[Leica] Sony A7R

[roark.paul at gmail.com (Paul Roark)]

I have had a chance to try & test most of my lenses now on the new Sony and
thought this group might like to hear one more opinion.

First, the only adapter to get is the Novoflex.  The less expensive
Metabones was so tight as to be unusable.

Second, the problem with wide angle lenses is not just the color.  As a B&W
guy I didn't care about that.  All optics less than 50 mm smear at the
edges.

The ZM 18mm Distagon was supposedly usable.  Not for me.  Unlike on the M9,
the ZM 18 is better at the edge than the Leica 24 f.3.8, but both are dogs
at the edges on the Sony.

Luckily the Sony-Zeiss 35 that is made for the camera is amazingly good.
 Possibly the best lens I've ever had.  It makes me wonder if the processor
is being used to enhance the image even for the raw file.  On the other
hand, an f/2.8 lens with 3 aspherics may be able to deliver this type of
quality  -- we're talking edge performance at f/2.8 that rivals the ZM 35mm
f/2.8 Biogon at f/8 on the M9.

Though I don't use 50 mm much, the Planar f2 is good enough to take
advantage of the 36 mp from f2 on in the center and f4 at the edges.  No
smearing or color issues there.

The 75 Summarit is outstanding on the Sony.

So, bottom line, nothing I've used can touch the image quality of the Sony
with it's 35 and with other optics from 50 up.

It's no Leica in build or handling -- lots of frustrations with menus and
other handling issues.  But those electronics have some advantages.  The
metering is so good auto can be used reliably and without thinking.  The
live histogram is nice, but with near perfect metering it's probably not
needed. The vibration is more than a Leica, but with the 35, 1/60 at 100
iso is probably better than 1/250 at 400 (and with the Sony, 400 iso is
excellent).  Sony has its Program mode go down to 1/60 before jacking the
ISO up for a reason.  I know Leica people love to talk about much slower
shutter speeds, but for high resolution landscapes, hand holding at 1/60 is
quite good (but not perfect); the M9 didn't do significantly better for me.

The level in the viewfinder is a very important addition for a landscape
guy like me.  Between it and the various grid lines and other things in the
viewfinder, I've been able to make the best multi-frame, hand-held shots
yet.

It's a keeper,  but I sure wish I could mate a 36 mp sensor to my Leica
24mm lens.  We still have a ways to go.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com