ohsnaphappy Offline Upload & Sell: On
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I've been pretty passionate in my advocacy of the 58 1.4G. This lens has many critics, which I find frustrating because this lens is impossible to evaluate until you've worked with it yourself. It renders differently than anything I've ever shot with. I marvel at the bokeh and I'm not sure how Nikon achieved bokeh like this in the 50mm range. However, I need to state something I haven't said before publicly. I've been frustrated with the 58. At first, when you're just shooting things/people casually you're in awe of the bokeh. But after using this lens on a few paid gigs, where my results are very predictable, I was annoyed by the softness. You understand what I mean? When you're working professionally you have a very exact idea of the results before you've snap any pics, because you've done this before. But the 58 was delivering much softer results than I was accustomed to. So for the first time ever I made an AF Tune adjustment, chasing sharpness, and that helped dramatically. Shots at or above f2 are very satisfactory now. And at f2 the bokeh is still nice. But shooting at 1.4 to 1.8 isn't something I would recommend, it's too unpredictable for a paid gig where you absolutely need results. Which brings me to my final point. I've struggled to reach for the 58, even after the AF Tune, because I know the 85 and 70-200 give me superior results. I want sharpness more than bokeh when it come down to it, at last for my professional work. So the 58 has not come even close to being my preferred portrait lens. If you're the type of person who shoots slow, maybe you manual focus, maybe you shoot tethered, or maybe you're trying to make art, then this us the lens for you. You'll use nothing else. I did some self portraits with the lens and they were magical. But if you have a deadline, a schedule, and you've got a lot of work to do, and a lot of clients waiting, then the 85 will give you the kind of reliability you need. Plus the 85 has wonderful bokeh too. Sharpness + bokeh. I just can't ignore that. Anyway, I hate to say anything negative about the 58, because there's so much unjustified negativity about this lens already. If I was shooting my daughter around the house, my dogs, if I were traveling, or street photography, then this is the only lens I would. It's so artistic. But I need something more clinical, that I can count on, for my professional work.
Update: the contributors to the 58mm thread right here on FM have proven that some copies of the 58 are much sharper than others. Just take a look at that thread and you'll see dozens and dozens of sharp shots, wide open. I regret very much that I got a soft copy
The original Noct was plagued by this exact manufacturing issue. Isn't that interesting? So be sure to order from a good seller that will allow you to exchange your lens. Take your time and do thorough tests. Because a sharp 58 is a wonder
Edited on Nov 04, 2014 at 12:00 AM · View previous versions
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