Author Topic: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2  (Read 4465 times)

richardHaw

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Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« on: May 19, 2017, 07:42:58 »
https://nikonrumors.com/2017/05/19/kerlee-35mm-f1-2-full-frame-dslr-lens-for-nikon-f-mount.aspx/

Larry, Moe and Kerlee... :o :o :o

looks interesting. the looks were ripped-off from Zeiss, not it's a Sheisse lens ::)

the pictures do look nice. and 1.2 on 35mm does look dreamy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukUD9BTxPOA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwpgSciP7VY

Macro_Cosmos

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2017, 11:46:56 »
It's pretty decent and totally usable at f1.2, the bokeh fringing (or spherochromatism? Did I spell that right) is pretty serious from what I've heard.
China's used market has an abundant supply of this lens.
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richardHaw

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2017, 14:42:38 »
It's pretty decent and totally usable at f1.2, the bokeh fringing (or spherochromatism? Did I spell that right) is pretty serious from what I've heard.
China's used market has an abundant supply of this lens.

yikes! that's not a good sign  :o :o :o

Airy

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2017, 15:27:23 »
Maybe that's not a good sign. But in Paris, I could find (not: buy) a second hand  105/1.4, and buy (not only find) a second hand Milvus 50/2.0 shortly after they were released... sometimes well-to-do photographers seem to buy for trying and resell shortly after, especially MF lenses.

Indeed the lens looks zeiss-ish :)
A pity we cannot see real pics with decent resolution.
Airy Magnien

pluton

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2017, 17:41:46 »

China's used market has an abundant supply of this lens.
I suspect that most photographers very quickly tire of working with a strictly manual aperture.
Keith B., Santa Monica, CA, USA

Bjørn Rørslett

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2017, 17:45:43 »
I suspect that most photographers very quickly tire of working with a strictly manual aperture.

On the contrary some will not tire of this at all.

(some kind of aperture linkage to camera to move past the standards of the '50s and early '60s though is required, though. But virtually all Nikkors with manual focusing provide this)

pluton

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #6 on: May 19, 2017, 21:28:34 »
On the contrary some will not tire of this at all.

(some kind of aperture linkage to camera to move past the standards of the '50s and early '60s though is required, though. But virtually all Nikkors with manual focusing provide this)
By 'strictly manual aperture' I meant the kind where there is no linkage with, or actuation by the camera; basically like an enlarging lens from the 1950's.  Pre preset, if you will.  That is my interpretation of how the sales literature of this Kerlee 35/1.2 lens is describing the lens.
The modern system of wide open viewing combined with 'instant stop-down at the moment of exposure' that Nikon established in 1959 *used to be specified* in USA camera literature as "Auto Diaphragm", a term which seems stylistically archaic now. No one calls it a 'diaphragm' any more. "Diaphragm Actuation By Camera For Wide Open Viewing And Focusing' is too long. We need a new term which is short, accurate, and works for the autoexposure-oriented times we live in.
Keith B., Santa Monica, CA, USA

Bjørn Rørslett

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2017, 21:43:59 »
I had a suspicion of this that's why I wrote the way I did.  Call this automated aperture if you like.

Even third-party lenses provide aperture linkage these days. Preset operation, once the normal way back in time, is becoming very uncommon.

I think it's unlikely a modern lens design, Chinese or not, doesn't provide a minimum  of automated aperture functionality. In fact, I cannot recall testing any third-party lens for F-mount lacking that feature for a good many years.

Whether they also have implemented a CPU chip is also becoming quite common.

pluton

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2017, 02:11:46 »
I found this nice review where the Kerlee 35/1.2 is compared to the Nikon AiS 35/1.4 and the Nikon AF-S 35/1.4.
  Oh, and it is without what the reviewer calls "auto stopdown". 
http://www.photobyrichard.com/reviewbyrichard/kerlee-1-235-35mm-f1-2-review/
Keith B., Santa Monica, CA, USA

richardHaw

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2017, 02:31:56 »
thanks for the link!

it looks decent. :o :o :o

Bjørn Rørslett

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #10 on: May 20, 2017, 02:34:13 »
The missing auto aperture, if reported correctly, is a really surprising drawback for any modern lens. On the other hand, all those users yearning for stop-down metering, with all its drawbacks, at last will have it :D :D

I seem to have lost any further interest of that particular lens.

Macro_Cosmos

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #11 on: May 20, 2017, 10:53:19 »
Some Chinese photographers buy these Chinese lenses out of "patriotism", while some buy it out of curiosity. Get bored of it, time to sell it!

There's another problem with this lens, it doesn't accept conventional filters. Kerlee had to fix the issue by giving away specifically made UV filters to the buyers.
What's the first problem? Yeah, no aperture coupling prong with the camera.

But still 35mm at f/1.2 renders some very unique photos. It's not at a premium pricetag either.
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the solitaire

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #12 on: May 23, 2017, 21:11:36 »
I might be in the market for a fast 35mm, and when things evolve as portented at the time, even my Nikkors might be without automatic index coupling in my digital future. Not sure if this would be the lens though, as, from the 100% crops shown here, it's not exactly sharp in the image center (or this result is caused by user error)
Buddy

pluton

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #13 on: May 23, 2017, 23:36:24 »
Some Chinese photographers buy these Chinese lenses out of "patriotism", while some buy it out of curiosity. Get bored of it, time to sell it!


Ha ha-When I feel relatively wealthy, I do as the Chinese photographers do!
Keith B., Santa Monica, CA, USA

Macro_Cosmos

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Re: Not really a Nikkor. the Kerlee 35/1.2
« Reply #14 on: May 24, 2017, 02:08:00 »
Ha ha-When I feel relatively wealthy, I do as the Chinese photographers do!

Yeah biological in-group preference exists even if one isn't born into their native country, like me. I am Chinese born in Australia, and I bought Laowa's 105mm f/2 STF out of "support", I felt the need to help them and I was curious too. No patriotism involved though but I'll be frank, if an American start-up company made such a lens, I would probably not buy it and wait for reviews to finalise the purchase.

It has proven itself to be a great reproduction lens, so I bought their 12mm too which is now my favourite UWA. :)
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