since the "Cosina's new primes" thread was successfully derailed , i'd like to start a thread comparing the ZF 50 and various Nikkor 50's...
I personally feel that (from what i've seen- i have NO hands-on with the Zeiss lens) the ZF is just not worth the expense. I bought my beat up Nikkor 1.4 AIS for $70 from KEH, and i absolutely love it. In terms of the amount of pictures i've gotten from it, that i absolutely love, it may be the most productive prime i've ever owned. AND IT WAS SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS.
I was having more fun with this lens on my FE2 than the 1DII and 3 expensive (popular) EF lenses was providing for me, so i sold all the EOS gear and happily made a (small) investment into a good AIS kit. I'm much happier now....
anyways!
here are some shots that i've taken with this particular lens (50/1.4 ais) on various films, all with my FE2, all poorly scanned- but they still, IMO, have a better look to them than what i've seen from most ZF shots:
I'd like people who own the ZF version (or the AIS) explain why they love it so much, because i know there are owners who give it glowing praise- but i guess i just don't understand why?
I think the new Cosina 58mm F1.4 (with its CPU contacts) makes a MUCH better alt 50- i might get one actually... it's cheaper too.
i too am interested in that 58/1.4- does anyone have sample images from the previous version?
for me, i actually like the ZF 50's bokeh stopped down a bit. like the C/Y 50 (obviously, since they are pretty much the same thing) i find that it has excellent rendering at 2-2.8, and gives a unique look to images that i like. whether or not it's actually "good" bokeh is a different story. but i'd be very interested in trying the AIS 50 for a while and maybe getting rid of my ZF if i end up liking it, or the 58/1.4 Voigtlander that's coming out.
on the "pretty much the same thing" front-
i haven't looked into it, but i thought at least most of the ZF glass (and ZM) is designed by Cosina, and made -for- Zeiss... i'd be suprised if they're pretty much the same thing.
I guess i didn't take into account "stopping down"... whatever that is haha.
I know the ZF has to perform better stopped down a little, than my old AIS- i pretty much only use my AIS wide open, since the aperture blades get pretty geometric after 1.4...
My new Voigt. 40/2 SLII has a REMARKABLY round opening even when stopped down... so i'm sure the ZF would as well.
"The first ZF lens will be the Planar T* 1,4/50 ZF, which, in its Contax RTS version, was rated the world’s best fast standard lens by “Popular Photography” in 1999."
So i'm interested in a showdown of say, the ZF 50/1.4, the new 58/1.4, and the AIS 50/1.4. Maybe i'll buy the other two and keep the one i like the most. the ZF does have 9 aperture blades vs. the C/Y's 7 or 8 (i had one of the ninja blade ones)
ISO1600 wrote:
I think the new Cosina 58mm F1.4 (with its CPU contacts) makes a MUCH better alt 50- i might get one actually
What do you base this belief on? You are aware the lens isn't available yet, right?
I'm not here to knock Cosina. I like, and even appreciate, their products and role in the marketplace. I own a few as well. They make good stuff and I am sure that this lens will be good as well. However, I think it is a bit early to suggest so definitively that it will be "much better" than the ZF 50/1.4. I am pretty sure it will have a different look, but let's wait until real samples actually appear (in about 3 weeks or so) before we pass judgment so conclusively.
ISO1600 wrote:
on the "pretty much the same thing" front-
i haven't looked into it, but i thought at least most of the ZF glass (and ZM) is designed by Cosina, and made -for- Zeiss... i'd be suprised if they're pretty much the same thing.
Um... no. The ZF lenses are designed by Zeiss, and manufactured by Cosina to Zeiss' specifications and QC procedures.
on the second remark you quoted me and bluntly corrected me on- i just said "i thought"... not "i know". So there you go.
but as far as the 58mm goes- i should have said "i think it will make a much better -value oriented- alt 50mm than the zf".
My main beef w/ the ZF 50 is the cost/performance. I'm not shooting Nikon Digital or AF, but if i was, i surely wouldn't want the non-CPU'd ZF50 when i could get the 58Nokton for less.
ISO1600 wrote:
My main beef w/ the ZF 50 is the cost/performance. I'm not shooting Nikon Digital or AF, but if i was, i surely wouldn't want the non-CPU'd ZF50 when i could get the 58Nokton for less.
I won't ask you what you think of the cost/performance of Leica's 50mm lens then. ;-)
The law of diminishing returns certainly applies to lenses -- and certainly to 50mm lenses. Each incremental step in performance costs increasingly more -- you tend to have to pay a lot more for small quality advantages. Whether that is worth it depends on how much each individual buyer values those advantages
There will, no doubt, be a lot of people that see this as you do. And this is why Cosina producing both the ZF and Nokton lenses makes a lot of sense -- why can potentially get both types of buyers.
I'm not fond of the Nikkor's bokeh (mine is also AIS, KEH BGN which means nearly spotless). The Leica-R 50 'lux (E55 version) I regrettably sold produced much more pleasant bokeh. I'll be looking for another 'lux when cash supply permits.
, i'd like to start a thread comparing the ZF 50 and various Nikkor 50's... 
