Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/02/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]hi paul here is another review of the 35mm fe and no mention of focus shift http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1657 ------------------------------------- regards, mehrdad On Wed, Feb 19, 2014 at 10:57 AM, Paul Roark <roark.paul at gmail.com> wrote: > Yes, the 75 Summarit does very well. Get the Novoflex adapter. The others > don't cut it. > > One other irritating issue with the a7r -- I think the 35 mm FE > focus-shifts. That may be one reason why they use focusing at the stopped > down aperture. The 35 has no physical infinity stop (probably due to > this), and that is a bit of a pain. > > Manual focusing with magnification works best stopped down, but the FE at > 2.8 does an amazing job of AF. It even seems to balance the field > curvature into the point it selects; I can't touch it with manual focusing. > However you can't then stop down and expect a sharp image. Very > interesting. > > The camera software and hardware, as design elements in an overall computer > balancing of performance may be really starting to show what it can do. > > On the plus side, the Sony has focus distance read-outs in the finder. So, > I can do multi-zone focusing without removing my eye. The resulting focus > stacks are much better aligned, with the help also of grid lines and the > level. I know where the infinity focus is. For this, the system that > automatically goes to a magnified view should be turned off, which is where > I leave that setting. > > Magnification as a 2-button (Why not one Sony?) manual process works best > for the way I shoot. I can simply remember the focus points and watch the > scale to get my focus stack. > > Paul > www.PaulRoark.com > > > > On Wed, Feb 19, 2014 at 9:31 AM, Sonny Carter <sonc.hegr at gmail.com> > wrote: > > > Paul, do you mean the 75 2.5 Summarit? Because I just started playing > with > > mine on the A7r, and have been floored by the performance. So much more > > than I was able to get out of it with the M8 or M9. > > > > > > On Wed, Feb 19, 2014 at 10:30 AM, Paul Roark <roark.paul at gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > > The Sony a7r is not a perfect camera by any means, but it's good enough > > > that it will be what I take to Italy in a month, leaving the M9 home > (or > > > it'll be a backup camera). > > > > > > The Zeiss 35mm ZE optic for the Sony can easily out-shoot the M9 with > the > > > Zeiss 2.8 Biogon, which was my main lens. The Biogon at it's best on > the > > > Sony is a hair sharper in the center than the FE, but the FE at 2.8 at > > the > > > edge is essentially equal to the Biogon on the M9 at f8. This is quite > > an > > > achievement. It may signal that design of wide angle optics for the > > > specific characteristics of the sensor's micro-lenses is needed. We'll > > see > > > of Zeiss can pull off the same magic when it releases the wider optics. > > > > > > ALL M optics I've tested below 50mm do not work well on the Sony. The > > > edges smear. This is the major disappointment with the camera. The > 75mm > > > Leica 2.8 is amazing on the Sony. So, my 2-lens outfit is the 35mm FE > > and > > > the Leica 75. > > > > > > The Sony auto-iso is not as adjustable as I'd like, but I leave the > > camera > > > on Manual with auto ISO. There the only issue is that the ISO does not > > > show until I tap the shutter button. But, for control we need to see > all > > > three exposure variables -- f-stop, shutter speed, and iso -- in the > > > viewfinder on a continuous basis. > > > > > > Vibration has been a big issue for some, but for hand holding, it does > > not > > > appear to be very significant. Hands absorb the vibration very well. > > > > > > The Sony is no Leica in terms of smoothness or speed of focusing. Sony > > has > > > also clearly not matched the M9 in the micro-lens edge performance for > RF > > > optics. Also, the higher the MP count is, the worse the problems of > ray > > > angle appear to be. It may be the end of relatively symmetrical RF > wide > > > angles. Too bad. On the other hand the optics Zeiss has made so far > for > > > the Sony are amazing. They appear to have found a price/quality point > > for > > > aspherics that allows them to make appropriately priced lenses that can > > > handle high MP sensors. > > > > > > I actual shooting, what I notice the most between the Sony and M9 are > the > > > electronic level in the viewfinder and the superior quality of the Sony > > > metering. The Leica's focusing speed and accuracy are missed, however. > > > > > > The Sony leveling is allowing superior pan stitching of hand held > shots. > > > > > > The Sony meter is sampling 1200 zones. It's essentially automated spot > > > metering -- no need for checking the shot and it's histogram after the > > > fact. You can have a live histogram in the viewfinder, but even where > it > > > seemed to be leaving too much room to the right, it turned out there > were > > > bright spots that would have "burned out" if the shot were given more > > > exposure. The Sony leaves some tiny spectral highlights that are > > "burned" > > > (as appropriate), but even there one can almost always recover some > > detail. > > > At that point you run into the issue that the Sony is compressing the > > very > > > top highlights. Just below total burn-out the CMOS highlights (as with > > my > > > Canons) do not seem to be as good as the M9's CCD near-spectral > > highlights. > > > > > > It's not the ultimate camera, but the Sony a7r is another clear step > > > forward for landscaper work I do. It's a keeper, but I expect in 3 > years > > > it'll be obsolete. There is still a lot of room for improvement, and > > it's > > > no street/people shooter. > > > > > > Paul > > > www.PaulRoark.com > > > > > > > > > On Wed, Feb 19, 2014 at 5:43 AM, Sonny Carter <sonc.hegr at gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > > > > > The A7r is not earth-shattering. It does a nice job shooting my > > Leica M > > > > lenses, Leica R lenses, Nikon F lenses, and of course the native 35 > > Zeiss > > > > makes real purty pitchurs. > > > > > > > > The camera is sturdy, fairly easy to handle even with my big paws. I > > > like > > > > the folding screen and live view. It comes to hand real nice. I've > > been > > > > shooting it since the new year, and almost everything you've seen > > posted > > > is > > > > from that camera. > > > > > > > > I read Sean's stuff, back when he was a regular guy, not an expert > you > > > had > > > > to pay to read, and sometimes I agreed with him and sometimes not. > In > > > the > > > > case of corner sharpness, as it applies to my work, well, it rarely > > does. > > > > Almost everything I do is cropped in some fashion, and even if it > > isn't, > > > > I'm not wanting you searching out the corners to see how sharp they > > are. > > > > > > > > At any rate I was pretty happy with shots from my Summilux and the > 35 > > > > T*. I even put my Leica 21 that Mark hates on it and played with > it. > > > It > > > > was OK. > > > > > > > > In the foregoing graph, I said I was pretty happy with the Zeiss T*. > > > > Actually, I think this camera and this lens were born for each other. > > > > > > > > When I get the swing of them, I think it will feel like I felt with > my > > M7 > > > > and 35mm Summicron. That, my pals, was awesome. > > > > > > > > > > > > Regards, > > > > > > > > Sonny > > > > http://sonc.com/look/ > > > > Natchitoches, Louisiana > > > > 1714 > > > > Oldest Permanent Settlement in the Louisiana Purchase > > > > > > > > USA > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Wed, Feb 19, 2014 at 5:47 AM, Gerry Walden <gwpics at icloud.com> > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > I agree with Nathan that it doesn't look that earth-shattering. > > Having > > > > > read their not-so-favorable conclusions, I was then a little > > surprised > > > to > > > > > read how positive they were in the 'Final Word' section. > > > > > > > > > > Gerry > > > > > > > > > > Gerry Walden > > > > > +44 (0)23 8046 3076 or > > > > > +44 (0)797 287 7932 > > > > > www.gwpics.com > > > > > > > > > > On 19 Feb 2014, at 07:33, Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at > > > > > gmail.com> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sony-alpha-a7r/18 > > > > > > > > > > > > Cheers > > > > > > Jayanand > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > Leica Users Group. > > > > > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more > > information > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Leica Users Group. > > > > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more > information > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Leica Users Group. > > > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Leica Users Group. > > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Regards, > > > > Sonny > > http://sonc.com/look/ > > Natchitoches, Louisiana > > 1714 > > Oldest Permanent Settlement in the Louisiana Purchase > > > > USA > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leica Users Group. > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >