35mm Nokton f1.2 ... I'm a bit dissapointed :(

[robertwright]

Went to AIPAD this week in ny and looking at a ton of prints the feeling I got was what separated the digital prints from the conventional prints was the sense of sharpness of the print, and in many cases this was not favourable to the digital prints. They needed to be "softer" ever so slightly, some just had too much detail if you know what I mean. And this was independent of medium, ie; digital C's looked about as bad as digital inkjets when the sharpening was too high. conventional C's and chemical bw's all seemed "right" or downright blurry in some cases.

And these were very good prints in all cases. It was just that you could tell the digital ones, they just popped a little too much. I kept wanting a little more subtlety. that's the thing tho, you can get that kind of sharpness, that kind of detail out of digital, the question is, do you want it for every subject?

 

[LJL]

And these were very good prints in all cases. It was just that you could tell the digital ones, they just popped a little too much. I kept wanting a little more subtlety. that's the thing tho, you can get that kind of sharpness, that kind of detail out of digital, the question is, do you want it for every subject?

One cannot put sharpness (acutance) in where it does not already exist, but one can always blur something that is "too sharp". I would rather have the ability to control that final output (print) by softening things how I think they should look, rather than overcooking it in an attempt to pull up some sharpness that is not there. Motion blur can be a problem, or one can use it creatively. Something out of focus is just that....out of focus.

A lot of the older prints just did not have access to the technologies (lenses, fine grain, slow chemicals, etc.) early on, so the softness was acceptable, just to have an image. Not sure much of Weston's stuff was blurry or out of focus that I recall. The art was twofold....composition as well as how it was rendered. It still is. I know a fine art photog that takes shots that are very crisp and he converts them into softened blurs....but he is creating that.

So, take sharp images as best you can, and render the final print to your personal and artist tastes. Just my thoughts on this.

LJ

 

[robertwright]

well mostly I was speaking about the very large prints. we have the ability now to render several feet by several feet of either inkjet or digital c prints. You could not get this kind of edge to edge sharpness in an optical enlargement, no way. but the caveat is that we have this great technology and now it is about using it well, I agree.

After plowing through many "yards" of big prints it was a relief to see smaller scale work by weston, Adams (robert not Ansel) sommer, etc. You know the 8x10 contact print is pretty hard to beat! and not something I would really want to see at huge proportions.

I just got the 3800 and have had a hard time adjusting to making even 17x22 prints....gulp.

anyway, not to hijack the thread. I have had my eye on the nokton for a while, might just dive in...

 

[Haya]

Sean: Is it your experience that the lens may need any after factory adjustment?

LJ: If i ever get my grubby hands on a Noctilux this lens would have been my training wheels... and you are so right about the angle thing, I do that a lot sometimes especially when my subject is sitting and I'm standing, and when we are both sitting I sometimes tilt the camera upwards ever so slightly.

Peter: Hi! a lot of great tips I really appreciate it!! I will definitely try the swaying technique and I think with this lens I'm going to try shooting in C mode which I have never used until I get the hang of this. Also backing up has helped a lot like you said it's very difficult to focus up close.

I love your photos! The first photo of your wife is so timeless!

I just can't help zooming into a 100% as soon as I import to lightroom which is a horrible habit I know! I like to be blown away by the Photos I get from this system.

Matt: To be honest I haven't printed over 8x10 so far.
Digital photography has really spoiled us with the ability to view images at 100% with out having to print a single photo!

Rob: I don't do my own printing but I can see what you mean about some images being to sharp for print, definitely a lot of scenes and captures look much nicer with a bit of blur!

Congrats on the new printer after reading Guy's post on his impression of the printer I might go for one too this summer. I just need to attend one of Guy & jacks workshop to figure out how to get the best prints though !

 

[Sean_Reid]

Sean: Is it your experience that the lens may need any after factory adjustment?

Hi Haya,

That's possible with any lens but I'd rule out other explanations first.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[irakly]

one thing that most people who start shooting with super-fast lenses forget is that now instead of motion blur they have a new enemy. what happens is that after you have focused the lens, your upper body starts hovering back and forth, which WILL get you outside of the DOF area. this body movement is subconscious and absolutely normal. you have to train yourself not to hover.

 

[Sean_Reid]

you have to train yourself not to hover.

But I now get at least two feet off the ground and there's no turning back.

<G>

Cheers,

Sean

 

[etrigan63]

Looks you're all sorted out now but, yes, a properly adjusted 1.2 Nokton is quite sharp wide open. And, yes, the Noctilux is much harder to nail focus with because the DOF is so much narrower.

Cheers,

Sean

Yeah, but sometimes you get lucky...

 

[Maggie O]

That's lovely, Carlos!

 

[ampguy]

The first few images are sharp, but lower in contrast to many lenses. I do not own this lens, but have owned the Noctilux f1.0 and Summilux 75/1.4, and when properly aligned they and this lens should focus accurately wide open and at close distance even with their narrow DOF accurately, provided your camera has a long RF baselength and magnification (e.g. M body, .72 mag. or RD1, M8). CL's, and some Bessas might be slightly challenged here.

I'd try lining up some cans or bottles at ~1m from the lens, .5cm or 1cm apart from each other from the lens, focusing on the middle one, and checking the focus results.