Legacy Glass for the Sony A7 / A7R
I don't know about you, but ... I LOVE lenses with "character"! The images that
really inspire me are not the cold, clinical, "perfect ones", but ones that exhibit
warmth or that show a little "imperfection". I suppose that's why even though
I shoot digital, I still have such a respect for those who shoot film.
With a Sony A7R on order, I've been thinking a lot about what kind of
"glass paint brushes" (aka "lenses") it'd be fun to shoot with! How
about you? What kinds of glass are YOU looking forward to shooting
with on your A7 or A7R? What's your favorite piece of legacy glass
(or just your favorite lens) that you're anxious to try on a full-frame Sony?
Some of the glass I'm looking forward to shooting with:
1) Jupiter 3 50mm f/1.5 - this Russian lens was made between the 1940's to 1980's,
and was a pre-war clone of the Carl Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5 ... the colors,
the bokeh s is amazing, and it's got some very nice "pop" to it also.
2) Leica 50 Summitar - ahhh, the swirly bokeh of this lens (I LOVE IT, but
not everyone does... to each his own, right? ). One thing's for sure, this
lens has tons of character! And ... you can find them real cheap on eBay.
I think of it as my "Van Gogh" lens. The Summitar was designed back in the late
1930's. Mine is circa 1948 (pre-1950 models had 10-bladed diaphragms
that were later replaced by 6-bladed ones. I like the 10-bladed version
for bokeh). They began coating the optics after WWII. I've only used this on a
Leica M9, and can't wait to try it on the Sony A7r.
3) 35mm 1.2 Voigtlander Nokton Lens for Leica Mount f1.2 - this lens
I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with, especially at night! So fast ... and so sharp!
4) Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 Nokton Aspherical - love the 1950's influence
of this lens, and the way it draws.
5) Leica 35mm Summilux ASPH Lens f/1.4 - this one's definitely
got that etherial "Leica Pop", and that, along with the way it renders
and it's smooth bokeh has got me really looking forward to shooting
with it on the A7r.
Wish List:
a) The Voigtlander 21 1.8
b) Konica Hexanon 60mm F/1.2 - HA! (No, I don't own one of these
but a guy can dream, right?).
c) Leica 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux-M (someday maybe).
So... what about YOU?
Do you have some cool "Zeiss" glass or maybe some
classic Canon or Nikon, or ??? lenses that you're anxious to try?
What you are looking forward to trying on your
awesome new Sony camera? Oh, and if you're an NEX shooter,
what's are your favorite lenses?
I don't know about you, but ... I LOVE lenses with "character"! The images that
really inspire me are not the cold, clinical, "perfect ones", but ones that exhibit
warmth or that show a little "imperfection". I suppose that's why even though
I shoot digital, I still have such a respect for those who shoot film.
With a Sony A7R on order, I've been thinking a lot about what kind of
"glass paint brushes" (aka "lenses") it'd be fun to shoot with! How
about you? What kinds of glass are YOU looking forward to shooting
with on your A7 or A7R? What's your favorite piece of legacy glass
(or just your favorite lens) that you're anxious to try on a full-frame Sony?
Some of the glass I'm looking forward to shooting with:
1) Jupiter 3 50mm f/1.5 - this Russian lens was made between the 1940's to 1980's,
and was a pre-war clone of the Carl Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5 ... the colors,
the bokeh s is amazing, and it's got some very nice "pop" to it also.
2) Leica 50 Summitar - ahhh, the swirly bokeh of this lens (I LOVE IT, but
not everyone does... to each his own, right? ). One thing's for sure, this
lens has tons of character! And ... you can find them real cheap on eBay.
I think of it as my "Van Gogh" lens. The Summitar was designed back in the late
1930's. Mine is circa 1948 (pre-1950 models had 10-bladed diaphragms
that were later replaced by 6-bladed ones. I like the 10-bladed version
for bokeh). They began coating the optics after WWII. I've only used this on a
Leica M9, and can't wait to try it on the Sony A7r.
3) 35mm 1.2 Voigtlander Nokton Lens for Leica Mount f1.2 - this lens
I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with, especially at night! So fast ... and so sharp!
4) Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 Nokton Aspherical - love the 1950's influence
of this lens, and the way it draws.
5) Leica 35mm Summilux ASPH Lens f/1.4 - this one's definitely
got that etherial "Leica Pop", and that, along with the way it renders
and it's smooth bokeh has got me really looking forward to shooting
with it on the A7r.
Wish List:
a) The Voigtlander 21 1.8
b) Konica Hexanon 60mm F/1.2 - HA! (No, I don't own one of these
but a guy can dream, right?).
c) Leica 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux-M (someday maybe).
So... what about YOU?
Do you have some cool "Zeiss" glass or maybe some
classic Canon or Nikon, or ??? lenses that you're anxious to try?
What you are looking forward to trying on your
awesome new Sony camera? Oh, and if you're an NEX shooter,
what's are your favorite lenses?