Thanks both! Yes, the autumn grey light can be challenging bordering to depressing. But itīs still light after all.

Anden, I presume that images is with wide open lens? Funny how such "slow" lens can produce such nice bokeh separation. Do you still have those beautifully coloured leaves in the trees? Our were torn of by three separate storms within a week three weeks ago. Almost seven months to new leaves. Must fill void with new glass! Zeiss? Please?

Unfortunatly, after getting this Vario-Sonnar to go with my 21ZE and 35-70VS, bag spiked with perhaps the 35/1.4 or 40mm Distagon, I find no reason to look for anything particular anymore.

Grey light is not too bad.

Yes the shot was wide open. Around 150 mm. Some leaves are still on the trees but tonight it has been really really windy so I donīt expect them to stay very long...

As for the kit. I have the 21, 35/1.4 35-70 and 100-300 + the 85/1.4. I really don't need anything else.

A

Alot of leaves are on the ground too...

One from New Years Day

Nice mood, Anden! I got a few of the 80% solar eclips this morning, with 100-300 VS ofcourse.

Thanks! Please post some. It was too foggy here...

Hi Anden - sweet sky...

For users of this long vario-sonnar, I have a question, since I have one of these lenses being custom mounted to Sony by Leitax. Zeiss say in their 100-300mm data sheet:

"As special types of glass with a somewhat higher temperature dependence have been used, a fixed infinity stop has been dispensed with."

Have you noticed any issues to do with infinity focus on this one? Infinity focus shots over large valleys is one of the main uses I have for this lens, and I generally like to trust the infinity stop, and often have little choice in poor light in any case.

Precise infinity stop is a finicky thing. Zeiss decision to push the infinity focus decision to the user is a clear sign of it. Itīs apparently impossible to fix the inf position on some lenses, the long VS being one of them. On my bodies I allways use live view focusing if I want to nail the focus placement. But this is the case with almost all my adapted lenses, nothing that I have noted especially with the long VS. But I have to admit that I find the accurate inf stop a pleasure to use with the 21ZE. Otoh the DOF of a wide angle lens is substantial compaired to a tele lens.

I would perhaps use the word characteristic in stead of issue in this case, and with all lenses where focusing by design go beyond infinity. If I get characteristics as very sharp and very low chromatic aberrations but loosing inf focus stop, itīs a net gain, at least for me. As this lens is "pixel sharp", it also allows one to note any imprecisions in focusing within the capabilities of the whole package.

A most illuminating read - thank you, Z250SA.

My contribution with this wonderful lens and 1Ds3.

Z250SA wrote:
These are straight from DPP without any improvements except a few clicks of brightness adjustment if needed. Downres to 1200x800 jpg-quality at 7. No cropping. 100-300 Vario-Sonnar on 5D2, wide open or f/5.6. Enjoy?






Mmmm, I know what that is!

Bump to keep this thread alive

Another bump to keep this thread alive as an owner of the self-same lens 100-300 VS.

Best way to keep lens threads alive is with smoking images, plenty of which we see above! I would love to contribute but David at Leitax is a very busy man these days...

Anyone here who owns this lens also has a moral responsibility to provide some more images and keep this thread alive.

I think this is my next lens. If I can decide if it's a better pick than the Minolta APO F2.8 200mm G HS.

The Minolta gives me fast AF and steady shot in my A850 as well as almost 2 stops... The Contax/Zeiss gives me more contrast and sharpness and 100mm more...

Out of curiousity, if I chip the lens, what FL should I be chipping it for if i want steady shot?

Any comparisons with the Sony 70-400G? How about some examples fron an A900/850 with a Leitax conversion.

Some photos of my recently acquired Vario-Sonnar 100-300.

This lens delivers really nice looking high resolution pictures.
Even with my Canon 550D.
It is a very well corrected lens, there are nearly no chromatic aberrations.

FlyPenFly,

Are you saying that the Vario-Sonnar is sharper than the Minolta 200/2.8 APO?

FlyPenFly wrote:
Out of curiousity, if I chip the lens, what FL should I be chipping it for if i want steady shot?

I think 100mm. At least I've read before that when SS overcompensates due to a too long FL, you'll get unsharp results. Of course you could program the chip at 200mm and just disable SS when you use the lens near 100mm.