Yes, it carries a lot of depth of field. Too much for my taste, in fact, but I think I prefer the step from 50 to 28 rather than 35 in the middle. I think that the 25/2.8 or the new 25/2 will not be to my taste. I used Bernhard's 25 this past weekend, and I missed some of the brilliance and depth of field effects of the 28/2. Now if only Zeiss would make a 28/1.4...
That would be a very large lens, Carsten! Congratulations on your acquisition. 28mm is indeed a sweet FL on FF IMHO. That is what Iw ill get with a ZM 18 on my NEX. It will be interesting to see if I like it, because it could signal the end of my 5D II plus ZEs...
Carsten - Gorgeous tree shots with your new 28. I can't believe the last shot is wide open. It looks quite detailed. I don't see much vignette. Did you correct vignette?
Philippe - I will not only miss your 35/1.4 shots, but will miss your 50 /1.4 ahots and 85/ 1.4 shots.
Thanks, everyone! Yep, I double-checked that last shot. I also thought it might be shot at a greater aperture. Once you focus a bit further, it has a lot of depth of field. About vignetting, I didn't correct for it. The lens has some, not as bad as the 35/2, but keep in mind that these shots are cropped to 4:3, which I prefer to 3:2, so the extreme corners are gone.
Philippe, have you seen Jonas' comparison between CV35/1.2 and Leica 35/1.4 Lux ASPH I? Quite a difference (although the CV35 looks quite nice). I am also not sure that it makes sense to get rid of lenses which you got such wonderful results with. It is all about the lenses in the end, when sensors get good enough.
No, I have not seen Jonas's comparison, and a search through FM did not get me to it, Carsten.
Regarding my getting rid of my DSLR, I am not there yet. 3 conditions need to be met before that can even happen. But I would argue with you that the lenses are priority N°2. Getting the camera in front of the subject matter is N°1. I am going to the Far East on Friday, with time to spare over the weekend. And frankly I don't see myself boat-anchoring my 2-week trip with 5DII and 2 lenses plus a sturdy tripod, and the frustration of leaving another 2 fine lenses at home. Whereas my NEX plus 4 lenses and lightweight tripod will be a piece of cake...
I don't know, I think the 5DII plus 35/1.4 and 85/1.4 could go a very long way, without tripod. Anyway, your choice. I agree that putting the camera in front of the scene is more important than lens choice
I love your third shot, Varsten, but the first one is a sheer delight! And with a lens that I didn't get more than a handful of "wow!" shots from, too! Which goes to show that it is the talent first and foremost...
The 100MP stopped down to f/4-f/5.6 and stitched clearly has better image characteristics than the 28/2 wide open, but yeah, it does have a similar feel. The 25/2.8 has a lot more depth of field, and is a completely different beast. The coming 25/2 will be a little closer, but I expect it to feel more like the 21/2.8 than the 28/2.
I am not much of a wide user. 28mm feels right to me, which is probably why I get good shots with it. 18-25mm is real work for me, except that occasionally the 21mm is just right, like in the Fleischfabrik recently. I really love working with a 35mm, but I have to admit that it feels like a tweener to me. I will get the 35/1.4 at some point, but 28/50/85-90 or 28/50/100 is my preferred set.
Btw, check out that boke in the second shot The 28/2 can be pretty wild, although most of the time it is well-behaved.
carstenw wrote:
Btw, check out that boke in the second shot The 28/2 can be pretty wild, although most of the time it is well-behaved.
Interesting shot
I haven't tested my ZE 28 for that kind of busy background yet but for me it's 'smooth' enough compared to my Canon FD 28/2 and Nikon 24/2 which have a very wild wild bokeh for that kind of shot
Yeah, but at the same time all lenses (especially Zeiss) have a point at which the frequency and contrast of the BG phases with the DOF OOF blur and goes nuts. Of the 250+ lenses that I've tested so far, they all do it. There's isn't a single one that doesn't. But when zeiss lenses go noisy they really go - more than most other lenses - comparable to the worst Nikkors. Many Nikkors (IMO) are considered worse only because the variations (conditions) are more numerous under which it goes off - not all of course, but some.
I think for just about all lenses this kind of noise can be considered the fault of the photographer. It's part of knowing and knowing how to use, the equipment and interacting with the scene elements.
akul wrote:
28 seems to render 'tactile' information very well.
Thanks Akul. What I like the most from the ZE 28/2 is it's color and bokeh. I haven't observed the other aspects of this lens yet I should spend more time with this lens.
carstenw wrote:
Btw, check out that boke in the second shot The 28/2 can be pretty wild, although most of the time it is well-behaved.
it's the grass Carsten. Try using it with a rock or wood background and comparable light, it will be much less offensive.
The 25 is even worse in this respect, and for that reason the use of it's closeup abilities is limited for nature shots (for my taste). It is especially bad at 2.8. Grass and needles of conifers on the ground and also bare branches are often making for a bad bokeh.The OOF areas have double contours which look weired and harsh. Try it out with same light and different objects at the same distance.
I haven't done much with the 28 as yet but in that respect I think it is much better than the 25/2.8, maybe partly due to the wider apperture.
Your shots are very nice, I especially like the first one.
I am also much more drawn to the 28 than the 21, although I only got the 21 a couple of days ago.
philber wrote:
But I would argue with you that the lenses are priority N°2. Getting the camera in front of the subject matter is N°1. I am going to the Far East on Friday, with time to spare over the weekend.
Where do you go Philippe? I have been in the Far East several times, mostly in the wilderness near Magadan. Here is another consideration: N° 2 is keeping the camera in front of the scene.
If you will go out shooting in a city on your own the NEX will be drawing less attention to a rich westerner walking around with expensive gear dangling from his neck. Depending on location it might be a good idea to take a local person with you, maybe check with the people you are meeting there. This should cost you very little, and will keep you much safer. I can tell you a lot of stories...Those are a couple of years old though - I don't quite know how the situation is now, but I doubt it got any better.
I am very much looking forward to your Far East pictures
