Well, I haven't had a CZ21 for about a year, so can't really compare them head-to-head.
From what I've seen, I'd say that they are definitely in the same league. The CZ21 might have a bit more sharpness at 21mm, but the Nikon is certainly more versatile with the 14-24 range.
I also didn't see any of that annoying mustache distortion on the Nikon.
But this is all just anecdotal, since I can't compare them head-to-head.
I just bought Mike's G-EOS adapter.
When it arrives, I am going to meet up with fellow FM'er Brandon Mizar and take some
interior shots of the recently renovated Utah Capitol building using the Nikkor 14-24G on Canon 5D, 1DsMarkII, and 1Ds MarkIII. If any local CZ21 owner wants to join us - that would be great. We'll post some results on the ALT forum when we're done.
Cheers,
Scott
I have a rental 14-24 on the way to use with the adapter. Should arrive today or tomorrow. I'll be testing it on my 5D and a buddy's 1Ds3 and 1Ds2 (and if there's interest, I can test it on my 1D2n and my buddy's 1D3). I don't have any "high end" alternative wide glass with which to compare it but can do direct comparison's with my Sigma 12-24, Canon 24 TS-E and my buddy's 16-35 Mk2. Let me know if there's any interest in these comparisons. If so, I'll make sure I post my results.
Mike: Thank you very much for the G-EOS adapter and quick shipping.
Wayne: Thank you very much for the advice and the instruction sheet.
Mark: Thank you very much for making this all possible.
1st impressions: what a beastly combination (with 1DsMarkII)!
It's a good thing that I have a sturdy tripod and a strong back.
Will post some pics after I've had a little time to figure the adapter
and focusing out...and where the sweet spots are.
I would post the pics from last nights twilight excursion, but there was hardly any light...I had the adapter locked on 2.8 (shooting a cliff face)...and the Loritab (just came from the dentist) enhanced focusing didn't turn out to be...ah, quite as sharp
on review as I had felt it was at the time of capture. But - I had a good time, and that's all that matters.
And what the mailman really likes is that I'm not out hanging around the mailbox any more.
Cheers,
Scott
sorry if this isn't really on topic, but I've got a question regarding the use of the adapter. Is it possible to select apertures other than f2.8, f8 and f22 and if so how? Would this be easier with the future lever-adapter?
The adaptor controls the diaphragm steplessly, so (literally!) all apertures are selectable.
This week I've had to pull the plug on the people developing the lever version because they just weren't giving the job the priority it deserved. I have a working prototype that I'm touting around a number of precision fabricators next week with a view to getting things moving again. It's very, very difficult finding reliable people prepared to work on small scale projects like this.
Anon Moss: I'll sort your refund this weekend. Hope you get on with Mike's unit and the 14-24!
Do not trust any lead times given to you by a machine shop. Multiply that by 2 as padding.
We should join forces to better manage our supply chains. We are to a certain extent competitors, but the far bigger problem we face is to procure parts. I switched supplier for the same reason so let me know if you need my new supplier for your fabrication needs.
Great wedding venue . . . sounds like a viewfinder artefact caused by viewing the image through a small aperture: presumably this doesn't occur when the lens is wide open?
I find critical focusing by eye almost impossible with any 35mm lens wider than about 21mm: hence the AF confirmation chip. At 14mm, I can't help but think that anything smaller than f8 was overkill!
Thanks for the help Mark,
I just checked it, and yes - what I see through the viewfinder is crystal clear at 2.8, and as I slowly dial down to f16, the 'view' becomes progressively matte-like with the tiny black dots. This must be what I've read about where you have to focus and then stop down. I usually shoot with the focus confirm beeper off, so I hadn't noticed the AF confirm beep. I just checked that, and it is working.
I'm getting it - slowly but surely...
Cheers, Scott
Anon, that will happen with any lens (viewfinder darkens as aperture is dialed in) is shooting all-manually. This is why auto stopdown was invented (all composition is done wide open, no matter what is set on the aperture dial, and the camera, vie electronics or a pin/lever/cam arrangement stops the lens down in the moment of the exposure).
This is why I moved back to Nikon—when the Zeiss ZFs were released, I could set aperture and actually take the picture when I wanted to, rather than composing wide open, then setting aperture *before* exposing, which can mean a lost shot. Of course, for macro or any slow work, less of a problem. Enjoy your new adapter. cheers to all, KL
Sounds like you're sorted: stop-down metering quickly becomes second nature to view camera users: compose with the lens wide open, stop down to the required aperture (check DOF) and fire. The red dots and AF-beep will make a better job of telling you where you've focused than the relatively squitty viewfinder on a 35mm DSLR.
thanks, Mark, that looks good!, as I'd be interested in the 16 mm - 21 mm-range
So how do you correct it?
You wrote: "By default, they're EXIF coded for the 14-24mm f2.8, but the...."
If I understand correctly, the EXIFs have the information of the zoom range as well; example 15 mm or 19 mm.... this helps a lot when correcting distortion with software...
By interpretating correctly your tests, the 14-24 would be close to the Distagon 21 with the 1 Ds-2? you did mentioned, that it required the Mk 3 for seeing a difference...
That's right: I haven't published the 5D / 14-24 v CZ21 test yet, but that's pretty much the bottom line overall. The uniform barrel correction in the 14-19mm range is not problematic to correct: actually a simple Spherize does the trick perfectly for geometry, but PTLens makes a better job of retaining resolution.
Depending on which application you use, there may be a pre-profiled setting for the lens you're using. The app may read the EXIF and apply appropriate correction. Chip-encoded adaptors can only report a single focal length, so ours is encoded for the midpoint of a 14-24mm zoom.
If you're using a program with a module for the 14-24mm, it will only therefore apply at 19mm. So, no, you'll need to work out the correction settings and save them as presets. If I get a really rainy day, I'll work out and post the PT figures for 14mm and 17mm. But really, don't let that stop anyone else beating me to it . . . !
