Fred Miranda wrote:
Nice pop!
Thank you Fred! This lens is incredible when it hits!
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darbo wrote:
Why oh why did I just click into this thread again??
I'm really starting to think this lens has the most appealing rendering of any native e-mount lens for me.
As a happy Loxia 35mm (excellent for landscapes) and FE 35mm 1.4 ZA (excellent for 1.4 AF shooting) owner I'm stumped as to what I should do about it. I don't want to sell those, but that would make adding the 40mm an extreme luxury. The rendering, which has been conveyed throughout this thread captivates me, so maybe I should just bite the absurdity bullet and order one and have all three....Show more →
This lens isn't without flaw of course! And coincidentally, I'm too thinking of getting the 35mm 1.4 ZA.
Sometimes I really wish I can have a better close focus distance performance at wide open, from what I saw, the ZA 35mm seems to perform really well at close focus distance and doesn't have the.dreamy glow which I usually trying to avoid by stopping down. Yes shooting subject that close one has to stop down anyway. I do have the itch to buy the ZA 35mm to try out, but that means one lens has to go. I don't like swapping lens and I'm generally a one lens guy. I still miss my RX1R sometimes as this lens doesn't render color the same way, usually under articifial lighting, the nokton doesn't always give the color rendering I like, while there's almost no issue with the RX1R under similar lighting, and the ZA resembled the RX1R look a lot.
How do you like the 35mm 1.4 ZA?
EDIT: After extensive search about the rendering of 35mm 1.4 ZA, seems that for portrait the nokton rendered better bokeh, maybe just slightly. And nokton seems to have a slight edge on the 3D pop, perhaps something to do with the way nokton rendered the bokeh as well as contrast in the bokeh zone. And am not ready to give up size and weight for close focus distance performance! Ah well, no lens is perfect!
After going through more and more pictures taken with the 35mm 1.4 ZA on Flickr, I think I sort of understood the difference between ZA and the Nokton.
The ZA render similarly to that of RX1R, where the bokeh doesn't loose much of the contrast, whereas the Nokton will render the bokeh slightly less contrasty thus making the subject in focus more contrasty and results in more 3D pop. At least that's how I perceived.
You bet which one is more effective for portraits - the Nokton. However, despite understanding the differences, I'm strongly leaning towards the ZA right now. To me the Nokton excel in many areas especially environmental portraits, but I'm more into all rounded purpose as I usually use my camera during food hunting and travelling.
It's going to be a hard decision to actually let the Nokton go should I decide to stick with the ZA in the end. I'll give up more bokeh (shorter focal length and slightly smaller aperture), small and light weight lens. But I'll probably be happy to be able to enjoy the A9 focus system again!
......I do hope I change my mind tomorrow though. Going through the buy and sell process isn't at all fun.
Arrived yesterday (VM version) but FedEx decided to drag their feet well into the early evening.
I've only run off about 30-40 since getting it mounted. I have to say though, it's staying in my bag. lol.
As some of you may have already seen, I've been pretty high on the 7Artisans 50/1.1 for a while. Time to give that a break so can I run this 40 for a bit.
MFD sample. Focus point was almost dead center. The upper and lower sections of the tree are actually on different planes of focus due to the angle of growth. From what I can tell so far, it is more than sharp enough for my needs at MFD.
Liking mine much better now that I have the f=2m Proxar transplanted into a good looking rig for close-up stuff.
It now passes my eyelash sharp and contrast tests for images such as this.
Though it's no 65/2 APO, the 100% crop looks pretty good - this was taken at about 0.8m on the distance scale.
JohnDizzo15 wrote:
Arrived yesterday (VM version) but FedEx decided to drag their feet well into the early evening.
I've only run off about 30-40 since getting it mounted. I have to say though, it's staying in my bag. lol.
As some of you may have already seen, I've been pretty high on the 7Artisans 50/1.1 for a while. Time to give that a break so can I run this 40 for a bit.
MFD sample. Focus point was almost dead center. The upper and lower sections of the tree are actually on different planes of focus due to the angle of growth. From what I can tell so far, it is more than sharp enough for my needs at MFD.
John, how are you finding the AF focus with the TAP and M Mount CV 40? Do you think you're giving any thing up, IQ wise, by not going with the e mount?
saxguy wrote:
John, how are you finding the AF focus with the TAP and M Mount CV 40? Do you think you're giving any thing up, IQ wise, by not going with the e mount?
Works decently. Somewhere between my best focusing ones that will achieve AF all the way out to the edges and the 7A which will only grab within the very central region. With the VM 40, I'm able to achieve focus out to around the center of the next third out. Also, when looking at the frame in landscape, the entire central vertical third is usable in AF (a bit better than the 7A). As far as speed and eye AF, it works pretty darn well.
With regard to IQ compromise, I'm certain I'm giving something up but couldn't tell you just how much since I don't have the FE mount version to compare. Although I will say, just based on what I'm getting initially out of this VM version, I am more than content. As far as the vantage point from which I'm operating, I much prefer having AF to focus a lens like this as opposed to gaining that bit of IQ bump moving out toward the edges. From what I have seen when focusing on subjects midframe away from center, it is more than sufficient with regard to resolution/sharpness so I am a happy camper.
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nampramos wrote:
John, great first shots. I'm liking the light on those a lot.
I'll share my first shots with the VM later today on a Mark I A7.
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nampramos wrote:
First walk around with the VM 40/1.2 on a Mark I Sony A7.
All shot at f/1.2 but the last one which was taken at f/5.6. Minimal editing done.
Very pleased with it so far even though I'm currently living in a place that's not the most interesting to photograph (the surf's good though)
Can't see why anyone would complain about this lens.
Ditto to your shots above. Those all look awesome. I especially like the first. The pop and general rendering are just phenomenal. I can't wait to get this thing out in better light with different subjects.
I'm pretty sure this is going to be one of my all time favorites.
On another note, can you believe how tiny this thing is?
Another quick snap just so I could see bokeh. Quite dull out but it still gave me a good idea of what a busy blown out background looks like with this thing. A9 + VM 40/1.2 by John Dizzo, on Flickr
Coming from Canon, I'm just astonished by the dynamic range this Sony A7R3 sensor can provide.
These look horrible, but to be able to push 5 stops and still retain detail? It's ridiculous!
Where do you find the focus distance in the EXIF file? I was looking for that in my last 40/1.2 shots and it was not obvious. I assume this information is in there somewhere since the lens tells the camera what the focus distance is during MF operation (at least by the bar graph from the flower to the mountains . . . in the EVF)
Winter in the midwest. Its either ISO6400 territory because its after work and dark, or 1/8000+ territory when trying to shoot at f1.2 in the harsh winter sun :-). Got a chance to go down to Kline Creek Farm today primarily with the A7rII + Nokton E 40 1.2...
I am interested with this lens. Anyone has sample photos of the flare from this lens at f1.2? Wondering if it can create sort of circular lens flare like Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 Classic
