Looking for a 100mm lens for landscapes with my D800.
Wanting high level of sharpness with very good uniformity from edge to edge at f/4 onward. Also, very very good ghosting/flare resistance is desires. CA I can handle in post. Since it's for landscapes AF is not required.
Would the Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar be a good candidate and if not what would you suggest?
The Zeiss is also attractive since I've head it can do decent portraits up close and wide open . . .
Zebrabot wrote:
It meets all your specs but ghosting and flare.
If you shoot into the sun you're going to get all sorts of reflections and artifacts. it's not the worst performer out there though.
Well my current options are my 105/2.5 AIS which does not do well with ghosting/flare and my big 80-200/2.8 zoom. My 70-200/4 just showed up at the local shop today, so that's an option as well.
Mainly looking for sharpness/contrast at infinity focus. Unfortunately I can't rent one locally.
jhinkey wrote:
Looking for a 100mm lens for landscapes with my D800.
Wanting high level of sharpness with very good uniformity from edge to edge at f/4 onward. Also, very very good ghosting/flare resistance is desires. CA I can handle in post. Since it's for landscapes AF is not required.
Would the Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar be a good candidate and if not what would you suggest?
The Zeiss is also attractive since I've head it can do decent portraits up close and wide open . . .
Thanks -
John
John,
I am the ultimate zeiss fanboy. However, since you alreadyhave the 105 2.5 I really do not see an advantage of the Zeiss over the 105. Granted the Zeiss will have better contrast but you can correct that with processing. Use the money for beer instead.
I am the ultimate zeiss fanboy. However, since you alreadyhave the 105 2.5 I really do not see an advantage of the Zeiss over the 105. Granted the Zeiss will have better contrast but you can correct that with processing. Use the money for beer instead.
Nice idea Jorge, but unfortunately I can't drink beer (well I can handle one once a month if I'm lucky).
I'd really love to rent one!
jhinkey wrote: Looking for a 100mm lens for landscapes with my D800. Would the Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar be a good candidate...
IMO, absolutely!
Shot below was taken with 16MP Nikon D7000 at f/8 (3-photos stitch - total under 600KB limit )
I had some test shots with D800E & MP100 (I can't find them now) but I recall detail level was outstanding.
I really love the 100 MP, it's very sharp as a landscape lens but I 'm not sure about ghosting/flare. From my cityscape shots, street lights doesn't seems to be a problem to it but I 'm not sure about the results if the sun is included in the composition.
The Zeiss 100/2 MP on the D800 is a match made in heaven. Not only is it great at infinity it's a superb portrait lens with beautiful bokeh. It's a macro lens of course and a very good one. I have the 105 f/2.5 AI but rarely use it because the Zeiss is so much better. Never had a problem with flare but don't generally shoot into the sun.
p.1 #10 · Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar For Landscapes?
Would the Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar be a good candidate and if not what would you suggest?
The Zeiss is also attractive since I've head it can do decent portraits up close and wide open . . .
Definitely. It's an outstanding lens for landscape photography.
If you don't need 1:2 magnification, consider also the Zeiss 135/2 Apo Sonnar. It will be available in 2013 and should be even better optically thanks to the Apo design (no axial color at the wider apertures).
p.1 #11 · Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar For Landscapes?
I had one for awhile, I found that for most things it was exceptionally sharp but it was not good at infinity. Considerably softer than my 70-200 VRII.
p.1 #12 · Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar For Landscapes?
Ripolini wrote:
If you don't need 1:2 magnification, consider also the Zeiss 135/2 Apo Sonnar. It will be available in 2013 and should be even better optically thanks to the Apo design (no axial color at the wider aperture.
A very good suggestion.
eSchwab wrote:
I had one for awhile, I found that for most things it was exceptionally sharp but it was not good at infinity. Considerably softer than my 70-200 VRII.
My experience is the exact opposite to this although the 70-200 f/2.8 VR II I used to own was not soft at infinity and was a very good copy. However, my Zeiss MP 100mm f/2 ZF.2 is sharper at that distance than the 70-200 f/2.8 VR II was. The only lens I own that is sharper than the MP at infinity is the 200 f/2 VR II.
p.1 #13 · Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar For Landscapes?
Zeiss loses points with me for the silver ring at the front.
Not a big deal on the other ZF's, but on a macro....reflection problems, particularly with jewelry.
I have a Nikon 105 2.8 AI-s for macro and a 105 1.8 AI-s for everything else. Now that I mention that, I realize I've never compared them at non-macro distances. I really need to do that. Future blog post!!
p.1 #14 · Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar For Landscapes?
Ripolini wonderful shot.
The only problem for me with the ZF 100/2 is that it is so good I have had the irrational thought a couple of times of selling my older Contax/Zeiss 100 Makro. (So far I have resisted that temptation)
Here are few more pictures taken with Zeiss glass in the Natl Park, 1 month and half ago:
100/2:
35/2:
21/2.8:
100/2:
100/2:
100/2:
Abruzzo is not very "popular" amongst foreign tourists; however, it has many "small" gems worth visiting, to not speak about its wonderful wilderness (mountains, wolves, bears, chamoises, red deers, etc.).
p.1 #18 · Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar For Landscapes?
The zeiss will give you a different transition - more sudden - from in-focus to out-of-focus than most other lenses of the same focal length. It really helps isolate the subject. The out of focus parts are beautifully blurred too.
I got the 2/100 MP lens for my D800E only to find that I could not use it reliably due to failing eyesight I had to get new eyeglasses but they didn't work out as well as expected and now I have to get them changed. Without AF it is absolutely essential that your eyes / glasses and the viewfinder focus are up to scratch. To focus the viewfinder be sure to do it by shooting a scene at long distance. First get the adjustment fairly good by looking at the LCD overlay in the viewfinder but then concentrate on fine subject details at long distance to get the best setting for the viewfinder. Tweak the viewfinder and lens focus in turn as required. It's great to have a lens that is so sharp at maximum aperture.
This lens is wonderful. Even stopped down to the extent that peak resolution is being lost in favour of DOF it is still very sharp when used with the D800E. Highly recommended.
p.1 #20 · Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar For Landscapes?
The 100/2 MP was my first Zeiss lens that I bought with the D700. I use it more often for landscapes than close-up, portraits, etc. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better lens at 100mm that performs so well at all distances from f/5.6-f/8. You just have to put up with some LoCA wide-open which largely goes away at f/4.
On the D700 I was able to shoot focusing via the viewfinder and get great results. However, with the D600 I've had more succes using a tripod and live-view if I want a critically sharp and focused shot. Photos are acceptable hand-held at 1/200-1/500, but I know I could squeeze more out of it using a tripod even at those speeds. Live-view is invaluable to assess accurate focus. In general the green dot indicates I'm close to accurate focus, but there is a fair amount of play with the dot at mid-distances.
Most people speak of pixel-peeping as a bad habit. But I personally love it when I capture a great moment with this lens, and am later able to dive into the details on my screen and make out the expressions on people's faces during a conversation on a boat over 100 feet away from me.
I had to get new eyeglasses but they didn't work out as well as expected and now I have to get them changed. Without AF it is absolutely essential that your eyes / glasses and the viewfinder focus are up to scratch. To focus the viewfinder be sure to do it by shooting a scene at long distance. First get the adjustment fairly good by looking at the LCD overlay in the viewfinder but then concentrate on fine subject details at long distance to get the best setting for the viewfinder. Tweak the viewfinder and lens focus in turn as required. It's great to have a lens that is so sharp at maximum aperture.