The latter probably. I don't hesitate to use the 90 wide open for landscape photography. Here are three 100% crops at f/2 and a distance of about 10m. The left one is the pre-ASPH 90 Cron and on the right is the AA:
A:
B:
C:
It looks like you are having some really bad luck with the gear I've had only problems with two out of ten lenses that needed adjustment - the 75 Cron and the Zeiss 35/2 Biogon.
Edit: Included corner crop and full image.
Edit 2: I used focus bracketing on those test shots (4 shots per aperture & lens) and picked the sharpest one - just to be sure that there was no focusing error.
Thanks Luka. The images of my 90 AA look a lot more like your AA and not like your V3. So I assume everything is probably alright. There is just a significant improvement when I stop down with my lens. At least in your close distance test I see the same effect (in zone C and B). And also in your far distance shot in zone c between f/2.0 and f/2.8.
I'm pretty sure that my 100 MP is better in this regard, but a comparison between different systems/sensors is always difficult.
By the way I like the Summicron, but at the moment I prefer the characteristic of the Zeiss MP.
Ok, Boris, I did a test now with the 100 MP & 90 Cron because the points we brought up are contradictory:
B1) The 90 AA @ f/2 is as sharp as the 85L @ f/1.2
B2) The 90 AA is much softer than the 100 MP @ f/2
L1) The 90 AA @ f/2 is sharper than the 100 MP @ f/2
Z1) The MTF charts show that the 90 AA should be sharper than the 100 MP @ f/2
I thought the best way to resolve this is to do a test, but I think that B1) already shows that there's something wrong. I've had the 85L and it's not particularly sharp at f/1.2 - much, much softer than what I get from the 90 AA and the 100 MP.
Anyway, the test setup, focusing distance 1.5m:
The 5DII was focused using live view while I focus bracketed the 90 AA shots. I'll only show the center crop here as it's near impossible to assure that the focal plane is exactly parallel to the subject (and therefor the there may be focus variation at the edges).
100 MP:
90 Cron:
The difference between f/2 and f/5.6 is greater in the 90 AA case, but that can be easily explained - the 5DII has an AA filter that limits the lens. The M9 doesn't suffer under such restrictions and you can use the lens to its full capacity, only limited by sensor resolution.
The 90 AA shows much higher micro contrast at both apertures but that is also probably a combination of lens and sensor.
Now, there are other possible solutions relating to the specific copies:
1) Your 100 MP is extraordinarily good
2) Your 90 AA is extraordinarily bad
3) My 100 MP is extraordinarily bad
4) My 90 AA is extraordinarily good
I think we can eliminate 1) and 4) on the basis that the supernatural doesn't exist. You can get a bad copy of a lens, sure, but hardly one that significantly exceeds its optical design.
3) That my 100 MP is extraordinarily bad, is possible, but unlikely as I've compared it to a bunch of other lenses that are comparable. If it's bad then my Canon 100 Macro, my 50 MP and a bunch of other lenses would also have to be bad.
Which leaves 4 - that there's something wrong with your 90 AA as the most likely candidate. Or simply user error. It's a new lens, 90mm isn't the easiest thing in the world to focus and it's quite possible that you simply missed focus. The only way to be sure is if you perform a test like the one above on your copy of the lens.
Thanks Steve Wow..excellent moody street shots! No temptations with the 50 Nocti
Edwin, really like your second shot!
LL, nice shot!
Boris, congrats on the 90 Cron AA!! Nice shots The 90 Cron AA, can be prone to focusing issues. My copy was sent twice to Solms, and is now fine, but it did lead to a lot of frustration. At first I thought it was my technique, and it was in part to blame, but there was a difference is cam positions, depending whether I focusing towards infinity or MFD. This has been now repaired.
Also having had the ZE100MP with the 5DII, I did find the 100MP to be very sharp, beautiful lens in everyway, I now prefer the IQ output from the 90 Cron AA/M9 IMO.
I also think due to fact the focusing throw on the 90 Cron AA is different, than the earlier versions, and I found the 90 Cron V3 much easier to focus.
Ashok, as it happens, I can answer it exactly. I got the same question a couple of days ago in a different thread and I took a look at my Lightroom database:
What is not included above are my film shots, but it would only a small contribution.
denoir wrote:
Ok, Boris, I did a test now with the 100 MP & 90 Cron because the points we brought up are contradictory:
On a side note, Luka, I never would have pegged somebody with a technical background like you to be a fan of such an abstract artist as Kandinsky (assuming those are Kandinskys - they are a bit OOF)...
A few fun shots - I was told by the organizer that they had tried to (as faithfully as possible) put every sea creature at the appropriate relative depth compared to the others (obviously the sea urchin is on the "floor"):
Wonderful shots in the last few pages. Been away from the camera for some time.
Went on a whirlwind tour of the Eastern Sierra (Mono Lake / Lee Vining area) for a day trip. Took the Summilux 24 along. What a lens!! For landscapes, the rendition reminds me of the Distagon 21, without the distortion and with better micro contrast.
Charles, very nice set with the 24 Lux. Great colors in the first shot - yellow is usually the weak point of sRGB, but it really looks great here. I also really like #3.
Mike, nice "fish" shots
Ajay, great set from mono lake - #2 & #3 are my favorites.
KL, excellent shots - my favorite is #2.
corposant wrote:
On a side note, Luka, I never would have pegged somebody with a technical background like you to be a fan of such an abstract artist as Kandinsky (assuming those are Kandinskys - they are a bit OOF)...
Yeah Mike, it's Kandinsky (or to be precise an oil reproduction).
Engineers being interested in art is unusual in general I guess, but probably not so unusual for people interested in photography. However for somebody in an interested in both engineering and art, I'd say that a fondness for Kandinsky is rather logical. Kandinsky was one of the founders of the Bauhaus school. Their idea of form following function is very compatible with the type of minimalist ideals found in engineering. My whole apartment is actually decorated in Bauhaus style with primarily Le Corbusier furniture and various details (lamps etc) by other Bauhaus designers. So the choice of Kandisky is in that context very conventional.
By the way, I'm sure I don't have to mention this but a Leica M is also an example of Bauhaus design.
Charles, nice set.
Corp, interesting fish kites
Ajay, you are rubbing it in all the more. Adding to Charles and Seekuh's 24lux shots just added to the want list
KL, i like the 1st flare shot of Marinabay Sands
Luka, in my architectural design practice i also go for the "form follows function" principle...though i'm not fond of abstract that much The art that engineering work produces is simply wonderful
Luke - awesome chart!! Thanks for the scientifically accurate response
Edwin - Beautiful pictures of your beautiful daughter!
Ajay - great shots, I like the tree - it looks very 3D. One of the problems I had when I had my 24 lux was wanting to always shoot it wide open
Singletrack--nice shots, always like Singapore pictures!
Charles - I especially like #3
I've had only problems with two out of ten lenses that needed adjustment - the 75 Cron and the Zeiss 35/2 Biogon.
Wow..excellent moody street shots! No temptations with the 50 Nocti
