Best non-Leica body for ZM Biogon 25/2.8?

R

Rune

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I do have a Nex-3 that I use with the ZM Biogon 25/2.8, or rather the other way around; the lens is the reason why I bought the Nex :p

I love the way this lens renders, and I am more concerned with lens signature than absolute sharpness. In essence, I am looking for an upgrade for the camera part, not the lens part (I prefer the Biogon over the new Zeiss Nex 24/1.8).

So, would there be any gain in upgrading the Nex-3 to the Nex-5n, or possibly the Nex-F3? I suppose image quality will improve, but I am not sure whether the F3 has offset micro lenses on the sensor, like the 5n...

Sorry if the question has been asked already, but I could not find a thread regarding F3/5n micro lens issue.

Kind regards, Rune
 
mfogiel said:
Best non leica body for the Biogon 25/2.8 is Bessa R4A, and best sensor is Tri X.
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I think that's almost true. I suspect an R4x is the best body at all for the 25/2.8. After that. I'd go ZI, MP but that's just personal prejudice. All have interchangeable sensors:)

FWIW, I sold an R4m and wound up buying a R4a to replace it - the a/m bit was pretty irrelevant in the decision as availability drove the model. I have a ZI and an MP available, but the R4 is the business for anything wider than 35 and narrower than 18, even if you wear spectacles.

Mike
 
I shoot with the R4M and the 21mm Zeiss 2.8 Biogon... I love the combination!! Of course you run into some issues with the lens blocking the viewfinder that you wouldn't have with the f4.5... But I need the extra stop in light to shoot on the subway here in NYC.

I think that there would be minimal viewfinder blockage with the 25mm and the r4x with its tighter frame lines. Having. The 21 I highly doubt I would go for the 25... But I am thinking about the 28 or 35...
 
jkrumsick said:
I shoot with the R4M and the 21mm Zeiss 2.8 Biogon... I love the combination!! Of course you run into some issues with the lens blocking the viewfinder that you wouldn't have with the f4.5... But I need the extra stop in light to shoot on the subway here in NYC.

I think that there would be minimal viewfinder blockage with the 25mm and the r4x with its tighter frame lines. Having. The 21 I highly doubt I would go for the 25... But I am thinking about the 28 or 35...
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There is some frame blockage with the 25/2.8, but it's still preferable to having a separate window for focus and shoot.
 
What specifically would you like to achieve?
You said yourself it was character rather than sharpness that you wanted. Given the current offerings I don't think changing camera bodies will make a significant difference in IQ right now.
We'll have to wait for more wide angle results with the F3.

But... if you want to mix it up a bit with a new body then +1 for the R4x.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions to get a film body :D

But when I shoot analog, I prefer the Fed-2 with my good Jupiter-8, with its beautiful Sonnar rendering ;)

So, for the Biogon I'm looking for a digital (gasp!) body. Maybe I should look into the Ricoh GXR M module... anyone compared the Ricoh with the Nex offerings?
 
Rune said:
Thanks for all the suggestions to get a film body :D

But when I shoot analog, I prefer the Fed-2 with my good Jupiter-8, with its beautiful Sonnar rendering ;)

So, for the Biogon I'm looking for a digital (gasp!) body. Maybe I should look into the Ricoh GXR M module... anyone compared the Ricoh with the Nex offerings?
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If better edge performance is your goal, the GXR performs better than any of the NEX cameras with M mount wide angles around 35mm and wider. I actually own NEX cameras, and not the Ricoh, but I've played around with Ricoh raws.
 
douglasf13 said:
If better edge performance is your goal, the GXR performs better than any of the NEX cameras with M mount wide angles around 35mm and wider. I actually own NEX cameras, and not the Ricoh, but I've played around with Ricoh raws.
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Ricoh gxr w/ module was designed for rf lenses... Outside of the m8, m9 and rd1. If u are in no hurry, maybe wait for any new announcements from Ricoh on a a16 module replacement for their m module. They already announced a a16 for their new apsc zoom. I believe Sony is making the sensor for them.

Cheers
Gary
 
Hmmm, seems like an upcoming second version of the Ricoh might be my ticket to heaven. In the meantime, I'll be happy shooting.
 
Forgot to mention that there is also another rumor associated with Ricoh acquisition of Pentax which may delay the new a16 module or morph the gxr system toward something closer to Pentax design..... :(. So only time will tell what the really story is.

Gary
 
Oh, forgot to say to avoid the X-Pro1 if your favourite lens is the 25mm ZM. The edges aren't pretty. Great camera otherwise.
 
Shutterspark said:
Oh, forgot to say to avoid the X-Pro1 if your favourite lens is the 25mm ZM. The edges aren't pretty. Great camera otherwise.
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Cameras die, lenses live forever ;)

The 25mm ZM is my tool, the camera is just a lump of metal, plastic and hopefully a good sensor.
 
Rune said:
Cameras die, lenses live forever ;)

The 25mm ZM is my tool, the camera is just a lump of metal, plastic and hopefully a good sensor.
Click to expand...


That philosophy was a bit more relevant in the old days when you'd likely be using the same film, regardless of camera body. Now that we have so many varying sensor sizes and varying degrees to which a sensor handles a particular lens, it's very much about finding the right combination of sensor and lens, these days.

If I gave you a Nikon V1, Olympus OM-D, Nex-7, Nex-5N, GXR, and M9, shooting that ZM 25 lens would become a very different experience with each camera, and you may only like the lens with one or two of those cameras. Every time I buy a new digital camera, I reevaluate my lenses.
 
douglasf13 said:
That philosophy was a bit more relevant in the old days when you'd likely be using the same film, regardless of camera body. Now that we have so many varying sensor sizes and varying degrees to which a sensor handles a particular lens, it's very much about finding the right combination of sensor and lens, these days.

If I gave you a Nikon V1, Olympus OM-D, Nex-7, Nex-5N, GXR, and M9, shooting that ZM 25 lens would become a very different experience with each camera, and you may only like the lens with one or two of those cameras. Every time I buy a new digital camera, I reevaluate my lenses.
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Yes, but all of these cameras will be obsolete in 3 months' time. The lens will not.
 
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