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Archive 2013 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron

  
 
Jochenb
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p.13 #1 · p.13 #1 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


Thanks Jordan. I prefer the bokeh of the PL so far.


Mar 11, 2014 at 01:33 PM
bobbytan
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p.13 #2 · p.13 #2 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


Aquarium Set 1.



























Mar 11, 2014 at 01:35 PM
bobbytan
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p.13 #3 · p.13 #3 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


Aquarium Set 2.



























Mar 11, 2014 at 01:35 PM
itai195
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p.13 #4 · p.13 #4 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


The full image of the yellow sign using the Fuji seems to have some weird repeating patterns on the sign. Probably not a lens issue, but it's not attractive to me. Was that a JPEG out of camera?

I have to say that in Jordan's comparisons thus far, I much prefer the PL rendering.



Mar 11, 2014 at 01:36 PM
FlyPenFly
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p.13 #5 · p.13 #5 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


Nice.

You would be amazed how much that trigger fish in the second to last picture costs...



Mar 11, 2014 at 01:42 PM
Jman13
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p.13 #6 · p.13 #6 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


I think it's aliasing caused by the reduction for web. Get the frequency just right and that'll happen. Nothing to do with the image (which looks fine). I did notice on the sign that I was closer on the PL shot, so that does account for some of the perception (that and the way it reflected). It will be fun to do some real 1:1 comparisons. (Rather than shots a week apart).

itai195 wrote:
The full image of the yellow sign using the Fuji seems to have some weird repeating patterns on the sign. Probably not a lens issue, but it's not attractive to me. Was that a JPEG out of camera?

I have to say that in Jordan's comparisons thus far, I much prefer the PL rendering.




Mar 11, 2014 at 01:57 PM
itai195
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p.13 #7 · p.13 #7 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


Fair enough, I can absolutely see that just being a position/lighting induced effect.


Mar 11, 2014 at 02:28 PM
Jman13
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p.13 #8 · p.13 #8 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


The funky pattern is solely due to the web reduction - it doesn't appear in the full size image at all.


Mar 11, 2014 at 02:37 PM
Jman13
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p.13 #9 · p.13 #9 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


So I shot a bunch after work today, and here are my impressions:

1) This lens is crazy sharp. At f/1.2, it is probably the sharpest f/1.2 lens I've ever seen. The Fuji is actually very close behind, but the Nocticron is sharper at f/1.2. By f/1.8, the thing is just razor sharp across the frame. (As a side note, the Fuji at f/1.6 is about the same sharpness as the PL is at f/1.2....so shooting for the same DOF will yield similar sharpness).

2) The most impressive thing aside from the truly outstanding sharpness is that it has truly outstanding contrast wide open. Honestly, the shots at f/1.2 look like most primes at f/4.

3) Bokeh is excellent, but you knew that already.

4) Now the downsides. It shows pronounced longitudinal CA on high contrast edges...significantly more so than the Fuji, and in line with most other very fast lenses. Shooting white text on a dark background is purple green heaven, though usually you can correct it.

5) Vignetting is pretty high at f/1.2.

Overall, it's a stellar optic, no doubt. I haven't processed much from my shoot, but here are two at f/1.2:

http://www.jordansteele.com/2014/one_way_railroad.jpg

http://www.jordansteele.com/2014/smoking_man.jpg



Mar 11, 2014 at 05:51 PM
jhinkey
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p.13 #10 · p.13 #10 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


jhinkey wrote:
Yeah - I'll find some time at the end of the week to try it again.
At close distances the 42.5/1.2 appears to be stellar. I'll post sample pics later on this week.



I had my 75/1.8 out today on my GX7 in bright sunlight and it was doing the same thing as the 42.5 did - starting out stopped down, then opening up to take the shot.
So I suspect what the GX7 is doing is limiting the amount of light reaching the sensor while it is sending image data to the EVF or LCD - I suspect because the update rate is not high and thus needs to stop the lens down to keep from saturating the image from the sensor.

That's all well and good, but I hope there are not any focus shift issues happening when the lens opens up to take the image after the AF system has done it's job with the lens stopped down.

I had trouble with the 42.5 achieving reliable focus wide open and I suspect because it was actually stopped down to f/2.8 or f/4 on my GX7 while the focusing was done and then opened back up to f/1.2 to take the image.

Very interesting.



Mar 11, 2014 at 07:15 PM
FlyPenFly
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p.13 #11 · p.13 #11 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


its a problem with pretty much every camera ever using a fast lens. I think the electronics packages will get better, cooler, and fast where mirrorless cameras no longer need to stop down the aperture.


Mar 11, 2014 at 07:27 PM
Steve Spencer
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p.13 #12 · p.13 #12 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


jhinkey wrote:
I had my 75/1.8 out today on my GX7 in bright sunlight and it was doing the same thing as the 42.5 did - starting out stopped down, then opening up to take the shot.
So I suspect what the GX7 is doing is limiting the amount of light reaching the sensor while it is sending image data to the EVF or LCD - I suspect because the update rate is not high and thus needs to stop the lens down to keep from saturating the image from the sensor.

That's all well and good, but I hope there are not any
...Show more

I doubt there will be focus shift with this lens. Two things should mitigate the issue. First the lens seems to be very well corrected for spherical aberrations which are what usually cause focus shift. Second, the short MFD and the optical construction suggest to me that the lens has a floating element (although I am not sure of that). Together these suggest that focus shift will be minimal.



Mar 11, 2014 at 09:08 PM
Jman13
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p.13 #13 · p.13 #13 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


I posted these in the Pen thread as well, but figured they should go here too. This lens really is quite brilliant. I'm wondering if it is actually a little too sharp at f/1.2 for portraits. Probably not.

http://www.jordansteele.com/2014/guitar_vet.jpg

http://www.jordansteele.com/2014/nationwide_sitting.jpg

http://www.jordansteele.com/2014/chloe_nocticron.jpg



Mar 11, 2014 at 09:30 PM
bobbytan
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p.13 #14 · p.13 #14 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


This review of the Nocticron and comparison with the 45/1.8 by Camera Labs is quite useful, but I find the bokeh comparison between the Nocticron, 45/1.8 and 75/1.8 to be particularly revealing and interesting:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panasonic_Leica_DG_Nocticron_42-5mm_f1-2_H-NS043E/Leica_Nocticron_vs_Olympus_45mm.shtml



Mar 28, 2014 at 08:09 PM
FlyPenFly
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p.13 #15 · p.13 #15 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


Would have been interesting to see infinity performance. The Oly 45 is not great close up, I think it's missing some glass.


Mar 28, 2014 at 08:27 PM
jhinkey
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p.13 #16 · p.13 #16 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


bobbytan wrote:
This review of the Nocticron and comparison with the 45/1.8 by Camera Labs is quite useful, but I find the bokeh comparison between the Nocticron, 45/1.8 and 75/1.8 to be particularly revealing and interesting:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panasonic_Leica_DG_Nocticron_42-5mm_f1-2_H-NS043E/Leica_Nocticron_vs_Olympus_45mm.shtml


Wow - my informal quick testing pretty much showed the same thing. The 42.5 is sharper in the center by a bit, but much sharper off-axis than the 45/1.8. My informal sticker price analysis showed the 42.5 is also much more dear than the 45/1.8 too . . . . I'll get the 42.5 some day!



Mar 29, 2014 at 02:13 AM
bobbytan
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p.13 #17 · p.13 #17 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


An m43 user review of this lens, for those may be interested:

Part 1:
http://www.mu-43.com/showthread.php?t=61546

Part 2:
http://www.mu-43.com/showthread.php?t=62355



Mar 29, 2014 at 10:40 AM
bobbytan
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p.13 #18 · p.13 #18 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


Steve Huff's take on the Nocticron:




Mar 31, 2014 at 12:25 AM
bobbytan
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p.13 #19 · p.13 #19 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


Steve Huff's full review here:

http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2014/03/31/the-panasonic-leica-nocticron-42-5-f1-2-lens-review-comparison/



Mar 31, 2014 at 12:03 PM
kwalsh
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p.13 #20 · p.13 #20 · PanaLeica 42.5mm f/1.2 Nocticron


I just got this lens ($1299 because box damaged from Unique Photo, what a deal!).

Sadly I'm too busy to do much of anything with it for a number of days, but I did a few quick shots and my oh my this is a piece of glass!

Particularly struck by the OOF rendering, and especially the foreground OOF rendering.

I was going to give this lens a pass, at least for a long while, but when I saw the $300 off deal I had to bite. My daughter (toddler) is starting to get a bit camera shy so a longer working distance than my 25/1.4 is sort of in order anyway. Needs a lot more shooting for a final verdict but so far validating all the reviews struggling to describe that something special about this lens. I think its got it, whatever "it" is...



Apr 02, 2014 at 09:17 PM
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