Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH works better on the Sony A7r than the ASPH Version

Testing of the Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Version sadly yield pretty poor results when used on the Sony A7r, which is quite sad since it is such a great lens. Afterwards however, I started to wonder whether the older NON Aspherical version will be the same. Since the design might be different I still held out some hope that maybe, just maybe it might perform better.

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Version - a little bit bigger and heavier

And after some testing there is indeed good news to be reported. The NON ASPH version does infact performs significantly better on the A7r than the ASPH version in every aspect.

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Version - a little bit bigger and heavier

Maybe it is because the lens is longer and it is further away from the sensors so the light is hitting it at a less extreme angle I do not know, but whatever the reason it is great news considering that the NON ASPH version is even cheaper to buy.

Vignetting

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Vignetting Test at f2.8

 

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Vignetting Test at f4

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Vignetting Test at f5.6

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Vignetting Test at f8

Just from the vignetting test we could straightaway see that the NON ASPH performs so much better.  Right from wide open at f2.8 there is not much vignetting and just by stopping down to f4 pretty much all vignetting are gone.

Corner Sharpness

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Corner Sharpness Test at f2.8

100% Crop at f2.8

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Corner Sharpness Test at f4

100% Crop at f4

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Corner Sharpness Test at f5.6

100% Crop at f5.6

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Corner Sharpness Test at f8

100% Crop at f8

The corner sharpness of the NON ASPH version is also much better, which I think is very important for the usability of the lens. There is certainly still some softness/edge smearing at f2.8 but it is much better compared to the ASPH version. By stopping down though the problem disappears quite quickly.

Edge Smearing

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Edge Smearing Test at f2.8

100% Crop at f2.8

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Edge Smearing Test at f4

100% Crop at f4

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Edge Smearing Test at f5.6

100% Crop at 5.6

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit NON ASPH Edge Smearing Test at f8

100% Crop at f8

As you can see, these are the same scenes I took previously with hte ASPH version. This lens definitely still suffers from edge smearing but to a lesser extent. You still would not want to take any landscape shots at f2.8 or even f4 but certainly stopped down to f5.6 or even better yet f8 and everything will be fine with hardly any edge smearing problem.

Conclusion

Although this lens still suffers from the same problems as the ASPH version, the extent to which they occur is much less. So much so in fact that I think unlike the ASPH version, it is actually very usable on the Sony A7r. At f2.8 there are going to still be edge smearing, but it will certainly be usable for things like street photography (which if you are shooting at f2.8 you probably do not want the entire frame to be sharp anyways). If you are shooting landscapes and such or want the entire frame to be sharp you will probably stop down to f5.6 or f8 anyway and so then edge smearing would not be a problem either. So overall if you are looking for a 28mm Rangefinder lens for your Sony A7r this might be an option, considering you can get one now for about $1,000.

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Review - Corner Sharpness, Vignetting, Color Fringing and Edge Smearing Test Sample Images

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH

I have been so busy testing other lenses on the Sony A7r that I forgot to test one of the best reviewed Leica M-Mount lens out there, the 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH that many people say is better than the more expensive Summilux version. I have got to say the lens looks great on the camera, it is also amazingly light and small.

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH

But those reviews were based on using the lens on Leica camera bodies, both film and digital. Sadly however, when used with the Sony A7r despite showing flashes of brilliance it suffers from so many problems (at least in my experience) that you are probably better off looking at other lenses.

Vignetting

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Vignetting Test at f2.8

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Vignetting Test at f4

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Vignetting Test at f5.6

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Vignetting Test at f8

The vignetting test was the first test I did and straightaway I could tell that this lens is probably going to suffer problems when used with this camera. Not only does it suffers from significant vignetting, some color casts could already be seen. Also even more worryingly the vignetting is not symetrical which in my experience suggests that the lens is suffering from something more than just natural vignetting.

Corner Sharpness and Edge Smears

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Corner Sharpness Test at f2.8

 

100% Crop at f2.8

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Vignetting Test at f4

100% Crop at f4

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Vignetting Test at f5.6

100% Crop at f5.6

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Vignetting Test at f8

100% Crop at f8

If you just look at the sample pictures above you might think that the corner performance of this lens wide open at f2.8 is not very sharp and it get progressively better as you stop down until you reach f8 when the lens is at its peak. I have seen tests of this lens before however, and know that its sharpness is actually really good right from being wide open so I am pretty sure it is suffering from some edge smearing effect.

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Edge Smearing at f2.8

100% Crop at f2.8

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Edge Smearing at f4

100% Crop at f4

Sony A7r with Leica 28mm f2.8 Elmarit ASPH Edge Smearing at f8

100% Crop at f8

By taking some more shots with more fine details at the corner of the picture we can clearly see that the lens suffers quite badly from edge smearing and it is not just soft in the edges. You can see this in the foliage and leaves at the edge of the photo.

Close Focus at f2.8

100% Crop at f2.8

One thing that I have finally figured out is that the further away you focus the more the lens suffers from edge smearing (especially at infinity). This holds true not just for this lens but all M-Mount and Rangefinder lenses used on the Sony A7r. This seems to explain why when using the same lens I would notice severe edge smearing in some shots but not other.

Conclusion

If you already have the lens you might be able to use it for street photography where the focus is usually pretty near or shots where you do not need the entire photo to be sharp. If you are however planning to buy the lens to use on the A7r I do not think it will be worth it.