p.8 #1What was your sharpest lens, regardless of manufacturer or focal length?
gdanmitchell wrote: Knut. wrotePhilip I really cherish your comments and have tried to observe what you describe with words. Unfortunately I still have to see -side by side - in two comparative images depicting the same subject (person or landscape) under identical light to see what you mean. I‘m really trying, and I‘m definitely not being dismissive to your thoughts, but I have just not yet become aware of any rigid comparisons supporting your view, comparisons of the kind Fred presents in other circumstances.
I have specialized in stage photography. Personally I only use Voigländer‘s Apo Lanthars (28-35-50-65mm) for concert photography of musicians and I have NEVER been told that my images were clinical.
In personal use I find the images I get from the Apo Lanthars most malleable in post. Both for showing the intimacy of the performing musicians and for capturing the mood of the event. In addition the Apo Lanthars often allow more cropping than shots made with other lenses, without the image falling appart.
In addition, their exceptionally high correction of longitudinal chromatic aberation (LOCA) is a real bon for avoiding color errors before and behind the plane of focus, or color artefacts within the sparkles on shiny brass instruments even under harsh stage lighting.
Suprisingly, even their bokeh isn‘t that bad, considering their Apo designation. Some former Nikon lenses show much stronger „ring“ enhancements in the disperging disks of point light sources before and behind the plane of focus. Clearly Voigtländer is paying attention to the bokeh even in their Apo Lanthars, despite other lenses being better in this specific regard.You are too polite. ;-)
Actually his response was very professional and adult like. Others here might take notice … not naming names.
p.8 #3What was your sharpest lens, regardless of manufacturer or focal length?
I think the sharpest I've shot with are probably (in no order):
- 200/2G VR II (F-mount)
- 400/2.8S TC (Z-mount)
- 600/4S TC (Z-mount)
- 105/1.4E (F-mount)
- 85/1.2S (Z-mount)
The thing with longer lenses such as the 400 & 600 is that if shooting outdoors there are a bunch of other variables that can lower the sharpness such as weather, heat, if I'm shooting on a gimbal + tripod, if the subject is moving, etc.
But the lenses I listed above still wow me sometimes every now and then when I rotate through them.