FlyPenFly wrote:
If I were looking for a portrait lenses I would look for something with a softer rendering ...
I agree with Jae. My first choices for portrait are two 1960s era Leitz lenses: Elmar 90 and Tele-Elmar 135. Both are f/4 wide open that gives as narrow DOF as I can tolerate for head shots. These are M lenses that I most often adapt to Canon 1Ds (love that Visoflex capability). Both are single coated, and quite cheap ($100-300).
I guess I'll just say, if you were taking MY portrait to be published somewhere and you offered me the option of taking it with a Zeiss lens vs a Nikon lens, I would prefer you use Nikon. I don't have baby like smooth skin.
cipsaz wrote:
So you guys suggesting to back off from Zeiss?
No way! The Z* 85/1.4 is one of the best, in my opinion if you're looking for a portrait lens workhorse. Just use the 50 and 85's special Spherical Aberration function by shooting wide open (if you want the beautiful glowing look). Here's my C/Y 50/1.7 wide open on my Rebel XT...
@Smridevan: Do you use a tripod or freehand? Seems like a tripod might help with the focus issue. However, it tends to slow things down, and these shots have such a nice candid feel about them.
@akul: Thanks. I actually made this shot in an attempt to compare my ZF.2 21mm to the Nikon105mm, micro/macro.
Ucphotog, no I don't use tripods for portraits or candid shots...it would take too much time and effort to set up and I probably wouldn't be able to capture these shots with a tripod. All handheld. Keeper rates are pretty low tho at 5-10%.
Wish I could offer useful advice. I tend to use manual focus on stationary objects: flowers, landscapes, etc. The exception is my grandson, but he is only 4 months. So, while he moves his limbs a lot, he is *effectively* stationary.
Most of the time I use a tripod and liveview. When I am shooting manual focus without a tripod, I try to use the little green dot (Nikon) to confirm focus, but it is *so* slow. The only way I get any speed is if I have already focused on a point and something happens there again.
In any case, your keepers are very good. Wish I knew how to get the rate higher.
rico wrote:
I agree with Jae. My first choices for portrait are two 1960s era Leitz lenses: Elmar 90 and Tele-Elmar 135. Both are f/4 wide open that gives as narrow DOF as I can tolerate for head shots. These are M lenses that I most often adapt to Canon 1Ds (love that Visoflex capability). Both are single coated, and quite cheap ($100-300).
Hi,
I recently looked into this Visoflex adapter thingy thinking that might open a way to use some M glass on EF mount. I didn't find a suitable adapter though - did you make a custom solution ?
I'd be grateful for any hints on this - maybe via PM as I don't want to derail the Zeiss image thread.
OpticalFlow wrote:
... I didn't find a suitable adapter ...
Be aware that Visoflex is a big system. So, let's stick with Canon/Nikon, Leica M, and rigid configurations (no bellows). eBay sellers like fotodiox have the VisoM/EOS and VisoM/Nikon adapters: this replaces the Leica M body and Visoflex OTDYM mirror box. Then you need a focusser like OUAGO/16467 for Elmar 90, or OTZFO/16464 for Tele-Elmar 135. You unscrew the lens head, and perform the grand reassembly. All classic M (and LTM) lenses above 50mm can be repurposed in this way, although the focusser and auxiliary tube combinations vary.
Tele-Elmar 135 on Canon D30 (on-topic pic taken with CZ SP100 C/Y ).
Thanks Rico, just what I was looking for. Very interesting, although probably not the most cost-effective given the price of M-glass (compared to R-glass).
