p.247 #1 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Lee Saxon wrote:
Fascinating, I didn't know they were doing these. Where'd you see the explanation that they were for an "average aperture" I couldn't find it?
For some lenses, the aperture selection pulldown menu is greyed out, like for the EF 200/2.8L and 70-200/2.8L IS II lenses in the link I posted. For other lenses, like the Canon EF 24/1.4L II and Zeiss 25/2 ZE compared in the link below, the aperture selection menus are active, and you can select discrete aperture settings, to see how resolution varies accordingly (and very significantly).
I haven't found an actual explanation about what aperture value(s) are used for the lenses that don't have variable aperture selection. I'll ask Roger... OK, PM sent to Roger, he usually gets back pretty fast. He'll probably post a reply in this thread.
p.247 #2 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
jcolwell wrote:
I haven't found an actual explanation about what aperture value(s) are used for the lenses that don't have variable aperture selection. I'll ask Roger... OK, PM sent to Roger, he usually gets back pretty fast. He'll probably post a reply in this thread.
Afaik those MTF graphs where you can't select the aperture are wide open
p.247 #3 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
jcolwell wrote:
I haven't found an actual explanation about what aperture value(s) are used for the lenses that don't have variable aperture selection. I'll ask Roger... OK, PM sent to Roger, he usually gets back pretty fast. He'll probably post a reply in this thread.
Phillip Reeve wrote:
Afaik those MTF graphs where you can't select the aperture are wide open
AFAIK, I don't know. It would be nice to know, for sure.
Wide open performance is useful for some situations, but f/5.6 or f/8 is of much higher interest when I'm comparing lenses for scenic photography. It would be supercool if there were multiple-aperture graphs for all of the lenses.
p.247 #4 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Lee Saxon wrote:
I have the 'Cron now. I can't remember if you commented in my thread a few weeks ago, but I'm thinking about "downgrading" to the Elmarit largely for financial reasons. But the Mamiya 200 is significantly more affordable than even the Elmarit so I'm wondering if it's worth considering. How do you feel it stacks up?
The Leica has a noticeable resolution advantage up to f/5.6 and slightly higher contrast, making it a little easier to manually focus without digital aid. It pays for both of those in bokeh, though, which retains more structure at like apertures and distances when compared to the Mamiya. The Mamiya's also a little warmer, so if you've got the camera and your PP software set to start at a neutral profile, the Mamiya shots have bit more oomph straight out of the camera. They're about equally corrected for lateral CA with the Leica better corrected for spherochromatism (though, again, wide open, it's still possible to make it evident).
From a usability perspective, both are very well built lenses. Mamiya lenses tend to have less resistance in the focus action- not so much less that it won't hold focus or is easier to accidentally move, but enough that it's easier to focus on the fly. Both lenses have built in hoods that are very useful. The Mamiya only has full stop indents on the aperture ring, where Leica gives you their typical half stops. The Leica's smaller and lighter, even more so when you consider the differences in adapter sizes, and doesn't extend during focusing. The Mamiya starts out feeling front heavy, a feeling that only gets worse the closer you focus. I don't know that this would be as big a deal on a DSLR, but on a mirrorless body, it gets a bit unwieldily.
If I were looking for a portrait 200ish that was also a strong landscaper, the decision would've been more difficult. I don't shoot a lot of portraits (people are not my favorite animal) and when I do, I go for something shorter with lower resolution and contrast. The Mamiya was an awfully close second otherwise.
p.247 #6 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
freaklikeme wrote:
No significant time with the Summicron, but I ended up with the APO-Elmarit-R, which has been a no-regret purchase.
Yes, I love my R 180/2.8 APO too but since I have Leitaxed it, I can not use it with my 2x APO extender and don'the have a good solution for 300mm. The 280/5.6 APO telyt is nearing the price of 300/2.8L mk2 which is Canon's sharpest lens and a good match for my 5DsR. Maybe I should go for Mamiya APO 300/2.8. I have heard good things about that one too.
p.247 #7 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
wayne seltzer wrote:
Yes, I love my R 180/2.8 APO too but since I have Leitaxed it, I can not use it with my 2x APO extender and don'the have a good solution for 300mm. The 280/5.6 APO telyt is nearing the price of 300/2.8L mk2 which is Canon's sharpest lens and a good match for my 5DsR. Maybe I should go for Mamiya APO 300/2.8. I have heard good things about that one too.
Oh, that's a big boy. I'd like to hear your impressions of that lens if you do. I can recommend the APO-Telyt-R 280/2.8 if what you're really looking for is an affordable and decently corrected 400/4. Without the 1.4x's added contrast and bit of field curvature, it's a big lens that needs to be stopped down to shine.
p.247 #16 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
jcolwell wrote:
I haven't found an actual explanation about what aperture value(s) are used for the lenses that don't have variable aperture selection. I'll ask Roger... OK, PM sent to Roger, he usually gets back pretty fast. He'll probably post a reply in this thread.
Phillip Reeve wrote:
Afaik those MTF graphs where you can't select the aperture are wide open
Phillip, you're right. I got a reply from Roger,
"The base tests are always done wide open [with 10 lenses]. ... the stop-down tests are done with a single copy. We pick the most 'average' of the 10 and use it for the stop downs..."
Roger also mentioned that they haven't added a lot of new info recently because they're working on some improvements to their algorithms and graphics. I look forward to seeing the next gen of LR optical benchmark tests at TDP.
p.247 #17 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
My sigma 180mm f5.6 APO macro got here. The rubber finish like partially melted so it was completely sticky, spent about an hour sanding it off so I could actually touch the lens. It's not pretty, but I actually kind of like the look! I might sand it down more I just need a new sponge, the finish ruined my sand paper
p.247 #18 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Nice Sigma 180/5.6 APO macro lens. Not easy to find in Minolta (Sony) AF mount. I have it and its big brother, the Sigma 180/2.8 APO macro lens. I'm not sure what makes that rubber get sticky. It happened to my 180/2.8, so I put black gaffers tape over it. My 180/5.6 is still in great condition.
Do you see any screws underneath the black you removed? One odd thing about these lenses is I don't see any external screws?
p.247 #19 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
pdmphoto wrote:
Nice Sigma 180/5.6 APO macro lens. Not easy to find in Minolta (Sony) AF mount. I have it and its big brother, the Sigma 180/2.8 APO macro lens. I'm not sure what makes that rubber get sticky. It happened to my 180/2.8, so I put black gaffers tape over it. My 180/5.6 is still in great condition.
Do you see any screws underneath the black you removed? One odd thing about these lenses is I don't see any external screws?
Yeah I've been following an eBay search on it for a few months, one popped up and it was only $100 so I jumped. Gaffers tape is probably a much better solution, I was thinking of just refinishing mine but now it looks like it's seen some action!
There are no screws underneath, it is kind of odd. Maybe there are some under the rubber, but other than that without the paint it's completely solid throughout
p.247 #20 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
I've added a cheap Pentax SMC K 35mm f3.5 to my collection of Pentax lenses.
I don't really need more 35mm lenses but I really wanted to try this one...
