24/2 finally

[jonoslack]

Jono, Thanks for the info on the 50/1.4. I have used it briefly on my buddies A900 and while it is great stopped down it lacks the resolution I look for when shot wide open. I want to take the A900 with me where I take my 5D today and I need that wide open performance. I could probably live without it by using an alt lens but it would be nice to have a better alternative there. Nikon has proven you can make a great 50/1.4 for a reasonable price and I hope that other companies step up to that level of performance since I shoot 50/1.4 a lot.

Sorry to have taken this thread off topic. I'm really looking forward to the first real samples of the new 24/2.

Fair enough . . is the Sigma not up to par either?

 

[douglasf13]

Espresso, there's a chance your friend's Sony 50 needed some AF adjustment. Mine needs around -16 backfocus adjustment on the A900. Granted, only the very center is sharp at f1.4, but, at f2 or more, it doesn't get much sharper from any lens.

 

[espressogeek]

Douglas, thanks for the suggestion. I actually adjusted it for him and it did require a significant amount of adjustment. We had it shooting dead on after a few minutes of tweaks but still it did not quite do it for me.

The Sigma 50/1.4, I like that lens and I actually shoot it today on my 5D. I would just like to see Sony go better but I guess I can forgive them for now. I'm just torn when I look at the Nikon system but I guess it doesn't really matter as the D3x is a bit out of reach at the moment.

Espresso, there's a chance your friend's Sony 50 needed some AF adjustment. Mine needs around -16 backfocus adjustment on the A900. Granted, only the very center is sharp at f1.4, but, at f2 or more, it doesn't get much sharper from any lens.

 

[douglasf13]

I wouldn't call the Nikon 50mm G better, but, rather different than the Sony 50. It's a classic example of one lens having outrageous center sharpness and average edges vs. another having good center sharpness and good edges. It's a matter of preference.

 

[Terry]

Are you guys doing the adjustments through lens align or some other way. If my 50 is off on NEX it makes no difference because I can see when it is in focus in live view. But I haven't Really shot or adjusted it on A900.

 

[douglasf13]

You know, I usually start with a printable 45 degree angle test chart, but that doesn't always work, so then a walk around the house and test it on all kinds of things until I get it right.

 

[engel001]

Sonystyle has the Zeiss 24mm f2.0 lens in stock for shipping tomorrow. Any early experience, please share! $1250 seems on paper to be reasonable enough to give this a try. Marc "fotografz", would this supplement the two Zeiss zooms you already have, or is the one stop advantage not enough of a difference (thinking of your fabulous Leica Summilux-M wedding photos)?

 

[engel001]

There are some comparisons of the 24mmm with the two Zeiss zooms and Minolta's old (Leica-related) 24mm of Zurich. The new lens certainly excels at infinity. The 24-70mm is disappointing in the corners for this application. For travel and landscapes, I have been using a Leitax-converted 28-90mm Vario-Elmarit Asph with much better corner performance than the 24-70mm Zeiss (and longer reach). It's particularly good at longer focal lengths and this 24mm tempts me tremendously.

 

[edwardkaraa]

I am still waiting to find somewhere to buy this lens but I have been gathering as much info as possible about it. My impression so far is that it is an amazing lens. At 80% of the image, there is practically no difference between f/2 and f/8. I have not seen a WA lens that performs so well wide open, the clarity and resolution are simply stellar. The corners are quite blurry at f/2 but what is interesting here is that the blur does not start gradually but the border line between sharp and blurry is abrupt, which is a good thing imo. At f/2.8, More than 90% of the image is awesome and the little vignetting seen at f/2 is completely gone. There is no image improvement when stopping down on the sharp area of the image, it's sharp as nails since f/2 but the extreme corners keep on improving. At f/8 it is possible to see some blur in the very extreme corners but I would say just 1-2% of the frame. There is noticeable CA especially in the corners that can be still seen even stopped down. It is the easy to remove by software kind of CA though. There is a lot of praise about the mechanical part of this lens as well, construction, manual focusing action...etc.

 

[fotografz]

I am still waiting to find somewhere to buy this lens but I have been gathering as much info as possible about it. My impression so far is that it is an amazing lens. At 80% of the image, there is practically no difference between f/2 and f/8. I have not seen a WA lens that performs so well wide open, the clarity and resolution are simply stellar. The corners are quite blurry at f/2 but what is interesting here is that the blur does not start gradually but the border line between sharp and blurry is abrupt, which is a good thing imo. At f/2.8, More than 90% of the image is awesome and the little vignetting seen at f/2 is completely gone. There is no image improvement when stopping down on the sharp area of the image, it's sharp as nails since f/2 but the extreme corners keep on improving. At f/8 it is possible to see some blur in the very extreme corners but I would say just 1-2% of the frame. There is noticeable CA especially in the corners that can be still seen even stopped down. It is the easy to remove by software kind of CA though. There is a lot of praise about the mechanical part of this lens as well, construction, manual focusing action...etc.

On my shopping list for sure!

I've been on a waiting list for this lens for months ... not a peep.

Any dealer cruseing this forum that gets this puppy, PM or e-mail me immediately please ... I don't want this lens ... I NEED THIS LENS!

-Marc

 

[engel001]

Marc, Sonystyle has it now. Looking at Amazon or B&H it may take a month or more. The time delay is interesting. - Christopher

 

[fotografz]

Marc, Sonystyle has it now. Looking at Amazon or B&H it may take a month or more. The time delay is interesting. - Christopher

Thanks so much for the heads up Christopher.

I'm still on the phone with Sony Style TRYING for the last 1/2 hour to order the damed thing. Idoits.

Should have it by Friday ... if they don't also screw that up.

Will shoot a wedding on Saturday with it and report back here.

8" close focusing at f/2 should be interesting :thumbs:

BTW, this is why I didn't mind selling my Leica M24/1.4 ASPH to raise cash for a Hassey 35-90 Zoom.

A Zeiss AF 24/2 makes it a little bit less painful.

-Marc

 

[edwardkaraa]

One more thing worth mentioning is the coma in the corners at f/2 and f/2.8. It is not as well corrected as the 35/1.4 G and ZA 24-70 and just a notch worse than the ZA 16-35. AFAIC, I have never paid attention to coma before because my night shots are on tripod and stopped down, but this coma may be annoying for some users.

Here are coma comparisons done by a member on Dyxum:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerome_munich/sets/72157625151510942/

 

[fotografz]

Zeiss 24/2 arrived yesterday ... it's a nice size on the A900 ... perfect balance. Fast AF.

Build quality like the other ZA lenses.

OOF areas are sublime ... with a beautiful focus fall off. More importantly to me, the front OOF area is creamy-dreamy ... which I haven't seen this nicely done since the Zeiss 55mm for the Contax 645. My initial impression is that this front and rear Bokeh is where it separates itself from the ZA zooms. More on that later once I use them side-by-side in similar conditions.

Absolutely delicious color and contrast as one would expect.

At 7.5", it focuses really close, which is dramatic as hell with a 24mm @ f/2. The zoom's min. focus is 1' @ 24/2.8 ... which is quite a difference when working that close up.

This puppy promises to become my new BFF ... we'll see how it does at the wedding tomorrow.

-Marc

 

[edwardkaraa]

Congratulations for the new lens Marc. Still not available in Thailand

It's really nice to read your positive impressions especially about the foreground/background bokeh. Hopefully you can show us some samples soon?

 

[fotografz]

Congratulations for the new lens Marc. Still not available in Thailand

It's really nice to read your positive impressions especially about the foreground/background bokeh. Hopefully you can show us some samples soon?

Will do as soon as I do some serious shooting with it ... which will be all day tomorrow. Gonna try out the A55 also, but not on anything critical since weddings are to intense to be fussing with a new camera.

-Marc

 

[roweraay]

I am really tempted to get this puppy. On my new A55, this will provide a 36mm FOV in FF terms, even though the lens will probably weigh more than the camera.

 

[fotografz]

I am really tempted to get this puppy. On my new A55, this will provide a 36mm FOV in FF terms, even though the lens will probably weigh more than the camera.

I'll try it on the A55 at today's wedding if I get a chance, and let you know how it works out.

-Marc

 

[roweraay]

I'll try it on the A55 at today's wedding if I get a chance, and let you know how it works out.

-Marc

Could not stand the indecision and today I went to our local store and picked one up. Since it was dark when I got back, I have not had a chance to give her a whirl yet. But intend to do so tomorrow.

 

[Eoin]

Happy to see self restraint is one of your strong points Roweraay. :ROTFL:

Note to self, seeing as my own self restraint is as strong as Roweraay's, stay away from this thread before these guys start posting images from this lens. :deadhorse:

Could not stand the indecision and today I went to our local store and picked one up. Since it was dark when I got back, I have not had a chance to give her a whirl yet. But intend to do so tomorrow.