Greggf wrote:
Phillippe...which do you prefer? GM 85 or Otus 85??
Difficult question, Gregg. Let me says this. As I have Otus 55, I probably wouldn't own a Otus 85, but would rather jump to ZF.2 135 APO, a quasi-Otus lens. I just can't carry too many heavy lenses at the same time, so the spacing needs to be a bit wide.
So my choice was rather 85 GM or Zeiss. I chose to "mix rather than match". The Sony gives me a different look (different colours, different bokeh, different contrast), which means I can choose either the Zeiss or the Sony look. Plus, the Sony offers AF, and having one AF lens in my bag is often useful/helpful. Finally, the Sony, while not exactly light and cheap, is less heavy and expensive than Otus 85, which, at this point in time, matters.
But, if I were in the market for "the best 85 money can buy", without question it is the Otus. The Sony is not fully APO, whereas the Otus is. The Otus has both greater subtlety in colours and more micro-contrast, which is a paradox and shows just how good it is. The Sony bokeh is very creamy Vs the more structured look of the Zeiss. On a picture where the defocused background is very close to the in-focus subject, the rapid transition to creamy bokeh can be a bit strange with the Sony. Whereas the Otus cannot be caught wrong-footed.
But, considering the Sony is lighter, less than half the price and offers AF, I am fuly happy with my purchase of the Sony. And Zeiss, seeing me with Otus 28 and 55 cannot show too much unhappiness...:-)
I frequently visit numerous small village churches in my region.They are mostly very old - gothic and romanesque.Thick stone walls with old gates encircle them.Each has great and long history and I love to observe their rich architectural details - traces of changing styles and rebuilts/renovations over centuries.Old trees stand around quietly and with minimum attention one can hear the whisper of ages.
