[skierd]

Stemming from this thread:

Have I lost my marbles? Leica... - PentaxForums.com

I've dropped a few marbles and think I'm going down the Leica path. I don't plan to buy a digital M any time soon for various reasons, but if I'm spending this kind of money on film lenses I want to be able to use them digitally too.

The obvious choice would be a Sony A7ii, I don't need the extra megapixels of the R nor the cost. Since there's no other FF options and I can't afford two $1000+ combos right now, I'm looking at aps-c bodies to get by. Fuji vs Sony in particular.

I'm thinking either the a6000 or XE2s. Maybe an XPro1, but I don't think I want to go that far back in sensor tech.

I do some portrait work, lots of landscapes and slow-moving wildlife with mainly telephoto lenses now. Fuji's lens lineup looks the best, but I'm not sold on the x-trans array and use Lightroom 6 for editing. I'd eventually like a good medium range fast AF tele for day to day work as my 50-135 is my current workhorse. I'd probably get the body only and eventually the Fuji 50-140 or the Sony 70-200 f4, using adapters for my manual K and m42 and M glass to start.

Point me in a direction. Or get the pitchforks.

[AtitG]

why not buy the original a7 for your leica lenses?

[thazooo]

It's fun using adapted lens, at first. It got old real quick for me and now hardly adapt lens.

[BigMackCam]

I have an A7 Mark II that I use primarily for old, adapted Russian M39, M42 and K-mount and Nikon lenses. It's perfect for that purpose, and the built in "SteadyShot" stabilisation makes a big difference. I'd recommend it on that basis. The original A7 is decent too (though missing SteadyShot), and would be my next recommendation if the the A7II is out of budget. Cropping to APS-C gets you 10 mega-pixel images on either of those, which is enough for most purposes, and means you have the option of full frame or APS-C for your lenses. The A6xxx series are also very good, but APS-C only, of course.

I still use M42 and K-mount manual lenses on my K-3, but not often since getting the Sony. The focus-peaking and magnification in the A7II's viewfinder makes manual focusing so much easier. Live View works well enough on the K-3, but I don't find it as convenient. However, quite a few members here get great results using a Hoodman LCD loupe (or similar). I'm considering getting hold of one, as I'd love to make better use of adapted lenses on my Pentax gear...

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Last edited by BigMackCam; 04-11-2017 at 01:53 PM.

[jlstrawman]

I have an A7 Mark II that I use primarily for old, adapted Russian M39, M42 and K-mount and Nikon lenses. It's perfect for that purpose, and the built in "SteadyShot" stabilisation makes a big difference. I'd recommend it on that basis. The original A7 is decent too (though missing SteadyShot), and would be my next recommendation if the the A7II is out of budget. Cropping to APS-C gets you 10 mega-pixel images on either of those, which is enough for most purposes, and means you have the option of full frame or APS-C for your lenses. The A6xxx series are also very good, but APS-C only, of course.

I still use M42 and K-mount manual lenses on my K-3, but not often since getting the Sony. The focus-peaking and magnification in the A7II's viewfinder makes manual focusing so much easier. Live View works well enough on the K-3, but I don't find it as convenient. However, quite a few members here get great results using a Hoodman LCD loupe (or similar). I'm considering getting hold of one, as I'd love to make better use of adapted lenses on my Pentax gear...

+1 Mike. I have the A7, had the A7 II, have the a6000, and have an NEX-3. They all are a blast to use, for ME. For me, the larger range of available lenses make it worthwhile. I adapt Canon FD,
Minolta, Konica, and Olympus lenses. With the proper adapters, I can use these lenses on all the Sony e-mount bodies, and on my Panasonic GH-2. The number of body / lens combinations
keeps it interesting from day-to-day. My mint Sony a7 with less than 1000 clicks, for less than $700, was a bargain, IMO. In summary, I find the Sony e-mount bodies to be a great companion to my Pentax K-1.

[Sliver-Surfer]

I have a Fuji xt10 and a Sony A6000 and the Sony is so much better for Manual Lenses
-Better viewfinder
-better build(my fuji is falling apart while Sony a6000 still looks new)
-You can get more types of adapters
-All buttons on right side so left hand can control lens
-Better handling/leverage for manual focusing

[pinholecam]

You do know that the thick sensor stack of the A7 series of cameras causes edge softness with the older RF lenses?


If you want FF, and not a Leica M, then the choice is the A7 series.
The A7II is the one to go for as it has solved/minimized the sensor reflection issues, and color casting on corners w/ RF lenses.
To get more sharpness back, you'd have to send the camera to Kolari to mod it. (pls do a search on this "Kolari thin filter conversion")
I have this conversion on my A7 and it does improve edge quality on many legacy RF lenses (as well as SLR ones).
However, this is not a cure-all and it improves some lenses more than others.
The biogon designs are not usable on the A7 for example.


To avoid this with the A7 cameras, you can opt for modern RF lenses, often the ones from Voigtlander which they designed to cater for this thick filter stack.
Basically, you have to do your homework on what is suitable and what's not.


The other route would be a NEX or Fuji.
I've heard mixed results with the Fuji and never seen much talk about this, so you better research more on this.
The NEX cameras also have a series of issues with old RF lenses like the A7.
From what I have gathered from those who play around with several systems, they found the GXR M module to have been the best crop camera to use the RF lenses with (ie. least IQ issues)

For the apsc route,
GXR, CV12 or CV15v1; 28mm/35mm of some sort and a 50mm will complete a simple walkabout kit, even with the crop factor.

For FF route.
A7s or A7II - Kolari modified : CV12, CV15vIII; CV21; Canon ltm 50/1.4/CV50/1.5; Elmar 50 (the Lux 50 actually has some sharpness issues with A7).
I don't recall a RF 28mm/35mm that plays that well with A7 series (so folks often opt for the native options)

[reh321]

You do know that the thick sensor stack of the A7 series of cameras causes edge softness with the older RF lenses? ...

Personally, I've never worried that much about edge sharpness. I intentionally frame my pictures to put the important stuff in the center. People talk about doing things to focus attention on the important part - making that part the sharpest is a wonderful step in that direction.

[pinholecam]

Personally, I've never worried that much about edge sharpness. I intentionally frame my pictures to put the important stuff in the center. People talk about doing things to focus attention on the important part - making that part the sharpest is a wonderful step in that direction.

Depends....

If its a few thousand dollar Lux 50 or even a $800 Zeiss Planar you'd probably expect more.


And if you have ever had the A7 series with some of these RF lenses, the edges are so badly smeared... well.... its really rather bad.

[skierd]

Back to top...

Leica M-E's are down in the neighborhood of affordability. I am aware of the sensor issues, but I either want one with a new sensor or with a bad sensor that will go back to Leica for replacement (I plan to make this switch before the August cutoff for free replacements for cameras not purchased new). With the canon 35 1.5, a 50 'cron, and a 90. Add a Visoflex and the 280 and 400 and I could do probably 95% of what I like to do currently.

Or an A7, kit 28-70, and FE G 70-300. Bonus is I get to keep using my 55 1.8 Takumar, and may actually use it since it'll be easier to use.

Or maybe I should just funnel it all in to a K-1, the limited trio, and a 70-200 or 150-450.

[TomB_tx]

My M9 has just shown the first signs of sensor corrosion, which they will still replace for free (7 years after I bought it), but it is likely to take 4-6 months because of all the folks wanting to beat the August deadline. I do have an A7, and have gotten some very nice pictures with Leica M lenses down to 35 mm, but I agree the edge smearing can be an issue. I mainly use the A7 with my collection of Pentax-M lenses, and the 20 f4 is a joy to use on it. I also use it with various old SLR lenses, including Leica R 250 & 400, which work very well on it.
But I'll miss the M9, though I also shoot a fair amount of film on my film M cameras. I may well gat an M10, if I can find one before my M9 gets back.