I am almost switched from Reflex to MirrorLess. don't get me wrong, I love shooting the D800 and even more the D850 with two of my most loved lenses, the 58G, which I also adapt on ML, and the 85/1.4D.
Mirrorless wise got first a Z6II to explore the system with the 24-70/4, added the 50/1.8S and it started to feel like a very capable system but still not competitive vs the D850, added the 14-24/2.8 to leave the 20G on the D850 to collect dust (I do no astronomy so no need for f1.8, rather prefer the flexibility of the zoom on landscape which isn't really my thing), finally I got the 85/1.2S and besides size it almost made me forget the 85/1.4D, they both do very very well, I shot a night time wedding with no strobes on the Z8, which is one hell of a camera, and the 85, the Z6II with the 24-120/4 did it for the daylight shots, this is another excellent lens for the price, size and aperture and the Z8 for everything else.
Now, would I want to add a lens I am tempted by the 135 Plena but I feel that gap at the bottom, the 50/1.8S is a great lens, I thought the adapted 58G on either the Z6II or Z8 would do it but I am realizing that either it is a hit and miss or I still have to learn to use the cameras AF system which is very very much the case or I get the big brother, the 50/1.2S to complement the 85 and have a similar rendering.
Another option could be the 70-200 but not sure I want a zoom and I don't do sports.
No, no 35mm, I own a beautiful Contax Distagon 35/1.4 and as much as I would like to use it and sometimes force myself to take it around I just can't think on that angle even tho when I take the zoom around I find often myself shooting in that neighborhood but it's a very small case where it fits and I do no "street" and always like the ability to blur the background as my joy is to shoot people.
Anybody with the 85 and then 135 and 50 who can tell me how they feel?
I have the 50mm 1.2 S, 85mm 1.2 S, and had a few Plena 135s... and between the 85mm and 135mm, it really comes down to personal preference because it's a topic people do ask more often than not which one to choose. I'm planning on replacing the 85mm 1.2 S for the Plena. I just like the Plena better in almost every way. No vignetting (corrected optically), its super sharp, absolutely stellar bokeh, no LoCa.. its lighter than the 85mm 1.2 S. The 50mm 1.2 S is very nice, but I think I'd rather have that focal length covered with the 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 S, and then have the Plena. The 70-200 2.8 S is absolutely stellar. It's very versatile, and sharp so it can "replace the Plena". I tested the 70-200 at 135mm vs Plena, and it was quite close in terms of sharpness. But there's something about that Plena.
1. 50mm f1.2S - the 1.2S will of course be the closest to your 58mm, and it will also be the most versatile of the lenses you mentioned with a standard focal length in mind. Looking back through my images, I struggle to find a more versatile, beautiful portrait lens than the 50mm f1.2S.....where both environmental full-body shots and closer-up shots are wanted. If you are focused mainly on portraits, you can't go wrong with this. But then you'll find yourself in a similar position as me.....with the 58mm and the 1.2S. Both very similar, but different. Selling one over the other is like picking which of your kids you like more.
2. 70-200mm f2.8S - by far the lens I don't use enough of but each time I use it I get a smile on my face. If you don't buy the Plena but you do events where you can be a fly on the wall, this is a must have in my opinion (not just sports, but ceremonies, outdoor gatherings, events, etc). If you stick to just portraits, I'd stick with the other choices.
3. Plena - I don't have this....have the Sigma instead, so will keep my thoughts simple here. You do some tight headshots and this lens would excel in this dept when 135mm face compression is fine. I think this is the special sauce lens that you would use a small fraction of the time though as it's not the most versatile. If I were a dog or small child photographer specifically, this is a must have for those dreamy shots. For events, this will work well, especially in dark places....but if the light allows, I'd prefer the flexibility of the 70-200 zoom.
If it were my wallet, I'd get the 50mm 1.2S because I'd use it more often for planned portraits. It doesn't completely blast out a compressed background, but it provides a really pleasing background with just enough context for story-telling. I'm finding myself using this with my 105mm f1.4E for most portrait shoots. My 135mm stays at home more often because I prefer the 105mm. With that said, if I'm capturing candids / shots while keeping some distance from the crowd, the 70-200mm is a no-brainer.
Back in time I got a Sigma 150/2.8 Macro, the non OS version, used a few times, done some portraits which is my thing and, wow, it is quite a lens, amazing compression and blur, super sharp and great for male portraiture but bulky and only being used in certain circumstances where there's enough space to frame the subject, as much as I'd like to test the Plena I think it won't see much use after initial hype.
The 70-200 is the must have lens for professionals, I got the 80-200 back in time and those few times I attended a sport event it did great, another bulky lens to take just for casual shooting.
The 50 has always been my fav focal length along with 85, the 58 is a nice mid ground lens, a step back, a step forward and from environmental, where the 58 in capable hands excels, you can switch to head only portrait, not easy lens to handle but when it hits the results are dreamy.
After initial hype adapting the 58 on the Z6II I have to step back, on the Z8 it is not as reliable or, very much probably. I am not that good with the camera's AF system (in fact I am gonna read the manual as it is mandatory to at least know how it works) and when I add the bulk of the FTZ to the combo the size/weight gets very close to the 50/1.2S.
Ideally I'd like to keep the D850 solely for the 58G and the 85/1.4D, I own the 85/1.2S which is a beast of a lens and I know the little brother is there with size, it renders beautiful photographs but sometimes I like the handling of the D-SLR and that's the reason I will keep it with a few lenses, I wanna move on with the Z bodies, I had a couple events where I made some income and that's why I am looking at the next lens with the expectation to face some other event and to be reliable rather than in the hope the 58G works sufficiently well in a topic moment.
I think you’ve come full circle and begun to answer your own questions. I too am curious about the Plena but like you I don’t feel it will get a great deal of use after the initial joy of acquiring it. If you didn’t use your Sigma 150 much, will the Plena be different enough to make you use it?
I’ve seen your excellent photos with the 58 on your D850 so keeping the D850 if your struggling on a z body makes sense. I have a similar dilemma in that I kept my D5 and sold my D850 when I originally moved to the Z9. It wasn’t a bad decision for my sports work at the time but I wish I still had my D850 as I think I would use my 58, 105e and Tamron 35 1.4 much more now that I shoot for pleasure more often. Adapting those lenses to the Z8 just isn’t the same for me. They work well on then D5 but the D850 was my all time favourite DSLR and I miss it.
I see the world well at 50mm so I’m a bit biased towards the 50mm 1.2. You see it well at 58mm so the 50 would be my vote.
You are sort of covered in most aspects. I personally would add the 70-200/2.8 over the Plena, just to have flexibility on the working distance. You say you don't shoot sport, but the compression look you can get with a 700-200 even for portraits is special.
for the sake of curiosity I grabbed the old Sigma 150 which I recall not working on the D800 after a firmware update, put it on the FTZ and it does focus on the Z8, it's not a rocket, sometimes it needs a helping hand on the focus ring but it does work, now if I could find a subject to find out how it does portrait wise I'd be really happy and could tell if the Plena could become a favorite or not which I doubt after initial hype since the 85/1.2 is a superb lens and the 135 could be redundant.
70-200 wise it's a lens that sooner or later has to make it to my shelf, especially if I gather some more paid jobs, I shot a whole wedding, as a non pro since it was not requested it being a fake ceremony just to host friends and family after the true wedding, with the Z6II and 24-120/4 to then switch to the Z8 and 85/1.2 after sunset, I got amazed at how the combo could focus and deliver, simply amazed.
Maybe the 50 is my best bet at the moment, I will give the 58 some more chance on the adapter to see how it works, I am a big fan of the lens nonetheless it being very challenging to use to its full potential which I think I am far from.
