charles.K wrote:
I have opted for the D750 for my FF body as I have moved away from Sony A7rII and GM lenses, for the size/weight and cost factor in Australia.
I love the D750 as the 24MP 6um pixels render very smoothly for portraits. I opted for the 58/1.4 to replace my 50L and 50 Nocti f/1.0 on the A7rII and M240 (previously).
This lens is superb but it needs careful attention to calibrating it correctly. My copy front focused substantially and required +18 correction, but it is sharp and really meshes well with the D750. I have my 58/1.4 with Nikon and they will reset the calibration of the lens closer to 0.
I have spoke to many people and they have mentioned the lens is not sharp, but I strongly suggest that this may be a calibration issue. In some cases I have seen the 58/1.4 is outside the range of the fine tune adjustment.
I agree, when you calibrate this lens it's sharp
I have noticed that it's sharper on my d750 probably b/c it's less MP when compared with my d810
or perhaps I did a better job calibrating it for my d750
Dj R wrote:
friends, normally I rock two bodies on my sessions
105 on d750
58 on d810
this way I have more mp to crop the wider FL, on the d810
but yesterday I swapped them
the 58 was really "at home" on the d750.
thoughts on this (not so important) matter
I just value your opinions.
cheers
I prefer to just keep simple
2 D800's, one with the 58mm, the other with a 135DC
In the past I paired a D800 and a DF, but found that for my type of shooting/use I preferred to use two bodies with similar AF, layout and resolution (more space/options for cropping afterwards)
'Upgrading' to 2 D800's became less of an issue as I found a (relatively) really cheap 2nd hand one
Still have/use the DF though, lovely little camera, in particular with my old manual pre Ai and Ai lenses
Blakehfreeman wrote:
First picture I took of my daughter with this lens a few months ago... seemingly not sharp... but I like it non-the-less:
Lovely shot I would strongly suggest to fine tune the AF as the 58/1.4 tends to front focus a lot. I have been using about +18 to +20 for the adjustment. Maybe your lens is outside the adjustment you have available. The lens should be sharp, but it is so important to have it calibrated well.
I've trawled through almost all of the pages in this thread lusting after the 58mm but never thought I'd end up with one due to the very high price. Cut to me checking craigslist on a whim earlier this week to find a mint copy that a pro photog was offloading after a year of use for only $1200 CAD, equivalent to just under $900 USD(!!!!). I mean, at that price, it was a no-brainer. Let's just call it an early Christmas present to myself.
Also, the lens has been to North Korea with the previous owner, which is pretty damn cool.
Here are a few of the test shots I've taken around the house. Haven't had a chance to actually take the baby out for a real spin with some environmental portraits just yet.
1. Lovely bokeh balls
2. I'm really enjoying the way this lens renders. It's so smooth and clean.
3. After a +18 AF fine-tune, the lens is perfectly sharp wide open. This was taken from ~4ft (I think? Metric > Imperial any day of the week)
100% Crop
4. Great microcontrast + razor thin DOF = 3D (I would say 3D pop but that term has been co-opted and tarnished by certain militant fans of the fewer elements = better lens philosophy). Again, no sharpness issues at all.
5. Of course this lens shines with dappled light through foliage.
6. Comparison between the 58mm and the 50mm f1.8g. I tried to get the framing as exact as I could. It should be pretty obvious which is the 58.
I had just sent my 58/1.4 to Nikon to be re adjusted as I was on +20 for fine tuning on my D750. I also ended taking in my D750 to fine tune the AF calibration also. The 58/1.4 is prone to front focus and it is well worthwhile having the 58/1.4 well calibrated. This lens is very sharp at the point of focus and I suspect many of the instances where the 58/1.4 is considered soft, may just be a calibration issue.
Went through all samples posted here and noticed that if subject is very close, headshots etc. no matter how user calibrate the end result is barely acceptable, soft, one eye only in focus etc. I wonder if to stop down to f2 would help.
milkod2001 wrote:
Went through all samples posted here and noticed that if subject is very close, headshots etc. no matter how user calibrate the end result is barely acceptable, soft, one eye only in focus etc. I wonder if to stop down to f2 would help.
At longer distance this lens shines at f1.4.
At MFD, Dof is extremely shallow. Where the 58 really shines is in wider shots that allow that 3D pop of the subject out of the background.
After just lurking here well over a year, I finally got a 58:1.4G myself. I can't post any family portraits, but that may not be bad as my skill in portrait is rather in its infancy and does not do justice to my subjects anyway. So, be forewarned for upcoming clutters that are everything but portraits.
Regarding focus tune, I noticed that in closer distance, focus seems to be quite good, however front focus on close-to-infinity shots with the same aperture. (1.4) If I calibrated for infinity, (+10 ish.). It seems to back focus. Have you all notice that?
milkod2001 wrote:
Went through all samples posted here and noticed that if subject is very close, headshots etc. no matter how user calibrate the end result is barely acceptable, soft, one eye only in focus etc. I wonder if to stop down to f2 would help.
At longer distance this lens shines at f1.4.
Of course the 58/1.4 has f/1.4 but you have a whole spectrum of f stops. At closer distances if you wish to have both eyes in focus, just stop down the lens to f/1.8 or more. I also had the Leica M 50 Nocti f/1.0 and often I used f/1.0, but again I would often use f/1.8 or 2.0 for portraits where I needed a different look.
I have had the 58/1.4 calibrated three times within the last week, and it has made a huge difference, including my D750. At the service centre, the D750 was on the bench 3 times also to sync properly with my 58/1.4, 85/1.4 and 50/1.4.
akul wrote:
After just lurking here well over a year, I finally got a 58:1.4G myself. I can't post any family portraits, but that may not be bad as my skill in portrait is rather in its infancy and does not do justice to my subjects anyway. So, be forewarned for upcoming clutters that are everything but portraits.
Regarding focus tune, I noticed that in closer distance, focus seems to be quite good, however front focus on close-to-infinity shots with the same aperture. (1.4) If I calibrated for infinity, (+10 ish.). It seems to back focus. Have you all notice that?
Thank you very much Luka Looking forward to your shots !!!
Calibration is crucial on the 58/1.4, both in terms of having lens properly tuned and then fine tuning on the camera. If the lens is front focusing at the MFD and fine tuning correction bring the focus back correctly and the infinity focus is then back focusing, I would take the 58/1.4 back to the service center and have them correct the calibration. My understanding they have a number programs that will correct the calibration on the lens via software.
It appears focusing is petty ok at MFD, but front focus at near infinity. I read in DP that newer cameras correct this, but older one doesn't. I don't know which group D810 belongs. It feels still new to me, but may not be in terms of software.
I have not done tripod shots to decipher. Once I do that, may be I will learn more about what is happening.
It appears focusing is petty ok at MFD, but front focus at near infinity. I read in DP that newer cameras correct this, but older one doesn't. I don't know which group D810 belongs. It feels still new to me, but may not be in terms of software.
Luka
Hi Luka. Thank you
Apparently on the test bench at Nikon they have quite sophisticated software that they can then adjust the calibration on the lens itself. This is not just a single point calibration, but multiple so they can correct any quirks within the focusing range. This is why I like the Sigma ART lenses as you can adjust for 4 point calibration via the USB port.
I suspect your lens is quite out of calibration. It would be great if you could fine tune the near focusing at MFD, but then you have infinity back focusing. This I would assume would require a visit to Nikon service center
I've been very remiss with posting and replying here lately - been a crazy few months with a house move, a change of job and a few weddings mixed in....
Shots this afternoon with the 58/1.4.
I was interested to see how it would perform as a landscape lens at f/8, and not just f/1.4 The flare resistance of this lens is quite amazing!
I would strongly suggest to fine tune the AF as the 58/1.4 tends to front focus a lot. I have been using about +18 to +20 for the adjustment. Maybe your lens is outside the adjustment you have available. The lens should be sharp, but it is so important to have it calibrated well.
