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Anyone got the 20mm F2.8 on D800?

Hi Sergio
I'm afraid, but on a D800/E it would be impossible to take such a pictures and achieve an acceptable DOF. Then one should use f.11 or 16 and diffractions will spoil it....hmm..and in that area the 700 would turn out to be a better choise.
But apart from that, do you know who will do such machinering at the buttom of a R 19mm? If one should come acros one. Did you buy it that way?
Must say, it just look splendid.
Best
Thorkil
Hi Thorkil,
I use the lens also with the nex7, and aside from the fact that corner and side borders are out of focus (a nex7 fault)at f8 it out resolves the approx. virtual
50 Mp of the sensor (moire notwistanding the AA filter on the nex).
I modified the lens with a small flat file and a small vacuum cleaner, following leitax example:

http://www.leitax.com/conversion/leica/Elmarit-19_current/index.html

But it can be also professionally modified

Adriano Lolli

Hope this helps.
Regards.
Sergio
 
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Thorkil

Well-known member
Hi Sergio
Thank you very much. Thats sound interesting. Perhaps it will be safe enough to do it myself (if I get one)and will just remind me of old times where I did some motorcycles-work.
Your pictures with that lens just looks splendid. But they are rather expensive in the market, the R19. But of course when they are that good.
But I will go with my 14-24G for a while even though its too huge and heavy.
I have given the Nikkor 20/2.8D a try, but it just istn't good enough I think.
(Looking forward to go to our house in San Zeno di Montagna i July with the 800E)
Best
Thorkil
 

waynelake

Member
Just got the camera this afternoon, took about 20 photos with the 20mm lens. Mind you, I have not AF tuned yet. However at 2.8 I think its unusable, although night pictures might be ok..? Much much sharper at F4, and a bit better again at 5.6. Well, heres one, 320th @5.6 ISO 400... straight from camera, resized only.

 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
It still looks a bit dark in the corners at f/5.6... or you have something in front that vignettes, like a hood.

My feel of the ZF.2 18 is that it's a good lens around center at all apertures, but vignettes strongly wide open. The vignetting clears up as it's stopped down and as far as I can tell is gone at f/6.7. (I use half stops.) Corners and extreme edges (like the last 5%) never get super crisp, but are fine - just slightly soft even at the lens' best. It's hard to tell what they are like until stopped down a bit though since they're dark wide open. Beyond f/6.7 I see no improvement and all that changes up to f/13 is DoF. At f/16 there's an ever so slight loss of contrast due to diffraction. There is some chromatic aberration at all apertures, which is easily removed in post. Color is excellent, making for lovely results if you shoot in the right light. It can take a Lee filter holder (using an 82mm lens ring), but not a shade as well. It can use a wide Lee shade w/o a filter holder. (I don't have a WA shade with a slot; something I really need to correct at some point.)

Basically, for me and my uses it's a keeper...

It's nowhere near as good as the 21.
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
I am very happy with the ZF.2 18 and if straight lines are important found that PTLens seems to be about the best alternative I have tried. For me it is an f/8 lens and very nice at that.
I did this as part of my arca-mostly kitchen shoot recently with touch-up by PTLens and CS6 lens correction for some keystone after tweaking with PTLens

Hand held kitchen shot
View attachment 60175

In a walk-about amongst some brick walls (what else)

Overview
View attachment 60176

Center crop
View attachment 60177

Corner crop
View attachment 60178

Nothing formal just some tests to see if I like the lens, and yes I do!
-bob
 

gurtch

Well-known member
I have a D 800, waiting for a D800 E, but I must say the Zeiss 18mm looks like a real winner for the the kind of work I do. WOW!! 20"x30" at 240 dpi right out of the camera.
Best of luck all!
Dave
 

waynelake

Member
It still looks a bit dark in the corners at f/5.6... or you have something in front that vignettes, like a hood.
Yes there is a lens hood attached in that picture.

While on this subject of ultra-wides, I noticed Photo Video International, Christchurch NZ posted on their facebook page they got their first batch of Zeiss 15mm 2.8 ZF.2 on 14th June... Its not for me at the moment though...
 
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