Sony A7R vs Leica Monochrom: 35 & 50mm

[turtle]

Hi All,

I could not resist comparing them seeing as I have both cameras with me in the same country at the same time for the first time! I'm just looking at resolution (with lenses of course) to see how a 18MP bayerless sensor compares to 36MP colour Sony. I was a little surprised by the outcome to be honest.

Sony A7R vs Leica Monochrom: Resolution Contest 35 & 50mm

 

[segedi]

Resolution tests aside, which combo do you prefer to use?

 

[iiiNelson]

Good test and thanks for sharing.

I guess I came to the conclusion that all things equal or close to it that the A7R will just barely edge out the Monochrom ever so slightly at screen resolutions (could just be the effect of the lenses and it's all a tie) and you of course have the benefit of being able to print larger and hold on to details. I believe the A7R compares well with MF up until you print large then it's no contest - the MF resolution beats it.

I think the A7R at 35mm would fair better with a lens that had more linear and predictable distortion than the 35FE Sonnar. I'd be interested to see how it did in comparison to the Leica 35 Summarit or Summicron with a 35 Loxia on it as it seems to be better even out to the corners than the 35FE Sonnar. I suspect the differences in the 55FE to the ZM50 might just be the lens as well. Maybe a 50 Loxia compared with the ZM50 would be more telling.

 

[ohnri]

Thanks for the test. Always interesting to see the Leica Monochrome.

Of course, it shows that the Sony is so versatile and a great value.

Put the new Zeiss 25mm on it and I suspect the results will be as good as anything short of MF.

The next generation of 50MP sensors will just keep pushing the bar ever higher.

Even my large prints of 40 plus inches look great from my old D700 and even older Olympus E1 (5MP). For me, the higher MP mostly translate into cropping freedom rather than significantly better images.

What I really want is better AF, faster speed, deeper buffers and more DR.

-Bill

 

[turtle]

Segedi, it depends on what I am doing. Overall, I find the simplicity of the Leica wonderful and it just gets out of the way. With wides, I find it has no equal as I love working with the optical finder and hotshoe finders. I also enjoy using manual lenses with real scales! For anything over 35mm, for landscape/travel, to be honest I find the Sony better. I see a full sized image in the finder and can be sure of precise focus using the live view. The Sony G 70-200 has proven its worth on my last trip to Iceland and will be coming with me again next month.

Both are fantastic, but if and when Sony gets some top wide primes out there for the FE mount, I will feel the final box has been ticked for that platform.

 

[turtle]

HiredArm, you're right, the 35mm Loxia would be interesting and may edge out noticeably into the lead, but I doubt it would be an epic difference. I am yet to be convinced that the sensor stack and flange focal distance on the Sony will allow for the sort of perfection we see on Leica M, but I may be completely wrong. Perhaps Zeiss will find some magic here.

 

[iiiNelson]

Yeah and it's no slight to the Monochrom at all... It's the one reason I've held onto 4 M-mount lenses in case I ever get another M something. Not really interested in any other Leica camera... Well maybe an S but that's out of my budget unless I sold everything else.

 

[Vivek]

Hi All,

I could not resist comparing them seeing as I have both cameras with me in the same country at the same time for the first time! I'm just looking at resolution (with lenses of course) to see how a 18MP bayerless sensor compares to 36MP colour Sony. I was a little surprised by the outcome to be honest.

Sony A7R vs Leica Monochrom: Resolution Contest 35 & 50mm

Hi, I did read through (I never read any reviews and opeds nowadays fully).

At f/8, the MM would be fine but the A7r is past diffraction territory but the files get massaged by Sony when using an FE lens. So, whatever comes out is all Sony stuff (for the lack of a better term). Wish they had made a better camera than that plastic junk.

If any guy had said not so nice things about the MM files (as you allude to) then he is a mor&n or knows that he can sell more stuff talking about color files and related gear junk.

 

[thompsonkirk]

I reached the same conclusion as Turtle using MATE @ 28mm on MM and A7r bodies. Resolution was a draw in 17x22" prints. With the same lens and fairly contrasty light, shadow and highlight details could be matched in PS. The only perceptible difference was a slightly different distribution of tones. This could be more closely matched by using the color conversion sliders on the Sony files. Neither was 'right' and the other 'wrong.' And PS/LR/ACR color sliders give more flexibility in balancing the tones when converting Sony files to BW.

I've been happy with my MM, even if the price was excessive. But today I cleaned an M9-P sensor for a friend and found it corroded. I plan to part with my MM before that can happen to it. As soon as there's a hi-res Sony model with a stable shutter, I'll be switching. I use WATE and MATE for wide-angle landscapes, and because they're retrofocus designs, they cover the corners of the Sony 36MP sensor.

Kirk

 

[turtle]

Kirk, I am also of the view that the WATE seems the best UWA option for the A7R. The samples I have seen appear better than the Sony 16-35 in the corners.

I think I will be hanging onto my MM for some time to come and, should it corrode, I'll consider an upgrade. The A7 and A7R are incredible, but different in so many ways.

I had a few snarky comments to my comparison, along the lines of 'yeah, like this is why you buy a Leica - to pixel peep', but this misses the point, which is that the MM can do all the traditional Leica things but also provide a formidable high resolution platform. This allows for landscapes to be shot hand held a lot of the time due to high base ISO. I produced some of my most valuable London scenics using it and I still have no other digital camera that produces noise in the ISO 2500-5000 realm that I actually like.