[Leica] More Nerdy stuff.... Sony A7 with Leica lenses.

[bmwred735i at gmail.com (Frank Filippone)]

Report back tomorrow. An excellent idea.

On Mon, May 25, 2020 at 3:24 PM Aram Langhans via LUG <lug at 
leica-users.org>
wrote:

> Any thoughts as to the color shift maybe due to IR like the M8?  Maybe the
> new cover plate is not as efficient at filtering IR as the original.  Have
> one of the IR cut-off filters from M8 days to check?
>
> Aram
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Frank Filippone
> Sent: Monday, May 25, 2020 1:18 PM
> To: Leica-Users-Group
> Subject: [Leica] More Nerdy stuff.... Sony A7 with Leica lenses.
>
> If you own or have contemplated the purchase of a Sony A7 series body to
> use with your Leica M lenses, you have heard that Leica WA lenses show
> smeared corners due to the closeness of the lens to the sensor.. the
> image ray's angle causes problems.
>
> A company, KolariVision, has a modification to the A7 series that
> replaces the standard cover plate ( the one that fell OFF my M9) with a
> very thin glass cover plate ( I think it is 0.2mm thick. the Leica OEM
> plate is approx 2mm thick).  This improves the image quality in the
> corners of the frame.... So the question is, if I read all the
> literature, is any or all of it true?  Is it just marketing BS?
>
> I went testing ( yes, again).
>
> One of the most awful lenses for this problem used on the Sony A7 bodies
> that Leica has made is the 28 Summicron ASPH.  V1.
>
> One of the best lenses on the Sony bodies is the WATE... 16/18/21mm F4
> Wide Angle TriElmar  I tried both.  I also tested a 21mm SEM, because I
> was asked to.
>
> The cameras were setup identically. The only thing that changed in this
> test was the body.( Tripod, same shutter speed, same apertures, same
> lens.... )
>
> ::::SPOILER ALERT::::::
>
> The Kolari modified body FAR exceeded the IQ of the unmodified body in
> the corners...
>
> A7rii vs A7rii Kolari
>
> With 21mm SEM and 28mm Summicron ( notoriously bad on Sony bodies)
>
> At ISO50
>
> At Fwide open, F4 and F8
>
> Distance from camera to center of image was about 15 feet. Tripod of
> course.
>
> The camera body was place at an angle, allowing for easy access to the
> corners ( the horizon line was set corner to corner) ......  Essentially
> stressing the lens corner quality as much as possible.....
>
> Focusing was done by x10 focus enlargement in MF mode in the center of
> the image......  I did not focus in the corners.... I use a ground glass
> kind of focusing, no high tech stuff.  When it LOOKS sharp it IS sharp.
>
> Focus was not done at each F stop... it was done wide open only. Care
> was taken to not move the focus ring when changing aperture.
>
> In the center of the frame, there was little to no difference in the
> images.  The cameras produced very similar images.... see comment below
> about the color shift.....
>
> There was NO condition where the Kolari modified body did not beat, by a
> large amount, the corner sharpness of unmodified A7rii.  NONE.  21 SEM,
> WATE, 28 Summicron V1.... All the same result.
>
> I also added on the M240/28mm Summicron as a test vehicle against the
> Sony body.... The Kolari body BESTED the Leica body.  Not by as much as
> the Kolari bested the unmodified body, but it was pretty obvious.
>
> There is no question in my mind, that the Kolari Modified thin glass
> cover plate was a BIG improvement to the lenses tested, and I am willing
> to bet, it is a big improvement to ALL WA lenses......
>
> Further note:  There is a color difference between the Kolari body and
> the Leica or Sony unmodified bodies.  The color shift is expressed as a
> purple tint in the Kolari modified body. Especially in the gray areas....
>
> I should have shot a white card and color corrected on that..... maybe
> another day.....
>
> I am pretty anal when I do these tests.  I am careful, I look at the
> images 1:1 in comparison mode in LR.  The results are correct.
>
> If you want to up your Leica IQ game in the corners.... send a Sony A7
> family body and $400 to Kolarivision, and get it done.  It is cheaper
> than buying a M-60MP body will be.....
>
> I did not test native lenses on the modified body.  Maybe another day......
>
> Paul Roark ( who found this out for himself several years ago and got me
> thinking down this path) ... want to add anything?
>
>
> PS: If you type in only Kolari to your Google search, I think you get a
> porn site.... You will figure that out pretty easily.  It needs to be
> www.KolariVision.com
>
> --
> Frank Filippone BMWRed735i at gmail.com
>
>
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>
-- 
Frank Filippone
BMWRed735i at gmail.com