Ryan1938
Established
Hey guys, I have searched long and hard... and surprisingly, can't find any samples of a pre-ASPH 35mm cron on the Sony A7. I have a version 3 and desperately want to know how well it will play with an A7. Can someone help me out?
uhoh7
Veteran
as you know there are 4 pre-asph models. maybe you mean v4. Bokeh king?
here's one but version unclear:
http://flic.kr/p/hTkBN5
in fact they are all over flickr: get to work and ask the shooter which version.
search A7 summicron 35mm on flickr
Worst case you can trade/sell it for a CV 35/1.4 (450ish) which the sonys love.
Ryan1938
Established
I have version 3... and I've been at work asking on Flickr. The image you linked to, for example, was taken with the latest cron.
I'll keep hunting!
Thanks!
I'll keep hunting!
Thanks!
Vics
Veteran
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=35mm+summicron+sony+a7
EDIT: Nah, that's no good, either. Sorry.
EDIT: Nah, that's no good, either. Sorry.
hunz
Established
The MC or SC?
k__43
Registered Film User
I've tried the V4 on a Nex-5 and the results were already not so nice (wide open you do not need pixel peeping to see it's not sharp in the corners.).
The design is just not for digital I'd say - it is my favorite film lens tho, great performer.
The design is just not for digital I'd say - it is my favorite film lens tho, great performer.
venchka
Veteran
So, based on the samples in another thread, what is your final answer? Looks good to me.
Wayne
Ryan1938
Established
Weird story. I bought two version 3 35mm summmicrons for a crazy low price. This weekend, I got them out to clean them up figuring I would put one on ebay and use the other. IT was then that I noticed that they had sequential serial numbers... and I guess collectors dig such a thing. I'm now working with dealers in an effort to sell them as a pair so that I can move on to a 35 lux FLE.
Anyway, that aside I used the version 3 for all of an hour... shooting mostly portraits (As you saw) and they looked pretty good to me. I'm not a photographer - I just like cameras and lenses... but from what I can tell, that little lens ruled.
01 by The Jalopy Journal, on Flickr
Anyway, that aside I used the version 3 for all of an hour... shooting mostly portraits (As you saw) and they looked pretty good to me. I'm not a photographer - I just like cameras and lenses... but from what I can tell, that little lens ruled.
01 by The Jalopy Journal, on Flickr
venchka
Veteran
Version 3 of the 35mm Summicron must generate tales all it's own. I passed on the same v. 3 Summicron here at RFF not once, but twice. The old "let me think about it for a few minutes." Only to be minutes late both times. Missing that v. 3 Summicron is how I came to own my Konica 35/2.0 UC-Hexanon.
I hope that you like the Summilux FLE.
Wayne
I hope that you like the Summilux FLE.
Wayne
thompsonks
Well-known
I posted a 35mm assessment on another thread and am copying it below. My answer to your question is that the pre-aspherical Summilux works a lot better than the Cron v.4. 40 Cron was more successful than 35.
My main concern about the Sony bodies has been how well they'll work with 35mm M lenses. I'd ordered an A7r, but following advice from RFF and LUF re: corner smearing and vignetting, I returned it unopened and got an A7.
Today I tried the Summilux Asph FLE, two Mandler designs – 35 pre-aspherical Summilux and 35 Summicron v4 – and a 40mm Summicron. I tried them at widest aperture to f4, thinking that the A7, with better high ISO performance, would be my body of choice for low-light-level shooting. (When I can use lower ISO's, I'll stick with M9.) I used a Voigtlander adapter, which is quite solid. I photographed a blank garage door to look for color vignetting, and a fence with both vertical lines and mesh to check for corner smearing.
I tried the Lux FLE first with high hopes, but it exhibited some color vignetting at all apertures and quite a bit of corner smearing: lots of it at f1.4, moderate at f2.8, and perhaps just tolerable at f4. I won't be using this lens on A7.
The 35 Cron v 4 performed better than the FLE, but still not too well. At f2 I saw moderate color shift, and vignetting in the corners. At f4 it was still vignetting, but the color shift seemed less. At f2 it smeared less in the corners than the FLE – smearing was limited to the far corners of the frame. At f4 it might be tolerable, but it's so much better on M9.
The 35 pre-aspherical Summilux and the 40 Summicron were both better, but for different reasons.
The PA Lux at f1.4 showed quite a bit of luminance/BW vignetting but much less color shift in the corners. This is probably be reparable in LR/PS withe the regular vignetting correction tool (no need, I'm guessing, for the new and complicated flat field plug-in). It showed only a little bit of corner smearing at f1.4 and f2, and none at f4. IMO this is a usable 35mm lens for A7 when one needs wider apertures.
The 40 Cron Was best-of-all for avoiding smeared corners – visible only in the extreme corners at f2 and f2.8; none at f4. When looking at the 100% crops of the corners I could tell I was looking at symmetrical bokeh, not elongated smear. The downside, however, was that this lens vignetted quite a bit – luminance vignetting without serious color shift – even at f4. Perhaps it wasn't comfortable in the Voigtlander adapter, and I wonder if Novoflex would be just be the same. (It doesn't do this on M9, because it's been coded to use the 35 Cron lens profile.)
My own conclusion is that I won't be using the 35 Cron v4 or the Lux Asph FLE on the A7 body, and will probably make the 40 Cron my regular moderate wide angle. Subjectively I like the PA Lux best of all, but am always afraid of its characteristic moon-shaped flare when there's a light source just outside the frame.
These are tentative first-days-with-the-camera pixel-peeping checks to see what lenses to go ahead and use. I might change my mind later.
I'm also going to check some 50s this weekend. A first look suggested the pre-aspherical Lux performs noticeably better in the corners than 1.5 Sonnar-C. My Lux is a minty black paint one, worth quit a bit more than either an A7 or A7r body; so I wish it had turned out the other way!
Kirk
My main concern about the Sony bodies has been how well they'll work with 35mm M lenses. I'd ordered an A7r, but following advice from RFF and LUF re: corner smearing and vignetting, I returned it unopened and got an A7.
Today I tried the Summilux Asph FLE, two Mandler designs – 35 pre-aspherical Summilux and 35 Summicron v4 – and a 40mm Summicron. I tried them at widest aperture to f4, thinking that the A7, with better high ISO performance, would be my body of choice for low-light-level shooting. (When I can use lower ISO's, I'll stick with M9.) I used a Voigtlander adapter, which is quite solid. I photographed a blank garage door to look for color vignetting, and a fence with both vertical lines and mesh to check for corner smearing.
I tried the Lux FLE first with high hopes, but it exhibited some color vignetting at all apertures and quite a bit of corner smearing: lots of it at f1.4, moderate at f2.8, and perhaps just tolerable at f4. I won't be using this lens on A7.
The 35 Cron v 4 performed better than the FLE, but still not too well. At f2 I saw moderate color shift, and vignetting in the corners. At f4 it was still vignetting, but the color shift seemed less. At f2 it smeared less in the corners than the FLE – smearing was limited to the far corners of the frame. At f4 it might be tolerable, but it's so much better on M9.
The 35 pre-aspherical Summilux and the 40 Summicron were both better, but for different reasons.
The PA Lux at f1.4 showed quite a bit of luminance/BW vignetting but much less color shift in the corners. This is probably be reparable in LR/PS withe the regular vignetting correction tool (no need, I'm guessing, for the new and complicated flat field plug-in). It showed only a little bit of corner smearing at f1.4 and f2, and none at f4. IMO this is a usable 35mm lens for A7 when one needs wider apertures.
The 40 Cron Was best-of-all for avoiding smeared corners – visible only in the extreme corners at f2 and f2.8; none at f4. When looking at the 100% crops of the corners I could tell I was looking at symmetrical bokeh, not elongated smear. The downside, however, was that this lens vignetted quite a bit – luminance vignetting without serious color shift – even at f4. Perhaps it wasn't comfortable in the Voigtlander adapter, and I wonder if Novoflex would be just be the same. (It doesn't do this on M9, because it's been coded to use the 35 Cron lens profile.)
My own conclusion is that I won't be using the 35 Cron v4 or the Lux Asph FLE on the A7 body, and will probably make the 40 Cron my regular moderate wide angle. Subjectively I like the PA Lux best of all, but am always afraid of its characteristic moon-shaped flare when there's a light source just outside the frame.
These are tentative first-days-with-the-camera pixel-peeping checks to see what lenses to go ahead and use. I might change my mind later.
I'm also going to check some 50s this weekend. A first look suggested the pre-aspherical Lux performs noticeably better in the corners than 1.5 Sonnar-C. My Lux is a minty black paint one, worth quit a bit more than either an A7 or A7r body; so I wish it had turned out the other way!
Kirk
Bille
Well-known
Scroll down a bit for Summicron samples at f2
http://forum.mflenses.com/w-komura-35-2-8-ltm-on-sony-a7-at-f-2-8-t63477.html
mszargar
Established
Hi Kirk,
I have the Summicron 35 v3, and as nice as it can be on my M6, it can not perform even within the boundaries of acceptable on A7. I suspect that it performa much better in closeups than when focusing on infinity. Ryan's photos confirm that. Anyway, even at f/4 it shows smearing in the corners, and/or the edges of the screen are out of focus. I will be eager to see a comparison with v2. I actually don't mind swapping with a v2...
Mah
I have the Summicron 35 v3, and as nice as it can be on my M6, it can not perform even within the boundaries of acceptable on A7. I suspect that it performa much better in closeups than when focusing on infinity. Ryan's photos confirm that. Anyway, even at f/4 it shows smearing in the corners, and/or the edges of the screen are out of focus. I will be eager to see a comparison with v2. I actually don't mind swapping with a v2...
Mah
Ansel
Well-known
Yes. Versions 2, 3 & 4 Crons are all the same in this regard. Only version 5 fixes this. On film also it is a problem when printing large (A3). It is one of the flaws in the design. If you want corner detail look elsewhwere.
thompsonks
Well-known
On another forum, someone said the V2 does a good job of covering the corners without smearing – but some blue tinting was evident.