A picture is worth ... quite a bit, it seems

[DonSchap]

38064
Yes, Don's camera with a new passenger ...

so... yes, Virginia, you can add this one to the gear list ... :rolleyes:
Got a two-year, anti-drop on it, too. It weighs more than you think, believe me (35 ounces! That's more than the Tokina 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6).

Respectability is pricey.

These two images straight from the A700, with resize and sRGB convert.

38065

CROP
38067
You can probably tell the DOF on this a little too shallow (man, what a problem, huh?) I was focused on his wingside .. and his face was just far enough out of the focal plane to look a tad bit fuzzy. I actually need to close it down to 2.5 or 2.8 (chuckle) ... How many lenses can you say that about?

38066
White-crested Touraco, from Central Africa



I think I have Nick-prime-itus! My, my ... won't CW be surprised? Gotta start sometime, I guess. I suspect this is going to be pretty "hot glass" in the coming year. 85mm's look kind of teeny on Full Frames.

[DonSchap]

Another thing about this lens, which I found amazing, because I have fought it like ... forever ... is purple fringe. I took an image of a giraffe, last year, using a Canon EOS 20D with the TAMRON SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 Di-II LD ... and wound up with some nasty purple fringe when I shot against the bright sky. It was less than other lenses, but still really a problem for the high contrast.

Well .. same situation using the SONY 135mm f/1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar, today:

38069


Oh brother ... it is going to be real hard going back. Yikes!

Q: How do you eliminate purple fringing?

A: Use really excellent glass!

I hate to admit it, but I think I just got religion and it is going to be a really expensive ride out from here. :( Thanks CW ... Yeah, the 135mm f/1.8 is "killer!"

[DonSchap]

Frank,

I took this bird shot ... thinking of your recent entries. He was so cool looking, I had to share him.


38071

[DonSchap]

Here's a DOF shot @ f/1.8 and MFD (2.5 feet)

38073
EXIF: 135mm @ f/1.8 - 1/15 sec - ISO-400 - WB: Fluorescent-2 - D-R+ - Handheld


Pretty telling, huh?

[sparkie1263]

Nice shot Don. Was that at the zoo. I have been trying to get to the zoo all summer. I think it is too hot now. May wait till the fall.
Frank

[DonSchap]

Yep ... Brookfield Zoo, about 20 miles south of me. In the Penguin exhibit. They have rooms where the birds fly free ... and you had better duck or get a free haircut.

[Beowulff]

Here's a DOF shot @ f/1.8 and MFD (2.5 feet).....

Man, that is one thin slice!

:)

[Xoote]

nice pictures

[DonSchap]

Man, I gotta tell ya ... despite the Zeiss 135mm f/1.8's incredible capability and clarity ... this bad boy is HEAVY ... with a capital HEV. I mean your hand actually has serious inertia toting this thing around.

Anyone remember the tidbit of advice I gave about putting staples through your camera strap (securing those loose ends, to keep them from slipping through)? If you use a lens like this, you had better do it.



You truly appreciate how lightweight the TAMRON lenses are, after a day with this one. Wow.

I actually feel guilty about having this good a lens and not being paid to use it. LOL I tell you, it's weird. :rolleyes:

I know, I'll just share another image of the White-crested Touraco:

38084


I have to snap this guy in flight ... you simply would not believe the breath-taking colors. Just strikingly beautiful.

[DonSchap]

A little more about the lens. It doesn't do well with a 2x T/C slapped on it. Admittedly, it is a tamron T/C ... but, the IQ is hideously soft. Well, it's a good thing to know before you try shooting shots with it, only to get home and find them ... all a mess.

Just gotta go naked, I guess. I still need to try serious polarized-stuff, but initial test shots ...


I can see right thru it ...

38100


Here's a misadjusted or no CP shot:

38101
.
.
Then, the correct use of a CP shot:

38102

Those nasty old distracting glare and reflections, in the truck's paint, just seem to vanish ... even the dog seems to know it.

[DonSchap]

Here's a side-by-side that is ... kind of scary, huh?

That is the TAMRON Adaptall2 MF 135mm f/2.5 alongside the SONY SAL-135F18Z ...

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r289/donschap/camera%20stuff/old--new-135mm.jpg


It's like comparing a VW bug against a VW bus! Same image size, but entirely different IQ and sharpness. Honestly, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Things have certainly changed ... in the world of photography.

[Rooz]

it's MF only isnt it Don ?

[DonSchap]

Which one? The SONY ... no. The Carl Zeiss 135mm f/1.8 is fully AF and zeroes in on focus with high speed.

Now, there is ANOTHER SONY 135mm ... it is f/2.8 and has STF built into it. It is Manual only and about $1200, to boot.

It has dual aperture rings which actively soften the image edges providing a much smoother transition in bokeh.

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r289/donschap/camera%20stuff/stfAperture2.jpg

[Rooz]

sorry, for some reason i assumed that zeiss lens' were MF. no idea where i got that idea from lol ...maybe cos when i was looking at the 85/1.4 zeiss it was only MF.

the bokeh is interesting...reminds me of the nikkor 135/2 defocus control lens.

[DonSchap]

sorry, for some reason i assumed that zeiss lens' were MF. no idea where i got that idea from lol ...maybe cos when i was looking at the 85/1.4 zeiss it was only MF.

the bokeh is interesting...reminds me of the nikkor 135/2 defocus control lens.

Well, the SONY SAL-85F14Z - Carl Zeiss® Planar® T* 85mm f/1.4 is also AF. It has an "Auto Clutch", so that in auto-focus mode, the manual focus ring does not rotate - and in manual focusing, you’ll have a solid, hands-on feel.

It also has a "Focus Hold" button, which is located on the lens and can lock auto-focusing even in continuous advance mode - and focus lock can also be set on the spot-focus center frame area.

Is the one for Nikon not so equipped? That's novel. :confused:

Personally, with what the TAMRON SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di 1:1 MACRO delivers, I would be hard pressed to justify the $800 extra coin, unless I just need more gosh darn light and some seriously fast focus. The T90 ... is not the fastest to focus, but on A700, it does have good speed. Also, true MACRO is nice ... and at a distance of one-inch ... LOL ... truly hard to beat.

[DonSchap]

I have to say, as a "night scope", the SONY CZ 135mm f/1.8 has been terrific. In fact, no other manufacturer has a lens this wide, this long.

I had originally purchased it with the future purchase of an α900 in mind, but after using it for a number of months ... with it effectively acting like a 200mm f/1.8 on the A700, in comparison ... LOL ... why bother? :cool:

Today is cloudy ... not very bright inside. Probably about the same light you would have with a 20 W bulb. LOL

So ... I used the HIGH ISO noise settings, slapped the 135mm f/1.8 on ... and shot the target (distance = 10 feet). Other than resize, this is the shot.

41915
EXIF: 135mm - f/1.8 - 1/30 sec. - ISO-6400 - Natural Light (Daylight)

After (auto levels)
41916

After, manual massaging with Photoshop CS3 filters, saturation, color balance and curves
41919


Now, to truly appreciate this ... you need to set your camera to these settings, turn off all the lights in the room and have daylight coming in through a 18x36 inch window, behind you ... 15 feet away from the subject.

Here's the same shot, all AUTO and w/pop-up
41917
135mm - f/3.5 - 1/125 sec - ISO-800 - Pop-up flash

If you have to saddle yourself with a dynamite optic ... this be the one!

[erichlund]

The Nikon versions of Zeiss lenses are made to Nikkor AI-S standards, which means they are manual focus only. It only makes sense that if Zeiss is directly supporting Sony with lens designs that they would have access to Sony's AF ability. I suspect that Sony is the only brand that will AF Zeiss lenses.

[Rooz]

the zeiss 135 does look nice. havent seen much great stuff come out with it, but thats cos so few people own it so its hard to find real world examples.

droopy's 135/2L shots have been stunning though. really something. its one of the very few canon lens' i've not had the opportunity to use at all and i have to say i'm very impressed with what i see.