Thanks for posting those! All the lenses look MUCH better on the 5N.
The CV 21 looks pretty darn good. Given the cost and the small size it's becoming harder for me to resist. What I would really like to see is the CV 21 go head to head with the C-Biogon 21 just to see how much better the Zeiss glass looks. This is sort of the only thought left lingering in my head right now.
IMO, the CV looks a little better than the Oly above. Both seem about equal at the center, the Oly looks to have some very soft (and dark?) edges. What apertures did you shoot these at, and were you focused at the HF distance? The grass in the foreground of the CV shot looks to be in focus, the light colored tree in the middle of the Oly Shot.
Of the last two crops with the SLR glass... they look pretty similar to me. The second one looks to have just a little more detail, but it also looks a little more noisy, or possibly slightly over-sharpened(?)
Thanks for posting those! All the lenses look MUCH better on the 5N.
The CV 21 looks pretty darn good. Given the cost and the small size it's becoming harder for me to resist. What I would really like to see is the CV 21 go head to head with the C-Biogon 21 just to see how much better the Zeiss glass looks. This is sort of the only thought left lingering in my head right now.
IMO, the CV looks a little better than the Oly above. Both seem about equal at the center, the Oly looks to have some very soft (and dark?) edges. What apertures did you shoot these at, and were you focused at the HF distance? The grass in the foreground of the CV shot looks to be in focus, the light colored tree in the middle of the Oly Shot.
Of the last two crops with the SLR glass... they look pretty similar to me. The second one looks to have just a little more detail, but it also looks a little more noisy, or possibly slightly over-sharpened(?) ...Show more →
Hi Jacob,
The CV 21 sharpness is pretty stunning--looks even better RAW---the crops of the 28/2 nikkor have no PP at all. FIrst one is 5n--I think it might be a touch softer.
As to apertures; usually I go for 5.6 unless I need more DOF. Supposedly this is near optimum for nex sensor, 4-5.6.
As to hyperfocal: basically in all these shots I'm just magnifying the long range details and doing my squinty best to reslove them---but most details are at infinity anyway--I should try focusing on the edges to see if I can improve overall frame.
The biogon seems to running around a grand used, while the CV 21 can be found as cheap as 250USD. If we have learned one thing, its that what does best on the nex is unique, and only shots from a 5n should be used to predict how the lens will work for you.
If you get a decent price on the CV, it will be very easy to sell if it comes to it. Then you have 750USD to get well.....2 fantastic lenses, maybe a heliar 12mm or a super sharp 50---even a tele-elmarit (that would be one Or you could get a 15 and a 28 CV--so tiny and nice. I paid 750 for my nokton 50/1.1---or even snazzier pen 42/1.2s can be found for 600 or less: that would work for both landscape and lowlight and weighs 256 grams
The ZMs are sweet no doubt--but for that money I would prolly do the 25, since it is also fast.
Time for Samyang 14/2.8 on the 5N. It IS a sharp lens but kind of sensitive to nail it. These are from friday, roof-shots from where I work. Distortion is there and easy to correct, but I wont - I like that it shows it's a WA. Good light and sky. Around F/4.5-5.6.
Finally from the evening. ISO 3200 works, but I did not get many keepers from this cellar party with my 8-yearold son. Missing F/1.4 - or - a flash in the ceiling/wall or something. DSC00891 1024 by Wilhelm Frank - Stockholm, on Flickr
Hey can anyone recommend a good Nikon G to NEX adapter? I'm currently using one that's branded Fotga and it works fine except it has a little bit of play.
I was fine with it at first but it's noticeable when using my zf lenses as opposed to my older nikkor ais lenses.
uhoh7 wrote:
The biogon seems to running around a grand used, while the CV 21 can be found as cheap as 250USD. If we have learned one thing, its that what does best on the nex is unique, and only shots from a 5n should be used to predict how the lens will work for you.
I thought I had seen some of the biogon's going for around $800 in good condition, but I might have imagined that. At any rate it's still a lot more than, even a brand new Skopar. Tell you what, you find me one for $250 and I will buy it
I have been eyeballing the Heliar 12 also. Found a couple somewhat local to me, one guy is willing to come down to about $500 for his, it's in pretty good shape. I'm thinking about it.
stiangsing wrote:
Hey can anyone recommend a good Nikon G to NEX adapter? I'm currently using one that's branded Fotga and it works fine except it has a little bit of play.
I was fine with it at first but it's noticeable when using my zf lenses as opposed to my older nikkor ais lenses.
I just got a Fotodiox today and I'm liking it so far. It has a built-in tripod mount and an aperture slide for Nikon G lenses without an aperture ring. Nice and tight....
Inglis, main thing is bringing down the sky compared to the exposure. I could probably have underexposed and brought up the rest (the sensor is probably even better doing that than the opposite). The rest is some dodge/burn to reflect what the real appearence (in my mind) was.
These are from today. Went to the summer house to empty the water-system and close down for winter. Felt bored on the way home. Placed the NEX upon dashboard and went M and closed F to minimum to gather light for 10 secs.
uhoh7 wrote:
also interesting is that this lens at f/8 is not sharp across the frame---in fact the CVs are better in this respect. As you guys know this is a very famous lens--see bjorns reviews. Seems to be the case on both 5 and 5n
inglis wrote:
Uhoh7,
What is behind your comment "FIrst one is 5n--I think it might be a touch softer."
Do you think that the 5n is softer than the 5 in this case?
Well I think for daylight shooting the n5 is a match or possibly a smidge sharper than the n5n--this could be wrong---this is just my impression after looking closely at a bunch of samples. I have some which are way sharper on the 5--but that has to be my focus on the n5n in those cases.
You tell me---the crops are right there.
I would have thought ISO100 would help but it does not seem to--all my n5n shots are at iso 100. This is with the SLR glass. The CVs shift color so bad on the n5 I'm not comparing. To get those lenses "back" is huge for me. Also at high ISO it seems no contest.
I'm testing at infinity, because it's very important to me, and it's easy to tell---but it is not easy to focus with the SLR adapters because they all go way past. In fact the only accurate adapter I have for infinity is the hawks.
Anyway the images are there--I didn't mess with them--just picked the best for each camera out of several hundred.
So for slr landscape shots and RF which didn't have a problem before--summicrons etc, I don't think you gain anything at all with the n5n. However somebody could easily show me I'm crazy I'm begging to suspect that NR is a priority in the n5n sensor design and it does not come without cost. I predict the n7 will be superior for broad daylight and well behaved glass--by a pretty noticible margin. Maybe not 100 v 100 but the same slice of a given image--the 7 will stand out.
@michaelwatkins: as noted the lens is the nikkor 28/2 AI. CLA'd last winter.
I've noticed that the CV 15mm has a noticeably different treatment of reds than Zeiss. The CV reds seem a bit more orangish. I've tried to correct that below.
James Burden wrote:
I just got a Fotodiox today and I'm liking it so far. It has a built-in tripod mount and an aperture slide for Nikon G lenses without an aperture ring. Nice and tight....
I'm thinking of getting one of those for my canon L stuff, but I wonder if it's worth it as it ruins how small the camera is.
Or you could get a 15 and a 28 CV--so tiny and nice. I paid 750 for my nokton 50/1.1---or even snazzier pen 42/1.2s can be found for 600 or less: that would work for both landscape and lowlight and weighs 256 grams 
