Lens Advice for new user from Canon camp

[ronak1003]

Hi,

 

I've decided to ditch my Canon gear & make the switch to Sony A7R II. I'm the 28-50-90 kinda guy. Since I travel a lot I need the gear to be small, light weight & sturdy. The results of the Sony 28mm f2 on flickr don't impress me much. I've decided on the following two lenses as my starting kit with the A7R II & novoflex adapter.

 

1.) Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 asph 

2.) Leica Summarit-M 90mm f/2.4

 

Considering the crop factor mode, I'll also be able to use the two lenses at approx. 42mm & 135mm respectively which gives me enough range (although with lesser megapixels which is a compromise I'm ok with). I intend to add a dedicated 50mm lens at a later time when budget allows. I'd like to know if anyone is using either of these lenses on their Sony? How do they perform? Should I rather look at the Leica Summicron-m 28mm since I've heard (but not seen much results) the Elmarit 28mm doesn't gel too well with the Sony? The extra stop of light isn't as big of a factor for me as the image quality. Also I'm investing in Leica lenses coz I like the look of the Leica glass and might someday purchase a Leica body which is clearly out of my budget in the near future. I'd consider loxia trilogy if a 28 & 90 existed but the closes they have is Batis 25mm & 85mm which both look bulky. Any advice or wisdom you have to offer is highly appreciated.

 

Cheers.

[Guest all8]

Image quality important, then you want Batis 25 and 85, fairly light, work well and extremely enjoyable to use.

 

Elmarit 28 is rotten on Sony camera, just how it is .... very disappointing ... but a pleasure to use. Leica lenses are not so small when mounted via adapter. Loxia lenses are just as good, if not better, and for a fraction the price.

[camagna]

You'll find practically everything you'll ever need here: https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/07/guide-to-leica-wide-angle-lenses-on-sony-a7-series-bodies/

[duncanfoxphoto]

My advice as an owner of an a7r ii is that most lenses are made with 20ish MP sensors in mind. If you want superb sharpness, you need it from a manufacturer that makes lenses for sensors in that range, and preferably autofocus subjects that don't stay still for long. Hasselblad, Contax, Canon, Zeiss. You're coming from a Canon system, so all you really need is an adapter to get your old lenses on a new body whilst you acclimate yourself to the system. The Metabones Mk IV is about as good as you can get for an autofocus adapter, with the Sigma MC-11 behind that and Fotodiox even further behind. Since it looks like you prefer manual focus, you can probably pick up a manual adapter for 20-40 dollars and save a boatload for other gear, optionally getting an autofocus adapter and using it in manual mode so you can pass along lens information to the body.

[EvilTed]

@ronak1003

 

Having owned 4 Leicas (M240, Monochrom, M7 and M3) and a bunch of their best glass and having tried adapting them to Sony A7 series cameras, my advice is don't bother.

Specifically DO NOT waste your money buying Leica glass and put it on Sony.

Sure, adapt it if you already have it, but the corners will not be very good and I personally prefer Leica glass on Leica bodies.

 

For the best glass that is made for Sony, please look at the Zeiss Loxia range.

I own all of the Loxia lenses and the Batis 25 and 85 and they are the lenses to spend the money on.

All are excellent and much better than spending $2200 on a 24-70 GM lens that weighs more than the 70-200 F4.

The Loxias in particular are more like you would get with Leica glass.

 

HTH

[addicted2light]

As long as you shoot b/w or are willing to use the Lightroom free FlatField plugin (or, if you're not a LR user, the also free CornerFix) to correct for the magenta cast on the corners IN SOME SHOTS (i.e. not always), the Minolta M-Rokkor (Leica M mount lenses made for the Leica CL and the Minolta CL-E, as well for any other M body) is great.

 

You can see a couple of images, and a 100% detail of a corner shot at f/2.8 or f/4 on an A7r here on the forum:

 

Minolta for Leica M-Rokkor 28mm f/2.8

 

Don't be scared by the "bubble" problem (aka "Schneideritis", well know in the large format circles). My first copy was heavily affected, but I still couldn't see any difference in sharpness, while on the plus side it can mean a huge discount.

 

As for the 90mm, if you can live with an f/4 (that though has a shorter depth of field than many f/4 lenses, IMO more like an f/2.8-ish) the Minolta M-Rokkor 90/4 is super-sharp straight from wide open:

 

Minolta for Leica M-Rokkor 90mm f/4 *

 

*Please disregard my comment that the lens is less sharp than the Jupiter, that was on a Nex 7. On the A7r the opposite is true, and the M-Rokkor is macro-lens-levels sharp.

 

They made as well a 40/2 lens, that is really good but more in terms of general rendering than for absolute sharpness*:

 

Minolta for Leica M-Rokkor 40mm f/2

 

*That said, when I was still a Nikon shooter I pitted the 35/2 AF, then one of my favorite lenses, against the 40 and there was no game for the poor Nikon, so not exactly shabby.

 

The 40 and the 90 were made by both Leica and Minolta. They are exactly the same lens. The only exception is the multicoating, that the Minolta version of the 40 has (at least the variant with the serial number on the barrel and not on the lens ring) and the Leica, apparently, doesn't.

 

You can buy all three lenses listed above for less than half the price of the 28 Asph alone, and should you not like them (I doubt it, but hey, YMMV) you will be able to resell them for what you paid.

[JimmyD]

+1 for the Loxias suggestion.  Just about every rangefinder lens wider than 50mm will give you soft if not downright smeary corners and possibly magenta corners with heaving vignetting as well.  So I think the Loxia 21mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/2 are the best choices. If the 21mm is too wide for you go with the Loxia 35mm f/2 or the Batis 25mm f/2 (which is slightly larger with autofocus but not heavy).  For the 90mm range, I would suggest the Zeiss ZM 85mm f/4 (a rangefinder lens with fantastic IQ which is very small  and adapts very well; the Leica M 50mm f/2 also adapts well, but the Loxia IQ is a bit better IMHO and you get full electronic EXIF data and electronic communication with the camera, including the very handy auto zoom feature as you start to focus).  Given the high demand for the Loxias, it should't be too long before Zeiss comes out with a Loxia in the 85-135mm range. 

[Adrichardson]

For a 90 you'll have to go a long way to beat the Sony G... The Batis 85mm is lighter, but you lose the macro advantages (af speed should be comparable if that's a factor). For a 28mm, all I can do is recommend that you stay away from the Sony. Very disappointing!

[Ramin]

My Recomandation for you ist the:

 

Batis 25 f2,

Sony zeiss 55 f1.8 &

Batis 85 f1.8

 

They are sharp, compact with beatiful Zeiss pop and the Autofocus in these three lenses is fast & accurate.

I use 95% of the time just the first two lenses.

For Examle I use the batis 85 for action (my Dog) with very good results / The Autofocus on Sony GM seems to be slower than batis

 

I have the three lenses on my Sony A7 II when I am on my own

and wenn I need a zoom for walking around with the family my canon 24-105 f4 on MC-11-Adaptor (the best Adaptor on the market) is in use.