[Leica] More Nerdy stuff.... Sony A7 with Leica lenses.

Mon May 25 20:17:49 PDT 2020

Doug. Will do. And thank you for the “how”.

On Mon, May 25, 2020 at 4:45 PM Douglas Barry <imra at iol.ie> wrote:

> Frank, crop a couple of salient bits and post them on the Lug Gallery,
> with the larger photo as a smaller jpg at 1920 pixels across so that we
> can get some context. Never mind your reservation about the possible
> imperfections of perception. I've been battling against my own
> imperfections since birth = and failing :-)
>
> Douglas
>
> On 25/05/2020 22:48, Frank Filippone via LUG wrote:
> > If anyone want to actually see for themselves the differences, I would
> > be happy to email them directly 2 files...   But the RAW files are
> > like 80MB each.....and I will not send out jpg files, because it is
> > the wrong way to see the differences....
> >
> > Maybe I can try to do some cropping.... let me try... Will report
> > back....
> >
> >
> > Frank Filippone BMWRed735i at gmail.com
> > On 5/25/2020 1:53 PM, Douglas Barry wrote:
> >> Sample images???
> >>
> >> On 25/05/2020 21:18, Frank Filippone via LUG wrote:
> >>> If you own or have contemplated the purchase of a Sony A7 series
> >>> body to use with your Leica M lenses, you have heard that Leica WA
> >>> lenses show smeared corners due to the closeness of the lens to the
> >>> sensor.. the image ray's angle causes problems.
> >>>
> >>> A company, KolariVision, has a modification to the A7 series that
> >>> replaces the standard cover plate ( the one that fell OFF my M9)
> >>> with a very thin glass cover plate ( I think it is 0.2mm thick. the
> >>> Leica OEM plate is approx 2mm thick).  This improves the image
> >>> quality in the corners of the frame.... So the question is, if I
> >>> read all the literature, is any or all of it true?  Is it just
> >>> marketing BS?
> >>>
> >>> I went testing ( yes, again).
> >>>
> >>> One of the most awful lenses for this problem used on the Sony A7
> >>> bodies that Leica has made is the 28 Summicron ASPH.  V1.
> >>>
> >>> One of the best lenses on the Sony bodies is the WATE... 16/18/21mm
> >>> F4  Wide Angle TriElmar  I tried both.  I also tested a 21mm SEM,
> >>> because I was asked to.
> >>>
> >>> The cameras were setup identically. The only thing that changed in
> >>> this test was the body.( Tripod, same shutter speed, same apertures,
> >>> same lens.... )
> >>>
> >>> ::::SPOILER ALERT::::::
> >>>
> >>> The Kolari modified body FAR exceeded the IQ of the unmodified body
> >>> in the corners...
> >>>
> >>> A7rii vs A7rii Kolari
> >>>
> >>> With 21mm SEM and 28mm Summicron ( notoriously bad on Sony bodies)
> >>>
> >>> At ISO50
> >>>
> >>> At Fwide open, F4 and F8
> >>>
> >>> Distance from camera to center of image was about 15 feet. Tripod of
> >>> course.
> >>>
> >>> The camera body was place at an angle, allowing for easy access to
> >>> the corners ( the horizon line was set corner to corner) ......
> >>> Essentially stressing the lens corner quality as much as possible.....
> >>>
> >>> Focusing was done by x10 focus enlargement in MF mode in the center
> >>> of the image......  I did not focus in the corners.... I use a
> >>> ground glass kind of focusing, no high tech stuff. When it LOOKS
> >>> sharp it IS sharp.
> >>>
> >>> Focus was not done at each F stop... it was done wide open only.
> >>> Care was taken to not move the focus ring when changing aperture.
> >>>
> >>> In the center of the frame, there was little to no difference in the
> >>> images.  The cameras produced very similar images.... see comment
> >>> below about the color shift.....
> >>>
> >>> There was NO condition where the Kolari modified body did not beat,
> >>> by a large amount, the corner sharpness of unmodified A7rii.  NONE.
> >>> 21 SEM, WATE, 28 Summicron V1.... All the same result.
> >>>
> >>> I also added on the M240/28mm Summicron as a test vehicle against
> >>> the Sony body.... The Kolari body BESTED the Leica body.  Not by as
> >>> much as the Kolari bested the unmodified body, but it was pretty
> >>> obvious.
> >>>
> >>> There is no question in my mind, that the Kolari Modified thin glass
> >>> cover plate was a BIG improvement to the lenses tested, and I am
> >>> willing to bet, it is a big improvement to ALL WA lenses......
> >>>
> >>> Further note:  There is a color difference between the Kolari body
> >>> and the Leica or Sony unmodified bodies.  The color shift is
> >>> expressed as a purple tint in the Kolari modified body. Especially
> >>> in the gray areas....
> >>>
> >>> I should have shot a white card and color corrected on that.....
> >>> maybe another day.....
> >>>
> >>> I am pretty anal when I do these tests.  I am careful, I look at the
> >>> images 1:1 in comparison mode in LR.  The results are correct.
> >>>
> >>> If you want to up your Leica IQ game in the corners.... send a Sony
> >>> A7 family body and $400 to Kolarivision, and get it done. It is
> >>> cheaper than buying a M-60MP body will be.....
> >>>
> >>> I did not test native lenses on the modified body.  Maybe another
> >>> day......
> >>>
> >>> Paul Roark ( who found this out for himself several years ago and
> >>> got me thinking down this path) ... want to add anything?
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> PS: If you type in only Kolari to your Google search, I think you
> >>> get a porn site.... You will figure that out pretty easily. It needs
> >>> to be www.KolariVision.com
> >>>
> >>
> >>
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> >
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>
>
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-- 
Frank Filippone
BMWRed735i at gmail.com