p.97 #1 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Today:
Mint Auto-Rokkor PF 58/1.4 with old school 55mm chrome B@W filter (what a lens!) very similar rendering style to the MC Rokkor PG 50/1.4.
Mint MD Rokkor 50/1.4,55mm filter - I could not resist as it was cheap
Nikkor 105/2.5 AIS - last version which replaced my 105/2.5 AI without built in lens hood
Hoya HMC (Tokina made) 35/2.8 MD mount - my biggest astonishment of today.I would not have bought it but the guy that have sold me all the stuff above wanted to clear out all Minolta MD gear so I got a lens for 8 Euro.
Soon after coming back home I mounted it on the NEX5N and I could not believe my eyes how sharp and contrasty it is.Quick comparison with the best version of the 35mm/2.8 MD W.Rokkor (the one with the ring around front glass and 55mm filter thread) showed that the Hoya is sharper in corners wide open and up to f8 with only colour rendition being slightly worse.
I have had Tokina 24/2.8 and 28/2.8 before and they were decent but not as good as this Hoya.Maybe just a very good copy?
p.97 #3 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Just picked up a mint Nikon 85/1.4 AIS with declicked aperture ring. Here is one of my first test shots (sorry about the crappy flowers - it's fall now and I'm dealing with what's available until spring.)
My 600D can't do this lens justice. I'm looking to get a NEX-5N very soon.
i took a bunch of other comparison shots too, not sure where they are though.
Thank you.My short bokeh test of PF 58/1.4,MC PG 50/1.4 and MD 50/1.4 (55mm filter thread) at f1.4 done today confirms your conclusions.PF 58/1.4 has the funkiest bokeh,lowest microcontrast and sharpness of all.MC PG 50/1.4 is the best overall - the sharpest lens with the smoothest bokeh with only slightly worse microcontrast compared to MD 50/1.4.The MD 50/1.4 is very close to MC PG 50/1.4.
From f2.8-4 all that differences are flattening up,thoug for me MC PG Rokkor 50/1.4 is still a clear winner,followed closely by MD 50/1.4 with PF 58/1.4 being the last but not far behind.It is a very nice,solid and classy lens - a joy to use with the NEX.
BTW - my cheap MD 50/2 Rokkor with 55mm filter thread is as good as MD 50/1.4 Rokkor from 2.8 up.
p.97 #16 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
If anyone isn't aware, the dual mount is necessary because its very long focal length greatly magnifies vibrations which its extremely light weight does little to dampen. This, combined with slowness (f/11 fixed aperture) mean they are NOT easy to shoot with.
However, with a proper rig and patience, it can be quite impressive. No competition for a 5-figure supertelephoto like 800 f/5.6's or 600 f/4's, but it cost ~$1000 and is lighter than a 70-200 f/2.8, so...
I'll list the gear on the dual mount in case anyone is curious (and because it's interesting that it cost more than the lens, although I didn't buy it solely for this lens but rather during my experiments with video rigs).
The D700 is on a Really Right Stuff B2 LS II clamp screwed onto a Redrock Micro RRS-to-15mm-rods adapter (microRRS, I believe it's called). The lens is supported by a Zacuto Q Mount 15mm. The tripod head is a Really Right Stuff BH55, with a Really Right Stuff B2 AS II clamp, holding a Really Right Stuff B35 plate, screwed into a Cinevate cheese plate & 15mm rod clamp. The rods are Redrock Micro 6" Carbon Fiber.
May's "super moon." This is about a 40% crop (800x800 pixels that were originally 2048x2048). Poor atmospheric conditions prevented the lens from doing its best here.
Dec 01, 2012 at 08:06 PM
Dec 01, 2012 at 08:23 PM