NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: atpaula on July 05, 2015, 05:54:12
-
This lens focuses as close as 6cm from the front element and as a wide angle, opens a new world of possibilities.
I like the construction and the sharpness.
Taken with a Df, a awesome pair for this lens.
First @ f/7.1 and the others @ f/2.8.
(http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af237/atpaula/atpaula005/aDFC_0636_zpswcipffrh.jpg) (http://s1011.photobucket.com/user/atpaula/media/atpaula005/aDFC_0636_zpswcipffrh.jpg.html)
(http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af237/atpaula/atpaula005/aDFC_0629_zpsgsvft4v7.jpg) (http://s1011.photobucket.com/user/atpaula/media/atpaula005/aDFC_0629_zpsgsvft4v7.jpg.html)
(http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af237/atpaula/atpaula005/aDFC_0628_zps3n5sicsz.jpg) (http://s1011.photobucket.com/user/atpaula/media/atpaula005/aDFC_0628_zps3n5sicsz.jpg.html)
-
I did test an early prototype of the ZF version and it was already the best feature for my taste to take stunning makros. At the time I had the D70 with Katzeye screen as testbed.
-
'Macro' as in being able to do close-ups? I doubt the examples, although looking nice enough, are life-size 1:1 or greater magnification.
The 'macro' term must - together with 'full format' - rank as being the most abused concepts in photography.
Now I have to find out what magnification the Zeiss can do.
Turns out to be 1:2.3 which is very good for a wide-angle, but of course, no 'macro'. The near limit is specified by Zeiss as 17 cm. Note this, as usual, is distance subject-film plane.
-
2.5 is smaller than 1:1 but it is still very wide and near. A fascinating possibility to show a single leaf as a huge landscape.
-
Close focus is a blade that cut both ways. The greater the magnification, the bigger details become, yet concomitantly depth of field declines rapidly. This because depth of field mainly depends on magnification, not focal length. Even closed all the way down, you cannot get much moire than a few mm zone of sharpness at 1:1 with *any* lens. At 1:2, you get more, but still we are talking about 2 cm at most.
Thus, from a depth-of-field point of view, there are nothing beneficial with wide-angle lenses. On the contrary, you get awkward short working distance and no gain in sharpness extension.
One has to balance this by looking at two other aspects. Firstly, as perspective is controlled by the distance between camera and subject, being up close entails having a much steeper perspective. As 'perspective' is nothing other than the spatial relationships between elements inside the frame, the image might look less flattened compared to a picture taken with a longer lens (which has a longer working distance by default). Secondly, and probably the most important from a visual standpoint, is that although the short focal length does not increase depth of field, it does reduce the blur of confusion circles. Thus, although background never can be sharp when the lens is focused to 1:2 or thereabouts, it still can give sufficient impression to allow the human mind to understand what it might be.
Personally I find the best compromise to be 1:3 to 1:4 when shooting with short focal lenses, but of course going the extra mile closer can be useful. However, don't fall into the trap of believing you can get everything sharp (by a single capture, focus stacking is something else).
-
2.5 is smaller than 1:1 but it is still very wide and near. A fascinating possibility to show a single leaf as a huge landscape.
Completely agree. That is my point in posting this.
-
'Macro' as in being able to do close-ups? I doubt the examples, although looking nice enough, are life-size 1:1 or greater magnification.
The 'macro' term must - together with 'full format' - rank as being the most abused concepts in photography.
Now I have to find out what magnification the Zeiss can do.
Turns out to be 1:2.3 which is very good for a wide-angle, but of course, no 'macro'. The near limit is specified by Zeiss as 17 cm. Note this, as usual, is distance subject-film plane.
Sorry for the "heresy".
I mentioned 6cm from the front element.
-
I found a second-hand one in a Paris shop today. It was a ZF (never mind), in very good condition except for the hood (ditto). First impression was very good. Unfortunately, it could not focus to infinity, while my Df is OK. The shopkeeper did not propose to get that fixed, so I passed.
-
I found a second-hand one in a Paris shop today. It was a ZF (never mind), in very good condition except for the hood (ditto). First impression was very good. Unfortunately, it could not focus to infinity, while my Df is OK. The shopkeeper did not propose to get that fixed, so I passed.
I have not tested my copy to see focus at infinity. :'(