Zeiss and Voigtlander rangefinder lenses on a Nex 7

[merrill]

Greetings from Ireland. I have joined this forum simply because I have been 'blown away' by what I have seen, primarily on U-Tube videos, of the Nex 7. I am on the point of purchasing one but have a couple of questions about the lenses to use with it.
Along with a substantial amount of digital Canon gear, I have a Voigtlander R3M with a Zeiss ZM 50mm f/2 Planar and a Voigtlander VM 35mm f/2.5 Skopar. It is these M mount lenses that I was hoping to use with the Nex 7. However, while talking with a friend about these matters, he offered me his set of Contax G lenses - 28mm, 45mm and 90mm, which he no longer uses - at what seems to me to be a fairly reasonable price [£350.00]. What are the experiences of you all with any or all of these lenses?
Am I correct in my understanding that wide angle lenses, especially those 25mm and wider can often cause colour shift and corner vignetting on the entire Nex range of cameras? Does this apply to all wide-angles or just those of the Rangefinder variety?

I look forward to hearing from you.

TIA

Merrill

[peterottaway]

I have only had my Nex 7 with the LA-EA 2 adapter for a couple of weeks so my experience is rather limited. I have been using mostly my CZ 16-80 and Minolta 100-300 APO D lenses.

I also own a Contax G2 film camera with most of the lenses but which I will probably not be using on the Nex. For the following reasons

1. There is no quality converter available. I am not prepared to risk my lenses on "no name" converters from somewhere on the wilds of ebay.
2. Although the Contax lenses enjoy a good reputation as film lenses, all the reviews/comments coming through on various websites are they are poor performers on digital.
3. I have ordered a Novoflex MD adapter. And will probably buy an Olympus OM adapter to be able to use some of my older favourite glass, I have heaps of Minolta and Sony AF lenses which will work with the LA-EA 2.

The PhotoZone reviews certainly say that the Voiglander et al RF lenses are usable without generally being more than adequate performers. Both the Nex and the new Fujifilm cameras would appear to need telecentric lens designs to deliver their best.

So if you do buy a Nex 7 in the long run you will need to buy a Canon converter and or E- Mount lenses to get the best out of the camera.

[UrsaMajor]

Greetings from Ireland. I have joined this forum simply because I have been 'blown away' by what I have seen, primarily on U-Tube videos, of the Nex 7. I am on the point of purchasing one but have a couple of questions about the lenses to use with it.

Along with a substantial amount of digital Canon gear, I have a Voigtlander R3M with a Zeiss ZM 50mm f/2 Planar and a Voigtlander VM 35mm f/2.5 Skopar. It is these M mount lenses that I was hoping to use with the Nex 7. However, while talking with a friend about these matters, he offered me his set of Contax G lenses - 28mm, 45mm and 90mm, which he no longer uses - at what seems to me to be a fairly reasonable price [£350.00]. What are the experiences of you all with any or all of these lenses?

Am I correct in my understanding that wide angle lenses, especially those 25mm and wider can often cause colour shift and corner vignetting on the entire Nex range of cameras? Does this apply to all wide-angles or just those of the Rangefinder variety?

I do not have a NEX-7 myself (yet), but have been reading about it with the thought of getting one later this year. Several people here have purchased the NEX-7 and have posted their thoughts about it, so you may want to do a search through the past messages.

In addition, there was a rather extensive review of the camera by Michael Reichmann on "The Luminous Landscape" that covered using the camera for several months. (He subsequently bought it and has continued to use it since then for a high percentage of his photography, BTW.) The review article included shooting with Leica M lenses and with other wide angle legacy lenses. Among other things, he addresses the issues of CA, vignetting, and lens cast. You can find the article at:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/revie ... view.shtml

It appears that E-Mount adapters are available for almost any legacy lens, and that there are often several sources for a given mount, but the quality can vary quite a bit among manufacturers. Accordingly, some research would appear desirable before making a choice of adapter manufacturer.

With best wishes
- Tom -

[merrill]

Thank you, GC and UM for your very helpful responses. I'll do some more research and particularly have a look at the Luminous Landscqpe review.

[artington]

I have had the nex7 for several months and like it a lot. IQ is excellent when using decent lenses (in which category I cannot fairly count the 18-55 kit lens, although its better than most such lenses). I have used it with a variety of VM, ZM and LM lenses and have found that colour shift only becomes an issue with lenses of 28mm and wider. I have never been too prissy about corner sharpness so havent really analysed this. For me, the ability to use legacy glass is a huge boon and there are plenty of quality adapters from the likes of Cosina Voigtlander, Novoflex and Metabones. The latter do a Contax G adapter but looks a bit unwieldy. The problem with the Contax G lenses is they were designed for AF - MF was always a pain on the G1 and G2 and is apparently every bit as much if a pain on the adapted NEX. That said, the 45/2 is am legendary lens for good reason - extremely sharp, contrasty and slightly warm. I regret selling my G lenses, not least because the advent of MLCs has boosted their values significantly. £350 for the three is a real bargainprovided they are in good condition.

While I have an LEA-1 I only use it with the Minolta 135/2.8 as other SLR lenses tend to be largeish and unwieldy. However, the manual focus ability of the NEX-7 is outstanfing because MF Assist, with 10x magnification for critical focusing, can be done in the viewfinder. This opens the door for the use of the wonderful Zeiss and Leica-R SLR lenses, which are often a bit smaller than their AF equivalents. As Imention in another post I am currently using the outstanding (and relatively small) Leica-R APO 180/3.4 combined with their 2x APO converter on my NEX-7 for an equivalent focal length of 540/6.8. The great beauty of the NEX here is that, despite the relative narrow aperture wide open, focusing is easy because the EVF still shows a bright image. However, you do need a rigid tripod.