douglasf13 wrote:
Just saw this little Sonnar write up. http://www.bmupix.com/journal/2012/3/17/carl-zeiss-c-sonnar-t-50mm-f15-zm-image-quality.html

So, the Sonnar has the most extreme curvature of field that the world has ever seen! That's exactly what I've been seeing.

cbcbell wrote:
There's also Ron Scheffler's blog, where he usefully compares the Sony 50/1.8 with the Zeiss ZM 50/2:

http://www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?p=98

And that Planar looks fantastic! I especially like the bokeh at distance, which looks very much like the ZF Planar.

i can volunteer to do a simple test this weekend, if there's interest. nothing serious probably since i'm limited in time these days. say 1 shot @ MFD (1m) + 1 shot at infinity on NEX 5n, for any combination of the following (pick ones you care about), and then post unprocessed full-res images

planar 50/2 zm
sonnar 50/1.5 zm
mplanar 50/2 zf
contax 50/1.7
summicron 50/2 rigid
summicron 50/2 col
summitar 50/2 col
summar 50/2 col
summarit 50/1.5
c-summicron 40/2
voigtlander 50/1.1
industar-22
industar 50
industar-61
industar-26m
jupiter-3

Generous gift of time! Planar and Sonnar ZM please!

personally I'd appreciate seeing the ZM planar, makro-planar, contax and rigid cron.

eosslr wrote:
i can volunteer to do a simple test this weekend, if there's interest. nothing serious probably since i'm limited in time these days. say 1 shot @ MFD (1m) + 1 shot at infinity on NEX 5n, for any combination of the following (pick ones you care about), and then post unprocessed full-res images

planar 50/2 zm
sonnar 50/1.5 zm
mplanar 50/2 zf
contax 50/1.7
summicron 50/2 rigid
summicron 50/2 col
summitar 50/2 col
summar 50/2 col
summarit 50/1.5
c-summicron 40/2
voigtlander 50/1.1
industar-22
industar 50
industar-61
industar-26m
jupiter-3


That would be awesome! What I'd want to see is a comparison at ~3-5 meters distance, with bokeh included.

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By the way, I'm picking up a 50/2 Planar on friday, so I'll do some sort of test between the Sonnar and the Planar then.

I'd like to see them all except for the Russian stuff...

i wanna see the j-3 compared to the zm sonnar in addition to what others have asked for.

ok. i will get the test shots done on sat and post back to thread

Today I picked up a ZM 50/2 Planar instead of the Contax 45, and from my initial shooting I think this is exactly what I've been looking for. It's everything that the Sonnar is not and I can immediately see the "Zeissiness" that I was after from the beginning. Sharpness is much better at f/2 than I expected, especially considering some slightly soft examples that I've seen from NEX cameras. Just a tiny bit of fringing, but still with high local contrast and it probably outresolves the 16 mpix sensor wide open if using a tripod.

I'll try to make some comparisons with the Sonnar and Planar tomorrow. Here's a teaser for now, wide open, handheld at 1/160 and ISO 400.

Nice.

Between this and other discussions I've made up my mind to go for the Planar myself. I think I actually want both, but for now I want the Planar for versatility and all the other things I love about my 18/25/35 ZMs.

Now I need to find one.

Makten wrote:

100% crop from the center. PP:d with an aggressive contrast curve of course, but the only sharpening is 25, 1.0, 25 in ACR (default).


What's the aperture? That's softer than what I've come to expect from my G45. Don't know that the difference is enough to be that meaningful, however.

The shot immediately above was done "wide open" according to the text.

Looks pretty good to me for f/2. I bet it'll look even better (in the corners specifically) on a GXR.

michaelwatkins wrote:
I think I actually want both...

So do I, but the Sonnar is just too expensive since I seldom shoot portraits or anything with shallow DOF. But it does have special qualities, no doubt!

Wide open on 5N, uncropped...

alwang wrote:
What's the aperture? That's softer than what I've come to expect from my G45. Don't know that the difference is enough to be that meaningful, however.

It's wide open and you should remember that this equals 36 mpix on FF. I don't think you can expect better from any similar lens (~50/2), regardless of price. If the Contax 45/2 is even better, that's awesome.

Edit: The exit pupil of the Planar is quite far away from the sensor; much farther than the Sonnar, so I don't think the GXR will make much of a difference in the corners.

the g45 is better in the center. the ZM planar has a flatter MTF but never hits the same level as the g45

Jim Buchanan posted this in another thread:

JimBuchanan wrote:
Me, too.

Look at the 40 line at f/4.0 out to the 1.5x crop at 14mm image height.

I just started playing with the Contax G 45 on the NEX-7, and, wow, I think I may have to get used to a longer focal length for my standard lens. This thing is a reference lens. Damn you, sebboh!!

Like Makten, I'm debating whether the ZM 50/1.5 is worth the cost to me right now. I like the lens, but it isn't something I use all the time. My SMC Tak 50/1.4 is also a good portrait lens, so I could always just use that in those situations. None of my ZMs perform as well as my Gs at the edges on the NEX-7, in terms of vignetting and color shift, so I'm thinking about an all G lineup, outside of the CV 15 with CornerFix for occasional wider stuff (I don't go wide that often.)

Makten wrote:
Edit: The exit pupil of the Planar is quite far away from the sensor; much farther than the Sonnar, so I don't think the GXR will make much of a difference in the corners.

Every bit helps, good to know.

Douglas: Maybe a GXR-II will tempt you all. It is on my wish list to be sure.

There even seems to be a little purple shift on the Sonnar with the NEX-7.

douglasf13 wrote:
I just started playing with the Contax G 45 on the NEX-7, and, wow, I think I may have to get used to a longer focal length for my standard lens. This thing is a reference lens. Damn you, sebboh!!


bwahaha.

the lens is just awesome when it comes to fine detail, i want to get the NEX-7 just to do it justice.

Are there problems or issues with the adapters for the Contax G lenses? I recall some gripes but not sure exactly what the issues are.... If they are minor, this lens may be next on my list.