This topic is in the 2016 archive. You can read it and like its posts here. It is read only.
Archive 2016Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
p.3 #1Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Steve Spencer wrote:
The Otus is big but I think the images are lovely from it. As I said above, I think the Otus at f/5.6 is pretty close to perfect in these shots. No CA, wonderful micro contrast, very nice colors. It is pretty unwieldy to use it however. I have a 1-6 stop Variable ND filter for this lens and it works well. It was not cheap, but when you pony up for this lens getting good filters just seems to make sense. I also have a 95mm Lee adapter ring, that I haven't used with the lens yet. If...Show more →
Thanks Steve! I agree about getting good filters. I have an 82mm Lee filter adapter ring but would be interested if your 95mn works ok without any vignetting. Yes, both lenses are for different marketstyles, m-rangefinder/ Sony mirror less vs. Canikon DSLR. It is scary changing lens in the field over water and rocks even though I have a Square trade policy on it.
wayne seltzer wrote
I love my Otus 28 and can't imagine a lens beating it in sharpness across the frame wide open. I was very impressed with that when I took shots of Stanford's MemU church, a good planar subject with lots of detail. Things are super busy at work so don't have time to post some shots yet. The 95mm filter size is pretty massive. I bought a polarizer with it but need to now get a 7 stop ND filter.Thanks Steve! I agree about getting good filters. I have an 82mm Lee filter adapter ring but would be interested if your 95mn works ok without any vignetting. Yes, both lenses are for different marketstyles, m-rangefinder/ Sony mirror less vs. Canikon DSLR. It is scary changing lens in the field over water and rocks even though I have a Square trade policy on it.
Nov 02, 2016 at 05:58 PM
p.3 #2Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
wayne seltzer wrote:
The Otus is big but I think the images are lovely from it. As I said above, I think the Otus at f/5.6 is pretty close to perfect in these shots. No CA, wonderful micro contrast, very nice colors. It is pretty unwieldy to use it however. I have a 1-6 stop Variable ND filter for this lens and it works well. It was not cheap, but when you pony up for this lens getting good filters just seems to make sense. I also have a 95mm Lee adapter ring, that I haven't used with the lens yet. If you are interested I can let you know if it works. I'm not sure I might need the wide angle adapter and I just have the regular one.Thanks Steve! I agree about getting good filters. I have an 82mm Lee filter adapter ring but would be interested if your 95mn works ok without any vignetting. Yes, both lenses are for different marketstyles, m-rangefinder/ Sony mirror less vs. Canikon DSLR. It is scary changing lens in the field over water and rocks even though I have a Square trade policy on it.
Hi Wayne,
I just checked and there is no vignetting with the regular Lee 95mm adapter and the regular foundation kit for the 100mm system. So, you could even use a polarizer and the little stopper to get your 7 stops as you would have two slots to work with.
Steve Spencer wrote
wayne seltzer wrote
I love my Otus 28 and can't imagine a lens beating it in sharpness across the frame wide open. I was very impressed with that when I took shots of Stanford's MemU church, a good planar subject with lots of detail. Things are super busy at work so don't have time to post some shots yet. The 95mm filter size is pretty massive. I bought a polarizer with it but need to now get a 7 stop ND filter.Hi Wayne,
I just checked and there is no vignetting with the regular Lee 95mm adapter and the regular foundation kit for the 100mm system. So, you could even use a polarizer and the little stopper to get your 7 stops as you would have two slots to work with.
Nov 03, 2016 at 11:08 AM
p.3 #3Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Thanks Steve for your response. Just saw the 95mm Lee filter adapter ring is $90 at B&H. Yikes!
I may get a Formatt 7 stop ND filter first as I hear their filters are color-neutral.
I may get a Formatt 7 stop ND filter first as I hear their filters are color-neutral.
Nov 03, 2016 at 07:09 PM
p.3 #4Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Thanks for the test. What would be interesting to me is: how well does the lowly cheap Sony FE 28/2 compare to these bad boys? Aside from distortion (where the FE 28 will surely be worst), It'd be very interesting to see what 10x the cost gets you in comparison. When I compared it with the Batis 25mm, the differences were fairly minor, but neither is near the hyper-correction of the Otus from what I've read, so I'd be curious.
Nov 04, 2016 at 07:22 AM
p.3 #5Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Jman13 wrote:
Thanks for the test. What would be interesting to me is: how well does the lowly cheap Sony FE 28/2 compare to these bad boys? Aside from distortion (where the FE 28 will surely be worst), It'd be very interesting to see what 10x the cost gets you in comparison. When I compared it with the Batis 25mm, the differences were fairly minor, but neither is near the hyper-correction of the Otus from what I've read, so I'd be curious.
Jordan, as you probably recognize from the shots I am in Columbus now so if you have the FE 28 let's do the comparison some time. I would love to have your help with it.
Thanks for the test. What would be interesting to me is: how well does the lowly cheap Sony FE 28/2 compare to these bad boys? Aside from distortion (where the FE 28 will surely be worst), It'd be very interesting to see what 10x the cost gets you in comparison. When I compared it with the Batis 25mm, the differences were fairly minor, but neither is near the hyper-correction of the Otus from what I've read, so I'd be curious.
Jordan, as you probably recognize from the shots I am in Columbus now so if you have the FE 28 let's do the comparison some time. I would love to have your help with it.
Nov 04, 2016 at 07:46 AM
p.3 #6Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Sure! Not sure when, but we can try and schedule. I'll PM you.
Nov 04, 2016 at 08:44 AM
p.3 #7Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Here are some new portrait samples. They are shot indoors with flat natural light--sorry for not having time to shoot more quality shots. All were shot wide open, I adjusted exposure and the crops are at 100%, the full scene shots I cropped to 4 X 5 ratio, which is typical for me for portraits and then downsized to 1200 pixels wide using my usual step downsizing. Otherwise they have had nothing done to them other than the exposure adjustment. They were all shot at ISO 1600, even though they didn't really need to be as I wanted to test at a higher ISO for indoor shooting. I hope to be able to shoot more stopped down and outdoor portraits soon, but my model was getting antsy and the weather outside is terrible so this was all I could do today.
The first for each scene will be the Lux followed by the 100% crop, then the Otus followed by the 100% crop.
The first for each scene will be the Lux followed by the 100% crop, then the Otus followed by the 100% crop.
Nov 20, 2016 at 01:29 PM
p.3 #8Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Here is the second scene
Nov 20, 2016 at 01:31 PM
p.3 #9Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
My take is that they both are quite sharp wide open and I am not sure we learn a lot else from these shots. Wide open getting focus right is probably more important than which lens you use. Magnification is a must, at least for me, to get good focus. The Otus is big fairly unwieldy, but still possible to use. The Lux is a very nice size and once you get used to the focus tab is an ergonomic pleasure.
Nov 20, 2016 at 01:35 PM
p.3 #10Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Has anyone compared the 28 Summicron compared to the Lux on the A7RII?
Nov 21, 2016 at 12:41 PM
p.3 #11Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Fred Miranda wrote:
Has anyone compared the 28 Summicron compared to the Lux on the A7RII?
It would be an interesting comparison, but it would need to be the recently reconfigured for digital version of the summicron. I think they would both do quite well, but I would love to see the comparison.
Has anyone compared the 28 Summicron compared to the Lux on the A7RII?
It would be an interesting comparison, but it would need to be the recently reconfigured for digital version of the summicron. I think they would both do quite well, but I would love to see the comparison.
Nov 21, 2016 at 12:56 PM
p.3 #12Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Steve Spencer wrote:
It would be an interesting comparison, but it would need to be the recently reconfigured for digital version of the summicron. I think they would both do quite well, but I would love to see the comparison.
Wait, I think I tested this lens on the A7RII. Let me check.
Fred Miranda wrote
Has anyone compared the 28 Summicron compared to the Lux on the A7RII?Wait, I think I tested this lens on the A7RII. Let me check.
Nov 21, 2016 at 01:12 PM
p.3 #13Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Actually it was the 28 Elmarit. (new version)
It did well on the corners at f/5.6 but had very strong field curvature on the A7RII:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1423138/22#13540351
How is the curvature with the Lux?
It did well on the corners at f/5.6 but had very strong field curvature on the A7RII:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1423138/22#13540351
How is the curvature with the Lux?
Nov 21, 2016 at 01:18 PM
p.3 #14Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Fred Miranda wrote:
Actually it was the 28 Elmarit. (new version)
It did well on the corners at f/5.6 but had very strong field curvature on the A7RII:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1423138/22#13540351
How is the curvature with the Lux?
I really can't see any field curvature. I have looked for it and can't see it. Maybe I am missing it, but I can't see how it is affecting my shots. In the landscape shot early in this thread I compared shots focussed the in middle with shot focussed on the extreme edge and they were identical. If I went from one to the other without refocussing I couldn't see how changing focus would improve the shot. There seems to be zero midzone dip either (which would be consistent with the MTF charts). I can see the argument for the new version of the little Elmarit ASPH if you needed the smallest kit possible, but I think the 28 lux is pretty compelling, but the cron might be quite interesting as well.
Personally, I went for these two super lenses (one Leica and one Zeiss) at this focal length and I am quite happy. Just the opposite of what I did at 85/90.
Actually it was the 28 Elmarit. (new version)
It did well on the corners at f/5.6 but had very strong field curvature on the A7RII:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1423138/22#13540351
How is the curvature with the Lux?
I really can't see any field curvature. I have looked for it and can't see it. Maybe I am missing it, but I can't see how it is affecting my shots. In the landscape shot early in this thread I compared shots focussed the in middle with shot focussed on the extreme edge and they were identical. If I went from one to the other without refocussing I couldn't see how changing focus would improve the shot. There seems to be zero midzone dip either (which would be consistent with the MTF charts). I can see the argument for the new version of the little Elmarit ASPH if you needed the smallest kit possible, but I think the 28 lux is pretty compelling, but the cron might be quite interesting as well.
Personally, I went for these two super lenses (one Leica and one Zeiss) at this focal length and I am quite happy. Just the opposite of what I did at 85/90.
Nov 21, 2016 at 02:50 PM
p.3 #15Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Steve Spencer wrote:
It did well on the corners at f/5.6 but had very strong field curvature on the A7RII:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1423138/22#13540351
How is the curvature with the Lux?I really can't see any field curvature. I have looked for it and can't see it. Maybe I am missing it, but I can't see how it is affecting my shots. In the landscape shot early in this thread I compared shots focussed the in middle with shot focussed on the extreme edge and they were identical. If I went from one to the other without refocussing I couldn't see how changing focus would improve the shot. There seems to be zero midzone dip either (which would be consistent with the MTF charts). I can see the argument for...Show more →
Was that no curvature on the A7RII? That's interesting but feasible since the f/1.4 and f/2.8 lenses have entire different optical designs.
Fred Miranda wrote
Actually it was the 28 Elmarit. (new version)It did well on the corners at f/5.6 but had very strong field curvature on the A7RII:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1423138/22#13540351
How is the curvature with the Lux?
Was that no curvature on the A7RII? That's interesting but feasible since the f/1.4 and f/2.8 lenses have entire different optical designs.
Nov 21, 2016 at 03:48 PM
p.3 #16Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Fred Miranda wrote:
It did well on the corners at f/5.6 but had very strong field curvature on the A7RII:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1423138/22#13540351
How is the curvature with the Lux?I really can't see any field curvature. I have looked for it and can't see it. Maybe I am missing it, but I can't see how it is affecting my shots. In the landscape shot early in this thread I compared shots focussed the in middle with shot focussed on the extreme edge and they were identical. If I went from one to the other without refocussing I couldn't see how changing focus would improve the shot. There seems to be zero midzone dip either (which would be consistent with the MTF charts). I can see the argument for the new version of the little Elmarit ASPH if you needed the smallest kit possible, but I think the 28 lux is pretty compelling, but the cron might be quite interesting as well.
Personally, I went for these two super lenses (one Leica and one Zeiss) at this focal length and I am quite happy. Just the opposite of what I did at 85/90.Was that no curvature on the A7RII? That's interesting but feasible since the f/1.4 and f/2.8 lenses have entire different optical designs.
Yes, that was on the A7RII and the Lux does have a quite different design with a very flat field on the M240 and the SL, so perhaps it isn't too surprising that there isn't field curvature even on the A7RII.
Steve Spencer wrote
Fred Miranda wrote
Actually it was the 28 Elmarit. (new version)It did well on the corners at f/5.6 but had very strong field curvature on the A7RII:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1423138/22#13540351
How is the curvature with the Lux?
Personally, I went for these two super lenses (one Leica and one Zeiss) at this focal length and I am quite happy. Just the opposite of what I did at 85/90.
Yes, that was on the A7RII and the Lux does have a quite different design with a very flat field on the M240 and the SL, so perhaps it isn't too surprising that there isn't field curvature even on the A7RII.
Nov 21, 2016 at 06:26 PM
p.3 #17Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Here are some bokeh comparisons with a close background that is all foliage. The focus point is just under a meter, so pretty close focus. I will present f/1.4 through f/8. First, a shot of the whole scene, then a 100% crop of the centerish focal point (it is really rule of 3rds), then a 100% crop of the right edge straight over more or less form the center crop. These were all shot on a tripod with a 2 second delay on the shutter, but I kept the shutter speed up because there was a light wind, so smaller apertures have higher ISO. In each set I will start with the 3 lux shots followed by the 3 Otus shots.
Nov 23, 2016 at 04:51 PM
p.3 #18Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
and the otus bokeh at f/1.4
Nov 23, 2016 at 04:52 PM
p.3 #19Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
Now f/2 again starting with the Lux
Nov 23, 2016 at 04:54 PM
p.3 #20Comparison of Zeiss Otus 28 f/1.4 APO vs Leica M 28 f/1.4 ASPH
now the Otus on the edge at f/2
Nov 23, 2016 at 04:55 PM