philber Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Advice sell contax 135mm f2.8 and zeiss 85mm f1.4 for 135mm f2 apo ze | |
James, I have owned and shot every lens you mention. Basically, the 135 APO is nicknamed "the Otus without the name". Zeiss acknowledge that, opticaly, it is what an Otus is designed to be. The reason it came out as a ZF/ZE is that the Otus project did not exist at the time. So, if it is Otus performance you are after, and you wan t a lnoger focal length, 135 APO is the way to go. That said, it does not have the mechanical design of Otus (longer focus throw etc..). Also, the 135 APO does not have quite the same look as the Otus 55. The 55 I consider to be as close to "neutral" as they come as regards rendering. The 135 APO is more balanced towards highlighting sharpness, so its rendering can sometimes seem just a bit harsh/unflattering. Not for the faint-hearted, is you see what I mean...:-)
The Contax 135 cannot be compared to the APO, not in terms of sharpness, not in terms of absence of CA. It was not IMHO one of the strongest Contax performers, so you souldn't miss it if you do as outlined.
The ZE 85 is another matter. Yes, it has its flaws, essentially wide open and up close. But, say from F:2.8 on up, it is remarkable. Colours are fantastic, as is the amount of detail. Its rendering is quite different from a 135 APO. The 85 will give you beautiful, almost painterly pictures, whereas the 135 will show everything, almost mercilessly. In that sense, it can be closer to a 100Mp (less the CA) than to a 85ZE.
Pairing up the 50 ZE with a 135 APO is interesting because it would give you a choice of 2 rather different looks. Whereas today you have 3 lenses with an almost common look.
Hope this helps. Have fun!
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