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It’s not every day that we think about adapting luxurious Leica lenses to Sony cameras. But the truth is that when you do, you get the best of two worlds. You get great, full-frame image quality with some of the best lenses money can buy. Of course, you don’t always need to dish out lots of money either. So in this round-up, we’re focusing on good Leica M-mount lenses that we’ve reviewed (and we’ve reviewed a ton). None of them are from Leica, and we’re mixing it up with affordable and mid-tier prices. Considering adapting Leica lenses to Sony cameras like the Sony a7c. We had a lot of fun doing that.
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The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear that we’ve fully reviewed. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Pro Tips on Adapting Leica Lenses to Sony Cameras
Here are some tips of adapting Leica lenses to Sony cameras:
- Leica M-mount lenses come in all sizes and flavors. Here, we’re focusing on a few alternatives.
- Make sure you get a good adapter for these. A cheap adapter can be a bit loose fitting and won’t give you optimal image quality. A good adapter will mean that your lens doesn’t shake.
- Just because it’s a lens for Leica M-mount doesn’t meant that it’s going to be expensive. Only one lens in this roundup is over $1,000.
- Use focus magnification; Sony’s focus peaking is notoriously bad.
- Live a little; try shooting in black and white!
7Artisans 50mm f1.1
Why is it special?: The fact that it’s an f1.1 lens and there’s so little contrast will make this lens tough to focus. But if you have patience, you’ll be well rewarded when you nail the focus.
In our review, we state:
“Yup, there’s tons of bokeh here. The best bokeh from this lens obviously comes at f1.1 and when you’re focused closely to the subject. But given that this is a rangefinder lens, the closest focusing is around 3 feet. The bokeh is creamy, dreamy, gorgeous, there is so much to say about it that simply can’t be put into words. But in addition to that it’s also unlike any bokeh that I’ve seen before. Some say that this lens is a copy of a Voigtlander, but I’m not sure that I see that. Portrait photographers will surely be pleased here.”
Zeiss 35mm f1.4 ZM
Why is it special?: The Zeiss 35mm f1.4 ZM has great build quality, but it also boasts sharp images while having a low contrast and that token Zeiss “pop” to the photos.
In our review, we state:
“The bokeh overall is very creamy and beautiful. I’d even call it cinematic. For that reason, both photographers and videographers alike will like what the Zeiss 35mm f1.4 ZM can do on a full frame sensor.”
7Artisans 35mm f2
Why is it special?: The affordable price and the design being based on an older Leica lens is a great reason why you should pick this one up.
In our review, we state:
“The bokeh from the 7Artisans 35mm f2 is very nice to my eyes. It’s not what the f1.4 lenses that I’ve tested have, but it’s still very beautiful in its own way. This is partially due to the design and how subjects tend to bloom with light if they’re backlit. If you love bokeh, then you’re not going to really complain. Instead, you’re going to be more thrilled that you’ve got an affordable lens that can give you solid quality.”
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