rico wrote:
Awesome stuff, Jim! GGB (#1) is right up P100 alley with its complete lack of linear distortion. Okay, I don't feel so lonely now. Wayne, the SP100 is blisteringly sharp: even at f/11, the 1Ds was color aliasing like crazy on that laptop's glittering surface. Yes, the lens is very scarce right now - nothing on eBay for the last year. Contax bellows (T/S capability) are going cheaply on KEH, so you might scoop one up in preparation for the eventual SP100 arrival.
Here is one for bellows, but without bellows. And here is one with bellows.
Concerning the P100, I still have it. It was my favorite lens in the Contax times, but now I have the MP100 and the main reason to use the P100 is a sentimental one. The new lens is simply better where it matters most, i.e. the plane of focus, and virtually identical elsewhere. I am still fond of the P100 and will not sell it. I suppose the shaved fin puts pressure on the price anyway.
Toothwalker wrote:
... is one for bellows, but without bellows. And ... is one with bellows.
Thanks for the links, but note those Continental prices. I can see similar, implausible asking prices from the US eBay site: $2000, $3000, and (my favorite) $6000! Mine was under $700, and $1000 is a realistic ceiling IMO. Beyond that, just get the CZ S-Planar 135/5.6 in Hassy mount which is a medium-format clone. SP100 and SP135 have remarkably similar MTF and low linear distortion at their respective optimized distances (1:4 and 1:5). As a bellows lens, the SP135 will adapt to anything and has lots of coverage for movements on 135 format. A copy on KEH (Ex) is going for less than $300, which is ridiculously cheap. Should buy it for myself.
Cadaver, I used to have a 1.7/50, and it was gloriously sharp wide open in focal plane and with proper focus. I shot mostly at f/2 as the wild background was less so there. f/4 was so sharp that I had to be careful what I shot with it (ie, people's faces looked like bumpy roads with the detail it rendered.)
This one is f/1.7...see the difference in overall sharpness of focal plane in that small change from 1.7->2? For whatever reason, background is less wild when wide open and focusing at least 10 or so feet away.
Jim, Thanks for the reply. Sounds like there's some serious sharpness at f4. Just got this lens and the manual focusing brings back memories of my film days. It will be fun getting aquainted with this Zeiss. Hey, there's some excellent detail in those photos you posted with the 100mm f/2!
Nice shots with the 100-300, but I think you've been a bit too enthusiastic with highlight recovery in the last shot (highlights turned grey where they should be white).
AhamB wrote:
Nice shots with the 100-300, but I think you've been a bit too enthusiastic with highlight recovery in the last shot (highlights turned grey where they should be white).
I guess I might agree with you if I saw that shot too.......but there was no highlight recovery involved in the PP.
It was just a very grey and overcast day with the sun occasionally popping out.
Wayne, the SP100 is blisteringly sharp: even at f/11, the 1Ds was color aliasing like crazy on that laptop's glittering surface. Yes, the lens is very scarce right now - nothing on eBay for the last year. Contax bellows (T/S capability) are going cheaply on KEH, so you might scoop one up in preparation for the eventual SP100 arrival. 
