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Leica Summilux 75mm 1.4 and Sony AR711 experience vs new 85 mm Sony and Zeiss lenses


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There is a lot of press on the new Sony GM 85mm and Zeiss Batis. I am using a Leica 75mm 1.4 with the voigtlander VM-E  adaptor on my Sony AR711. Have been very pleased with the results but am curious how the Leica would compare to these two newer Sony and Zeiss lens (obviously is a given the leica is all manual and it is a 75mm portrait lens versus an 85mm). Additionally if there are any members out there using the leica 75 on their Sony AR711 what has been your experience and what adapter are you using? Thank you

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I guess there are two key difference between the G-Master and the Leica. The first is the ability to ensure accurate focus wide open with the former than the latter using the AF, in particular Eye AF which really is very good indeed. I'm not sure how easy you find it focusing a lens like the Summilux 75mm at f/1.4 but I know I couldn't do it with any hope of being accurate even with focus magnifying and peaking turned on.

 

The second is the size difference. The G-Master is quite large; not obtrusively so and you certainly don't need a tripod to use it, but compared to the Summilux it's big.

 

I've actually used the 75mm Summarit before I caved and bought the 85mm G-Master. I tended not to shoot the Summarit lower than f/2.8 anyway, and quite often was around f/5.6-8 so focus was easy and the results were pin sharp with perhaps just a little less contrast and pop than the G-Master. I love the images the G-Master produces; it is every bit as good as the reviews say it is but really it's a completely different tool to the Summarit. I didn't keep the Summarit because I needed to sell it to justify the G-Master price but really I would have liked to keep both.

 

If it helps, I did a little personal review of using it here:

 

http://www.tearsinrain.co.uk/blog/2016/4/26/leica-summarit-75mm-on-the-sony-a7rii

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Thank you geetee 1972. I very much appreciated your considered response.

 

My experiences with the Summilux 75, as far as focusing, were similar when I was using the lens at 1.4 (nose in focus, eyes not quite).

While I do find focus magnification and peaking on the Sony AR11 helpful with this lens, I'm not always pin sharp with the lens set at f 1.4, 2, and 2.8.  Above 2.8 I am happy with the results.  I do love this lens and the images it helps create but the Sony GM 85 is very, very tempting.  I shoot mostly 'street candid' but both the Sony 85 and the Leica 75 are not discreet lenses. And I, like you did, would be selling the leica 75 to justify the GM price. Solomon's choice...

 

Also thought your personal review insightful :http://www.tearsinra...-the-sony-a7rii and loved the images therein.

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Also thought your personal review insightful :http://www.tearsinra...-the-sony-a7rii and loved the images therein.

 

Thank you that's nice of you to say. It's been a very rewarding project but one that still has a lot of learning and personal development left to go.

 

Have you thought about acquiring a Techart Pro auto focus adapter for the Summarit? If you're attached to the 75mm focal length for what you do then the Summarit is about as discrete as it gets size wise but you could make it more discrete by adding auto focus to it. The  TechArt Pro is relatively new but is getting very good reviews for how well it performs. Basically it usees the on chip phase detection capabilty of the A7rII (and other A7 model but not all) and small motors in the mounting adapter to give AF capability to manual focus M-Mount lenses.

 

There's a good review of it with real world experience here, including with a 90mm Zeiss Sonnar:

 

https://chadwadsworth.com/2016/07/18/autofocus-anything-techart-pro-autofocus-adapter-with-zeiss-manual-focus-lenses/

 

Otherwise, for street candids, perhaps a 50-55mm focal length might be a better option? Smaller, more discrete and with AF capabilities either with a native lens like the Sony Zeiss Sonnar 55mm or very small m-mount lens but still with the Techart Pro.

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...and the beat goes on. Geetee 1972 thank you for thoughts and the link on the Techart adaptor. I am now using the Voigtlander VM-E adaptor which costs roughly the same, (but the Techart appears to be a better solution). 

 

I do have the Sony Zeiss 55 as well as the Batis 25 for street candids. And while not discreet, and a sin against the photography gods, I have the 24-70 GM zoom lens which has been nothing short of amazing in picture quality and flexibility.

 

My initial reason for purchasing the Sony AR711 was to own a digital camera that could handle my M lenses and not cost $8000. I have to admit as time passes I am finding the quality of image from the Zeiss and Sony lenses equal or better the Leica Ms (on the Sony AR711).

Not an easy statement to make for someone who for 35 years used Leica rangefinders and lenses.

 

Still on the fence but closer to a decision. It's all about the image. Thank you.

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  • 1 month later...

I just got the Techart adapter and shot about 100 images yesterday with a 50mm Summicron and a Zeiss 85mm ZM f/4.  With the new firmware version 4, the adapter works very, very well.  Shot most wide open on both lenses and focus was quick and accurate.  I was shocked.  I also have the 24-70 G master and 85 G master, and these lenses produce marvelous images.  I also have 2 of the Loxias (21mm and 50mm), which are also fantastic.  But when you want small plus autofocus, the Techart plus M mount is an unbeatable option.

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