I honestly think the lens is fine for street and posed portraits. Chaos photojournalism events is an entirely different story though. GiovanniAprea wrote:
The 58, to me, as an amateur, works/worked well on both the D850 and the Z6II through the FTZII, have no complains, anzi, I love it!
JadedWriter wrote:
I honestly think the lens is fine for street and posed portraits. Chaos photojournalism events is an entirely different story though.
If you refer to AF speed I can't really tell, either on the D8xx and the Z6II I can't tell it missed the focus and if it did it was my failure not the lens nor the camera; by the way it's not supposed to be a speed demon nor I guess the intention of the guy who designed it to be such so, probably, for a street use, which I am not fond of, where speed is crucial, not the right lens.
I think my complaint is the softness and randomness of the whole thing for me. If I'm shooting just to shoot I care less, if I'm shooting under work pressure it's completely different set of priorities for me. I basically want things sharp and to not worry about the output, which the lens doesn't do for me, it honestly just panics me during those events. Street and portraits is different unless I'm being paid for the portrait. It won't replace my 50 1.2 as like a true shoot it and forget it all rounder, then again I don't think even the 50 Art replaces that, I'd need to shoot it some more. GiovanniAprea wrote:
If you refer to AF speed I can't really tell, either on the D8xx and the Z6II I can't tell it missed the focus and if it did it was my failure not the lens nor the camera; by the way it's not supposed to be a speed demon nor I guess the intention of the guy who designed it to be such so, probably, for a street use, which I am not fond of, where speed is crucial, not the right lens.
JadedWriter wrote:
I think my complaint is the softness and randomness of the whole thing for me. I basically want things sharp and to not worry about the output, which the lens doesn't do for me,
The design of this lens was specifically Mandler style for the look it rendered, and unfortunately that means it also exhibits focus shift with aperture and distance. This shift is most notable from wide open to about f4 or 4.5 and can only be AF fine tuned out reliably on a DSLR body at a chosen aperture AND subject distance in that range. (I used f1.8 and 6 feet as it gave me a decent central working performance point, but it still was only about 70% successful.) As such, I am in the camp it can't overcome that particular aperture/focus/distance shortfall *until you dedicate it to a mirrorless body*. Once you embrace it on mirrorless, it's in an entirely different league and IMHO, a total game changer. (FWIW, similar situation with the 105/1.4, though the issue isn't as pronounced as on the 58. And again, using the 105 on a mirrorless body is frankly Nirvana...)
Earlier in this thread I shot it on my Z9 once and I still found it to be a bit of a crap shoot. Either my copy is wonky or the lens all in all is straight wonky or I need to dial in some type of adjustment on that lens on my Z9. I have had like 0 issues with the 105 on mirrorless though. gear-nut wrote:
The design of this lens was specifically Mandler style for the look it rendered, and unfortunately that means it also exhibits focus shift with aperture and distance. This shift is most notable from wide open to about f4 or 4.5 and can only be AF fine tuned out reliably on a DSLR body at a chosen aperture AND subject distance in that range. (I used f1.8 and 6 feet as it gave me a decent central working performance point, but it still was only about 70% successful.) As such, I am in the camp it can't overcome that particular aperture/focus/distance shortfall *until you dedicate it to a mirrorless body*. Once you embrace it on mirrorless, it's in an entirely different league and IMHO, a total game changer. (FWIW, similar situation with the 105/1.4, though the issue isn't as pronounced as on the 58. And again, using the 105 on a mirrorless body is frankly Nirvana...)
JadedWriter wrote:
Earlier in this thread I shot it on my Z9 once and I still found it to be a bit of a crap shoot. Either my copy is wonky or the lens all in all is straight wonky or I need to dial in some type of adjustment on that lens on my Z9. I have had like 0 issues with the 105 on mirrorless though.
All I can tell you is both lenses are basically 100% deliverers on my Z7ii/FTZ with zero AF fine tune. I don't have a Z9 yet so can't comment.
Nikon must have sent me a wonky refurb then. gear-nut wrote:
All I can tell you is both lenses are basically 100% deliverers on my Z7ii/FTZ with zero AF fine tune. I don't have a Z9 yet so can't comment.
If predictable outcomes are expected from opportune moments, the 58mm would not be the lens to grab.
- the 58mm needs to be stopped down to f/2-f/2.8 within MFD
- if you are on a DSLR, AF Fine Tune is a must
- Z system improves focus accuracy, but you will still not have as many keepers as a native Z lens
- it vignettes WAY less than the 50mm 1.8s
- it renders scenes beautifully with lovely, natural transitions between in focus and out of focus elements
It can be special. It is special. I will never part with mine. It's not a modern lens. I am glad it's not a modern lens.
kriskunisch wrote:
If predictable outcomes are expected from opportune moments, the 58mm would not be the lens to grab.
- the 58mm needs to be stopped down to f/2-f/2.8 within MFD
- if you are on a DSLR, AF Fine Tune is a must
- Z system improves focus accuracy, but you will still not have as many keepers as a native Z lens
- it vignettes WAY less than the 50mm 1.8s
- it renders scenes beautifully with lovely, natural transitions between in focus and out of focus elements
It can be special. It is special. I will never part with mine. It's not a modern lens. I am glad it's not a modern lens. ...Show more →
Well summarized, @kriskunisch that is exactly how I feel about this lens. It is quirky but special
The role of the 58 might just be for when I'm not in the mood to beat up my 50 1.2 and it's low stress shooting. Glad you like them. akul wrote:
These are awesome. Happy theme.
Glad you're are finding some use cases for your 58. I think this last set is showing both its strengths and weaknesses which are good to take note of. All the B&W and the bespectacled lady show its strengths, while the ones which are more close up show its weaknesses.
This is why I gotta preference for the 50 1.2. The 58 has a bit too many special conditions for it to be good, but I'd probably rather just use this for stuff I have no emotional/financial investment in. SiMuMe wrote:
Glad you're are finding some use cases for your 58. I think this last set is showing both its strengths and weaknesses which are good to take note of. All the B&W and the bespectacled lady show its strengths, while the ones which are more close up show its weaknesses.
