Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

Home · Register · Search · Software · Hosting · Software · Join Upload & Sell

FM Forum Rules
Canon SLRs, primes, and zooms lenses reviews

FM Forums \| Canon-mount SLRs \| Join Upload & Sell
1 2 3 4 end

Archive 2011 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

RobertLynn
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #1 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

cputeq wrote:
RobertLynn wrote:
It is manual focus... Isn't it like 2011 now?

Shooting a nice manual focus lens is like driving a nice manual transmission car. You don't use it for the convenience but rather the experience of something different with a finely-crafted machine.

I guess...I enjoy driving manual tranny.

Not so much manual focus lenses when I the vf sucks, and I can't hit a damn thing.

I just don't see the point, and yes I know there are some canon mf offerings. They are also lenses that are intended to be used in situations where you have plenty of time to shoot and play around with it.

Dec 15, 2011 at 04:17 PM

Depp
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #2 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

Probably just preaching to the choir....

There are those who don't have any problem with view finders and manual focusing.
Modern AF lenses which have a short focus throw,aren't as user friendly as MF lenses with longer focus throw.
Typically when manually focusing,it's easier to use a MF lens.
If all one has with them are AF lenses,there are still times that require manual focus.
So it's best to keep one's manual focus skills sharp,even with AF lenses...
To keep shooting speed up,use trap focus as a starting point and fine focus from there,if needed.

Dec 15, 2011 at 05:10 PM

RobertLynn
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #3 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

Maybe that's what it is, like I've tried mf with my non tse-L lenses.

It seems like there's one rib of adjustment that it's in, but one more rib and it is out.

Dec 15, 2011 at 05:38 PM

artd
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #4 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

Before dismissing manual focus as a relic of a bygone era, I'd suggest reading Mr. Cicala's article on Lens Rentals (http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/10/notes-on-lens-and-camera-variation) which demonstrates how autofocus is not the end-all-be-all of accurate focusing.

Generally speaking, AF is usually "good enough" in most circumstances but it is by no means as consistently accurate as manual focusing with live view. If I actually take the time to set up on a tripod, why would I not want to take an extra few seconds to manual focus and make sure I have the most accurate focus possible?

In circumstances where the absolute best possible image sharpness is more important to the photographer than being able to quickly lock focus on a target (i.e. the target market for Zeiss lenses) then a lens that is designed purposefully to have good manual focusing action is certainly desirable.

Dec 15, 2011 at 07:55 PM

Mescalamba
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #5 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

Yea and one more thing, AF even tho its slower is actually usually more accurate on mirrorless cameras (I guess cause theres a lot less things that needs to be aligned and linked together). Wierd huh?

Dec 15, 2011 at 10:23 PM

mpmendenhall
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #6 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

By Monday or Tuesday, I should know how sharp this supposedly extra sharp copy actually is.

With a native Canon mount and electronically controlled aperture, this will be one of the most automatically-controlled lenses I own

Dec 15, 2011 at 10:35 PM

RCicala
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #7 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

I would suggest for anyone who wants to experiment with how much autofocus varies, get a nice flat wall or something so there's no question where the AF point is and a wide aperture prime (f/1.8 is probably enough). Spin the focus ring to infinity and let the camera autofocus. Spin the focus ring to close up and let the camera autofocus. You'll rarely get exactly the same focus plane. Do the same thing multiple times in Live View and for most of us, it will be more accurate.

Don't get me wrong, I use AF most of the time cause I'm old and lazy and it's almost always good enough. But if I need critical focus when the depth of field is narrow, it's live view every time for me.

Dec 15, 2011 at 10:56 PM

RobertLynn
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #8 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

Live view is almost always more accurate, with af than af through the. Vf. I cannot recall what someone told me, like it's phase af detection or some crap.

I'd be interested in seeing fully manual focus wedding, like the entire wedding, from pre ceremony to post dances, the whole gallery.

In all seriousness, aside from jobs where you've got all of the time in the world (tse market), I have no idea how you guys can have the patience for manual focus.

Dec 15, 2011 at 11:07 PM

artsupreme
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #9 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

Dec 15, 2011 at 11:31 PM

mpmendenhall
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #10 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

RobertLynn wrote:
In all seriousness, aside from jobs where you've got all of the time in the world (tse market), I have no idea how you guys can have the patience for manual focus.

For some of us, it's not a job. Since photography is a hobby for me, I'm not under time pressure or pre-determined requirements for ``must-get'' shots. I can take my time and enjoy what I'm doing.

That said, I don't feel that manual focus has particularly slowed me down much compared to when I shot with all AF lenses. I usually spend a lot more time planning and framing shots than the last couple seconds needed to tweak the focus. Add in not needing to fiddle with focus point selection or wait for a confused AF system to rack the lens all the way to MFD and back, and I'm often able to shoot much more confidently at the moment I "see" the shot I want. I will be continuously, subconsciously pre-focusing the lens to approximately the right position much more ``intelligently'' than an AF system would do, so I'm rarely caught off-guard by my camera.

Dec 15, 2011 at 11:42 PM

artd
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #11 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

RobertLynn wrote:
Live view is almost always more accurate, with af than af through the. Vf. I cannot recall what someone told me, like it's phase af detection or some crap.

I'd be interested in seeing fully manual focus wedding, like the entire wedding, from pre ceremony to post dances, the whole gallery.

In all seriousness, aside from jobs where you've got all of the time in the world (tse market), I have no idea how you guys can have the patience for manual focus.
While I realize we live in a world where the emphasis is all on getting things done fast and instant gratification, patience has been a hallmark of photography since its beginnings. Like the landscape photographer who has the patience to stand out in the field waiting for the right light. Or the urban photographer taking long exposures of city scenes at night. Or the studio photographer who spends a bunch of time arranging the lighting on his subjects until its right. Or the macro photographer setting up caerfully to to get a very detailed shot. Or any photographer who has ever taken the time to set up a tripod, for that matter.

You recognize it is silly of course to suggest that a modern wedding photographer would shoot an entire wedding using manual focus (although in very rare cases I've heard it rumored some still do). But it is equally silly to assume that all photography demands the kind of instant focusing that wedding photography does. I have a friend who is an excellent wedding photographer and of course uses all the typical DSLR gear. But that doesn't stop him from shooting the occasional portrait or engagement photo with a 4x5 (and for really special clients an 8x10...I'm not kidding).

Why do so many photographers have such patience in today's world of autofocus? Because patience can produce great photographs.

Edited on Dec 16, 2011 at 04:22 PM · View previous versions

Dec 15, 2011 at 11:58 PM

SKumar25
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #12 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

RobertLynn wrote:
I'd be interested in seeing fully manual focus wedding, like the entire wedding, from pre ceremony to post dances, the whole gallery.

I'm no pro, but have shot a fair few events with MF only glass (24TSE II + Zeiss glass), including a wedding. It is possible.

Dec 16, 2011 at 12:10 AM

Lars Johnsson
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #13 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

SKumar25 wrote:
RobertLynn wrote:
I'd be interested in seeing fully manual focus wedding, like the entire wedding, from pre ceremony to post dances, the whole gallery.

I'm no pro, but have shot a fair few events with MF only glass (24TSE II + Zeiss glass), including a wedding. It is possible.

There are probably a lot more weddings that have been shot with MF gear than with AF gear

Dec 16, 2011 at 05:56 AM

pingflood
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #14 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

Lars Johnsson wrote:
SKumar25 wrote:
RobertLynn wrote:
I'd be interested in seeing fully manual focus wedding, like the entire wedding, from pre ceremony to post dances, the whole gallery.

I'm no pro, but have shot a fair few events with MF only glass (24TSE II + Zeiss glass), including a wedding. It is possible.

There are probably a lot more weddings that have been shot with MF gear than with AF gear

Believe it or not, there was a time before AF and somehow weddings were STILL shot, quite successfully even.

Friend of mine did 50-100 weddings a year with his manual film gear, and somehow not only survived but actually made some really nice large prints from the resulting negs too... crazy stuff!

Dec 16, 2011 at 05:57 PM

mpmendenhall
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #15 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

My early Christmas-present-to-self arrived today.

Quick testing shows I'm getting moiré/de-mosaicing artifacts from wide open on my 5D: a very sharp lens indeed, and with wonderful color and smooth bokeh too. Definitely a keeper.

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Dec 19, 2011 at 08:19 PM

Gunzorro
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #16 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

Congrats and Merry Christmas, Michael! Looks like a winner. Looking forward to your further photos with it.

Dec 19, 2011 at 09:11 PM

RCicala
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #17 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

Glad you like it Michael. And being as that lens was trained in the South it's probably having a little cold weather shock. Good to hear it's holding up OK :-)

Dec 19, 2011 at 11:31 PM

skibum5
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off

p.3 #18 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

mpmendenhall wrote:
My early Christmas-present-to-self arrived today.

Quick testing shows I'm getting moiré/de-mosaicing artifacts from wide open on my 5D: a very sharp lens indeed, and with wonderful color and smooth bokeh too. Definitely a keeper.

is that really pasadena?

Dec 20, 2011 at 01:48 AM

mpmendenhall
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #19 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

skibum5 wrote:
is that really pasadena?

I was wondering if anyone would notice

No, I'm out of town for research work --- the snow is in Los Alamos, NM, which has had several inches on the ground for the past couple weeks, and just got a new ~4" overnight.

Dec 20, 2011 at 03:03 AM

RobertLynn
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On

p.3 #20 · Crazy sharp Zeiss lens at LensRentals

pingflood wrote:
Lars Johnsson wrote:
SKumar25 wrote:
RobertLynn wrote:
I'd be interested in seeing fully manual focus wedding, like the entire wedding, from pre ceremony to post dances, the whole gallery.

I'm no pro, but have shot a fair few events with MF only glass (24TSE II + Zeiss glass), including a wedding. It is possible.

There are probably a lot more weddings that have been shot with MF gear than with AF gear

Believe it or not, there was a time before AF and somehow weddings were STILL shot, quite successfully even.

Friend of mine did 50-100 weddings a year with his manual film gear, and somehow not only survived but actually made some really nice large prints from the resulting negs too... crazy stuff!
No kidding... I never knew. I thought cameras were invented by Ashton kutcher and all had autofocus.
I had no ideal about the origins of photography. I also just found out they tore down the Berlin wall.

Lars Johnsson wrote:
SKumar25 wrote:
RobertLynn wrote:
I'd be interested in seeing fully manual focus wedding, like the entire wedding, from pre ceremony to post dances, the whole gallery.

I'm no pro, but have shot a fair few events with MF only glass (24TSE II + Zeiss glass), including a wedding. It is possible.

There are probably a lot more weddings that have been shot with MF gear than with AF gear
Lars Johnsson wrote:
SKumar25 wrote:
RobertLynn wrote:
I'd be interested in seeing fully manual focus wedding, like the entire wedding, from pre ceremony to post dances, the whole gallery.

I'm no pro, but have shot a fair few events with MF only glass (24TSE II + Zeiss glass), including a wedding. It is possible.

There are probably a lot more weddings that have been shot with MF gear than with AF gear
I dot know about that. It may have already changed, depending on the number of weddings now and people shooting them.

While I'm not saying that it's impossible to shoot a whole wedding in manual focus, I don't truly believe the number of keepers will be the same.

Like i said before, I think my frustration comes from my inability to shoot mf. No lens in my bag has a focus ring like a specific mf lens.

I just can't see the cost justification (ts e not withstanding) of the high price of these mf only lenses. I know the optics are excellent but it would seem that the costs should be lower out of production costs.

Dec 20, 2011 at 03:14 AM

1 2 3 4 end
FM Forums \| Canon-mount SLRs \| Join Upload & Sell 1 2 3 4 end