I used to have the 58mm, but it got stolen along with other gear. I went with the Carl Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 Milvus when the insurance check came, which is sharper than the 58mm, the sigma 50mm art is sharper also. I just couldn't go back to the 58mm... I'm happy many of you like it since this thread is thriving. DXO only gives the 58mm a score of 25 in sharpness and the Zeiss a score of 33 on a Nikon D810 high resolution camera. Overall, the 58mm gets a score of 30, Zeiss gets 41.
What has your personal experience been with the 58mm on the D810 or D800/E? I know this lens looks fantastic on say a D4, Df, because they are not high resolution. A D4 only scores an 11 in mpex sharpness, that's sad. How do the 100% crops look? I guess I'm trying to "possibly" convince myself to look at it again. But for now, my Zeiss 50mm and 85mm Milvus lenses are my personal favorite.
Todd wrote:
I used to have the 58mm, but it got stolen along with other gear. I went with the Carl Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 Milvus when the insurance check came, which is sharper than the 58mm, the sigma 50mm art is sharper also. I just couldn't go back to the 58mm... I'm happy many of you like it since this thread is thriving. DXO only gives the 58mm a score of 25 in sharpness and the Zeiss a score of 33 on a Nikon D810 high resolution camera. Overall, the 58mm gets a score of 30, Zeiss gets 41.
What has your personal experience been with the 58mm on the D810 or D800/E? I know this lens looks fantastic on say a D4, Df, because they are not high resolution. A D4 only scores an 11 in mpex sharpness, that's sad. How do the 100% crops look? I guess I'm trying to "possibly" convince myself to look at it again. But for now, my Zeiss 50mm and 85mm Milvus lenses are my personal favorite. ...Show more →
You remind me of Ken Rockwell.
Just go out and shoot.
Who cadres about sharpness.
Who cares about DxO.
Who cares about scores.
Who cares about charts.
They don't mean anything in a real world shooting environment!
Who cadres about sharpness.
Who cares about DxO.
Who cares about scores.
Who cares about charts.
They don't mean anything in a real world shooting environment!
Who cares about sharpness Really? Ok.....
I've seen so many shots of a wedding party with the 58mm wide open, (group shot).... Only one person is going to be in focus. Not sure what the facination is with shooting at f/1.4 "all the time". There is a time and place for it, but not every shot. This lens should have been made without aperture blades , no one uses them.
Of course those charts and tests help with lens purchases. DXO is who I go to to see if the lens is any good. They are reliable and to the point, they tell you how it is.
That data just gets ignored by those of you who don't care.
I'm not here to argue, I'm just voicing my opinion of which I'm fee to do.
Not sure what you are getting worked up about up there but, to me, its pretty simple. Stop the lens down a bit (picture 1) and you will get a plethora of sharpness with some very lovely bokeh. On the other hand, open it up all the way if you want a very surreal and dreamy rendering (picture 2 & 3). You get all the sharpness you need at 1.4. No one ever said everyone in a picture has to be in focus. Snow white's head is not in focus in the last one and I am perfectly ok with that. I would say that going out to shoot is more important than worrying about how sharp your 50ishmm is wide open.
Man that first picture of the girl is amazing! How did you get that color tonality?
branana19 wrote:
Not sure what you are getting worked up about up there but, to me, its pretty simple. Stop the lens down a bit (picture 1) and you will get a plethora of sharpness with some very lovely bokeh. On the other hand, open it up all the way if you want a very surreal and dreamy rendering (picture 2 & 3). You get all the sharpness you need at 1.4. No one ever said everyone in a picture has to be in focus. Snow white's head is not in focus in the last one and I am perfectly ok with that. I would say that going out to shoot is more important that worrying about how sharp your 50ishmm is wide open. ...Show more →
I guess the point is don't be a slave to technical specs, especially sharpness. If your end goal is to capture the sharpest pictures possible then this lens was never going to make you happy. However it's the other characteristics of this lens that have been mentioned 100 times and demonstrated in thousands of pictures in this thread that everyone loves.
At the end of the day use the gear that makes you happy and produces the results you strive for and envision. There is no need to come in here and blab about how bad the 58mm rates on DXO or how sharp your new Zeiss lens is because frankly no one cares.
I guess the point is don't be a slave to technical specs, especially sharpness. If your end goal is to capture the sharpest pictures possible then this lens was never going to make you happy. However it's the other characteristics of this lens that have been mentioned 100 times and demonstrated in thousands of pictures in this thread that everyone loves.
At the end of the day use the gear that makes you happy and produces the results you strive for and envision. There is no need to come in here and blab about how bad the 58mm rates on DXO or how sharp your new Zeiss lens is because frankly no one cares. ...Show more →
I fully agree that concentrating on technical excellence of a lens or even a camera doesn't make a nice photographer or generate superior images. Case in point all the Masters that we all admire used equipment that would be considered poor in DXO reviews.
As per Todd's comments I have to ask on what basis he can claim the 58mm is not a lens for the D810.
According to his DXO reference the lens mounted on a D810 rates sharper than well know sloppy lenses (just kidding) such as the Nikon AF-S 600mm f/4G VR and AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G, and equal to another softy, the AF-S 60mm f/2.8D micro. And, I'll be darned, ... my beloved AF-S 500mm f/4G VR is even worse.
Personally I am perfectly satisfied with this lens on my D810.
B&W conversion of previously posted image:
Nikon D810 + Nikon AF-S 58mm f/1.4G - ISO 100, 1/1600s, f/1.4 - Handheld, no sharpening.
Is there a devout believer in this lens that can show me two photos of the same subject taken with the 58 and either the sigma or other nikon 50 and give a description of the virtues that I can see?
I see cool photos taken with both and the test shots comparing the two lenses are usually very boring and don't show me why people are going for this.
The weight and focal length seem interesting to me compared to the sigma. It makes me consider doing a 28 1.8, 58 1.4, 105 f/2 combo. Right now the my sigma 50 and 35 seem to close to each other and the 85 puts me further from people then I'd like.
Depth of Feel wrote:
Is there a devout believer in this lens that can show me two photos of the same subject taken with the 58 and either the sigma or other nikon 50 and give a description of the virtues that I can see?
I see cool photos taken with both and the test shots comparing the two lenses are usually very boring and don't show me why people are going for this.
The weight and focal length seem interesting to me compared to the sigma. It makes me consider doing a 28 1.8, 58 1.4, 105 f/2 combo. Right now the my sigma 50 and 35 seem to close to each other and the 85 puts me further from people then I'd like. ...Show more →
Courtesy of Shawn Robertson . This is all the evidence you need.
All I see in that evidence is that the bokeh is a little creamier. The biggest difference seems to be the focal length which is going to affect bokeh anyway.
I do think from the example that it's a contender to replace a 50 and 85 which is very intriguing. I think I am going to rent this puppy.
Jason Brook posted some photos taken at a wedding with the 58 and the 85 just a couple of pages back. I also remember Jason (or Corey/Hardcore?) posting some photos of his wife taken with the 58 and the 135 DC somewhere in the early pages of this thread.
agelessphotog wrote:
Let's see a comparison shot with the 58 and an 85..
Why? If you were actually interested in the 58mm there might be people willing to play along but you have stated over and over that the 58mm is not sharp enough for your needs which is perfectly fine but why waste our time?
Really? Ok.....
