{"id":6200,"date":"2023-02-10T18:44:07","date_gmt":"2023-02-10T17:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=6200"},"modified":"2023-02-11T00:18:42","modified_gmt":"2023-02-10T23:18:42","slug":"rangefinder-wide-angle-lenses-on-a7-cameras-problems-and-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/rangefinder-wide-angle-lenses-on-a7-cameras-problems-and-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"Rangefinder wide angle lenses on A7 cameras: problems and solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/h1>\n
\"rangefinder
Close up lenses of different strength<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In case you have read some of our reviews covering rangefinder wide angle lenses on this very blog you already know there are some limitations to be aware of and you might have also heard of the “Kolari”thin filter mod as a solution. But now, thanks to Fred Miranda<\/a> forum member HaruhikoT<\/a>, there is another way to use rangefinder wide angle lenses up to their full potential on A7 series cameras.
\nUpdate February 2023:<\/strong> guide to remove the shims on Voigtl\u00e4nder VM 35mm 1.7 Ultron added thanks to reader zhulinke + general update
\n<\/em><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n

Disclosure<\/h1>\n

Most of the work here was done by HaruhikoT<\/a>, who allowed me to use his photos and data for this post. He shared his incredible work for free and has no ambitions making any money with it, so we decided to not even use any kind of affiliate links in this article. We just want to spread the word and give fellow photographers around the globe the option to easily use their legacy rangefinder wide angle lenses up to their full potential. In case you are new to this topic I have again summarized the problems that might occur in the following section.<\/p>\n

Problems when using rangefinder wide angle lenses on A7 series cameras<\/h1>\n

There are quite significant differences between the different A7 cameras, or, to be precise, between the different sensors in the A7 cameras. But let\u2019s first recap, which problems might occur:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. color cast on the edges and in the corners<\/li>\n
  2. increased vignetting<\/li>\n
  3. \u201ccorner smearing\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Color cast and vignetting<\/strong> are mainly influenced by the sensor design. The A7r is the worst, the A7s(II) with its big pixels and the later models with BSI sensor fare much better. One also has to take into consideration that symmetrical wide angle lenses have quite \u00a0strong vignetting by design and, in this regard, are inferior to the retrofocus designs which are mainly used in SLR wide angle lenses. Still, even on A7s and A7rII you can see a color cast with certain lenses and stopping the lens down won’t help here, as can be seen in this example:<\/p>\n

    \"jupiter-12
    Sony A7s | Jupiter-12 35mm 2.8 | f\/11 | color cast | full resolution<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    There are options to correct this color cast, I discussed some of them in detail in this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n