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Leica R lenses?

2-cam, 3-cam or ROM doesn't make any difference for adapted. What does is the version of the lens. ROM versions are usually latest & greatest, but not always! So you need to a) decide your wanted focal, b) check which version is the best or is good enough for you, c) browse ebay & likes searching for suitable lens and then d) check the lenses serial number against Leica wiki database to make sure it's the desired version.

Sounds like trouble but is actually fast operation once you get a hang of it. And outside the exotic models, there are really nice & classic lenses available cheap as chips!

//Juha
 

mazor

New member
Meditating on my testing of the Nokton and M-Rokkor last evening, and using the Nokton over the weekend.

I'm ready to just toss in the towel on using M-mount lenses on the A7/A7r entirely. My longer lenses ... the M-Rokkor 90 and Hektor 135 ... work well enough, but none of the Color Skopars really sing, the Ultron is a mushy mess most of the time, the Nokton 40 is great if you ignore the corners or stop it down to slower than a Color Skopar, the M-Rokkor 40 is better than that, and the Nokton 50/1.5 (LTM) is only just "ok", it does not perform like either the Summicron-R 50 or Summilux-R 50 do. I don't even like using the 40s on this body ... the ergonomics are poor due to the position of the focusing ring and tab.

I might just keep the M-Rokkor 40 on the CL body where it belongs, sell the Nokton 40, and find a Summicron-R 35 for this slot in my lens kit. My A7 will be an all-Leica-R lineup, with a couple of specialty Nikkors complementing it.

G
Godfrey, was wondering have you had the opportinuity to test the VC 15mm ultra wide heliar on the A7(r)? Does that lens get mushy in the corners?
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
2-cam, 3-cam or ROM doesn't make any difference for adapted. What does is the version of the lens. ROM versions are usually latest & greatest, but not always! So you need to a) decide your wanted focal, b) check which version is the best or is good enough for you, c) browse ebay & likes searching for suitable lens and then d) check the lenses serial number against Leica wiki database to make sure it's the desired version.
I am sticking with 2-cam and 3-cam lenses since I want them to work with my Leicaflex SL as well as the A7.

I check the Leica Wiki for serial number/date/model ... seems to be "mostly" right but as has been pointed out by Doug Herr, there are definitely errors in the listings. I also look at Erwin Puts's leica lens book, but you have to take what he says with a certain mindset as what he calls 'some minor issue' is often in any other lens manufacturers' line a quality that can only be dreamed about. They just don't have the Leica Fairy Dust™ manufacturing facility. ;-)

Hopefully the Elmarit-R 19 will be here around the end of the week, otherwise next week.

G
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Godfrey, was wondering have you had the opportinuity to test the VC 15mm ultra wide heliar on the A7(r)? Does that lens get mushy in the corners?
I don't have the Heliar 15mm ... I had one in the late 1990s and used it on my CL, but that's about as recent as my direct experience with it was. It was a good lens and fun to shoot with, but frankly even on film the corners and edges tended to be pretty mushy. I remember comparing it against the (admittedly much more expensive) Hologon 16 T* for the Contax G and there was absolutely no contention as to which was a far better performer.

I wouldn't bother with one for the A7/A7r. If the cost of an Elmarit-19 is out of reach, look for a Nikkor 18mm f/3.5 AI-S. I am stunned with how nicely this relatively inexpensive lens works on the A7. No smearing, and sharp right to the corners at f/5.6. Very little (and easily corrected) barrel distortion too.

I see a good number of them with poor cosmetics on Ebay for $450-550. The one I bought is near mint condition and, with the HK-9 hood, only slightly more than that.
 

mazor

New member
nice Godfrey, I have the VC UW heliar 15mm which I use on the NEX. thanks to the APS-C crop it becomes a 22mm effective but since it is using the best part of the lens, I get excellent corner performance wide open at 4.5 and minimal to no magenta casting thanks to the well designed Sony 16Mp sensor. Another good thing is that even though the 15mm is a FF lens, it is so amazingly tiny compared to most e-mount lens.
 

dunders

Subscriber Member
Re: CV 4.5/15

I have tried it on the A7r. It is useable if you use one of the correction programs. I have looked at C1, Cornerfix and the the in-camera 'lens compensation' app. It's a whole layer of faff I can do without, but it obviously works and is acceptable for others.

I wouldn't like to use these lenses with the A7r for colour work, but I'm debating keeping the lenses just for B&W work: given the right subject they seem to do well.

I did try a couple of 'quick and dirty' B&Ws, one with the 4.5/15 using C1:

Ben Maye in Ramsey Harbour | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

the other with the 4/21, using 'lens compensation':

Ballaterson | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

When the weather improves I'll do some more rigorous testing using the in-camera app.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
...
I have tried it on the A7r. It is useable if you use one of the correction programs. I have looked at C1, Cornerfix and the the in-camera 'lens compensation' app. It's a whole layer of faff I can do without, but it obviously works and is acceptable for others.

I wouldn't like to use these lenses with the A7r for colour work, but I'm debating keeping the lenses just for B&W work: given the right subject they seem to do well. ...
Nice pix!

That's a good point about using these lenses for B&W only. Forgetting about color solves a lot of the color shift problems... :)

On a side note: in doing the testing with the Nokton and M-Rokkor 40mm lenses the other night, I had the chance to try out the Novoflex ASTAT/NEX tripod adapter with their M->NEX adapter. It does work well, although fitting it to the camera and then changing lenses is a bit fiddly because the tripod mount's clamp on the adapter nearly covers the lens release button. I found a little stub of a popsicle stick with the end whittled into a short tongue made it a lot easier to depress the lens release button so that I could change lenses.

The Nikon F and Leica R to NEX adapters are quite a lot longer so this issue with the ASTAT tripod adapter doesn't happen with them.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Godfrey - there's a simple work-around with the problem you have with the ASTAT/Nex - see post 115 here: http://www.getdpi.com/forum/sony/49367-a7-r-adaptor-thread-3.html
Mine looks like the "current" model, but the clamping bolt on mine is secured with an external nut rather than being threaded into the surrounding metal*of the clamp. I only use the ASTAT when I'm using the tripod ... it's off the camera any other time ... so I leave it with the clamping bolt down. This allows the camera to rotate from landscape to portrait orientation anticlockwise (looking from the rear) without interfering with anything.

But that wasn't what I was talking about. The Novoflex NEX/LEM adapter is rather short and the lens release button fits into a recess in the adapter. When you fit the ASTAT, the clamping ring mostly covers the lens release recess, so when you fit a lens there's precious little access to the lens release to change lenses. My little wooden tool lets me press the lens release button to change lenses more easily. :)

G

woo hoo! just got a note that the Elmarit-R 19mm will be here on Friday from the post office.
 

mazor

New member
Godfrey looking forward to seeing some Elmarit 19mm in action. Took last weekends breakfast with the Elmarit 19 version 1

 
One quick shot from yesterday, old town of Tallin in Estonia. Staight out of camera, no processing at all. Transferred with Playmemories over wifi to my iPad, so resolution etc accordingly :)

Anyway, taken with A7r + 50/2 Summicron R and cheap chinese adapter.



//Juha
 
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