willie_901
Veteran
THose interested in the new A12 module may be interested in this early first-hand report.
The Phoblographer A12 User Review
Disclaimer: I have no association or relationship with The Phoblographer blog.
The Phoblographer A12 User Review
Disclaimer: I have no association or relationship with The Phoblographer blog.
efirmage
Established
Thank you!
Wish he had the EVF to test out on it. I was extremely excited for this, but after that review and the reviews of the Sony offerings (5n and 7) I'm leaning towards the NEX 7.
Wish he had the EVF to test out on it. I was extremely excited for this, but after that review and the reviews of the Sony offerings (5n and 7) I'm leaning towards the NEX 7.
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dreilly
Chillin' in Geneva
I think that review was rushed to be one of the first. Already he's had to post edits and revisions...and that he went into the review not knowing about the focus magnification scheme strikes me as pretty silly. I'm on the list for the GXR and am very eager to test the camera out. The big question on everybody's mind is the focus assist modes...that will mark its success or failure. I wish we had a more capable reviewer here, but I remain cautiously optimistic...
cheers
doug
cheers
doug
rdeleskie
Well-known
I bit the bullet and pre-ordered a GXR with the Leica module. While I agree that most of the images posted so far have been underwhelming, the pictures at this link convinced me:
http://www.grblog.jp/2011/08/gxr-mount-unit-2nd-photo-samplemore-lenses.php
Specifically, the Nokton 40/1.4 shots look very film-like to me, and very similar to what I would expect to get if this lens was on my M6.
I found both the images and the written text at the Phoblographer to be seriously underwhelming. However, as noted, the reviewer didn't appear to have taken the time to learn the basic functions of the camera and with due respect doesn't seem to have much of an affinity for/experience with this style of shooting.
Sean Reid's initial review allayed any concerns I had about the technical quality of the module. Most importantly (for me), he indicates that the particular qualities of the different lenses he tried were evident in the images produced by the camera (I highly recommend reading his complete review, even given the cost of subscribing to his site). The images at the link above conveyed a similar impression to me.
For me, the lack of the AA filter plus the micro-lenses, and the consequent preservation of the unique qualities of the lenses shot wide open (at least the promise of it at this stage) trump my concerns about manual focusing. The images that I have seen from Leica glass mounted on the Sony Nex5N do not look particularly Leica-like to me. What is the point of shooting Leica lenses on a digital platform if they no longer look like Leica lenses? (The same applies to Zeiss, Voigtlander, etc.).
Cheers,
Robert
(Note: I made a similar post on the l camera forum. Apologies if the duplication bothers anyone)
http://www.grblog.jp/2011/08/gxr-mount-unit-2nd-photo-samplemore-lenses.php
Specifically, the Nokton 40/1.4 shots look very film-like to me, and very similar to what I would expect to get if this lens was on my M6.
I found both the images and the written text at the Phoblographer to be seriously underwhelming. However, as noted, the reviewer didn't appear to have taken the time to learn the basic functions of the camera and with due respect doesn't seem to have much of an affinity for/experience with this style of shooting.
Sean Reid's initial review allayed any concerns I had about the technical quality of the module. Most importantly (for me), he indicates that the particular qualities of the different lenses he tried were evident in the images produced by the camera (I highly recommend reading his complete review, even given the cost of subscribing to his site). The images at the link above conveyed a similar impression to me.
For me, the lack of the AA filter plus the micro-lenses, and the consequent preservation of the unique qualities of the lenses shot wide open (at least the promise of it at this stage) trump my concerns about manual focusing. The images that I have seen from Leica glass mounted on the Sony Nex5N do not look particularly Leica-like to me. What is the point of shooting Leica lenses on a digital platform if they no longer look like Leica lenses? (The same applies to Zeiss, Voigtlander, etc.).
Cheers,
Robert
(Note: I made a similar post on the l camera forum. Apologies if the duplication bothers anyone)
dreilly
Chillin' in Geneva
Without spilling all those subscription only beans, did Sean find the camera focusable?
rdeleskie
Well-known
I think it's fair to say he found it focusable. But as you already no doubt surmised, the general gist of all the reviews seems to be that if you are looking for the ease and speed of traditional rangefinder focusing, then you will need to purchase an actual digital rangefinder camera. EVF focusing is and always will be a different beast with certain advantages (exact framing) and disadvantages (slower than using a rangefinder or autofocus). But don't forget about zone focusing, which has traditionally been a very important tool in the Leica photographer's working kit, and which this camera should be good at (given the manual control over aperture, plus the DOF marks on the lenses).