Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R Test Sample Images

Find test sample images with the Leica Summicron 50mm f2 E39 here

Find test sample images with the Leica Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH here

Find test sample images with the Leica Summilux 75mm f1.4 here

Find test sample images with the Carl Zeiss 35mm f2 Biogon ZM here

Find test sample images with the Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R here 

Find test sample images with the Leica 90mm f2.8 Elmarit-R here 

Find test sample images with the Voigtlander 12mm f5.6 here

As you know the main issue causing problems when using M-Mount lens on the Sony A7r is the extreme angle at which the light is hitting the sensor because the lens is placed so close to the sensor. So I was hoping that by using the R-Mount lens that is designed to be further from the sensor many of the problems would not be present and we would get much better performances.

Of course one downside is that the adapter will extend out much further, so the total length of the adapter and lens will usually be much longer than using M-Mount lens, as you can see from the pictures above. The weight though is about the same as for M-Mount lens, so in fact some people might even prefer the larger size of the R-Mount lens because is easier to hold and handle...so it might not be a downside after all. So what about the performance...

Vignetting

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R at f2 testing for vignetting

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R at f2.8 testing for vignetting

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R at f4 testing for vignetting

I do not know if it is because of the less extreme angle at which the light is hitting the sensor but in terms of vignetting this is the best performer out of all the lens I have tested so far. At f2 there is still noticeable vignetting, but just stopping down to f2.8 most of it has disappeared and by just f4 there is hardly any vignetting to be seen.

Corner Smearing

Again as with the vignetting, there does not seem to be any corner smearing at all with this lens. However, the corner sharpness still needed to be tested though.

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R Corner Test at f2

100% Crop at f2

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R Corner Test at f2.8

100% Crop at f2.8

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R Corner Test at f4

100% Crop at f4

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R Corner Test at f5.6

100% Crop at f5.6

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R Corner Test at f8

100% Crop at f8

When shooting with wide apetures like f2 or f2.8 the corners of the photos from this lens are quite soft. Stopping down to f4 seems to sharpen things up a lot and the peak of this lens seems to be at f5.6 when the corner is actually really sharp. As you stop-down further the photo starts to go a bit soft again, but still much sharper than at f2 or f2.8.

Flaring

A bigger problem with this lens though I feel is it is prone to suffer from flaring. I am not talking about the kind of lens flare effects you see used in flims like Star Trek Into Darkness either. When there is light coming in from the side, even as wide as 90 degrees from the direction you are shooting (for example during sunset) the photos can really "haze over" losing significant amount of sharpness and contrast. I have often found this in many old lens of which this is one.

But Can It Shoot?

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R at f4

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R at f2.8

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R at f5.6

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R at f8

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R at f8

Sony A7r with Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R at f4

Having said all that when it comes down to it can this lens produce good photographs? I would certainly say so. While there are probably better 50mm lens out there the all-round quality of the Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R especially when considering that you can get secondhand ones for about $400 right now offers amazing value and I would certainly recommend it to anyone wanting a lens for their mirrorless camera.

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux Test Sample Images

Find test sample images with the Leica Summicron 50mm f2 E39 here

Find test sample images with the Leica Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH here

Find test sample images with the Leica Summilux 75mm f1.4 here

Find test sample images with the Carl Zeiss 35mm f2 Biogon ZM here

Find test sample images with the Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R here 

Find test sample images with the Leica 90mm f2.8 Elmarit-R here 

Find test sample images with the Voigtlander 12mm f5.6 here

Wow...It just looks so good... and I am not even talking about the photos this lens can produce...yet.

Out of all the lens I have put on this camera so far, this combo just looks so cool, If I did not know better I would probably think that these two were designed for each other. I mean...WOW (sorry just had to say it again). The build quality of this lens is just top-notch and if I did not have to consider things such as size ,weight or focal length this lens would be on the Sony A7r all the time.

Ok enough about how good the lens look, let us talk about how good the pictures are from this lens. Well, I have to say that the Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux is probably one of the best performer on the Sony A7r.

Vignetting

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at f1.4 showing vignetting

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at f2 showing vignetting

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at f4 showing vignetting

There is definitely significant vignetting at f1.4 but just stopping down to f2 will reduce it by quite a bit and by the time you stop it down to f4 the vignetting is only very slight. In real world shooting though I do not think it will be much of a problem even when shooting wide open at f1.4 since in those cases things around the edges will probably be out of focus and not the center of attention anyways and when you shoot landscapes where you want the photo to be great across the frame you will probably stop it down more than f4 anyways so vignetting should not be a problem there. If you really do not like the vignetting it should not be too hard to correct it in post either.

Corner Smearing

Now this is a much more worrying problem that can not be corrected in post and will greatly effect the quality of your photos. Having just had some problems with corner smearing with the Carl Zeiss 35mm f2 Biogon ZM on some photos I was hoping that will not be an issue with this lens, since the focal length is narrower.

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at f1.4 testing corner smearing

100% Crop at f1.4

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at f2 testing corner smearing

100% Crop at f2

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at f2.8 testing corner smearing

100% Crop at f2.8

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at f4 testing corner smearing

100% Crop at f4

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at f8 testing corner smearing

100% Crop at f8

Pheww...there does not appear to be any corner smearing with this lens, which is a relief. However, I have got to say that the corners at f1.4 is quite soft, but to be fair this is not unexpected. Stopping down to just f2 seems to shapen thing up significantly, although it is still somewhat soft. Stopping down further seems to sharpen things up a bit further but you do seem to get diminishing returns and even at f8 I still am unable to get the cornet as sharp as the center. This level of softness in the corners at various apertures might be a bit annoying when zooming in at 100% on the computer, but otherwise it should be fine. Certainly it would be nice if it is sharp throughout the entire frame, but hey I guess you can not have everything.

Let's Go Shooting

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at 5.6

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at 5.6 100% Crop

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at 5.6

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at 5.6 100% Crop

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at f2.8

Sony A7r with Leica 75mm f1.4 Summilux at f2.8 100% Crop

Ok so this is probably the most important thing about any lens or cameras, how well does it perform when you are using it for real. This lens is quite heavy, but it is so fun to shoot with and the dampening on the focus ring is great. Even more importanly the photos that I am getting with it are really nice even while just walking around doing some test shots with it. The experience was so good in fact that I think the next time I go out to try and get some good photos this might be the lens that will be on my Sony A7r. If I do get any good shots with this lens I will keep you posted.......

Sony A7r with Carl Zeiss 35mm f2 Biogon ZM Test Sample Images - Some Vignetting and Corner Smear

Find test sample images with the Leica Summicron 50mm f2 E39 here

Find test sample images with the Leica Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH here

Find test sample images with the Leica Summilux 75mm f1.4 here

Find test sample images with the Carl Zeiss 35mm f2 Biogon ZM here

Find test sample images with the Leica 50mm f2 Summicron-R here 

Find test sample images with the Leica 90mm f2.8 Elmarit-R here 

Find test sample images with the Voigtlander 12mm f5.6 here

Looking good...and I'm not talking about the cheese cake here

This has been the number one lens I have been waiting to test the A7r on. Before buying the camera and also while I was waiting for my pre-order to arrive, I have been looking at many sites on the Internet regarding how different range finder lens perform on the A7r. A few quite famous sites said that anything 35mm and longer should work great, and one even said that the Carl Zeiss 35mm f2 Biogon ZM was one of their favourite lens to use on the A7 and A7r, so naturally I was eager to get to try it myself considering how much I enjoyed using the lens on the Canon EOS M.

Before we start I have got to first off apologize for the quality of the images. I just have not had the chance to go shoot anything interesting, but from the shots that I got there are some information I would like to share, so let's get started.

How did the lens perform? Well I seem to be getting some interesting and confusing results for some reason. I have not found any color fringing in any of the photos I have taken yet (and I have taken quite a number), so hopefully that continues. There is definitely vignetting however,

Vignetting

Sony A7r f2.8 ISO 250

 There is definitely vignetting BUT it seems to really be most noticeable when shooting under low light conditions like indoors. It can be quite significant when using wide-open apertures like f2 or f2.8 but as you get to f5.6 then it's not really that bad and from f8 onwards it is only quite slight. For me the problem of vignetting is something I can live with, it can be corrected without too much hassle in post and to be honest most of the time when I am using wide apertures the edges of those particular shots are not in focus and some vignetting does not really affect it.

Corner Smear

Now this is where I am getting some confusing results. Vignetting I can live with but having corner smear is something that just does not look good and can not really be fixed in post. For some reason in a few of my shots I seem to be getting some corner smear, or at least the edges of the photos are really blurry and it's not dependent on apertures either.

Sony A7r f4 showing corner smear

From the shot above the center, top center and bottom center of the photos are fine, with the center being really really sharp.

100% Crop Left Side

100% Crop Right Side

As you can see from the two 100% crops above however, the left and right side of the photo is really blurry.

Sony A7r f11 showing corner smear

Again this time the photo was taken at f11, and again the smearing occurs on the left and right side of the photo.

100% Crop Left Side

100% Crop Right Side

The smearing is not nearly as bad as in the first photos but it is still there. I am not sure what is causing it but I do not think it is the adapter because usually if the tolerance of the adapter is off the defect in the photo will not be so symmetrical. I mean if there are vignetting or corner smearing the pattern would not be symmetrical on both sides, one side would be different to the other. It does not seem to be the shooting conditions either as you can see from the photo below.

There does not seem to be any corner smearing on this one

The photo above was taken within a few minutes of the two other shots that have corner smearing but it does not appear to have any corner smearing at all.

100% Crop

100% Crop

I have got to say that the previous two photos were the only ones that I experienced corner smearing and I am still not sure what caused it. With all the other photos I took however, I did not find any corner smearing at all.

Sony A7r f5.6

The shot above, for example, is perfectly sharp across the frame, which is much more representative of most of the photographs that I got using this lens.

100% Crop Perfectly Sharp

Conclusion...for now.

So what do I think? Well so far shooting with this lens is a joy. Apart from the two shots that I found corner smearing in all the others were fine and very very sharp especially in the center. The thing that might be even more important however is how much fun I had using the lens, the size, weight and handling of the lens just made using it a great experience.

Since I have only been using it for a few days though it will probably take more time before I can come up with a definite conclusion of how much I love (or not) this lens. So I will keep you posted with new updates and hopefully better shots than these as I get to use the lens more.