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Nikon 58/1.4g and Baby Blue Eyes

The Smoking Camera

The Smoking Camera

New member
Last week a friend and her one year old daughter stopped by to visit.
I could not resist taking a few photos with the 58.
No post except exposure and cropping.
All shot wide open at 1.4.



















 
glenerrolrd

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Really well done set of photographs and perfect example of the strength of the 58/1.4. Only with AF could you get that many sharp images ..shot at F1.4 .
 
D

D&A

Well-known member
Simply lovely! This is a case in my opinion where as nice a rendition as the 58mm appears in these photographs and it certainly plays to it's strengths...the actual images, poses, composition of this beautiful expressive little girl certainly takes center stage regardless of optic used. Nicely done!

Dave (D&A)
 
Jack

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Joe,

Your image compositions and processing are stellar, and your eye for capturing expressions is excellent.

That out of the way, understand this comment is not about you or your images, it is about the performance of the lens only -- I hope you don't mind because the lens is new, expensive and as such draws a lot of attention: I see what appears to me as just plain soft -- images missing that sharp-edged glint, seen especially lacking on the speculars in the child's eyes. It almost appears as bad to my eyes as slight subject motion blur, or simply a poor lens. I'm sorry, just sharing what I see and it's not just your lens either. Jan posted an excellent composition and low light capture of a firetruck in the dedicated 58G thread, and I see the same lack of crisp detail -- and he was shooting at f2!

Sorry folks, I just don't see anything that turns my crank from this lens yet. In fact the only good thing I can say about it is I like the way it renders oof background highlights, and that's about it.

Sorry,
 
D

D&A

Well-known member
Jack, I believe I know exactly what you are referring to with regards to missing that "glint" one often sees at the very precise point of focus, especially when a fast lens is shot wide open at close range. It can be seen with many of 85mm f1.4's by Nikon. I may be wrong but I somehow get the impression that Leica purposely designed the 58mm this way as to give a much softer rendition to transitional areas between the plane of focus and areas that are just in front of and behind it.

As good as the 85mm f1.4 lenses are, many complain that it hasn't been ideal as a portrait lens, especially for weddings, and portraits requiring a softer, gentler "draw" and that's where the 58mm come in...besides many other obvious uses, such as shooting subjects that include point light sources. It has a glow that often is seen in some of the older designed Leica lenses (for example)...obvious some SA has been designed into its optical designed but in what appears to be in a very controlled way. The Zeiss OTIS on the other hand simply out resolves anything in it's class and although I'm not saying it's simply clinically sharp without a signature (can't say anything definite until I shoot with it), but my impression is it fits into a different class of use than that of the 58mm. I'd almost go out on a limb and say use of these two lenses (the Nikon 58mm and Zeiss OTIS) have little overlap with regards to intended use besides their similar focal length.

I'm still wondering how the Zeiss does with coma and point light sources, especially compared to the 58mm. The overall character and strength of the Nikon 58mm lens may also be more evident with output to prints as opposed to what's seen on a monitor. That's often the case with lenses that have a softer "draw". In any case that's to be seen.

Dave (D&A)
 
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The Smoking Camera

The Smoking Camera

New member
Jack, Guy and D&A,
Except for the Nikon 32/1.2 for the V1, I've never been an early adopter of lenses. My kit includes tried and true Nikon lenses such as the 24/1.4g, 85/1.4g, 14-24, 24-70 and 70-200. With each of these lenses I pretty much knew what to expect before purchasing. The reason I chose the 58 is I wanted a lens in the 50ish focal range that would give me something special like my 24 and 85.

With that in mind, I agree the lens does not bite at 1.4 particularly at very close distance. Instead it produces a softer, dreamlike transition from out to in to out of focus. My understanding is the lens is designed for this. With increasing distance there does appear to be an increase in bite. But this may have to do with greater DOF or subject isolation or my imagination or ? The bokeh and out of focus rendering is gorgeous at 1.4 and subject isolation is greater than I expected.

I have not done enough at 1.6 or 1.8 to speak knowledgeably, but by f/2 the lens seems plenty sharp and is probably indistinguishable from other 50ish lenses (except for the Otus which is another league). Just a guess.

Time to stop rambling.
 
D

D&A

Well-known member
Aside from the softer dreamy like look when shot at close range and wide open, it's apparent that the transition from in to out of focus areas is quite gental and again I too believe this was intended as part of the design of the lens to give it a different look than say the 85 mm f1.4 G lens.

In my opinion it's use will be quite different than a lens such as the OTUS.

Dave (D&A)
 
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D

D&A

Well-known member
Guy Mancuso said:
It's a F2 lens at best for me
Click to expand...
It may just be me, but I can rarely make an through assessment of a lens unless at the very least I can examine the actual full rez file on a good monitor. It's world's apart from a full or partial frame image at Web resolution. Examining prints made from the lens takes it one step further.

Dave (D&A)
 
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V

VINCET

Member
Joe, love those pictures. Really have that special quality of a good portrait lens. I have sold all my Nikon system already but looking at those pictures makes me want to buy another Nikon system :)
 
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