NEX-7 + Summicron

[k-hawinkler]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

My WATE is fine on the NEX-7, no color cast as far as I can tell.

[brian]

Lct

 

I guess by your comments you have photographed extensively with the NEX 7 and 35 mm wide angle and wider lenses to make such a judgement.

 

We must have a different conception because I found the colour cast problem minimum as well as other owners of this combination but then again I have only had the camera 2 weeks not a long time like yourself.

 

Brian

 

Vignetting and color shifts are well documented facts with 35mm and wider M lenses on the Nex-7. The way photogs decide to live with such issues is another story.

[ravinj]

No evidence of color cast with Nex-7 + WATE. These two samples are typical scenes where the color with some wide angles is terrible. With WATE, no issues:

 

 

 

Some more of my samples with WATE + Nex-7:

 

Nex-7 + Leica WATE: Sony NEX Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

 

Nex-7 + Summicron 35mm ASPH - slight color cast in some cases, not too terrible. Overall very good combination. This one taken in hazy light with the 35 Summicron:

 

 

Nex-7 + 50mm Summilux ASPH - absolutely killer combination. Resolution of the sensor + lens enough to count bricks in building if you need to. I do not have the skills to exploit the full potential of this combo, in right hands it can match any APS-C rig and compete very well with full frame:

 

 

With Zeiss ZM 25mm Biogon, Nex-7 can exhibit severe color cast under some conditions, that can be corrected easily as I show in this thread:

 

Nex-7 + Zeiss 25mm ZM With Cornerfix: Sony NEX Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

[kdriceman]

I agree if there is a slight colour shift it it not a problem to remove and if you pay a lot for your equipment I think it it is logical that you will do a little post photo work on your shots in digital because the possibilities are there and if it is necessary. Purists might say no but if one shoots jpg the camera does it for you anyway.

 

I have only noticed a slight corner cast on the 35mm but I suppose if I spend hours looking for faults I could probably find some kind of fault in every lens but if I ever did get to that stage I would throw away my camera and buy a good microscope.

 

Brian

 

I also have the NEX7 and for the most part like the camera a lot. There are no problematic color cast issues except with my 21 which has a noticeable red edge on the NEX 7. It is a great 2nd camera for my Leica lenses, but take a shot of the same subject using the same lens on both the NEX7 and the M9 and compare them side by side and you will notice the M9 image is sharper and cleaner. I also find myself struggling with post processing of the NEX files from time to time, while i breeze through the M9 files. The NEX7 is a great little camera, but it will not be replacing my M9 for my high end images.

[Ozkar]

I also have the NEX7 and for the most part like the camera a lot. There are no problematic color cast issues except with my 21 which has a noticeable red edge on the NEX 7. It is a great 2nd camera for my Leica lenses, but take a shot of the same subject using the same lens on both the NEX7 and the M9 and compare them side by side and you will notice the M9 image is sharper and cleaner.

 

I also own both the NEX7 and M9. I'm not sure how you're comparing images, but when I downrez the NEX7 files to 18mp to match the resolution of the M9, I see no difference in sharpness.

[kdriceman]

 

I also own both the NEX7 and M9. I'm not sure how you're comparing images, but when I downrez the NEX7 files to 18mp to match the resolution of the M9, I see no difference in sharpness.

 

I have compared down-rezzed NEX files and still prefer the M9 file. But practically speaking, for me, from shooting through printing, the M9 delivers a better image with less post processing than the NEX. Now, that is not to say the NEX delivers inferior images. I use it a lot, especially when auto focus is helpful or when I might want video capability. It is nice to have a camera that creates very high IQ images that is not a DSLR brick and has that kind of usability. But overall, I still like the M better.

[Photoskeptic]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I'm using 50 & 75 Summarits on my NEX-7 w/Novoflex adapter. I also purchased a Novoflex Nikon adapter so I can use my Nikon WA lenses on the NEX-7. Yesterday I ran an experiment, since these things seem to be so popular, and tested the Summarits against a Zeiss 50 Makro. The 75 seemed the best to me - best bokeh, very sharp. The two 50's were very close - no clear winner, each delivering a different rendition, either one acceptable. I noticed that the Zeiss gained more dof as it was closed down whereas the Summarit maintained a narrower zone of focus.

The sensor of the NEX-7 out-performs every digital sensor I've ever owned and the files with Leica glass are superb.

 

One other thing, the NEX-7 with 50 Summarit is coat pocketable.

[dent]

 

+1

 

And (at least in my workflow and taste) the M9 files keep their naturality much better in post processing. They take a lot of abuse in b/w-conversions and still keep their charme.

[douglasf13]

That is the accepted internet dogma, but as Brian points out..

 

".I have realised now that many of these bad reports one hears about lenses not performing well are not always to be taken seriously and are on occasions more an indication of the photographers personality than the performance of the lens itself."

 

Cornerfix is a great tool that eliminates the color shift problem for me. There is some softness in the corners with the 21mm and 15mm Voigtlander lenses, but in actual large prints I have found there is very little to choose between the M8 and the NEX 7 in the corners. That may not be the case for those engaged in endless pixel peeking and eternal gear comparisons but I believe it to be the case in actual photographic prints.

 

I find that many users are oblivious to small to medium amounts of color shift, unless it is pointed out to them. I notice so many users say that color shift isn't a problem, only to see their pics show things like concrete with obvious color changing as you go towards the edges. It personally drives me nuts in my photos, and CornerFix is a bit of a hassle.

 

I've owned the NEX-5, NEX-5N and NEX-7, and the 5N definitely is the best in terms of color shift, but even it shows some with a couple of Zeiss 35mm M lenses. I now use the NEX-7, and I can confirm that the following lenses show color shift to some degree.

 

The CV 15, ZM 35/2.8, ZM 35/2, and even the ZM 50/1.5 show some shift on the NEX-7. The Nokton 35/1.4 and Contax G 35 don't. Since the Contax G 35 is essentially an identical design to the 35 Summicron IV, I'd imagine that the pre-asph is safe, but the 35 Summicron ASPH isn't. I also know that the CV 35/1.2 is safe. I'm not sure about any of the 35 Luxes.

 

I now only use the CV 15, Contax G 35, G 45 and G90 on my NEX-7, in terms of rangefinder lenses. The CV 15's shift is difficult to profile in CornerFix, so I've gone to mostly using the new Sigma 19 in its place. The new Sigma 19 and 30 are very good, especially the 30. It's almost too clinical and sharp, and I find myself being drawn back to my Contax G 35. It's kind of like debating a Leica ASPH vs. pre-ASPH (the Sigma 30 has aspherical elements.)

[TBL]

Douglas, do not stick with cornerfix, it is working but a hassle, slow, unfriendly... just not OK. take Capture One, and make a profile for each lens , and all goes away in one click. Swift, clean and easy. you even can choose if you want to keep or eliminate the vignetage (often nice to keep a bit of it).

 

I used PS, silkypix, ACR, LR3 (not LR4) and some other softs, but C1 is a nobrainer for a Nex7 (and for the M9 btw! LR3 did not correct for it , seems LR4 does so.)

[asoares]

 

The CV 15, ZM 35/2.8, ZM 35/2, and even the ZM 50/1.5 show some shift on the NEX-7. The Nokton 35/1.4 and Contax G 35 don't. Since the Contax G 35 is essentially an identical design to the 35 Summicron IV, I'd imagine that the pre-asph is safe, but the 35 Summicron ASPH isn't. I also know that the CV 35/1.2 is safe. I'm not sure about any of the 35 Luxes.

 

I now only use the CV 15, Contax G 35, G 45 and G90 on my NEX-7, in terms of rangefinder lenses. The CV 15's shift is difficult to profile in CornerFix, so I've gone to mostly using the new Sigma 19 in its place. The new Sigma 19 and 30 are very good, especially the 30. It's almost too clinical and sharp, and I find myself being drawn back to my Contax G 35. It's kind of like debating a Leica ASPH vs. pre-ASPH (the Sigma 30 has aspherical elements.)

 

Hi,

 

For the NEX 7 "knowledge base" I confirm that the Summicron 35mm v4 pre-asph shows no sign of colour cast.

 

Best,

antonio.

[peter_n]

And I can add that the v.1 pre-ASPH 35mm Summicron shows no color cast either.

 

I just got my NEX-7 and so far the Leica 24/2.8, Konica 28/2.8, Summicron 35 ASPH, Summilux 50 ASPH, Summicron 75 ASPH and Summicron 90 pre-ASPH all seem to work fine on it. The CV 15 has the color shift that everyone reports but is otherwise OK too.

[lct]

...The CV 15 has the color shift that everyone reports...

Color shift with this lens is reported by Jean-Marie Sepulchre, page 145.

[lct]

Sepulchre reports high vignetting and soft angles below f/8 as well.

[peter_n]

On the one shot I took with the CV 15mm at f5.6, angles like the corner of a page were well defined. I didn't see any vignetting but the color shift appears more noticeable in the corners. My copy of the CV is the newer version with the M bayonet and I have a Novoflex adapter.

[k-hawinkler]

No evidence of color cast with Nex-7 + WATE. These two samples are typical scenes where the color with some wide angles is terrible. With WATE, no issues:

 

 

 

Some more of my samples with WATE + Nex-7:

 

Nex-7 + Leica WATE: Sony NEX Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

 

Nex-7 + Summicron 35mm ASPH - slight color cast in some cases, not too terrible. Overall very good combination. This one taken in hazy light with the 35 Summicron:

 

 

Nex-7 + 50mm Summilux ASPH - absolutely killer combination. Resolution of the sensor + lens enough to count bricks in building if you need to. I do not have the skills to exploit the full potential of this combo, in right hands it can match any APS-C rig and compete very well with full frame:

 

 

With Zeiss ZM 25mm Biogon, Nex-7 can exhibit severe color cast under some conditions, that can be corrected easily as I show in this thread:

 

Nex-7 + Zeiss 25mm ZM With Cornerfix: Sony NEX Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

 

 

Thanks for the images. Excellent!

[RFNewcomer]

I recently acquired a NEX-7 as a digital alternative to my M7 and R9. I've only got one adapter at the moment, a Metabones one for M lenses; planning to get an adapter for my R lenses at some point.

 

I've been impressed with the NEX' performance with my Summicron 50 mm and Elmarit 90 mm so far. The much-vaunted EVF and focus peaking are good, but still pale in comparison to the M7's viewfinder and rangefinder focusing I find. The compact size and good performance of the NEX means that I'll probably be taking it along with me on a regular basis. But do I plan on it replacing my M7, no way! Just nice to have an alternative, especially for inside shots where my favourite film (100 ISO slide stock) can struggle.