Well good news for sure... as I expected... my dealer (Henry's) is absolutely standing behind the lens and taking it back. Thing is, they have a few other 105/f2.5's in the system I could exchange it for, but the thing is I really don't know if I want to spend the money there since the Zeiss 100/f2 covers me off so well at this focal length. I have MF 28, 50's, 100, 135, and 200 so maybe I either...
... put the money towards a wider Zeiss like the 21 or 25, which would still mean I have a lot of saving to do...
... or grab some Pocketwizard Plus II's which I've been putting off. I have times when I can sure use them, but not sure if it's really worth the investment overall.
Or I just keep the store credit until the next itch comes along. I dunno.
DJ, that's good to hear. If I were you, I wouldn't replace the Nikkor, TBH. We already know the Zeiss will be superior under many conditions, and if you ever feel like doing wide-aperture portraits, my cheesy tests suggest that the Zeiss is really no worse than the 105, right? In other words, I don't think there is a specific set of shooting conditions under which the Nikkor would give something the Zeiss can't already give you.
You're right... but I also still have 5 old-school cools besides the 105. As much as I think it's a great lens, it doesn't seem to be cost effective in purpose. So these 5 wave goodbye to an old friend who's leaving permanently tomorrow...
This next photo is ridiculous because it really exaggerates the issue. I shot it with a flashlight and it reflects the fungus and dust way worse than it seems with the naked eye, but I'm too lazy to take a different shot. You get the idea though...
dj dunzie wrote:
... or grab some Pocketwizard Plus II's which I've been putting off. I have times when I can sure use them, but not sure if it's really worth the investment overall.
Look at the RadioPoppers for comparison. I've been really, really pleased and really, really impressed with them so far.
Rodolfo Paiz wrote:
Look at the RadioPoppers for comparison. I've been really, really pleased and really, really impressed with them so far.
OK I'm interested. The only reports I've heard about the RP's is that they lack the reliability and range of the Plus II's... lack of reliability is the reason I don't trust the CLS system when I NEED the flashes to fire consistently. Have you compared them with PW's? I know they're a little less expensive than the Plus II's... which would be good for the amount of times I'm really going to need them...
Thanks Rodolfo.
Gary... yeah... wow. I admit to not being 100% certain I checked the inner element when I bought the lens, maybe guilty of assumption with a major photo retailer. Lesson learned.
Now I need to keep an eye on the other lenses I've stored beside the 105 and make sure they're all good...
Sorry about your loss DJ. It sends chills down my spine with EIGHT AI lenses in my kit. I don't have a camera store to stand behind my purchases, unfortunately. I'm happy to hear you're being treated well by your dealer. If I owned the Zeiss I wouldn't likely be replacing this with another 105. Owning the 105, however, I won't likely be buying the Zeiss, especially after the second test Todd dropped on the board a few days ago. I'm a happy camper...
Sep 29, 2010 at 07:05 PM
Andre Labonte Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
Andre Labonte wrote:
Wow DJ, that lens is bad. Glad to hear the retalier is standing behind it.
I sure hope the rest of your lenses are fine. Put them in good strong sunlight for a time just in case.
I had a good look at them and doesn't seem to be any issues, but then heck I never really noticed THIS issue did I?
You think they need to be put out? I store them with the caps on and in a cool climate-controlled room on a shelf... I guess I can try and do that if those that know more than I about fungal growth and lenses recommend it... Maybe tomorrow.
I'm just glad I caught it when I did... I am not using this lens much now that I got the Zeiss and it may have been months without Todd prompting me to try a test!
And yeah, kudos as always to Henrys... who have NEVER let me down.
Haha... and we still get sunshine here... sometimes in July I worry our igloos will melt in fact!
dj dunzie wrote:
OK I'm interested. The only reports I've heard about the RP's is that they lack the reliability and range of the Plus II's... lack of reliability is the reason I don't trust the CLS system when I NEED the flashes to fire consistently. Have you compared them with PW's? I know they're a little less expensive than the Plus II's... which would be good for the amount of times I'm really going to need them...
I got them primarily because I like the idea of them simply being an IR-to-RF-to-IR bridge, so they don't have to reverse-engineer Nikon's CLS codes and they're more future-proof with a lower chance of odd behavior or incompatibility. I've also had perfect reliability in firing from them.
But, do keep in mind that I don't need them all that often and have only used mine about 10 times so far... so it is possible that range/reliability problems exist and I simply haven't bumped into them yet, or I'm too small a sample. From my limited use, I love 'em... but my use is, in fact, limited.
Thanks for the info Rodolfo... going to have a look at both setups today at my retailer. Although depending on which way the wind's blowing I may even put the radios on hold for now because I'm fighting an itch to grab a 25mm ZF.2 instead... I'm brutal fighting NAS sometimes.
Maybe take it to a tanning salon.