p.40 #1 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
carstenw wrote:
Very nice! I am surprised how compact they are. They remind me of my Contax 645 120/4 MP.
My latest: a Contax G 90/2.8. I am not sure what I will use it for
Yeah, I long since stopped considering size tho. I was for awhile until I mounted a Canon FD 300/2.8L on my GH1 and that thinking went right out the window. So now I only care about IQ and operational controls. I now just consider it part of game to bring/set-up whatever rigging is needed to make whatever it is work. I got these cuz they're considered the very best of class in 1:1 macros which still deliver superb results out to infinity. So far it (they) really live up to their reputation too! Just stunning! I've taken about 350 shots of just stupid stuff because it makes just about whatever you point it at look awesome. (I'm such a nerd!)
But ergonomics considered I have to say I really like the balance of this on a GH1 from infinity to about 2 feet away. Focused closer and to 1:1 which is a really nice working distance of about 10 inches or so, its a little heavy and really wants to be on a pod (maybe with rails for balance).
Someone (I think you?) was telling me that the Zeiss MP 100/2 suffers CA in high contrast scenes wide open. These don't seem to much. In super high contrast scenes there's about a half pixel of CA color fringing around the brightest edges. But ya gotta zoom up to 200% to see it - and it shifts away by setting the one of the ACR correction sliders to +8. So it's all good for me! I'm super happy with it!
Congratz on the 90/2.8 too... Good lens I hear!
freaklikeme,
Isn't it interesting how sometimes the lens itself can make ya select a shooting style - just to accommodate it!
p.40 #2 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Yes, the ZF100MP does have CA wide open in high-contrast situations. That doesn't stop it from being one of my two or three favorite lenses, but it is there.
I plan on using the G90/2.8 on a m4/3 or NEX, at some point soon-ish.
Oh, I just picked up a Zeiss 35-70/3.4 for a good price. I look forward to that one, although I have a bit of work in front of me getting it onto my D3.
p.40 #7 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
1917 Vest Pocket Kodak.
Man, this thing is soo cool, I bought it for a whopping 31 US Yankee dollars.
I wanted it for the lens as a camera gear project.
But now, I find it too cool to disassemble.
Sad actually, that you can't use this any more...
p.40 #8 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
So B&H had an 8+ ZF 28/2 for a really good price. Had being the operative word. We'll see if it was worth it. Another focal length I've tried with other lenses and wrote off.
p.40 #12 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
sebboh wrote:
the lens seems to be quite sharp, but has oil on the blades and it also seems to have been disassembled and reassembled incorrectly (aperture is wide open at f/16 and closed down at f/2).
Both the oil and the backwards aperture is supposed to be like that.
The oil because of friction, so the blades will close and open easily.
The aperture is because of the "quick" aperture select.
The ring with the numbers on can be rotated.
If you put it to f/4 for example, it makes more sense.
It's because you should be able to focus with the lens wide open, and then quick step down to whatever aperture of choice.
p.40 #13 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Swappo wrote:
Both the oil and the backwards aperture is supposed to be like that.
The oil because of friction, so the blades will close and open easily.
The aperture is because of the "quick" aperture select.
The ring with the numbers on can be rotated.
If you put it to f/4 for example, it makes more sense.
It's because you should be able to focus with the lens wide open, and then quick step down to whatever aperture of choice.
what!?! oil on the blades slows down the aperture movements (and in this case prevents them from closing all the way) and is generally a sign that a lens needs to be cla'd. what possible use could there be for the aperture dial showing the wrong aperture?
p.40 #14 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
sebboh wrote:
what!?! oil on the blades slows down the aperture movements (and in this case prevents them from closing all the way) and is generally a sign that a lens needs to be cla'd. what possible use could there be for the aperture dial showing the wrong aperture?
The aperture ring shows the right aperture.
If it says F/5.6 then you can step down to F/5.6 (from wide open, so everything in between).
If you put aperture ring on F/16, then lens will stay wide open until you turn the "quick" aperture ring. It makes sense. I've seen more russian lenses work this way.
You first set the aperture with one ring, and then "activate" it with another. It's easier to focus and compose with F/2 than F/11, right?
My Helios-44-2 has a lot of grease on the blades and it steps down just as smooth as it should. All copies of the lens I've seen has similiar grease on the blades.
Do you mean that the aperture blades moves slower than the speed of the turn with the aperture ring on your copy?
p.40 #15 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
What Swappo is describing is a preset lens. They have an aperture preset ring that sets the point to which the aperture will be stopped down, and a 2nd ring to actually close down the aperture. This was a common system with lenses before meter coupling became the norm. I'm guessing that all old lenses with 10+ aperture blades were preset lenses because there was simply too much friction between all those blades to have the camera close them quickly enough.
A quick search reveals that the Helios 44-2 is a preset lens indeed. I'm not sure about the wrong direction of the aperture though. What if you turn the unlabeled ring closest to the camera to the left? That should open up the aperture completely, I think. Then select the aperture (preset) you want to shoot at and turn the other ring back to the right to close the right to stop down. I think that is how you are supposed to operate the lens.
p.40 #16 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Swappo wrote:
The aperture ring shows the right aperture.
If it says F/5.6 then you can step down to F/5.6 (from wide open, so everything in between).
no it doesn't. when i turn the ring from f/2 towards f/16 the aperture gets wider instead of smaller.
Swappo wrote:
If you put aperture ring on F/16, then lens will stay wide open until you turn the "quick" aperture ring. It makes sense. I've seen more russian lenses work this way.
nope, the lens only has two rings: aperture and focus, no "quick" aperture ring.
Swappo wrote:
You first set the aperture with one ring, and then "activate" it with another. It's easier to focus and compose with F/2 than F/11, right?
My Helios-44-2 has a lot of grease on the blades and it steps down just as smooth as it should. All copies of the lens I've seen has similiar grease on the blades.
Do you mean that the aperture blades moves slower than the speed of the turn with the aperture ring on your copy?
my rangefinder lenses with many more aperture blades than this have all worked plenty fast with much less visible grease. i always figured the reason so many russian lenses had greasy aperture blades was their famous poor construction. the blades move at the right speed but don't close as far as they should – only to somewhere between f/8 and f/11 by my guesstimate.
p.40 #18 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
AhamB wrote:
What Swappo is describing is a preset lens. They have an aperture preset ring that sets the point to which the aperture will be stopped down, and a 2nd ring to actually close down the aperture. This was a common system with lenses before meter coupling became the norm. I'm guessing that all old lenses with 10+ aperture blades were preset lenses because there was simply too much friction between all those blades to have the camera close them quickly enough.
A quick search reveals that the Helios 44-2 is a preset lens indeed. I'm not sure about the wrong direction of the aperture though. What if you turn the unlabeled ring closest to the camera to the left? That should open up the aperture completely, I think. Then select the aperture (preset) you want to shoot at and turn the other ring back to the right to close the right to stop down. I think that is how you are supposed to operate the lens....Show more →
Yes, exactly. It is a preset lens.
And it behaves just as you describe it.
p.40 #19 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
Swappo wrote:
Try to turn the ring with the numbers on it.
It can be a bit stiff and takes some force to turn it (at least my does).
ha, i just removed the optical assembly trying to turn it. the ring did wiggle a tiny bit first, so i guess that ring is supposed to turn. i may have to get out the vice grips to disassemble and relube the lens. i think i'll take some of that grease off the blades too, it looks like it's about to drip on the glass.
p.40 #20 · What is your most recent (alt) lens purchase?
sebboh wrote:
ha, i just removed the optical assembly trying to turn it. the ring did wiggle a tiny bit first, so i guess that ring is supposed to turn. i may have to get out the vice grips to disassemble and relube the lens. i think i'll take some of that grease off the blades too, it looks like it's about to drip on the glass.
Whoa!
My ring is so stiff the lens unscrew itself from the mount when turning one direction...
I guess it gets stiff from not being used.
I was for awhile until I mounted a Canon FD 300/2.8L on my GH1 and that thinking went right out the window. 
So now I only care about IQ and operational controls. I now just consider it part of game to bring/set-up whatever rigging is needed to make whatever it is work. I got these cuz they're considered the very best of class in 1:1 macros which still deliver superb results out to infinity. So far it (they) really live up to their reputation too! Just stunning! 
I've taken about 350 shots of just stupid stuff because it makes just about whatever you point it at look awesome. (I'm such a nerd!)