Paul Richman
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Anyone tried this lens on the A7r? I'm wondering how it would work with an E-mount extension tube, for macro (instead of its macro "goggles" adapter).....
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Leica 90mm f/4 macro for macro on A7r?
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EinsteinsGhost
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Paul Richman
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Yes, what you both say makes sense. I'm wondering if I could get high IQ 1:1 or close to that using more extension? The lens was not designed for that, so would IQ degrade with more extension? My guess is not, but DOF will become very shallow, which I guess would be normal for (close to) 1:1.
As I recall, you lose infinity focus with extension on this lens, right?
As I recall, you lose infinity focus with extension on this lens, right?
Tuloom
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Yes, DOF will be a 1-2mm sliver and you do lose infinity.
You are going to need a lot of tubes to get to 1:1 with the Leica 90mm--- 60mm of tubes, I believe. By that time, I wonder how much you would be degrading the image due to so many mechanical joints (tubes + the M adapter)? Something to consider on the A7r.
I think I'd suffer the the size of your 50MP or another, dedicated 1:1 lens before that.
Tuloom
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Yes, Shigzeo, I agree, but that's not my concern. I would be more worried about tube quality and the fact that using a minimum of two 30mm tubes and a Leica M adapter would add up to 3 mechanical joints and 6 mounting surfaces. That's a lot of joints to trust to get lens/sensor alignment right, especially with a $3500 lens.
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EinsteinsGhost
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Tuloom
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Yep, good point. Unless flat reproduction work, with such little DOF, it may well not matter. What tubes do you use?
I don't think sensor alignment should be too much of an issue with extension tubes. If you push the lens further from the sensor, it casts a bigger image circle, so you can be reasonably sure that you will cover the sensor with a portion of the image circle with good image quality.
This is a different scenario to simply adapting lenses, where the image circle cast by the lens at the adapted length is similar to the sensor size. Getting the alignment right is more important in those cases.
Paul Richman
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... Having thought about this, I agree that extensions will not degrade IQ. I've learned that true macro lenses (like my Nikon 105mm VR) compensate pretty well for light loss as 1:1 is approached, only degrading their wide aperture (f2.8) just a little. Very interesting. I don't think there's any compensation going on with the Leica 90mm Elmar-M.
For most of my macro shooting, I will continue to use the Nikon with my D800e. I get stunning results with that setup. But when I"m traveling, and hence only carrying my A7r rig, I still want the option to shoot pretty close up, so I think the Elmar M will suffice. I've used that lens on a Nex 7 and M9, and found it to be terrific there. And it's so very compact and light.
So, I picked one up this evening and tried it out. I was surprised to see definite CA in the images, especially in the corners, with or without extension. However, that is easily correctable with a simple checkbox in ACR. I have yet to decide if it's as sharp on the A7r as it was on the other two bodies. Time will tell....
BTW, B&H has a nice little "formula" with the description of the Kenko E mount extension tubes I just ordered:
"An extension tube increases lens magnification by an amount equal to the extension distance divided by the lens focal length. For example, adding a 25 mm extension tube to a 50 mm lens will give a magnification gain of 0.5X. Therefore, if the lens's original magnification was 0.15X, then the new magnification will be 0.15X+0.5X=0.65X."
For most of my macro shooting, I will continue to use the Nikon with my D800e. I get stunning results with that setup. But when I"m traveling, and hence only carrying my A7r rig, I still want the option to shoot pretty close up, so I think the Elmar M will suffice. I've used that lens on a Nex 7 and M9, and found it to be terrific there. And it's so very compact and light.
So, I picked one up this evening and tried it out. I was surprised to see definite CA in the images, especially in the corners, with or without extension. However, that is easily correctable with a simple checkbox in ACR. I have yet to decide if it's as sharp on the A7r as it was on the other two bodies. Time will tell....
BTW, B&H has a nice little "formula" with the description of the Kenko E mount extension tubes I just ordered:
"An extension tube increases lens magnification by an amount equal to the extension distance divided by the lens focal length. For example, adding a 25 mm extension tube to a 50 mm lens will give a magnification gain of 0.5X. Therefore, if the lens's original magnification was 0.15X, then the new magnification will be 0.15X+0.5X=0.65X."
The further the lens is from the sensor the less critical alignment will be.
It is extremely critical with adapters for very wide angle lenses at infinity.
Paul Richman
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will do, as soon as I have some that are worth posting. I will put them in a new thread then.
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Paul Richman
Pixels By Paul
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Paul Richman
Pixels By Paul
Hi all,
I am using a Sony A7r with the Leica Elmar 65mm with what I think are good results. The setup uses the M-Viso-Nex adapter, easy to get on ebay for around us$28. The Elmar 65mm is attached to the OTZFO 16464k. It will focus to infinity and has given some very sharp macro.
I find it is a good compromise for street photography and macro as it is relatively short enough to substitute for a standard 50mm. The helicoid focus ring on Leica's are very well engineered, so smooth and solid that they are great to use. The Sony A7/Elmar MF combo. works well for me, fast focus, easy quick aperture change.
Closest focus is around 15mm. Adding the 16471J extension tube gets closer to about 7mm.
The lens shows no sign of CA.
This combo. is a lot of fun for less $$$.
The downside is it make for a big setup, but looks good.
Never tried the 90mm M-series but I routinely use the 60mm & 100mm R-series "Macro-Elmar" lenses. (The latter one - 100mm 1:4 - can be had for about 1/10 the price of the 90mm if your $3500 value estimate is correct.)
I like mine for product shooting. For true macro stuff like insects and such, I could see the extension tubes becoming somewhat of a pain in the neck. Particularly with the longer lens, which only magnifies to about 1:4 on its own (good news is, the focusing action is super-fine).
The degradation of "planarity" with 3+ mounting joints might be most visible for slide copying. (I tried it once - even got that special Nikon slide copying attachment - and was not very impressed with the process or the result.)
I like mine for product shooting. For true macro stuff like insects and such, I could see the extension tubes becoming somewhat of a pain in the neck. Particularly with the longer lens, which only magnifies to about 1:4 on its own (good news is, the focusing action is super-fine).
The degradation of "planarity" with 3+ mounting joints might be most visible for slide copying. (I tried it once - even got that special Nikon slide copying attachment - and was not very impressed with the process or the result.)
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