping the lens set at hyper-focal? Trying to focus on moving pets and children, with a rangefinder, or with a viewfinder, is a formidable challenge, regardless of the camera brand. This works better with wider-angle lenses, which have more DOF than normal and telephoto lenses.
An example is to use a 28mm lens, with the aperture of f/8, and the distance set at about 12 to 15 feet. Everything from six feet to infinity should be within acceptable focus. If a subject is closer than six feet, move the focusing tab to the three-feet mark. A 35mm lens will less DOF, for any given distance.
This is independent of camera or lens brand. I often used manual-focus Nikon lenses, with a Novoflex adapter, on Canon DSLRs. (Manual-focus Nikkors were an economical way for my wife and I to share lenses. Her employer issued Nikon DSLRs, and I was using a bag of pre-owned Canon stuff.)
The M10 has a better viewfinder experience, in my opinion, than the M9, especially as I normally shoot while wearing prescription eyeglasses. I only experimented with pre-owned M9 cameras, at a nearby camera store. It was the availability of a really nice pre-owned Summilix-M 50mm ASPH that prompted me to add the Leica system, and I started with an M10 body.
Edited to add: A 50mm lens, or longer, has little-enough DOF to make it necessary to use the viewfinder to achieve acceptable focus. The longest lens I will use, by setting the distance scale, is a 45mm, though it is not Leica, but a Nikkor, a “pancake” 45mm f/2.8P (AI-P) lens, which protrudes little more than a body cap, when in place on my D5.
Nov 22, 2019 at 10:29 AM
p.2 #6Alternate camera bodies for Leica M lenses
Rynleung wrote:
To be clear, i want to take pics of moving objects like pets and kids with Leica lens. I found it very difficult with my M9, but I am not sure if M10 will be that different. That’s why I have this question.
If you are not practicing how to rack focus with moving objects, then no, the M10 probably won't do any better. Rack focus can be very quick and very accurate - with a lot of practice and knowing the lenses.
Nov 22, 2019 at 11:47 AM