Lenses

[TheRenaissanceMan]

Interesting. Thanks!

I just finished another shooting day on my BMPCC and SLR Magic set, and I'm still so in love with that kit. It renders very 3D, flares beautifully, produces great skintones, does lovely things to highlights, and has rock solid build/handling.

I'd like to give the Voigts a proper workout, but I've been happy enough with my current setup to avoid the temptation of yet more glass.

...for now.

[kidzrevil]

@TheRenaissanceMan you should definitely be good with the SLR magic setup, they make some really good glass 

[Fredrik Lyhne]

@TheRenaissanceMan I want one set of AF lenses that work well for both photo and video, which is why I went for Pana Leica lenses. If it was for video only I would go for SLR Magic or Veydra. The SLR Magic 10mm is a great lens!

[Geoff CB]

Voightlander 58mm

[jonpais]

On 10/9/2016 at 9:04 AM, TheRenaissanceMan said:

100% agreed. I'm a bigger fan of SLR Magic's 25mm and 10mm than Voigtlander's. Has anyone ever tried mixing both on a shoot? I haven't used the Voigts enough to know if they match or not.

I really regret that when I was shopping at a camera mall in Mongkok, Hong Kong, the SLR Magic shop was closed... I've seen tests over at Focus Numerique and at LensTip that seem to show that at the edges of the frame, the Voigtlander 10mm looks like mush... and the long focus throw, which is so nice on the 25mm and 17.5mm, might be a drawback on the 10mm... I think it would be next to impossible to pull focus, because even with my 17.5mm, as much as I love the construction of the lens, it can be difficult to focus in low light, even when using aids like peaking, enlarging the image (AF Mode/MF on the GH4), and viewing in Monochrome (in order to see the peaking)... And as much as I'm an advocate of faster lenses in the u4/3 system, I don't see any value whatsoever in having such a large aperture on a lens as wide as 10mm... and, were I to purchase a super-wide u4/3 lens at the moment, I'd probably go with the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2. But, as Sigma recently released the 30mm f/1.4 Contemporary lens for micro four-thirds, I'm going to wait a bit - I have a hunch they'll soon release a 12mm 1.4 of their own - one that will cost $800 less than the Leica for sure; and in all likelihood, it will perform just as well, if not better, given their track record. Nevertheless, everyone owes it to themselves to at least go to a shop and handle one of the Voigtlanders - as has been said elsewhere, they are built like a hand grenade. They are truly works of art, and it is incredible that lenses of this calibre - fanatical and uncompromising - are even being manufactured in this day and age, when plastics and electronics are all the rage. And, while they may not be full frame lenses, and not even optically perfect as the Zeiss Milvus lineup, I think they are far more beautifully designed. When I went to a local camera shop recently and actually held a Zeiss in my hands, I felt it was such a sterile experience.

 

[Geoff CB]

Voigtlander 90mm 3.5

[mercer]

17 minutes ago, Geoff CB said:

Voigtlander 90mm 3.5

Do you have the 58mm Voigt?

[Geoff CB]

1 minute ago, mercer said:

Do you have the 58mm Voigt?

Yes I do. I prefer the background rendering of the 40mm but the color is still great on it and it "pops" a bit more.

[mercer]

43 minutes ago, Geoff CB said:

Yes I do. I prefer the background rendering of the 40mm but the color is still great on it and it "pops" a bit more.

How is the 58mm wide open? It reminds me of the m4/3 25mm in looks and build quality, so I thought it might hold some similar optical qualities as well.

I've seen some of your 40mm work and it looks like a great lens.

I am pretty happy with my Nikkors right now, but when I get the itch for a new lens, these Voigts may be the way to go. 

[Geoff CB]

4 hours ago, mercer said:

How is the 58mm wide open? It reminds me of the m4/3 25mm in looks and build quality, so I thought it might hold some similar optical qualities as well.

I've seen some of your 40mm work and it looks like a great lens.

I am pretty happy with my Nikkors right now, but when I get the itch for a new lens, these Voigts may be the way to go. 

The 58mm is very sharp even wide open, but does have chromatic abberation until ~f2.2.

[mercer]

8 hours ago, Geoff CB said:

The 58mm is very sharp even wide open, but does have chromatic abberation until ~f2.2.

I don't mind a few flaws. It's weird though, after spending the past year with M4/3 and cropped sensors, I forgot how wide my Nikkors are in S35.

[mercer]

Has anyone used the Nikon 50mm 1.4G lens?

[Henry Gentles]

OT Question, I have a 50mm Nikon E mount with an adapter to Eos which I can't remove? Is there a latch or something that I can't see, how do I remove this adapter, anyone had this problem before?

[mercer]

16 minutes ago, Henry Gentles said:

OT Question, I have a 50mm Nikon E mount with an adapter to Eos which I can't remove? Is there a latch or something that I can't see, how do I remove this adapter, anyone had this problem before?

Yes, there is a little latch you have to push down as you turn the adapter. 

[Henry Gentles]

3 hours ago, mercer said:

Yes, there is a little latch you have to push down as you turn the adapter. 

Thx I found it!

[mercer]

So, I am floored by my recent D5500 purchase, so much so, I am selling off most of my other lenses and keeping a few small sets for my Canon eos-m10 (which is a blast of a little compact, interchangeable lens camera btw) most notably my set of Minolta MD lenses which render beautifully with the Canon.

I really want to keep my lens options to a minimum with the Nikon, but ideally have a good small set of primes and zooms.

I currently have a Nikkor ai-s 28mm f2, 35mm f/2, a Series E 50mm f/1.8 (which I hope to replace with a faster 50mm in the future) and a 35-70mm f/3.3-4.5 Nikkor zoom which gets bad photographic reviews, but I find to be a pleasant little walk around lens for video.

For zooms I have a Tokina 24-40mm at-x f/2.8, 35-70mm at-x f/2.8, and the "Plastic Fantastic" 19-35mm f/3.5-4.5... With some interest in the 20-35mm f/2.8 because I have read that it is like having a set of wide to normal primes.

Since I am selling so many lenses I have collected over the years, I hope to use some of the money to get some higher quality Nikon, or Nikon compatable, lenses.

As of now I am interested in a few different lenses (mostly zooms) that I hope some people here may have some experience with...

1. The Angenieux designed Tokina 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8 - I've already heard so many glowing reviews of this lens, from users on this site, so when I find one at the right price I will definitely buy one. This lens is so special I am not even worried about any focal range overlap.

2. Tokina 14-20mm f/2 - I've never owned an ultra wide zoom... Or lens really. I briefly had the RMC Tokina 17mm and found it to be a lovely lens, but that lens is a little slow and the prices seem unjustified in the Nikon mount. Has anyone used the 14-20mm and could you tell me about the manual focus and any overall impressions of the lens?

3. Tokina 11-20mm f/2.8 - I have read some great online reviews of this lens and it seems to be a better choice than the legendary 11-16mm as some believe the 11-20mm resolves better on the current crop of 24mp Nikon cameras. So, is the 14-20mm f/2 so much better than the 11-20mm to warrant the $200 bump in price? Does the extra stop make that much of a difference?

4. Tokina 24-70mm f/2.8 - as I said, I already own the Tokina 24-40mm and 35-70mm at-x f/2.8 manual zooms. I really love these lenses, but I have heard great things about the 24-70mm, that I'd love to hear any personal experience with that lens... Specifically manual focus operation. I am pretty content with the two I have that cover those focal lengths, but if the newer 24-70mm is absolutely amazing, I wouldn't be adverse to selling them and trading up to a higher quality lens that covers that focal range gamut. 

As far as primes, I am content with my Nikkor ai-s lenses. As I mentioned I would like a fast 50mm Nikkor, but rarely will I ever use a long prime. I may eventually pick up an 85mm f2 or the 105mm f2.5 for those instances that I may need a longer reach, but I usually like to stay between the 35mm - 60mm FOV. I may also buy a 24mm f2, or a 20mm f2.8 eventually, but I'm in no real hurry for it.

Also in the future I may be interested in expanding my prime collection with lenses from other manufacturers. The Voigtlanders look great. And I believe there are some interesting Russian lenses in the F Mount... So any information on cool 3rd Party primes would be appreciated as well.

I know that's a lot, and I know lens choice is very subjective, but I'd love to hear other's preferences and maybe even see some videos made with some of these lenses, if anybody has them.

Sorry for the long request, and thanks in advance. 

[Kisaha]

You have to consider the 1.53 crop factor that your camera has. A 28mmx1.53=is closer to standar than wide-ish. So, I would advice you to spend most money on a ultra wide zoom for starters (as most of the focal lengths are covered already).Another thing to consider is the different optical qualities all these different brands and lenses have, it is wiser to "invest" in sets of similar behaviour. I have FD and Pentax of similar years (and a few oddballs here and there ofcourse, we all have!).

Another thing is that newer lenses are better optimized for newer sensors, so legacy lenses is not always a panacea. It is tempting to buy a loy of cheap old ones, but consider a couple of very good modern lenses with image stabilizer/AF and other electronic modern goodies.

I heard from my Nikon friends that the 17-50 and 17-70 Sigmas are good value for money, and in your post, most of the lenses are overlaping one another.

[mercer]

1 hour ago, Kisaha said:

You have to consider the 1.53 crop factor that your camera has. A 28mmx1.53=is closer to standar than wide-ish. So, I would advice you to spend most money on a ultra wide zoom for starters (as most of the focal lengths are covered already).Another thing to consider is the different optical qualities all these different brands and lenses have, it is wiser to "invest" in sets of similar behaviour. I have FD and Pentax of similar years (and a few oddballs here and there ofcourse, we all have!).

Another thing is that newer lenses are better optimized for newer sensors, so legacy lenses is not always a panacea. It is tempting to buy a loy of cheap old ones, but consider a couple of very good modern lenses with image stabilizer/AF and other electronic modern goodies.

I heard from my Nikon friends that the 17-50 and 17-70 Sigmas are good value for money, and in your post, most of the lenses are overlaping one another.

Thanks Kisaha, I totally agree about keeping sets from the same manufacturer for optical qualities consistency. And I agree about the ultra wide angle... I was looking for people who may have some experience with those specific ultra wides so I could choose between the 11-20 and the 14-20mm.

I haven't come across too many modern Nikkor prime lenses that offer a smooth manual focus ring, and since I love the look of my ai-s lenses, I've decided to keep my primes all manual.

I have the two manual Tokina zooms, which I like a lot, I just don't have an ultra wide, or even a fairly wide... With the crop factor of my 24-40mm, I'm sitting at 36mm with my wide end... So hopefully one of the aforementioned zooms can fill in the ultra wide to wide range I am missing. 

Thanks for the heads up on the Sigma 17-50mm... I'll keep an eye out for one.

[Geoff CB]

On 10/24/2016 at 9:49 AM, mercer said:

Thanks Kisaha, I totally agree about keeping sets from the same manufacturer for optical qualities consistency. And I agree about the ultra wide angle... I was looking for people who may have some experience with those specific ultra wides so I could choose between the 11-20 and the 14-20mm.

I've used the 11-20, love it and the focus ring is physical and a bit stiff, which I like in a wide angle. Good clean look, but difficult to match color wise with other lenses.

[mercer]

6 minutes ago, Geoff CB said:

I've used the 11-20, love it and the focus ring is physical and a bit stiff, which I like in a wide angle. Good clean look, but difficult to match color wise with other lenses.

So, it didn't even match color wise with your angenieux Tokina?