A quick select from a personal session today. To much chit chat these days and not enough posting on my end.
This was shot with a 85 @ 1.4, and I retract any statements that the 85ZE isn't sharp wide open. I shot at just about minimum focusing distance, using the z-finder and the result was stunningly sharp considering my previous views on the 85 wide open.
Yes, the 85 can do this in the right hands. Adam, not that I want to be negative about your lovely shot, but it seems to me that this does not illustrate your point about the 85 being sharp wide open at MFD. Or am I missing something?
Yeah, you're missing a lot... hahah, it's a small file resized for web, and honestly I have no idea how to handle webfiles so I let flickr do the resizing. You'll just have to believe me when I say at minimum focusing distance if you nail sharpness, it gives you all you need. Which was surprising to me, as it's been very hit or miss with the 85ZE and portraits. But her eyelashes are surprisingly sharp, and the rest is quite dreamy.
SKumar25 - Sure here you go, but I know what these questions are leading up to... a 85ZE purchase correct?
Also left the CA in so you guys could get an idea of the slight purple/green on the veil.
So as I said, I am quite surprised at it's sharpness, as this lens has been hit or miss for me. And I don't really regard it as sharp wide open, like my 100 MP ZE..
Hrmm I've not done testing but this is just a theory, could it be the lens preforms well at 1.4, and bad from 1.8-3.2 where at 3.2 it starts to pickup in the performance dept? Or could it be that focus shift has been getting the best of me between those apertures, since I use the lens at close to almost closest focusing distances. Where say most of you guys use it at medium to infinity so the shift may be from 2.8 onwards to f/4 (like a think philber and a handfull have suggested). Opinions on that, or is that just not possible? I only shoot, I don't really examine, but would love to know if someone has the answer.
So basically opened 100% took a screen cap and posted to flickr. Hope this is what you were after SKumar25:
Adam, by definition, wide open, you have no focus shift. If you miss shots from f:1.8 to f:3.2, and then agains things clean up, it sounds like focus shift is the likely villain. Stopping down more gives you more DOF, thus overwhelming the focus shift. And of course shooting close to MFD makes you more vulnerable, by reducing the DOF, than I typically am, with my shots at 50'...
Great thread! I am amazed everytime I drop in, how many gorgeous pictures you guys show.
Adam, you will only experience focus shift, when you change the aperture after you have already focussed.
From f/2.8 on (stopping down I mean) I never found focus shift a problem. That meets what Lloyd Chambers says, that focus shift should usually be covered in depth of field shooting at f/2.8.
Any picture I take with apertures opened higher than f/2.8 I always focus at the actual aperture.
Bernd, I can see how you would do that with a ZF lens, or a Contax for that matter, but is that possible as well with lenses that have "only" electronic control, such as a ZE or ZF .2?
Lovely portrait, BTW. Nice!
philber wrote:
Bernd, I can see how you would do that with a ZF lens, or a Contax for that matter, but is that possible as well with lenses that have "only" electronic control, such as a ZE or ZF .2?
Lovely portrait, BTW. Nice!
Thank you, Sir!
Whether you set the aperture on the lens or via the camera controls makes no difference. So let's say you have focussed at f/2 and want to make the picture at f/1.4 instead. Open up to f/1.4 and focus again, that's it.
The camera maybe thinks and shows that you are still in focus, so focus out and back in again.
Regarding focus shift and aperture - Canon cameras only stop down just before the shot is taken. You have to either pres the "DOF preview" button or set live view to movie mode (it sets automatically the correct aperture).
