rscheffler wrote:
WeeSin - very nice - great color! I really like the last three. I'm struck at how clean the 28 Cron file looks. On the M9 it vignettes even when stopped down a fair amount, yet your M240 example doesn't show any. Was it specially processed?
Ron, no special vignettes process to the 28 cron photo. I did crop some from right and bottom edges. So it may be more like 35mm or so. The top and left edges are the exact original edges. I never have personal experience with 28 cron on M9 (got it after my M9 was sold). Don't notice much vignetting issue with it on M240. If there is it must be mild.
Ron congrats on the CZ Opton 5cm 1.5! Your sample looks very sharp and seems to hold contrast much better than my uncoated version. Excellent set to showcase what this lens is capable. That flare shot is pretty cool!
Great shots, guys.
Ron, Joe, I start confusing about what lens you guys have right now. Canon, Zeiss, Nikkor... But I certainly enjoy all the photos posted. they got characters of their own.
No wonder this thread belong to Alt forum here
This one from last week.
50cron Rigid. in front of dancing class. unknown little girl, with striking eyes.
Neat shots Ron. I like the more greener ones near the top for that lens. And yes, it really does suck (the haze), it was better yesterday, but today it started getting a bit thick in the evening. Hopefully it clears up soon as my wedding is a little over two weeks away!
Adam, Yes, the lens works well in those situations and is a bit calmer looking. BTW, I saw someone posted a WTB Leica M ad in the GetDPI B&S and found a seller within a day. Not sure how much of a premium he had to pay... also might be difficult with you not being in the USA.
Michael - GAS has been at play this month, for sure! But the M mount does mean there are a lot of great lens options worth trying! Nice moment - she certainly does seem to be captivated by you, the camera, or something!
WeeSin - thanks for the additional info. It's something I also noticed with Jono Slack's early M240 & 28 Cron sample images.
Joe - the lens is pretty sharp, especially at nearer distances. But wide open sharpness is very central. Not having the benefit of live view, I'm not sure if it's simply a matter of field curvature and thus finding the actual plane of focus for off-center compositions. Where I'm having some trouble with the lens is focus shift and making appropriate mental adjustments to the rangefinder focus. It seems my lens is f/2.8 optimized and shooting wide open results in front focus. Towards infinity I can set the lens on infinity and focus will be OK between f/1.5-2.8, though the technical quality of infinity images in this aperture range aren't that great. At around f/4 and higher, I've found it's critical to RF focus the lens even if the point of focus is many hundreds of feet/meters away. Simply setting to infinity here results in slightly softer images, as though focus shift continues. Might be too that the Amedeo adapter has some leeway?
Ron, I agree for wide open, its best used at closer distances. Sharpness is also very central and with a small sweet spot. For infinity use, best is to stop down. Two samples below, both at the infinity stop on the Amadeo adapter and cross checked using EVF. Maybe it is not reaching infinity wide open?
f/1.5 It looks OK at this resolution
f/4
center crop
f/1.5
f/4
Two more samples, focus was between the O and R of "FORD"
f/1.5
zhangyue wrote:
I start confusing about what lens you guys have right now. Canon, Zeiss, Nikkor...
Michael, I haven't had as much fun with a new camera for a long since getting a M240. My RX1 gets almost no use, my Ricoh GR sits unused and if its not for how the Monochrom renders older lenses and perform at ISO10,000 it would be hard to put down my M240. Live view really opens up new avenues for all types of lenses without needing another camera (compromised APS-C or heavy DSLR). The other option is to wait for a Sony or other FF Mirrorless solution but even then, we don't know if they will have the right micro-lenses for wide RF lenses? I bought a NEX7 when launched and was really disappointed with how my M lenses were soulless on the crop sensor Also as many have experienced themselves, corners can be really poor even with 28 or 35mm lenses. So somehow I think the holy grail FF mirrorless solution many are hoping for is still a few generations away? While some are not happy with the M240 for whatever reasons (AutoWB , colors, high ISO not as good as Sony, no off center zoom for LV (I was also skeptical but found that its not as bad as I though it was), etc etc. I am enjoying my M240 today. That being said, the M9 is still a very relevant camera and if I didn't have the M240, I would still be happy shooting with a M9.
Also with no disrespect to others here, its all about risk and rewards, the earlier you pre-order a Leica M, the earlier you get one. If you ordered yesterday or wanted to wait until you see more samples online, don't expect one delivered tomorrow unless you are very lucky, have a great relationship with your dealer or pay extra for it. I mentioned in the past, I ordered my M(240) before the camera was launched and there was already a wait list. This is after all, Leica.
joe88 wrote:
Michael, I haven't had as much fun with a new camera for a long since getting a M240. My RX1 gets almost no use, my Ricoh GR sits unused and if its not for how the Monochrom renders older lenses and perform at ISO10,000 it would be hard to put down my M240. Live view really opens up new avenues for all types of lenses without needing another camera (compromised APS-C or heavy DSLR). The other option is to wait for a Sony or other FF Mirrorless solution but even then, we don't know if they will have the right micro-lenses for wide RF lenses? I bought a NEX7 when launched and was really disappointed with how my M lenses were soulless on the crop sensor Also as many have experienced themselves, corners can be really poor even with 28 or 35mm lenses. So somehow I think the holy grail FF mirrorless solution many are hoping for is still a few generations away? While some are not happy with the M240 for whatever reasons (AutoWB , colors, high ISO not as good as Sony, no off center zoom for LV (I was also skeptical but found that its not as bad as I though it was), etc etc. I am enjoying my M240 today. That being said, the M9 is still a very relevant camera and if I didn't have the M240, I would still be happy shooting with a M9.
Also with no disrespect to others here, its all about risk and rewards, the earlier you pre-order a Leica M, the earlier you get one. If you ordered yesterday or wanted to wait until you see more samples online, don't expect one delivered tomorrow unless you are very lucky, have a great relationship with your dealer or pay extra for it. I mentioned in the past, I ordered my M(240) before the camera was launched and there was already a wait list. This is after all, Leica....Show more →
Joe,
Good to know. Unfortunately for me with all of my R lenses, the lack of off center zoom for LV was the deal breaker. I need this option for much of my work.
Rich, don't give up, hopefully Leica might have the crippled live view sorted in the next revision of the M240.1, although it seems not possible to do it with the current processor. I agree off center zoom can be critical for some types of shooting as in your case.
Joakim, very nice set with the lighting on those two pics. I think the extra steps with your new sharpening script is worth the effort. And congrats on the Canon 35 1.8. You might want to add a Canon 50 1.4 ltm which would pair well with the 35, or maybe also add a Canon 50 1.5 ltm which is a Sonnar design
Joe - looks OK, though if that's at the infinity stop, my feeling is the far trees are maybe still to close? Anyway, if it's working OK for you, then no need to change anything. I really like the rendering of the van images - goes very well with the age of the van.
Joakim, those look great. The first one though is what still bugs me a lot about digital - the poor handling of extremely bright highlight transitions. The M9's dynamic range is at play here as well. High contrast scenes are where the old lenses can sometimes be useful, as I've found with the 50/1.5 Summarit, and to some degree with the old Sonnars. Their lower contrast character tends not to stretch out the dynamic range like modern lenses do, though shooting into the sun isn't typically one of their strengths.
Looking forward to your results with the Canon 35/1.8!
Gary, that looks like it could desperately use a handgrip. Good luck with it shooting sports!
Another scene with the Sonnar at f/1.5, 2.0 and 2.8:
Interesting samples Ron. It always amazes me how much the character of a lens can change at different apertures. That lens looks like it has some neat bokeh.
Gary, don't hesitate, just buy one (or two) Its a Sonnar after all, and the best part, these are original ones, even more bragging rights than having a ZM C-Sonnar or any other Sonnars in my opinion
Actually I'm now really curious to find out more on the CZ 8.5cm f/2 Sonnars. They are all supposed to be APO design, even the prewar versions
Ron - Thanks for the heads up, I'm "working" on getting one. I'll also be paying a premium living in Singapore
I'll fill you all in closer to the wedding date. If I do end up getting the camera however, it's a wedding gift, so I won't be shooting with it till my actual wedding according to my fiance.
Living in Singapore, any old lenses I buy have to go into a dry-box, because it's so humid. And even then, they need to be sunned regularly to avoid haze/fungus. So it's really troublesome keeping old lenses. My dry-boxes are always full, and I never think to sun my lenses. I have about 15 non-professional lenses (in my secondary dry-box), and I've noticed mold (luckily not haze/fungus) on a few of them recently, so I had to take them all out, sun and clean them, and put them all back. It was a real troublesome and lengthy process. So I'm trying to refrain from buying some more cheap vintage lenses, but you guys aren't making it easy on me. Everytime I see one neat lens on here, I do a bit of research and end up wanting three or so vintage lenses.
Adam, your dry boxes are not working. If you keep the humidity below 55%, it is impossible for fungus and mould to grow. I keep mine around 45% and I have yet to see any traces of fungus in any of my lenses, and there is absolutely no need whatsoever to "sun" them.
, colors, high ISO not as good as Sony, no off center zoom for LV (I was also skeptical but found that its not as bad as I though it was), etc etc. I am enjoying my M240 today. That being said, the M9 is still a very relevant camera and if I didn't have the M240, I would still be happy shooting with a M9.
