I currently have the A7R and 35FE. It is a nice all-rounder with good performance, with the shortcomings that have been described very well by Tim on his blog - thanks for all that work Tim.
My main objective for this camera was a high-quality camera for travel. I felt I could finally use fast manual focus lenses with a great and practical solution for manual focussing via the EVF, peaking and magnification. So far, I can focus my Coastal Optics lens much better on this camera via the EVF than I can using the OVF on my D800E. So I am confident that I can manually focus fast lenses with a good degree of confidence. On the D800E, I only feel this way when using LV on the rear LCD. On the M9, I never felt confident but then again, I never got used to the RF focussing. Additionally, the EVF image, like the LV image is what is on the sensor, eliminating focus shift issues on most fast lenses.
Faster lenses also tend to be heavier, but range finder lenses are still a lot more compact when considering SLR lenses and the associated adapters.
So now to the point, and appreciate your thoughts. This is not my primary system, some compromises are acceptable:
1. CV 21 1.8 ASPH - fast, large, good build, appears not to have colour cast issues. Alternatives would be Zeiss 21mm or Leica 21/3.4 - both smaller, but with colour issues and certainly slower. WATE is an option, but much slower.
2. CV 35 1.2 II ASPH - I had the Lux 35FLE on my M9 and loved it. But this CV has some glowing reviews and is a lot cheaper.
3. CV 50 1.5 ASPH - this one is tougher, looks like a good match for the above 2 and good performance. The LUX 50 ASPH was one of my favourite lenses on the M9. Again, a lot more expensive.
4. CV 75 F1.8 or Summicron 90 APO. Again, I loved the Cron on my M9, but could never get focus right. The CV costs far less, but cannot get any info on performance. The CV is a little shorter than I'd like as well.
Would appreciate comments from anyone that have tried these on the A7R or other bodies. There are some reviews on Stevehuff, ReidReviews and Diglloyd I have read as well.
BTW, the CV lenses all appear to be retro-focus designs, and perhaps one of the reasons there are favourable experiences reported. I just have no personal experience with these.
Thanks for any help!
My main objective for this camera was a high-quality camera for travel. I felt I could finally use fast manual focus lenses with a great and practical solution for manual focussing via the EVF, peaking and magnification. So far, I can focus my Coastal Optics lens much better on this camera via the EVF than I can using the OVF on my D800E. So I am confident that I can manually focus fast lenses with a good degree of confidence. On the D800E, I only feel this way when using LV on the rear LCD. On the M9, I never felt confident but then again, I never got used to the RF focussing. Additionally, the EVF image, like the LV image is what is on the sensor, eliminating focus shift issues on most fast lenses.
Faster lenses also tend to be heavier, but range finder lenses are still a lot more compact when considering SLR lenses and the associated adapters.
So now to the point, and appreciate your thoughts. This is not my primary system, some compromises are acceptable:
1. CV 21 1.8 ASPH - fast, large, good build, appears not to have colour cast issues. Alternatives would be Zeiss 21mm or Leica 21/3.4 - both smaller, but with colour issues and certainly slower. WATE is an option, but much slower.
2. CV 35 1.2 II ASPH - I had the Lux 35FLE on my M9 and loved it. But this CV has some glowing reviews and is a lot cheaper.
3. CV 50 1.5 ASPH - this one is tougher, looks like a good match for the above 2 and good performance. The LUX 50 ASPH was one of my favourite lenses on the M9. Again, a lot more expensive.
4. CV 75 F1.8 or Summicron 90 APO. Again, I loved the Cron on my M9, but could never get focus right. The CV costs far less, but cannot get any info on performance. The CV is a little shorter than I'd like as well.
Would appreciate comments from anyone that have tried these on the A7R or other bodies. There are some reviews on Stevehuff, ReidReviews and Diglloyd I have read as well.
BTW, the CV lenses all appear to be retro-focus designs, and perhaps one of the reasons there are favourable experiences reported. I just have no personal experience with these.
Thanks for any help!