Hey guys, thought I'd share a little test I made - the Zeiss 18/4 Distagon ZM on the M9 and A7rII. The primary purpose was to see if the new Sony sensor could handle M mount ultra wide angles (previous version could not).
Full image M9:
Full image A7RII:
The first observation that I made was the same one that I made when I got the M240: The M9 colors are much nicer! The second thing I noticed was that my M9 sensor seems to be cracked
Anyway, Crop 1:
M9:
A7RII:
A7RII resized to M9 size:
M9:
A7RII:
A7RII resized to M9 size:
Conclusion: No problems on the Sony sensor. The lens isn't perfect at f/11 in the corners, but that is due to field curvature and the same imperfection occurs on the M9. The M9 shows less vignetting but that's because it uses a lens profile (the lens is 6-bit coded to emulate an 21 Elmarit).
I like the M9 colors much better, but that's a lost cause. If I get time I'll try to see if there are adjustments one could make when developing the RAW...
Edit: The colors were actually a really easy fix. I was using the Adobe Standard profile. I got much better results with the Camera Standard Profile:
Fantastic work everyone! Luka, nice to see you posting here, and excellent comparison. I think the ZM 18 being a distagon design must be more favorable to the Sony sensor than biogon designs like the ZM 21 and 25.
Allen - great set! The first two (especially the second) are superb! Curious if you are more active with your street shooting and move around a lot or do you wait in a certain area until something of interest happens?
Allen great set, especially the 2nd. I like the feel of your pictures. Very real, sometimes gritty. Nice to know how you shoot - I'm never one to stand and wait around much either.
pingflood wrote:
Does anyone have some pics taken with the classic Canon 50/1.4? I was chatting with a Leica service guy here about 50mm options for the M9 and he said that in his opinion the Canon was by far the best bang for the buck, comparing favorably with the Summilux of the same era. Found one for a good deal but it'll be a week before it gets here. Been googling a bit for pics but mostly find grainy TriX shots...
BTW, after venturing into the world of Sony (A7II) I am now firmly back in Leica land. M9 + 21 Elmarit + 35 Summaron + 50 Canon + 90 Summicron will be the "kit". The Sony stuff is nice but I hated shooting with it. M8 is getting sold today. (I'll miss the top display though, why Leica removed it on the M9 is a mystery to me.)...Show more →
I also have this lens. A couple years ago I did a quick nearer distance foliage comparison test with it and a number of other 50s I had at hand.
Of all the 'vintage' 50s I've tried, it's probably the most predictable and without all that much craziness wide open. It's got some veiling/smoothness, but stopped down and it will compete with any 50 out there now. But it will never have quite the contrast and colour saturation of modern lenses. I also find it to be a bit on the blue side.
TBH, I don't use it a whole lot. If I want vintage rendering I've lately preferred to go with the Zeiss-Opton Sonnar. Otherwise for everyday stuff I use the 50 Lux ASPH.
That said, I do like vintage glass and have slowly collected a number of 50s and a few other focal lengths. It would be tough to let it go. On the new lens front, I should have possession of the recently released CV 35/1.7 later this week. I've been kind of out of the habit of shooting 35mm and hope it lives up to some of the good early results I've seen with it on Leica digital M (as opposed to some not so good results I've also seen that are a bit concerning, though on Sony).
Great sets Allen!
Also a great variety, Ryan!
Nice to see you back, Luka. From what I've been reading, the a7RII is not a guaranteed match with many RF lenses. The Kolari conversion is probably required to optimize results across the board. Sorry to hear about your M9's sensor! I've got the sensor corrosion problem, but haven't yet bothered to do anything about it. Happily working away with the M240 instead. As for the Sony colours, I also found that I didn't like the default Adobe profile and got better results with one of the camera profiles. Lately I've been processing M240 images with the 'embedded profile' option instead of Adobe, too.
Will try to get back to contributing more images to this thread... It has been the usual excuse of being busy while battling image backlog paralysis on a mountain of personal shooting.
Here are a few from last evening on the 'scenic' way home from a job. Hamilton Harbour and Hamilton industry as seen from the Burlington side.
Hi all
Ryan, I always love your photos (processing too). I personally think they're the benchmark for documenting family life. I still remember (correct me if i'm wrong) some shots a couple of years back, or less, of your son with the noctilux when you just got into leica. Just one of those sets which began tingling the leica lust within me.
Ron, looking forward your take and pics of and by the 35 1.7 CV. It looks pretty interesting. Plus I don't have a 35 so...
Gary, my fav is the first shot!
Edward, beautiful cityscape and great colours (where?). And Allen and coogee, admirable stuff once again.
I really love this thread, it's the highlight of my day coming and seeing the photos posted here. Different processing and styles, different gear, from all over the world. Sometimes I feel i'm pressing the like button too much, but can't help it.
(I'll miss the top display though, why Leica removed it on the M9 is a mystery to me.)
