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A7R from the opposite direction

250swb

Member
Happy Hols to everybody!

OK, that's out the way, now is the time to stop eating and drinking and put your serious head on. The A7R is a bit like the joke about the lost motorist stopping to ask directions, and the yokel answers with 'well I wouldn't start from here'. With the A7R many people aren't starting in the right place, or with a clean sheet, their current lenses (focal lengths and manufacturer's) aren't always working as well as they would want them to (obviously Leica M and derivatives come to mind). So, the question is...

if you could choose a single manufacturer of (affordable) SLR manual focus lenses to use on the A7R, which would it be?

Would it be Nikon, Olympus, Canon etc? I qualified it with 'affordable' just to stop the default being Leica R. Try to think outside of what you just happen to have to what you wish you had, as a set, to use with the A7R. I think the answers may clarify a route map for ditherers to the A7R concept, instead of the bewildering number of posts about the awesomeness of individual and varied lenses on this camera.

Steve
 

Ron Pfister

Member
Steve, I personally think you can't go wrong with Zeiss C/Y lenses. Their image quality in most instances is very close to the corresponding ZE/ZF.2 offerings, and the cost is considerably less (with the exception of a few highly sought-after lenses). If you can live without super-fast apertures, a set of 2.8/28, 2.8/35, 1.7/50 and 2.8/85 would be stellar, IMO. Compared to ZE/ZF.2 or Leica-R, these lenses are all relatively small and very light-weight.

Edit: I would personally go for the later MM versions which have the latest coatings and are all made in Japan. They can be recognized by the highest f-number on the focusing ring being green.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I came from Nikon so I have there mount like the Zeiss 135 F2 lens and with Sonys native lenses I am still Zeiss. I also bought a ZA 85mm 1.4 but here is a thought and I think many maybe overlooking Minolta glass from the past as they are basically Sony A mounts and sure they had some dogs in the kennel but they also have some winners.

Now going back a little and for me to play it safe, noticed I still have a few Nikon mounts and my thinking is if I ever had to go back to Nikon I already have some glass. From a Pros seat I can only risk so much. I also did what I though I would not do and that was completely switch over and I did it really fast. This could be a issue but anyway hobbyist don't have those concerns but I would try not to have to many different brands as the look among your lenses might pose a raw processing nightmare to have a matched set.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Well Steve, while I agree that the A7R shouldn't be judged solely on what lenses you may already have, or some stratospherically priced rare optics we all wish we had ... the first question I would ask is why limit it to one maker/set when this is one of the few cameras that can take almost anything ... with some notable and documented exceptions?

Meaning we can seek out the best from each maker and build a killer set of manual focus optics that work with the A7R's 36MB FF sensor.

For example, Canon makes much touted W/A T/S lenses, and some posters have shown they work fine. On the other hand, Nikon makes the unique 85/2.8 PCE Macro I'd love to add for increased DOF control when shooting macro, or de-focus placement when shooting portraits.

If anything, I think my quest would be to find smaller lenses that play well with the A7R to compliment the whole A7/A7R size factor. I already have a full dance card of excellent but bigger DSLR lenses with my ZA AF lenses on the LA-EA4 adapter.

One set that has me intrigued is the old Leica CL lenses and their later Minolta branded counter-parts ... 40mm and 90mm. Both were designed to be tiny for the demure CL, and would be a great travel set just like they were with the CL. I think Vivek has used the 40mm to good effect already.

The other, so far mostly overlooked, option is to use some of the native E mount APSc lenses. Not everything needs 36 meg, and a few of these lenses could make excellent snap-shot walk-about alternatives, which the A7R can be set to automatically recognize.

I'd love to try the Zeiss E 16-70/4 OSS AF lens which translates to 24-105/4 ... a perfect spread for shooting weddings. And I assume but would confirm that the Optical Steady Shot will work on the A7s.

So yeah, it can appear "bewildering" but each of us should be able to determine our specific needs, and sort it out from there.

Just my 2¢

- Marc
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I'm thinking the same thing Marc, putting big lenses on this camera seems to be a waste...
I'm not troubled by using larger lenses when needed Ben, especially after I added the wrist strap. Such a small camera is still a benefit when packing and carrying ... like at weddings.

Yet, the thing is SO small, why not take advantage of that for a lot of shooting? ... I for one tend to take small with me more than I do big stuff. That is why I've always had a Leica M.

There is a whole world of these smaller lenses out there to explore ... and it's so easy to manually focus this thing in low light I'm just giddy over it ... :ROTFL:

- Marc
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Unless you have some you don't want to part with. I'm not giving up my Leica 19 and Zeiss 135 for anything. But I went from a very large Sigma 35 1.4 to the Sony 35FE and let me say that was a huge size and weight difference . Picked up a very small 28-70 zoom with the A7 which I'll switch out later for the 24-70 but this lens is not bad either. Added a big ZA 85mm 1.4 but this lens I wanted AF. In the end I did get a little smaller but when this lens line expands it will get smaller. Now I could buy some M glass but frankly its expensive and if I did maybe a 50mm and 75 nothing on the wides though. I'm not into the hassles with fixing crap in post. I also would not do any of that via software in camera either. That's a dangerous way to go IMHO. One you touch the raw your lights out after the fact.i wish folks would leave that stuff for later in post.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Also like any system we build kits for certain types of shooting this is the perfect travel kit maybe by far the best around. So yes you could easily build a very small kit for the road and some might want a AF kit for certain things. I think what Marc and I are saying is you get a ton of choices to play around with given on what your intentions are.
 

mdg137

Member
One of the things about this camera, and I assume others to follow from both Sony and other manufacturers is the opportunity to build a totally different kind of camera system.

For my purposes-- controlled portraits and urban landscapes Ive been running 3 systems at a time for 20 years:

1. Large optimal quality-- Either Nikon or Canon flagship and lenses
2. Smaller, more easily transportable, travel type-- Leica M, Contax G, most recently Fuji X Pro 1
3. Super compact, go everywhere -- Sony RX100, Canon S90, most recently Canon M

NOW, I am approaching this from, like you indicate, the opposite direction, instead reshuffling my lenses to build distinct lens groups:

1. Large DSLR/SLR lenses optimized for specific purposes or not available in another form: Canon EF 85mm and 50mm f1.2's, 17mm, 45mm, and 90mmTS-E, 100mm Macro, 14mm f2.8II, and maybe adding the old lenses Ive owned in the past and loved: Sony/Minolta STF, Nikon 14-24mm

2. "Travel type": I added the Leica WATE, CV 50mm f1.5 ASPH, Olympus OM 100mm f2.8

3. "super compact": CV 12mm, CV 35mm f1.4 MC, Olympus OM 50mm f1.2, Olympus 100mm f2.8

4. "low light": CV 21mm f1.8, CV 35mm f1.4 MC, Canon RF 50mm f0.95 and or Canon EF 50mm f1.2, Canon EF 85mm f1.2.

The need for 2 "systems" is now obviated --Although Im still tentative about letting go of my DSLR.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
I'm only worried about one thing giving up the DSLR and that is speed in shooting although you turn things off like review and turn the LCD off and such the speed is better but my other is follow focus and I'll know that better when I'm under the gun in two weeks shooting runway. Even worst case I could get away without follow focus. I need to play with this . Outside these two things I can't see a downside.

Now dual SD slots would be far better .
 
V

Vivek

Guest
There is one way to look at it- if you own Leica M lenses, just sell one or two and you get a nice set of manual focus lenses to go with the A7R (in some cases you can even fund an A7R and a set of lenses).

There are way too many options...
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
There is one way to look at it- if you own Leica M lenses, just sell one or two and you get a nice set of manual focus lenses to go with the A7R (in some cases you can even fund an A7R and a set of lenses).

There are way too many options...
I've had this thought over night and I never expected the thought to come when buying the A7/r. I may actually trade my M9-P towards a MM. The color out the A7's is really THAT good.
 

Paratom

Well-known member
I dont own a A//A7r but I have some very good experience with some Pentax limited on the K5IIs. These lenses would fit the A7 well in size too.
31/1.8, 43/1.8 are very fine lenses. 43mm on FF could be a very flexible short normal lens.
 

algrove

Well-known member
Vivek
Do you have or know someone with the 90CL lens or equivalent? Curious how it performs on the a7r.

Guy

Love to hear your impressions of using the a7 versus the a7R, especially the AF even though it sounds like you might be using MF more often. Also what about the shutter differences for you.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Vivek
Do you have or know someone with the 90CL lens or equivalent? Curious how it performs on the a7r.
Lou, I have and I have posted some pics already. For example, this one:



and this (focus was not where I wanted though):



It is superb on the A7R.
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
Just tried my Canon lenses on the A7r. I don't have an adaptor so had to approximate it using my M42 adaptor but the size difference is farcical. Selling them all...
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Vivek
Do you have or know someone with the 90CL lens or equivalent? Curious how it performs on the a7r.

Guy

Love to hear your impressions of using the a7 versus the a7R, especially the AF even though it sounds like you might be using MF more often. Also what about the shutter differences for you.
Just put it together this morning and it is actually pretty fast for the A7. Couple tricks though if you want speed. Between shots. Turn off rear LCD and turn off image review. You can shoot quite fast also don't use raw and JPEG together. One or the other and the camera itself is quite quick.

AF seems a touch faster on the 7 but I really need to try that in daylight. I shot this morning with Christmas tree on only so I need more light.

I'm still working on the follow focus but even so on single frame single focus point you can go pretty dang fast. I'll be testing it heavy in La on about 15 k frames. So I need to find my best settings. I even thought about face detection. Gasp

Old dog trying way new tricks. Lol
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Btw I'm almost tempted to buy a second vertical grip. Problem is I have some bigger lenses in the Z 135, ZA 85 and zoom. So not sure yet on that. I can just hold it better and the balance is nice. If I was shooting all m lenses for example probably not. I suggest if you can get to a store try the vertical grip. Extra battery life is nice because both these bodies suck battery fast. I have 7 batteries
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Steve, I personally think you can't go wrong with Zeiss C/Y lenses. Their image quality in most instances is very close to the corresponding ZE/ZF.2 offerings, and the cost is considerably less (with the exception of a few highly sought-after lenses). If you can live without super-fast apertures, a set of 2.8/28, 2.8/35, 1.7/50 and 2.8/85 would be stellar, IMO. Compared to ZE/ZF.2 or Leica-R, these lenses are all relatively small and very light-weight.

Edit: I would personally go for the later MM versions which have the latest coatings and are all made in Japan. They can be recognized by the highest f-number on the focusing ring being green.
Ron

I would be very interested in buying some Zeiss C/Y lenses, as I loved them on my Contax RTS's - all sold unfortunately ..

Which Adapter for Sony FE mount would you suggest for the Zeiss C/Y glass?

Thanks

Peter
 

algrove

Well-known member
Thanks Vivek. Agree the lens is superb and maybe even better than superb.

So many posts I can't remember all your shots, but I assume you are using the minolta? Was is exactly the full name of the lens please? Thanks for your reply and have a nice Christmas day.
 
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