tccin3d wrote:
Well jazz clubs will not show what otus can do.. noise will destroy resolution. bad lighting will destroy colors. So 85 planar sounds perfect, used even better.
There is a set of printing nikkors on ebay selling right now. also around 100mm.
Lieutenant Z wrote:
here is a b/w shot taken with the 85 Planar :
Thank you Lieutenant Z, for posting your image for me to see. Nicely done. I noticed in your profile that you also have the Nikon 85mm 1.8 H.C I was wondering if you could share with me how this lens compares with the Zeiss 85 Planar T? Feel free to PM if you'd like.
I am thinking about switching to Nikon, but how to deal with the green/yellow 'contax' color cast
Canon has bad gradients, Nikon has oily sensor/mirror sometimes.. so gradients are very slick..: )
Luka -- My first attempt here used the focus confirmation light for the most part, and it seemed correct most times wide open. noticed a slight tendency to back focus, and so have shifted the global AF Fine Tune by an additional two points to -3 to see if that affects the focus confirmation. I did focus a number of shots very carefully through the viewfinder and although somewhat difficult with WA lens, I found it easier to establish critical focus than using a crop frame with its added DOF. I think the long and smooth focusing throw and the wonderful lens clarity made manual focusing easier than most other MF lenses I use. So, I would say that between viewfinder focusing and quick check of the distance scale on the lens, it isn't too terribly difficult to get proper focus. It's certainly not the ease of AF!
24mm has always been a favorite of mine, and this approximately 26mm is great too. Right between the 24 and 28. I'm anxious to try some tripod comparisons of the focal lengths and to try this lens with adapter on a few Canon bodies. More fun in store!
The pairing of this lens and a wide DR body like the D800 is a great combo for getting the most detail from shadows and highlights. (See the kitchen counter shot, link above.)
Here are a few more samples from its debut outing. Again, moderate PP with LR5.7. When using lens profile, I selected the ZF.2 25/2 and it works well, with mild correction for barrel distortion and vignetting -- below what I would expect from my past use of ZE 21/2.8 and ZE 35/2. Colors have high accuracy and look authentic to me.
I'm looking forward to trying in glaring sunlight we are so famous for here in SoCal, not this bright, hazy partial cloudiness.
With regard to proportions, the lens isn't terribly large -- smaller than I expected. It's smaller than the ZE 35/2, and I'm sure it's smaller than the new 25/2 model. It looks a little more imposing with the lens hood, but not a significantly weighty piece to haul around. It takes 58mm filters, to give a practical dimension.
Jim
Thank you for the additions. These are good examples showing more clues. The one with swimming pool, rendition of the diving board and the palm trees have very nice presence. The non-harsh lighting isn't that bad either Also I like the bokeh in these examples, like the one behind planter. Color also looks good to my eyes. I wonder it is similar to 35/2 or tiny bit less contrasty. The Radioshack shot feels that is similar / or at least the same family to 35/2 rendering, which is my favorite 'good old' distagon. The only thing I don't like is the 72 degree weather it tells me I asked about focusing as I recall Diglloyd mentioned difficulty of focusing, but I no longer have subscription so I can't confirm. I think he was complaining about dark viewfinder and difficulty in focusing. Your description so far sounds 'not bad', in terms of focusing. Lens itself looks nice and small. Definitely one of the reasons I am interested in this lens.
Luka -- Lens focusing (ease of movement) is excellent. Focusing throw is extensive, nearly 360 degree turn, so allows for very fine adjustment. I would say this has superior focusing to the other Zeiss I've previously owned.
The bokeh is the bokeh, so representation is what it is. I like it fine, but I'm not a bokeh fetishist.
Remember, all the previous shots have received some PP and are not OOC.
Here's a shot from yesterday with a brick wall and a few accouterments. This is pretty much a straight shot -- some PP for exposure, contrast and color, but lens profile turned off, so you can see the exact distortion and vignetting. Taken wide open to judge center to corner performance.
I must say I'm impressed. Barrel distortion is low, with possibly just the faintest hint of mustache in the corners, but not enough that it would affect architectural symmetry to a noticeable degree. Corner sharpness, while not perfect, is very well detailed and ready to improve to excellent levels with reduced aperture. All four corners are equal in sharpness -- good build and no element displacement.
Here is the overall shot with a 100% of the center. Next post will be all four corners.
also around 100mm.
I asked about focusing as I recall Diglloyd mentioned difficulty of focusing, but I no longer have subscription so I can't confirm. I think he was complaining about dark viewfinder and difficulty in focusing. Your description so far sounds 'not bad', in terms of focusing. Lens itself looks nice and small. Definitely one of the reasons I am interested in this lens. 
