Zeiss ZF 50/1.4 Nikon Lenses On the Way!

[Dan States]

I used the Planar F1.4 on Contax for years and it was the ass-kick'n-est fast 50 I've ever owned. It certainly blows off my Nikons in every possible way and was the equal to my Summicrons in every way.

This 'bokeh' thing is a total load of crap. You can get funky backgrounds out of ANY lens depending on distance, aperture setting and especially what you are shooting.

The planar, like all Zeiss lenses is the best tool available for what it's designed for...SHARP PHOTOGRAPHY!

The real quality of Zeiss and Leica lenses is in their rendition of shadow detail and ability to hold detail in highlights...that is, flare control. They make black and white negatives that are a snap to print perfectly, and at lower contrast grades, so grain appearance is minimized.

With all the pixel sniffers that DSLR photography has created we are loosing sight of the ultimate goal...the print.

 

[RObert Budding]

You print? Most digital shooters just view their shots on their monitors!

 

[billwheeler]

Cool. Be sure to post pictures taken with the zf lens when you receive it. You state well the ability of some lenses--zeiss and leica lenses in my experience, too--to capture both shadow and highlight detail. Not all lenses can do this. I would love to try the nikon 45mm p lens, which I suspect does a better job of "holding" shadow and highlight detail than other nikon lenses. This said, I want to add that I enjoy using my nikon lenses a lot. Bill

 

[ch1]

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=304064#post304064

 

[stevew]

Nikkor 50/f1/4 AIS

Nikkor 50/f1/4 AIS

I don't shoot with the Nikons much anymore, but the lens is not a dog. It is capable of very good results wide open, but then I'm not all that much of a "bokeh" shooter.

 

[varjag]

Dan, a question if you don't mind. Are you a Zone System user?

 

[Dan States]

No. I develope my films pretty much per the manufacturers specs and don't have the brain power to figure out using zones on roll film.

I'll tell you I'm so sick of the word "bokeh" I could just gag. It's turning into a fetish for photographers who shoot pictures of plants in their back yard. I have never seen a photo posted for its "Bokeh" value that was worth a second look for its content.

 

[SDK]

Hey Dan, at first I liked the word "bokeh", but now I prefer the terms "out of focus character" or "out of focus rendition" or even the acronym "OOF," to keep within English. "Bokeh" seems too jargon, too cute, too esoteric. I'll not use it again.

 

[Uncle Bill]

How about "Bokeh" becomes a canidate for the banned words list. The ZF lenses are just hitting the street and I would rather hear feedback from someone who ran a couple of rolls through an F3 or an FM2. Yes the Zeiss for Nikon lenses are expensive but if the results are mindblowing then they will be worth it, there are a lot of Nikon SLRs floating around out there.

Bill

 

[SDK]

I have an Uncle Bill! He's about 85 now, but still a hale "dirty old man" with a love for porn.

I'd like to see some full frame shots too. Most of the new Zeiss SLR lens web example images are from DSLRs that crop. So we have no idea what the corner performances of the new ZF 50mm and 85mm are like, and their OOF rendition is probably exaggerated compared to what it would be at full frame on film.