Carl Zeiss Planar 85mm f/1.4 for landscapes on Nikon D810:is it a right choice?

[JohnBrew]

Too bad the 85 1.4G didn't work for you. I found it a most excellent lens for landscape, especially when stitching. I have a five foot print in my home made by this lens and everyone who sees it comments on the sharpness. The older design ZF.2 Zeiss 85 is rather infamous for being DOA. The newer Milvus is supposed to be a new optical design but is almost as heavy and large as an Otus.
Truth in using: I sold the 85 1.4G because the focus throw for manual focus was too short and too sensitive, imo. Admittedly a mistake on my part as the AF is better than most. I replaced it with the 70-200 f4 and I'm satisfied that this lens is an adequate replacement.

[bjornthun]

If you would go for Sony E mount, Zeiss also has Batis 85/1.8 now, and you can use ZM Tele-Tessar 85/4.0 via adapter.

Those and the Loxia 85/2.4 are all excellent choices. The Loxia 85/2.4 should have a most excellent manual focus feel.

[Jedi]

,,,,,, No samples?,,,,,


While waiting for this 'Not sharp image at distance' from the 85mm AFS 1.4G from Jedi,,, is anyone arable to show a bad image from this lens stopped down at distance on a D810,,, I think not!


In this thread
http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php/topic,4483.0.html like this
_EGL7385 Panorama by Erik Gunst Lund, on Flickr
 there are a lot of my images with the lens stopped down landscape at distance on D810; sharp to the corner no vignetting,,, if these are not good enough or your copy is a Lemon, just buy a Zeiss or a Sigma and enjoy photography,,,    But don't let people believe that lens is a portrait lens only, since nothing could be more misleading!

A moment please, for the samples...., however the AF settimg of my D810 could be not right, also.....
There are also lenses which with MAF to infinity don't give excellent results such as if you usef them for portrait: do you know? An example? Nikon AF-D 135mm DC.
In this topic I haven't said that MY 85/1.4G isn't sharp, but I have said that it is, at infinity, LESS SHARPthan my 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII FL.

[Jedi]

The Milvus does alright according to DxO, 5th for sharpness and 4th overall:
https://www.dxomark.com/lenses/launched-between-1987-and-2017/focal-from-85-to-90/launch_price-from-0-to-13000-usd#hideAdvancedOptions=false&viewMode=list&yDataType=rankDxo

The classic ZF2 hovers somewhere near the bottom of the heap, there's btw also no Nikkor present in the top half 

But sharpness is overrated

The Sigma has a high score for sharpness, but in the borders and in the corners it is very very low, see Photozone.de!!

[Jan Anne]

The Sigma has a high score for sharpness, but in the borders and in the corners it is very very low, see Photozone.de!!

The same source also reports the classic Zeiss ZF2 to be very bad in the corners and excellent sharpness overall for the 85/1.4G

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The same source also reports the classic Zeiss ZF2 to be very bad in the corners and excellent sharpness overall for the 85/1.4G

I'd say the first part of the statement has been corroborated by my sad Zeiss experience ...

[Erik Lund]

,,,, LESS SHARPthan my 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII FL.

Well that statement is what I'm questioning, this is what you started out with,,, please show us this with two sample images

As JA and Bjørn also states; Photozones, that are quite hands on with things, have the numbers for the Zeiss 85mm 1.4 and the 85mm AFS 1.4G and clearly the Nikkor measures much higher especially in the edges and corners,,,
Also Lensrentals has tested the new Nikkor 70-200mm E FL AFS 2.8 and yes their verdict is that it's very good, most likely the best in it's class and it confirms what I see in pictures.
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/11/nikon-70-200mm-f2-8e-fl-ed-af-s-vr-mtf-tests/
So yes it's almost the same performance according to their measurements as the 85mm AFS 1.4 G
Tested and compared here:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/09/just-the-lenses-canon-and-nikon-mount-85mm-f1-4-and-1-2-primes/
Again the measurements are comparable to my images, especially the exceptional good performance in the corners and edges, huge amount of depth of focus when stopped down, that yes makes it perfect for stitching landscape images,,,

[Erik Lund]

f/11 - the full size image at Flicker is ready for inspection - Yes this is not a JPG straight out of the camera but it displays what is possible IMHO
This is a two image stitch,,,

We read you loud and clear by Erik Gunst Lund, on Flickr

Here is a single file of the top,,, without the 'We read you loud and clear' processing,,,

_EGL7505 by Erik Gunst Lund, on Flickr

[Jedi]

The same source also reports the classic Zeiss ZF2 to be very bad in the corners and excellent sharpness overall for the 85/1.4G

In fact with this topic I asked help to you!!!!!!!

[Jedi]

Well that statement is what I'm questioning, this is what you started out with,,, please show us this with two sample images

As JA and Bjørn also states; Photozones, that are quite hands on with things, have the numbers for the Zeiss 85mm 1.4 and the 85mm AFS 1.4G and clearly the Nikkor measures much higher especially in the edges and corners,,,
Also Lensrentals has tested the new Nikkor 70-200mm E FL AFS 2.8 and yes their verdict is that it's very good, most likely the best in it's class and it confirms what I see in pictures.
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/11/nikon-70-200mm-f2-8e-fl-ed-af-s-vr-mtf-tests/
So yes it's almost the same performance according to their measurements as the 85mm AFS 1.4 G
Tested and compared here:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/09/just-the-lenses-canon-and-nikon-mount-85mm-f1-4-and-1-2-primes/
Again the measurements are comparable to my images, especially the exceptional good performance in the corners and edges, huge amount of depth of focus when stopped down, that yes makes it perfect for stitching landscape images,,,

I don't trust mtf very much I seek your personal experience.

[Erik Lund]

Then you are in familiar company,,,

However for confirmation of field test they have their value, especially Lensrentals,,,

I know your not Sigma, but just as a wake up why I'm not;
http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php/topic,5391.msg89654.html#msg89654

[Jedi]

Well that statement is what I'm questioning, this is what you started out with,,, please show us this with two sample images

As JA and Bjørn also states; Photozones, that are quite hands on with things, have the numbers for the Zeiss 85mm 1.4 and the 85mm AFS 1.4G and clearly the Nikkor measures much higher especially in the edges and corners,,,
Also Lensrentals has tested the new Nikkor 70-200mm E FL AFS 2.8 and yes their verdict is that it's very good, most likely the best in it's class and it confirms what I see in pictures.
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/11/nikon-70-200mm-f2-8e-fl-ed-af-s-vr-mtf-tests/
So yes it's almost the same performance according to their measurements as the 85mm AFS 1.4 G
Tested and compared here:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2014/09/just-the-lenses-canon-and-nikon-mount-85mm-f1-4-and-1-2-primes/
Again the measurements are comparable to my images, especially the exceptional good performance in the corners and edges, huge amount of depth of focus when stopped down, that yes makes it perfect for stitching landscape images,,,

So do you confirm, by your personal experience, the results of mtf?

However, it's also true that the excellence of Zeiss lenses are first of all their colours.

MTF tests are done at little distance, isn't true?

[Erik Lund]

Not sure what your asking re MTF?  There are plenty of info regarding how and what is MTF - Over time I have grown to appreciate the huge amount of work that goes into the information shared by Roger fro Lensrental,,, and his findings correspond with what I see from my lenses.

BTW same can be said about Bjørns reviews, although theses are done from his 'use-perspective' here the agreement of findings are very similar to my own practical results. We have some common similarities in our stylke of shooting and some very different as well,,, That is a long tale,,, Basically he is a huge inspiration especially when we meet up and let go,,,

Zeiss Colour is not something I use as a goal, as should be quite clear by my images,,, It is so easy to shoot in RAW and do the rest in PP so Colour difference between Zeiss and Nikkor is a big non-issue for me.

However contrast and vignetting is often a huge difference between Zeiss and Nikkors! Again these can to some extend be tweaked in PP but not to the same extent.

[Jedi]

Can you explain me how to insert the samples fot the comparison, please?
The examples aren't the only one, they're the last one, but the result is always the same......

[Macro_Cosmos]

Can you explain me how to insert the samples fot the comparison, please?
The examples aren't the only one, they're the last one, but the result is always the same......

Upload them to a site like flickr and simply click on the share button, then past in the BB code. Like this:

20170227-DSC_5528 by Daniel Han, on Flickr
(Loving my 70-200 FL )

Notice that one may also click on the image, it links to the original upload and one can enlarge it for the comparison you've been talking about.

As for an 85mm for landscapes, I'd personally just recommend the small Voigtlander 90mm f/3.5 Apo-Lanthar. It's made in the same plant as those Zeisses... Zeissi eh... lenses. Cosina makes them.