Got the adapter for CZJ 135 m42 mount, and took a few test images this morning. I like this lens well on NEX. It's small size and light weight is a good match. All wide open. Definitely produces some CA in the OOF transitions.
Jeff and Wayne - I'm glad you liked the Philips 66 image. I was out with my daughter shooting a local lake after sunset, and on the way home we stopped at the gas station. As I was taking this shot, she (not at all impressed) says "Wow, you'll just take a photo of anything won't you?" The CZ 45 is an amazing lens.
Herb - thanks for that test. It really is telling.
partitura wrote:
Jeff and Wayne - I'm glad you liked the Philips 66 image. I was out with my daughter shooting a local lake after sunset, and on the way home we stopped at the gas station. As I was taking this shot, she (not at all impressed) says "Wow, you'll just take a photo of anything won't you?" The CZ 45 is an amazing lens.
Herb - thanks for that test. It really is telling.
Is that focus stacked? How did you get that dof from 2.8!
Amazes me how sharp those lenses are.
The picture is slightly cropped, so most of the out-of-focus foreground is not visible.
the lower 10% are oof, but you can't see that in the downsized image.
My Minolta MD Rokkor 50/1.4 has better corner resolution and the same resoulution in the centre (@2.8), but the CZ 45/2 has awesome contrast and that special zeissish rendering.
The UPS man brought my NEX-7 after sundown. Here's an (almost) 100% crop from my first set of shots. I used a Nikon 50mm f/1.4. 13 seconds at f/11 and ISO 200. Definitely noisier than my 5Dm2, but it cleaned up nicely. Shot through ~6miles of fog, so not a crystal clear/sharp night...
mco_970 wrote:
Got the adapter for CZJ 135 m42 mount, and took a few test images this morning. I like this lens well on NEX. It's small size and light weight is a good match. All wide open. Definitely produces some CA in the OOF transitions.
philber wrote:
Thanks for your effort and post, Herb! I am now seriously worried whether my ZM 18 will work nicely on NEX 7.
You are welcome Philber. I am very sorry to report this but my best guess at the moment is that the Nex 7 will only work properly with the Leica, Zeiss and Voigtländer lenses from 35mm and longer.
Of course it is almost no trouble to remove colorfringes in postprocess with profiles a la Cornerfix or Capture One.
However the colorshift is also an indication of softening of the image near edges and corners.
If you want really sharp corners a 35mm is the widest angle possible, or the Sony/Zeiss 24 f/1.8. And for this last lens you have to do a lot of cleaning up CA.
I prefer to use the Nex 5n for the wider than 35 mm lenses.
Jim Schemel wrote:
Herb,
Were you able to clean up the corners of the WA shots? If so how, and were they acceptable?
-Jim
Jim, see also my answer to Philber. Cleaning up colorfringes is no issue for me. However to get even sharpness across the total image with wide angles remains difficult. The Nex 7 struggles very much here.
For the 15, 18 and 25 mm lenses I prefer to use the Nex 5n.
I am still in the process of experiments but sofar I think that a Sigma 8-16 might be prefered over the Leica Super Elmar 18 ASPH on the Nex 7. In the centre image the Leica is more contrasty and sharper but from corner to corner the Sigma gets more even results on the Nex 7.
Also after removing colorshifts for the Leica.
Please note that there is a lot of work involved to find everything out. Because all combinations at all possible apertures and distances give all different results.
Herb, thanks for your answer. Are you saying that even non-symmetrical rangefidner lenses of 24mm and 28mm, such as Leica, will generate colour shift on the NEX 7, or that 35mm is the widest that you've tried that was "clean"?
philber wrote:
Herb, thanks for your answer. Are you saying that even non-symmetrical rangefidner lenses of 24mm and 28mm, such as Leica, will generate colour shift on the NEX 7, or that 35mm is the widest that you've tried that was "clean"?
Philber, unfortunately I have no other than the Zeiss ZM 25 Biogon and the Sony/Zeiss 24 mm available in the range of 24 to 28 mm.
If I am correct Diglloyd is testing the Nex 7 with the Summicron 28 and as I understand it now it also shows edge colorations.
The Leica 18, 21 and 24 Elmars are very related designs. Huff already reported colorshift on the Nex 7 with the 21.
Reichmann used the Summilux 24 ASPH in his comparison with the Sony/Zeiss 24.
I did not see the colorshift, but you can see weak edges compared to the special Sony/Zeiss design.
But it might be possible that there are still rangefinder wide angle lens designs (wider than 35 mm) that will work good on the Nex 7. Point is we have to find them. But at the moment I am a little doubtful regarding anything wider than 35 mm on this camera.
AlexanderR wrote:
NIce shot. My XG-1 is in its death throes with irregular film advance and sticky shutter at higher speeds.
Thanks Alexander. The good news is that you pick another one up for $20 on ebay
