Too much build up likely. Its a nice lens,I love the focal length but you can achieve these photos with other lenses.
xpfloyd wrote:
Mine arrived today but only had a chance to shoot it around the house a bit. Feeling a bit of buyers remorse for some reason? I was maybe expecting too much from it at f/1.2
First 3 at 1.2 and last one at 1.4 (excuse the snot, she has a cold)
I think it is about learning the lens. The 40/1.2 is the "sharpest" f/1.2 lens I've tried. It is somewhat weaker at very short distances and used wide open but it is never bad. The work-around is to use an Elpro or similar, or to stop down to say f/1.8 (f/1.7 if you have an A7R MkII, oddly reporting this value). I don't consider this a problem for real life use.
Note on technically "sharp"
Then, for discussing a single lens (yours, or mine, or...) I'll happily contribute to such a discussion - however only after "sharpness" has been defined. The very least thing we can do for a close to objective discussion is printing some USAF charts, show 100% crops while describing the shooting and "development" details.
Some such samples can be found at page 44. Such images can easily be compared, as opposed to most other samples people are trying to find faults in. Or use to show how wonderfully "sharp" a camera and lens combo is.
That stuff is however tedious and boring and can be recommended only for anyone really feeling they got a significantly bad performer. my impression after having followed this thread since start is that the sample variation exists but not to high degree.
Apr 06, 2018 at 04:50 PM
imagesfromobjects Offline • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
It's REALLY EASY to miss focus at close range and f/1.2. You're dealing with a DOF that is literally millimeters wide. If you so much as breathe while you're shooting, you can nail focus somewhere you didn't intend. If you want to discern if it's the copy, just find somewhere that *is* in focus. If nothing is sharp and you're at a shutter speed of +1/250, maybe check out one of the supplemental solutions Fred and others have suggested. I'd also suggest using magnify rather than peaking. Lots of false positives with peaking.
Apr 06, 2018 at 05:15 PM
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Oops. I mean - what he said. JohnDizzo15 wrote:
There are potentially a multitude of things at play. In the case of @xpfloyd@, (although the shots look fine to me with maybe some slightly missed focusing) are very close to being at minimum focus distance which the FE mount version has been found to be weakest at optically. This is where the front filter conversation comes in.
Not sure how much of a difference (if any) there is at MFD between the FE mount version versus an adapted M mount version. But I have found the resolution to be more than acceptable at or near MFD on my adapted version via TAP (without front filters).
As far as not getting sharp shots in general, it could be a sub-par copy or simply missed focus which is very easy to do. Focus peaking (at least I have found in my usage) is not great for ultra fast lenses. If you must manually focus a fast lens, then I prefer magnification over peaking.
Of course, we all have varying levels of comfort and/or ability with manual focus. I like to believe I am pretty good at it with some caveats when it comes to moving subjects. I personally am constantly shooting on the fly (while being a dad and only having one hand free) and hardly ever have the luxury of shooting compliant/static subjects which is the reason I opted to make some optical sacrifices in exchange for some autofocus.
I know a lot of shooters like to believe they are good enough to capture moving subjects at 1.2 or faster. But the reality is if you need a decent keeper rate while doing it quickly/swiftly and capturing fleeting moments for said subjects, most of us are going to need AF. ...Show more →
ylimehajile wrote:
That's exactly what it was - and sadly I read that a few times on this thread alone. Thanks for the reminder. With this type of lens my tendency is to get as close as I can. My dog wasn't a fan of that. Once I backed up and checked 1:1 everything looks great.
I run a dog rescue and also a charity dog walking business to raise money for homeless dogs. I do most of the photography for both. Because of the shape of a dog's skull, shooting wide open on a Sony with fast primes will get the eyes but completely miss the nose and ears. The other major issue with a manual focus lens and dogs is that it's hard to get them to stay completely still - though I have my tricks :-)
RobertHolloway wrote:
The other major issue with a manual focus lens and dogs is that it's hard to get them to stay completely still - though I have my tricks :-)
The only thing I've found that works, partially, is the temptation of treats held out of the frame. Anything else that you've found?
I've been lurking this thread from the beginning, as I earlier had the A7II and had the Nokton FE version ordered. But then I cancelled as I switched back to 100% Fujifilm cameras just a few weeks back. I already had the X-T20 with my Sony and now Sony got replaced by X-T2 (which I love love love LOVE). Almost gave up on Nokton but then I realized that the M mount version could work really great on my Fuji. And if I ever switched back to FF or GFX medium (if they ever come up with more "affordable" medium format cameras) I could use this lens there as well.
So anyone using this gem on Fuji cameras (or crop sensor)?...Show more →
Hello fellow lurker! Don't know about other Fuji or crop sensors, but being quite an experimenter myself, I use it on the GFX, and in fact, am currently using it as my only lens at the moment. I find it covers fairly well with some soft vignetting which is fixable in post at full resolution (4:3 ratio), but I love to shoot it at 1:1 with no issues. Also, I use the Canon 250, and/or 500 adapters to get better close-up performance.
By the way, according to Fuji Rumors, Fuji will be announcing the GFX 50R which is believed to be a less expensive rangefinder (in name only) version at Photokina in September.
RobertHolloway wrote:
I run a dog rescue and also a charity dog walking business to raise money for homeless dogs. I do most of the photography for both. Because of the shape of a dog's skull, shooting wide open on a Sony with fast primes will get the eyes but completely miss the nose and ears. The other major issue with a manual focus lens and dogs is that it's hard to get them to stay completely still - though I have my tricks :-)
I take a lot of dog images, and I find AF not very useful except really good tracking for action.
But in portrait style dog pictures, I find that AF is likely to focus on a bit of fur on the snout and miss nailing the eyes.
Until there is EyeAF that works reliably on dogs, I think MF works much better.
tunisia wrote:
By the way, according to Fuji Rumors, Fuji will be announcing the GFX 50R which is believed to be a less expensive rangefinder (in name only) version at Photokina in September.
Yeah that really is interesting and I really hope the prices come down. I just wish they really made it "compact enough". The current size and weight of GFX is way too much for my taste. If they could manage to pull out something like the size of A7II/III series (and without IBIS they should be able to do it). But the price needs to be less than 3K$ for me to pull the trigger. Maybe used one, some day. And thanks, nice to know it covers the image circle in GFX.
The main reason I'm interested in this particular lens that it's "future proof" ie. easily adapted to future mirrorless cameras, unlike the Mitakon 35mm f/0.95 which is the other option I'm considering instead. I'm not that much a one brand guy, even though I really love Fuji for their more tactile feel and manual knobs and such, as well as image output that requires less "massaging" in post to get what I want. Since leaving Sony I really would love to get a manual nifty-fiftyish (60mm on crop is pretty close) that had the similar dof that my FE55/1.8 had. The XF35/1.4 is close, but not quite. And I prefer manual lenses and that one has pretty horrible AF.
I shoot a lot with vintage glass and actually prefer the look I could get from the Nokton. So what I would love to see is how sharp it is wide open on 24Mpix crop sensor. I know it's not the sharpest lens ever, but if it's comparable to Mitakon, I could consider this Nokton, as the build quality is top notch and the size of the M mount version is really nice. I use speed boosters too and really love Minolta glass which gives me the look. But the IQ especially in corners ain't that great. Good for shallow dof shots, but not for everything. Stopped down this Nokton apparently is pretty nice and sharp, especially when crop sensor cuts the corners out. And wide open great bokeh with a little bit of vintage look.
Mine locked in on my Golden Retriever's eye a couple times. Not consistently though. Also,slightly off topic,face recognition doesnt work well with babies lying down and looking at you sideways. I guess the algorithm (my attempt at smart words) needs the face lined up straight on to recognize
Ok...now back to our program.
DavidBM wrote:
I take a lot of dog images, and I find AF not very useful except really good tracking for action.
But in portrait style dog pictures, I find that AF is likely to focus on a bit of fur on the snout and miss nailing the eyes.
Until there is EyeAF that works reliably on dogs, I think MF works much better.
From yesterday. There was a theater piece through the whole city. It started at the unsiversity and there was also a stop in the old botanic garden. Some may remember my glashouse shots a few days ago. They were made for this production.
DannyBurkPhoto wrote:
The only thing I've found that works, partially, is the temptation of treats held out of the frame. Anything else that you've found?
The treat trick is a good one. I wear an old climbing chalk bag, round my waist, full of treats. I then hold the treat in one hand just off camera.
However, the best trick is a squeaker from a dollar store. This will make the dog look and tilt their head. Makes for some lovely portraits.
Rob
Apr 07, 2018 at 08:32 AM
imagesfromobjects Offline • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
This Nokton has served as a direct replacement for my Fuji 35/1.4. The rendering/vibe is very similar - painterly character and sharp center wide open, crunchy egde-to-edge sharpness from f/4 or so. Sold my X-E1 and lenses because having 2 systems is not in my current budget.
I'm keeping a close watch on news of the upcoming Fuji MF rangefinder - I'd love to get back into Fuji one day, but I'm hooked on FF as a minimum, and the GFX is a little bit out of my reach.
Love to check out some GFX/Nokton shots - you have any you want to share?
tunisia wrote:
Hello fellow lurker! Don't know about other Fuji or crop sensors, but being quite an experimenter myself, I use it on the GFX, and in fact, am currently using it as my only lens at the moment. I find it covers fairly well with some soft vignetting which is fixable in post at full resolution (4:3 ratio), but I love to shoot it at 1:1 with no issues. Also, I use the Canon 250, and/or 500 adapters to get better close-up performance.
By the way, according to Fuji Rumors, Fuji will be announcing the GFX 50R which is believed to be a less expensive rangefinder (in name only) version at Photokina in September.
Just a quick snapshot. A cold 'Spring?' morning in Colorado. I was just testing my new lens for sharpness. This is at f1.2 at about 6 feet on a tripod. It's a 50% crop.
You know we talk a lot about the background bokeh but very little of foreground bokeh and honestly I absolutely love how it renders the foreground more. Just draws your eye into the sharp part of the image so nicely. Folks try some shots like this. I think you will love that look too.
