p.2 #2 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
No, I just got the raw data this morning. I'll write it up over the weekend and have it posted Monday with any luck at all. If the weather holds I'll try to do some 55 Otus and 58mm Nikon comparison shots over the weekend, too.
Here's a bit of something, Imatest MTF50 numbers center, average of the lens, and corner. These are each a single lens shot, I haven't gotten all the data tabulated and averaged, but they seem representative.
All at f/1.4
Nikon 58mm f/1.4 on D3x 645 / 520 / 435
Nikon 58mm f/1.4 on D800e 700 / 540 / 475
Zeis Otus on D800e 945 / 785 / 670
The Zeiss numbers at f/1.4 are competitive with what I see from really good lenses at f/2.8 or f/4. I've never seen any lens do this at f/1.4.
Distortion is a very nice 0.8%, if there is field curvature, I can't detect it. Tests on the optical bench at infinity were just as good.
p.2 #3 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
RCicala wrote:
All at f/1.4
Nikon 58mm f/1.4 on D3x 645 / 520 / 435
Nikon 58mm f/1.4 on D800e 700 / 540 / 475
Zeis Otus on D800e 945 / 785 / 670
The Zeiss numbers at f/1.4 are competitive with what I see from really good lenses at f/2.8 or f/4. I've never seen any lens do this at f/1.4.
Thanks Roger. Do you have any comparable numbers for the Sigma 35mm on a D800E? The Sigma article I found from you was when it first became available on a Canon mount.
p.2 #4 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
RCicala wrote:
All at f/1.4
Nikon 58mm f/1.4 on D3x 645 / 520 / 435
Nikon 58mm f/1.4 on D800e 700 / 540 / 475
Zeis Otus on D800e 945 / 785 / 670
Could you talk a bit about these numbers, and how they will compare in large prints and such? I am not really good at interpreting numbers like this.
How do results compare visually? I mean, if you have shots of anything other than test charts, how would you describe the boke from these two lenses? I am considering making one of these lenses a replacement for a bunch of lenses I don't use much, but I am not sure which. Normally I would just go for the Zeiss, but this Nikkor has me intrigued. I would be especially interested in shots at distances of 3-5m with the background at 8-15m, sort of full-body portraits or cars, with somewhat separate, but urban background.
p.2 #6 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
snapsy wrote:
Thanks Roger. Do you have any comparable numbers for the Sigma 35mm on a D800E? The Sigma article I found from you was when it first became available on a Canon mount.
Off the cuff (I'm out of the lab now) the Sigma was nearly 900 in the center, but more like 550 in the corners. It was the best until the Otus.
p.2 #7 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
Carsten, probably the best visual comparison would be to convert the MTF numbers to SQF, like Pop Photo used to use.
This is a pretty big resolution difference - depending on which MTF (from 10 to 60) the difference ranges from 8 to 10. A difference of 5 is considered clearly visible in an 8 X 10 print.
That's really a huge difference. Usually when I say a better, it would take a 16 X 20 print (or equivalent cropping, etc.) to clearly see the difference.
To try to give some idea of the difference, the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 that I rave about is not quite 3 SQF points higher (on average) than the Canon 35mm f/1.4 (both excellent lenses, of course). The Canon 24-70 f/2.8 II at 70mm was about 4 SQF points higher than the original version.
p.2 #8 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
'All at f/1.4
Nikon 58mm f/1.4 on D3x 645 / 520 / 435
Nikon 58mm f/1.4 on D800e 700 / 540 / 475
Zeis Otus on D800e 945 / 785 / 670'
Well, wow. Otus stronger/around equal corners than the Nikon centre...same camera. Nice illustration of sensor input also. Line up the FE 55mm please...
p.2 #9 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
RCicala wrote:
Off the cuff (I'm out of the lab now) the Sigma was nearly 900 in the center, but more like 550 in the corners. It was the best until the Otus.
Great, thanks. Sounds like the Sigma is at least in the same universe as the Otus. Oh man I hope Sigma does a 50mm ART.
p.2 #13 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
carstenw wrote:
Could you talk a bit about these numbers, and how they will compare in large prints and such? I am not really good at interpreting numbers like this.
How do results compare visually? I mean, if you have shots of anything other than test charts, how would you describe the boke from these two lenses? I am considering making one of these lenses a replacement for a bunch of lenses I don't use much, but I am not sure which. Normally I would just go for the Zeiss, but this Nikkor has me intrigued. I would be especially interested in shots at distances of 3-5m with the background at 8-15m, sort of full-body portraits or cars, with somewhat separate, but urban background....Show more →
That's REALLY hard to tell... If you're comparing lenses that are somewhat similar in general rendering and "other" qualities, the numbers are accurate down to a certain degree. And certainly after the lens(es) have been stopped down by a full step.
At least with large-aperture lenses like the F1.4's, Imatest did at least USE to show very inflated numbers for lenses with low global contrast, wide open. So for lenses like the Canon/Nikon/Zeiss 50/1.4's, the F1.4 MTF50 values were much higher than what they "should" have been. That took me a while to catch on to, and to get some kind of analytical explanation for.
In Imatest master, I think you can now insert the "veiling flare" MTF baseline into the SFR measurement. This sets the "starting point" for the MTF - low frequencies like 2-5 lp/mm - lower. Then the lens will also reach the set MTF70/50/30 cutoff points earlier.
In some older lenses I found a 15% increase in Imatest indicated MTF50 compared to a real traversing slit measurement, wide open. That was lowered to a few percent (or nothing) after one or two stops down.
This will also upset quite a lot of people with lenses like the new Nikon 58. The MTF numbers extracted by software suits like Imatest or the simpler DxO packages just will not show the "correct" difference towards the more normal 50mm lenses. Weighing systems like the DxO "perceptual MP" - which I don't like for other reasons - or the SQF series in imatest - that include the baseline contrast compensation - will show other differences.
You really have to have both together (or alternatively, a real bench measured MTF!) to get the "whole picture".
p.2 #14 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
Shot through glass window. The rendering of this lens is spectacular. Color separation, resolution, micro contrast. It's absolutely superb and a tremendous tool for capturing light. By far the sharpest lens at 1.4 of any I have tried.
Nikon D800
Exposure1/3200 sec
Aperturef/1.4
Focal Length55 mm
ISO Speed100
p.2 #15 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
Received my OTUS on Wednesday. Here is one of my first shots taken during the afternoon. This was shot hand-held at f/1.4. I really like the design and build of the lens although it is heavy.
I noticed something on this lens, the sample shots [ you have ] has the sharpness in them now when compared to other non-zeiss lenses they are sharp too but gritty sharp or say clinically sharp then your eyes will start to irritate or wander around across the frame looking for something.
with your shots it's dead on the spot what are you trying to convey and it's pleasing to the eye. I don't know how to say it, the pics are clean and sharp but they're not gritty sharp like most non- zeiss do.
p.2 #17 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
agprkr wrote:
Received my OTUS on Wednesday. Here is one of my first shots taken during the afternoon. This was shot hand-held at f/1.4. I really like the design and build of the lens although it is heavy.
Jorge and Agprkr:
Will it be okay for you to post a pic with a subject-distance of 2.5 meters with 7 to 15 meter background at these apertures: f/1.4, f2, f/2.8 and f/4
p.2 #18 · First Shots with the Otus - Bokeh Samples
The Lenstip review has plenty bokeh samples at different apertures. Have you looked at them? The model with b&w checkered jacket and same background is a good torture test for bokeh and the Otus handled it well.
