The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
p.53 #1The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
Just picked up this lens to use on my D750. I'm coming from a 5D3 and 50/1.2, a combo I have probably 75k+ shots through (all that to say I spend a lot of time with fast lenses). I'm finding the 58/1.4 a little ... inconsistent, at best. I have it at +10 microadjust now, and it seems close to accurate, but still not enough to count on. I wasn't expecting much sharpness wide open, but I figured it wouldn't give much up to my 50L. So far, the 58 seems soft enough that I have a hard time telling if it's actually in-focus.
Do I return it and hope second copy is better? Or is this just the way it is, and I'm expecting too much? I don't need razor sharpness wide open, I'm not a pixel-peeper. I need accurate focus, and great character and rendering, which this lens seems to have in spades. So I'm hesitant to even return it. Even with the issues so far, it's beautiful. Reminds me of my 50 Summilux in some ways.
Do I return it and hope second copy is better? Or is this just the way it is, and I'm expecting too much? I don't need razor sharpness wide open, I'm not a pixel-peeper. I need accurate focus, and great character and rendering, which this lens seems to have in spades. So I'm hesitant to even return it. Even with the issues so far, it's beautiful. Reminds me of my 50 Summilux in some ways.
Oct 26, 2014 at 11:36 PM
p.53 #2The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
Rob UK wrote:
Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to say thanks to all for sharing their images from this lens, Ive really enjoyed following this thread and I always look forward to seeing the new images, so thank you to all of you who have been posting images.
Right from its release I knew it was a lens that I was interested in and having seen what it can produce I'm even more convinced.
Just out of curiosity has any camera body in particular shown itself to be a good partner for this lens or does it just rock it with whichever body you use?
I still...Show more →
I'd imagine this lens would do stellar on a D700; the low MP and great AF would lend itself perfect for this lens. On my DF, I struggled with this lens big time. I had incredibly inconsistent results. With the D4, it's bang on pretty often. It does front focus quite often when near MFD, but once I'm well past MFD it's bang on every time.
Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to say thanks to all for sharing their images from this lens, Ive really enjoyed following this thread and I always look forward to seeing the new images, so thank you to all of you who have been posting images.
Right from its release I knew it was a lens that I was interested in and having seen what it can produce I'm even more convinced.
Just out of curiosity has any camera body in particular shown itself to be a good partner for this lens or does it just rock it with whichever body you use?
I still...Show more →
I'd imagine this lens would do stellar on a D700; the low MP and great AF would lend itself perfect for this lens. On my DF, I struggled with this lens big time. I had incredibly inconsistent results. With the D4, it's bang on pretty often. It does front focus quite often when near MFD, but once I'm well past MFD it's bang on every time.
Oct 27, 2014 at 04:31 AM
p.53 #3The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
RyanFlynn wrote:
Just picked up this lens to use on my D750. I'm coming from a 5D3 and 50/1.2, a combo I have probably 75k+ shots through (all that to say I spend a lot of time with fast lenses). I'm finding the 58/1.4 a little ... inconsistent, at best. I have it at +10 microadjust now, and it seems close to accurate, but still not enough to count on. I wasn't expecting much sharpness wide open, but I figured it wouldn't give much up to my 50L. So far, the 58 seems soft enough that I have a hard time telling...Show more →
I'd spend a day or two with it to see if you can figure out how this lens works. It can be a frustrating lens to work with because of focus issues. It seems to have a mindset different from all other lenses.
Just picked up this lens to use on my D750. I'm coming from a 5D3 and 50/1.2, a combo I have probably 75k+ shots through (all that to say I spend a lot of time with fast lenses). I'm finding the 58/1.4 a little ... inconsistent, at best. I have it at +10 microadjust now, and it seems close to accurate, but still not enough to count on. I wasn't expecting much sharpness wide open, but I figured it wouldn't give much up to my 50L. So far, the 58 seems soft enough that I have a hard time telling...Show more →
I'd spend a day or two with it to see if you can figure out how this lens works. It can be a frustrating lens to work with because of focus issues. It seems to have a mindset different from all other lenses.
Oct 27, 2014 at 04:32 AM
p.53 #4The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
RyanFlynn wrote:
Do I return it and hope second copy is better?
My second copy was even worse than first. However, the third one -- which I bought here on FM -- was sent to Nikon for calibration by the previous owner. It's consistent, sharp and non-hazy. Requires +2 on my DF and +1 on D610.
Edited on Oct 27, 2014 at 07:10 AM · View previous versions
Do I return it and hope second copy is better?
My second copy was even worse than first. However, the third one -- which I bought here on FM -- was sent to Nikon for calibration by the previous owner. It's consistent, sharp and non-hazy. Requires +2 on my DF and +1 on D610.
Edited on Oct 27, 2014 at 07:10 AM · View previous versions
Oct 27, 2014 at 06:25 AM
p.53 #5The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
the 58 on my d750 is fine really. I'm just at +16 haha
I will attempt paring the lens with a 35mm for portraits which I found to give me the half body when my 58 is up on the face. pretty cool
I will attempt paring the lens with a 35mm for portraits which I found to give me the half body when my 58 is up on the face. pretty cool
Oct 27, 2014 at 06:53 AM
p.53 #6The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
Iluxa007 wrote:
Just wanted to say thanks to all for sharing their images from this lens, Ive really enjoyed following this thread and I always look forward to seeing the new images, so thank you to all of you who have been posting images.
Right from its release I knew it was a lens that I was interested in and having seen what it can produce I'm even more convinced.
Just out of curiosity has any camera body in particular shown itself to be a good partner for this lens or does it just rock it with whichever body you use?
I still use D700's and whilst I think its a great camera I can't help eyeing up some of the other recent releases and its that thought that had me wondering about a 58 pairing, would any of you multi body owners care to comment?
Thanks
RMy 58mm needed a 14+ tune on both D3s and DF, which I found strange.
Thanks for the Answer Iluxa007, Ive never looked at the fine tuning of my lenses, is this something people do as a matter of course or do you only do it if there appears to be a problem?
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Hardcore wrote:
I shoot with the D800, but this lens does have a resolution limit when shooting wide open. I'd say the resolution wide open is conservatively about 12-16 megapixels, so shooting with a d800 like myself you throw away a lot of pixels when you use this lens wide open.
The D700 would work great with this lens imo, but if your looking to upgrade I think the D750 would be tops in my list for current cameras. I just held one at my local camera store and fell in love and I didn't even turn it on to test the autofocus/high...Show more →
Thank you for the answer Hardcore, thats quite some endorsement for the 750 and from what I have been reading you aren't the only one who thinks highly of the camera.
Can I ask you to elaborate on the first part of your answer? how do you gauge what the resolution of the lens is wide open? you mention loosing pixels when shooting with a D800, are you able to say what you see in image characteristics? Please forgive my ignorance I have no frame of reference for what you are describing and I'm curious about it,
Thank you
Rob UK wrote
Hey Everyone,Just wanted to say thanks to all for sharing their images from this lens, Ive really enjoyed following this thread and I always look forward to seeing the new images, so thank you to all of you who have been posting images.
Right from its release I knew it was a lens that I was interested in and having seen what it can produce I'm even more convinced.
Just out of curiosity has any camera body in particular shown itself to be a good partner for this lens or does it just rock it with whichever body you use?
I still use D700's and whilst I think its a great camera I can't help eyeing up some of the other recent releases and its that thought that had me wondering about a 58 pairing, would any of you multi body owners care to comment?
Thanks
R
Thanks for the Answer Iluxa007, Ive never looked at the fine tuning of my lenses, is this something people do as a matter of course or do you only do it if there appears to be a problem?
---------------------------------------------
Hardcore wrote:
I shoot with the D800, but this lens does have a resolution limit when shooting wide open. I'd say the resolution wide open is conservatively about 12-16 megapixels, so shooting with a d800 like myself you throw away a lot of pixels when you use this lens wide open.
The D700 would work great with this lens imo, but if your looking to upgrade I think the D750 would be tops in my list for current cameras. I just held one at my local camera store and fell in love and I didn't even turn it on to test the autofocus/high...Show more →
Rob UK wrote
RThank you for the answer Hardcore, thats quite some endorsement for the 750
and from what I have been reading you aren't the only one who thinks highly of the camera.Can I ask you to elaborate on the first part of your answer? how do you gauge what the resolution of the lens is wide open? you mention loosing pixels when shooting with a D800, are you able to say what you see in image characteristics? Please forgive my ignorance I have no frame of reference for what you are describing and I'm curious about it,
Thank you
Oct 27, 2014 at 07:06 AM
p.53 #7The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
Rob UK wrote:
Thank you for the answer Hardcore, thats quite some endorsement for the 750 and from what I have been reading you aren't the only one who thinks highly of the camera.
Can I ask you to elaborate on the first part of your answer? how do you gauge what the resolution of the lens is wide open? you mention loosing pixels when shooting with a D800, are you able to say what you see in image characteristics? Please forgive my ignorance I have no frame of reference for what you are describing and I'm curious about it,
Thank you
All lenses have a resolution to them. The way I determine my lenses resolution is to downsize them to the point where they appear very sharp wide open @ 100%. Usually with the 58mm, that is around the 12-16 megapixel mark. It is a very unscientific way to test
Thank you for the answer Hardcore, thats quite some endorsement for the 750
and from what I have been reading you aren't the only one who thinks highly of the camera.Can I ask you to elaborate on the first part of your answer? how do you gauge what the resolution of the lens is wide open? you mention loosing pixels when shooting with a D800, are you able to say what you see in image characteristics? Please forgive my ignorance I have no frame of reference for what you are describing and I'm curious about it,
Thank you
All lenses have a resolution to them. The way I determine my lenses resolution is to downsize them to the point where they appear very sharp wide open @ 100%. Usually with the 58mm, that is around the 12-16 megapixel mark. It is a very unscientific way to test
Oct 27, 2014 at 07:32 AM
p.53 #9The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
It’s depressing when I see people use the 58mm at f/5 or something. It’s like owning a Hassleblad as a general family camera...
Oct 27, 2014 at 02:47 PM
p.53 #10The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
Woke up to a nice surprise today. I bid on one of these last night on ebay and put a price I didn't expect to win. Woke up today and saw that I won a mint copy for 1150.
Seems like a good price from what I have seen
Hopefully will be adding some shots to the thread by the end of the week. This thread is what made me bid in the first place
Seems like a good price from what I have seen
Hopefully will be adding some shots to the thread by the end of the week. This thread is what made me bid in the first place
Oct 27, 2014 at 05:16 PM
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p.53 #11The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
Iluxa007 wrote:
It’s like owning a Hassleblad as a general family camera...
I did own a 500CM as a general family camera Best family camera ever! Shot it wide open though.
It’s like owning a Hassleblad as a general family camera...
I did own a 500CM as a general family camera
Best family camera ever! Shot it wide open though.Oct 27, 2014 at 06:01 PM
p.53 #12The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
Went out with a local photographer tonight to exchange pictures of eachother's family, was a lot of fun. Depressing not being able to use the 58 wide open 
Never seen this lens render like this before, specifically #2. I shat bricks.
Never seen this lens render like this before, specifically #2. I shat bricks.
Oct 27, 2014 at 07:31 PM
p.53 #14The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
webisweb wrote:
My second copy was even worse than first. However, the third one -- which I bought here on FM -- was sent to Nikon for calibration by the previous owner. It's consistent, sharp and non-hazy. Requires +2 on my DF and +1 on D610.
Were your first copies hazy? Like I said, I'm not expecting critical sharpness at 1.4. But I wasn't expecting a ton of veiling.
RyanFlynn wrote
Do I return it and hope second copy is better?Were your first copies hazy? Like I said, I'm not expecting critical sharpness at 1.4. But I wasn't expecting a ton of veiling.
Oct 27, 2014 at 07:45 PM
p.53 #15The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
Hazy is a sign you are either front or back focused. I micro adjust my lens to where I cannot see any haloing on white text against black. If you see a slight purple or green hazy halo, you are either front or back focused.
Oct 27, 2014 at 09:00 PM
p.53 #16The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
Hardcore wrote:
Hazy is a sign you are either front or back focused. I micro adjust my lens to where I cannot see any haloing on white text against black. If you see a slight purple or green hazy halo, you are either front or back focused.
That would've been my thought, too, but I can see exactly where the plane of focus is going, and it's very hazy. Not that it lacks microcontrast (though it does) but that it doesn't resolve much detail it all. It honestly reminds me of a softer version of my super old Canon 50/1.4.
Hazy is a sign you are either front or back focused. I micro adjust my lens to where I cannot see any haloing on white text against black. If you see a slight purple or green hazy halo, you are either front or back focused.
That would've been my thought, too, but I can see exactly where the plane of focus is going, and it's very hazy. Not that it lacks microcontrast (though it does) but that it doesn't resolve much detail it all. It honestly reminds me of a softer version of my super old Canon 50/1.4.
Oct 27, 2014 at 09:18 PM
p.53 #17The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
RyanFlynn wrote:
Just picked up this lens to use on my D750. I'm coming from a 5D3 and 50/1.2, a combo I have probably 75k+ shots through (all that to say I spend a lot of time with fast lenses). I'm finding the 58/1.4 a little ... inconsistent, at best. I have it at +10 microadjust now, and it seems close to accurate, but still not enough to count on. I wasn't expecting much sharpness wide open, but I figured it wouldn't give much up to my 50L. So far, the 58 seems soft enough that I have a hard time telling...Show more →
I'd return it. As you can see in this thread, some copies are really good. I would do anything I could to get a sharp copy.
Some of you may not be aware, but the original Noct-Nikkor was plagued by this same issue. If you find someone who can prove they have a really sharp copy today the price gets even more ridiculous haha
Just picked up this lens to use on my D750. I'm coming from a 5D3 and 50/1.2, a combo I have probably 75k+ shots through (all that to say I spend a lot of time with fast lenses). I'm finding the 58/1.4 a little ... inconsistent, at best. I have it at +10 microadjust now, and it seems close to accurate, but still not enough to count on. I wasn't expecting much sharpness wide open, but I figured it wouldn't give much up to my 50L. So far, the 58 seems soft enough that I have a hard time telling...Show more →
I'd return it. As you can see in this thread, some copies are really good. I would do anything I could to get a sharp copy.
Some of you may not be aware, but the original Noct-Nikkor was plagued by this same issue. If you find someone who can prove they have a really sharp copy today the price gets even more ridiculous haha
Oct 28, 2014 at 12:44 AM
p.53 #18The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
RyanFlynn wrote:
Were your first copies hazy?
Yup. I sent sample images to Nikon (tripod + charts) and they confirmed that both lenses need service.
Were your first copies hazy?
Yup. I sent sample images to Nikon (tripod + charts) and they confirmed that both lenses need service.
Oct 28, 2014 at 05:11 AM
p.53 #19The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
ohsnaphappy wrote:
Some of you may not be aware, but the original Noct-Nikkor was plagued by this same issue. If you find someone who can prove they have a really sharp copy today the price gets even more ridiculous haha
I had to go through multiple Noct-Nikkors till I got a very good one. Maybe it's the time with the coatings I don't know, but the one I got now is one of the last serialnumbers (1998+), maybe its just the production date.
The Noct-Nikkor behaves different to the 58/1.4G in difficult backlight situations and is visible better with point light sources at the focus pane. I don't really know what optical aberration is better corrected with the Noct-Nikkor, but the center image sharpness is visible better with the Noct-Nikkor @f/1.2.
Here one of my early comparison shots Noct-Nikkor vs 58/1.4G
Noct-Nikkor @f/1.2
big
58/1.4G @f/1.4
big
Some of you may not be aware, but the original Noct-Nikkor was plagued by this same issue. If you find someone who can prove they have a really sharp copy today the price gets even more ridiculous haha
I had to go through multiple Noct-Nikkors till I got a very good one. Maybe it's the time with the coatings I don't know, but the one I got now is one of the last serialnumbers (1998+), maybe its just the production date.
The Noct-Nikkor behaves different to the 58/1.4G in difficult backlight situations and is visible better with point light sources at the focus pane. I don't really know what optical aberration is better corrected with the Noct-Nikkor, but the center image sharpness is visible better with the Noct-Nikkor @f/1.2.
Here one of my early comparison shots Noct-Nikkor vs 58/1.4G
Noct-Nikkor @f/1.2
big
58/1.4G @f/1.4
big
Oct 28, 2014 at 05:26 AM
p.53 #20The 58mm F/1.4G Thread
My version of the 58mm needed at MFD +18 on my D800E, which Nikon Canada repaired for the AF sensor issue 8 months ago, +13 on my new D750 and +9 on my girlfriend's D300. I called Nikon Canada and they said that they calibrate AF at f2.8 and not f1.4, so if one can adjust within the +20 and -20 in AF Fine Tuning, it is within specs.
After doing some tests, like other noticed, there is a focus shift to the rear from f1.4 to f8 near MFD.
After doing some tests, like other noticed, there is a focus shift to the rear from f1.4 to f8 near MFD.
Oct 28, 2014 at 06:05 AM