philip_pj
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Upload & Sell: On
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Thank you so much for your perseverance, RPYX. There is *nothing* like a good comparison to display differences and place visual evidence above opinion. Many images from different lenses look great - until you see a well-controlled comparison of typical subject matter the lens is intended for, i.e. not wall charts, etc.
These images, both full size and crops are, in a word - compelling. Do you agree?
Given the caveat of the adapter maybe influencing results, it's improbable this can impact on: the colour palette, tonal gradation, micro-contrast, even depth of field and dynamic range...so you very often get what you pay for, IMO.
We often hear people (for example, some Canon lens users) say that they can produce the same results as Zeiss lenses, given enough time and software, in post production. I have always been suspicious as the effort required to (i) identify exactly what you are 'replicating', and (ii) do the work to get there just to make a facsimile file, then to see that you still cannot duplicate (for example) the DOF the 21mm shows, makes it seem like such a waste of time. And, we all should be valuing out time, even if not shooting professionally.
How much cost do you assign for an hour of working up a file to get it to 'look like Zeiss' or even 'look acceptable'? Consider this - if you need to do just 30 minutes extra on each final file, and you assign say the average hourly wage to your efforts, how many images do you have to shoot before you get to the price difference in lenses like these here? *Not very many*, is the answer! But it gets worse - you need to factor in resale value, once you sell both lenses and assuming you get 90% of your cost, the difference in costs is minimal at worst.
And of course there is the economic concept of 'opportunity cost'. Do you want to become a gun software person, given that you need to give up a lot of precious time/money/effort to do so, time that could be well used in further developing your photographic vision and skills? Obviously it's a balancing act, we all need adequate computing and post skills, but balance is the key.
I started shooting with the best lenses I could find/afford for my subjects, because my main subjects are 8,000 kms and several thousand dollars away, so a high keeper rate and quality results are vital. But these other advantages have become obvious to me over time. With the D21, each file is over in a few minutes in post, some need nothing at all, and the keeper rate is very high. I imagine it's the same for many other users of this and similarly performed lenses.
I should have warned you about Toothwalker's site, and given you the direct URL - it's very technical, but very useful indeed if you want to go further in understanding optics. cheers, philip.
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