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Leica S vs Sony RII

andreleon

Member
Hi all, I already have Leica M and R lenses and Contax and Mamiya 645 lenses too. If you were me what choice could be yours: get a Leica S006 or a Sony A7RIIwith the Techcart Adapter. Thanks for your advice . Best regards.
 

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
It's a totally personal choice (unless it's a business decision). Hold them both. Try them, if you can. One will feel good, the other won't. Telling you which one *I* liked won't help you at all. If the high ISO matters a lot to you, that may push you towards the Sony.


Good luck,

Matt
 

Paratom

Well-known member
Leica S006 will give you much more subtile Image Quality, has a larger viewfinder.
Sony is smaller, lower price and better at high ISO.
If portability is not the main criteria I know what I would choose.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I have both set-ups: A Leica S(006) with a good selection of CS and S lenses, and a Sony A7R-II with a couple Zeiss Batis and other Sony/Zeiss FE lenses ... and adapted M lenses.

I just spent 3 days shooting with the A7R-II and used my new Techart AF adapter with M lenses: M21/1.4 ASPH, M35/1.4 ASPH, M75/2 ASPH. Not all M lenses work well on the A7R-II, so it depends on which M lenses you have ... for example I have a M28/2 ASPH which I don't use on the Sony.

Your Contax 645 lenses can be used on the S camera, but only in Focal Plane shutter mode. It also depends on which Contax lenses you have ... some are more desirable than others. Lens choices for the S will be expensive even if you use existing lenses because the adapters aren't cheap.

Both set-ups are quite different, so it depends on what and how you shoot.

Can you elaborate on what lenses you have and the type of shooting you tend to do?

- Marc
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Sell the lenses and find a system that would serve your needs.
 

andreleon

Member
I have both set-ups: A Leica S(006) with a good selection of CS and S lenses, and a Sony A7R-II with a couple Zeiss Batis and other Sony/Zeiss FE lenses ... and adapted M lenses.

I just spent 3 days shooting with the A7R-II and used my new Techart AF adapter with M lenses: M21/1.4 ASPH, M35/1.4 ASPH, M75/2 ASPH. Not all M lenses work well on the A7R-II, so it depends on which M lenses you have ... for example I have a M28/2 ASPH which I don't use on the Sony.

Your Contax 645 lenses can be used on the S camera, but only in Focal Plane shutter mode. It also depends on which Contax lenses you have ... some are more desirable than others. Lens choices for the S will be expensive even if you use existing lenses because the adapters aren't cheap.

Both set-ups are quite different, so it depends on what and how you shoot.

Can you elaborate on what lenses you have and the type of shooting you tend to do?

- Marc
Thanks all.
These are the M lenses I have: TriElmar 16-18-21 , Elmarit 24ASPH, Lux 35 , Lux 50, Elm.90, Apo Telyt 3,4 135mm. Shooting: landscapes , architecture , still life. Cheers
 

ErikKaffehr

Well-known member
Hi,

  • Leica R lenses would work fine on Sony
  • With M lenses you mileage may vary. The Tri-Elmars is said to work on Sony A7rII
  • The Leica S (typ 006) integrates well with Contax lenses, probably a fine combo.

Some reading:
http://blog.kasson.com/?p=4164
http://blog.kasson.com/?p=6447
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1392833

A short version: There are issues with large beam angles with M-lenses. The cover glass can on the A7* can be replaced with a thinner one, but that will not work optimally with Sony's own lenses.

SLR/DSLR/MF lenses have space for a mirror box, and that makes beam angles moderate.

The Leica M system is optimised for Leica M lenses.

Best regards
Erik

Hi all, I already have Leica M and R lenses and Contax and Mamiya 645 lenses too. If you were me what choice could be yours: get a Leica S006 or a Sony A7RIIwith the Techcart Adapter. Thanks for your advice . Best regards.
 

uhoh7

New member
Thanks all.
These are the M lenses I have: TriElmar 16-18-21 , Elmarit 24ASPH, Lux 35 , Lux 50, Elm.90, Apo Telyt 3,4 135mm. Shooting: landscapes , architecture , still life. Cheers
all those lenses will be better on the Leica SL or any M, but especially your 24, 35 and 50 Lux, which are really degraded on the A7, any flavor. Now if you do a sensor mod, like Kolari, they can shoot great on Sony bodies. That's 500USD to have it done.

I don't think you can use M lenses at all on the 006, right?
 

PeterA

Well-known member
If you want to keep and use your M and R lenses your choices are Sony or SL + relevant adaptors.
The Sony is a great camera and costs less than an SL and you can always justify the Sony by pointing to more megapixels - whereas if you choose a Leica SL not only do you have to contend with people who say it doesn't have enough megapixels - but also you have to consider that a lot of Leica shooters with M series cameras will criticise your choice and people with S series cameras will say your SL doesn't have enough megapixels.

However if you do decide on an SL -= you will own the sexiest camera ever made - and I can confirm that it is cuddly too.:cool:
 
Though it's not my own choice, I believe the SL would best suit your needs and lenses.

Someone mentioned above that the Kolari mod for M lenses would degrade IQ with Sony lenses. I assumed this was true and for a time had both standard and modified bodies. The only IQ problem with the mod is that it requires a custom lens profile for color accuracy (that's with either M or Sony lenses). I saw no deterioration in resolution.

Joe is right that the early TechArt firmware was Not quite reliable. But I use the current version, and find that even with a heavy Noctilux it focuses fairly fast, and more accurately than I could accomplish with a rangefinder.

As you've noticed by now, I use the Sony body with Kolari mod, a mix of lenses, and often a TechArt adapter, mainly because it's smaller than SL. But if you don't mind the greater size and price, an SL with adapters should readily meet your needs.

Just skip the S006, though?

Kirk
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I've owned the Leica S Type 006 and currently own the Sony a7RII. I tried the Techart adapter and wasn't impressed. It seemed like a work in progress rather than a finished product and I returned it to Amazon. Since you don't have native lenses for either camera body you're considering, and do have Leica M lenses, perhaps a Leica SL with the Leica adapter would be a good choice. The SL has the best EVF currently available, can be easily adapted to use M lenses, and has excellent IQ according to users on this forum. You can find a used SL on the forums or on eBay or at a Leica retailer at a more reasonable price point than new. Just my two cents.

Joe
Joe, could you elaborate on your Techart adapter experiences? Kirk seems to have a better experience, and so far, so have I. Every M lens I have seems to focus quickly and accurately. (???)

Thanks, Marc
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Thanks all.
These are the M lenses I have: TriElmar 16-18-21 , Elmarit 24ASPH, Lux 35 , Lux 50, Elm.90, Apo Telyt 3,4 135mm. Shooting: landscapes , architecture , still life. Cheers
IMO, based on what you shoot, you don't really need the Techart AF adapter IF you selected the Sony A7R-II. Manually focusing more static subjects is easily done using the focus magnification feature of the Sony. In the case of the Sony choice, were I you, I'd explore selling some of the M lenses ... and look to securing an adapted Canon T/S W/A lens for architecture and landscape ... and a macro lens for still life work.

Personally, I use a Leica S(006) for commercial, and personal art projects ... a majority (but not all) involving lighting and use of high sync speeds with CS lenses. While I do own the A7R-II and use it a fair amount, I'm not a fan of the Sony sensor characteristics despite its' very large meg count. I subjectively prefer the rendering of the Leica S(006) sensor, which for lack of a better term, I'd call more organic in look and feel. Maybe "more natural" says it better.

- Marc
 

andreleon

Member
Hi, so I've bought a S2 with the S70. I'm very pleased with this combo . I now have the opportunity to buy a Planar Hasselblad V 100mm for a good price ( #$430), but the seller specifies that"the cocking shaft is locked and the shutter is now fully open". So will such a lens work with the S adapter on my S2 ? Thanks for your advice . Regards.
 

docmoore

Subscriber and Workshop Member
Locked or broken?

You should be able to reset the cocking mechanism with a small screwdriver ... if it is jammed shut I would avoid the lens.

Most adapters mate to the cocking mechanism so the thread may need to be aligned with the adapter ... if yours does not
may not matter.

For resale a broken mechanism will degrade any interest in the lens by someone with a V series body.

Bob
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Hi all, I already have Leica M and R lenses and Contax and Mamiya 645 lenses too. If you were me what choice could be yours: get a Leica S006 or a Sony A7RIIwith the Techcart Adapter. Thanks for your advice . Best regards.
No other digital camera works as well with both your Leica M and R lenses as a Leica SL typ 601 or Leica M/M-P typ 240. They cannot be used on a Leica S006. The Leica SL (and M/M-P typ 240) can work with your Contax and Mamiya lenses too, if you care to do so.

Unless you have a specific need for the larger sensor, buy a Leica SL body, the appropriate Leica adapters, and sell the Contax and Mamiya lenses.

G
 

ErikKaffehr

Well-known member
Hi,

Fuji GFX may be an option soon enough for the 645 lenses. It will be released in two days according to rumors.

The Sony A7rII would work fine with the R-lenses, but many M-lenses would suffer from the cover glass of the A7rII. That cover glass can be replaced by a thinner one, but that would cause issues with native Sony lenses.

Telephoto M-lenses would work very well on the Sony. The Wate is also known to work well.

Best regards
Erik

Hi all, I already have Leica M and R lenses and Contax and Mamiya 645 lenses too. If you were me what choice could be yours: get a Leica S006 or a Sony A7RIIwith the Techcart Adapter. Thanks for your advice . Best regards.
 

nsng

Member
Hi all, I already have Leica M and R lenses and Contax and Mamiya 645 lenses too. If you were me what choice could be yours: get a Leica S006 or a Sony A7RIIwith the Techcart Adapter. Thanks for your advice . Best regards.
Hi,

I have been testing the A7R2 +Techart Pro Adapter with some my M and R lenses. I decided to use the A7r2 + Techart Pro Adapter during my last month's trip to Dhaka. Here are some images with this combo with WATE, 35 Summilux-Asph and 28mm Summicron-Asph.

















 
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