[dave9t5]

Zeiss Blog:

http://blogs.zeiss.com/photo/en/?p=5234

 

Flickr:

https://www.flickr.com/search/?tags=otus1485

[Brightcolours]

Looks nice. 

[JJ_SO]

At that price, I expect to get the new Sigma 85/1.4 art.


With AF.


And with a decent FF camera body behind it.


But it's nice to see the company can still rely on consumers with some cash to burn. And also, it's very nice they take care about becoming a reference. I've no doubt they will make the best 85 out there, so the rest of us with less deep pockets can look forward to comparisons and see how close the second bests approach to the reference lenses.

[dave9t5]

Review from Ming Thein:

 

http://blog.mingthein.com/2014/09/09/len...po-planar/

[Rover]

Nuts.

[A64]

Omg look at that nonexistent bokeh fringing at around 3:45 ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_-vUXkOaOY

 

And a DNG file, shot with the D800E... https://www.dropbox.com/s/8d1n58zh3dgd8k...m.dng?dl=0

Omg. :o :o :o :wub:

 

This lens means: technics can't be your limiting factor for an ultimate image quality. But then there comes the human factor: no AF I'll go for the Sigma Art. Close to this probably (still way much better then the famous 85 1.4G) but then it will have AF at least.

 

No Zeiss can correct on pixel-level my defocus in MF mode :lol:

[davidmanze]

 Looks like Zeiss have done it again and although that it will have little impact now on the average photographer, it's raising of the bar to an ultimate level will put pressure on OEMs and TPMs to produce something a lot nearer to Zeiss levels than they are now offering..

     As all the tests seem to be based using the D810 it must be a little humbling/ embarrassing for Nikon that their recent offering , the 58mm 1.4 was received with nothing much less than derision, whilst the Zeiss 55mm was creating shock-waves.

  For AF users, which is most of us, happily Sigma is there raising their bar accordingly bringing a better day to day usage lens with only a small compromise in performance to us mere mortals who's pockets aren't overflowing excessively.

  To benefit from these lenses LV has to improve as well as CD focusing systems, as PD systems can't cope with these extremely minimal DOFs. 

[JJ_SO]

dave9t5: Thanks, I enjoyed Ming Thein's post very much. He also said he'd use a technique of continuous shooting with continuous little degree turning of the focus ring. Well, it's a solution, but imaging to sit there and decide at 100% the sharpest shot is nothing I enjoy doing in post.

 


dave's cliché©s: you're sure about "...PD systems can't cope with these extremely minimal DOFs"? Somehow I'd expect it very helpful for PD AF if a lens is as crunchy as the Zeiss or the Sigma wide open, when focus just jumps form "no!" into "Very yes!". I find my D810 to be coping pretty decent with the Sigma (and all other lenses, too). It' just a pity for the Zeiss, that these days nearly all focussing systems rely on software and are lacking mirror/matte screen accuracy. But with the D810, LiveView is now finally on par with all other good LV's. Even on the iPad vila CamRanger I see definitely the improvement I was waiting for.

[davidmanze]

Hi Jolu,

  I am going on the results from reviewers and Nikon forums using the Sigma 55mm 1.4, however I have heard (from you as well if I remember) that the 810 has resolved many of it's forbearer's issues. The real message was that CD/PD (sorry I didn't make that  clear) from the sensor is by nature accurate and does not rely on the accuracy and care of calibration at the point of  manufacture and in the recent trend towards mirrorless,  very little is heard about poor focus accuracy..

   Whether the reported focusing accuracy issues with the Sigma were a result of the bodies or the lens or the implementation of the interface between them, I don't know.

  It's true that we hear more from the complainants than the happy bunnies, so it's certainly nice to hear that you have found the combination of the two is producing good results, after all that's what we really want to hear. The two together must be producing some stunning images maybe the best FF AF combination out there and if I was younger and richer or even just richer they would be my choice, luckily my Pentax K3 is tear-proof! 

[JJ_SO]

In my vocabulary PD is phase detection (by a separate sensor unit) and contrast detection CD happens on the very same sensor which will take the picture, therefore no adjustment needed. I was feeling a bit in doubt if I understood you correct.


What I can say about D810:


PD AF improved massively in terms of speed AND accuracy AND in both AF-S and AF-C. It feels as if the lenses just jump to a defined point. Especially the fast lenses and there the 85/1.4 G which was always a bit a surprise wether it was on spot or not. This lens showed improvements although it's the same lens.


CD AF also has become a bit snappier but the biggest thing is the now decent LV at 100% view. With D800 then LV quality was not very shiny, now it's great and a pleasure to focus manually.


Shutter vibration is now reduced in a way I don't have to adjust the longest speeds to the shortest possible (for auto-ISO).


AF micro adjustments are sometimes unnecessary. I only tried with LensAlign because Reikan FoCal ist still waiting to bring out an update for D810 (as other companies such as Apple or PhaseOne are, too). So I can' tell for sure but the adjustments were mostly in a range up to +/- 5 and closer to 0 than they were with D800. In my book the change of manufacturing in Thailand lead to tighter tolerances, but of course, that's subjective. I'm saying, with less fast lenses there's no difference wether AFMA is done or not, the AF module seems to be more accurate.


However, with the Sigma 50 Art the adjustments were confusing me. I'll redo as soon as I get FoCal, but with the suggestion made by LensAlign I was unhappy. Sometimes Infinity was missed pretty much and clearly visible without pixel peeping. Maybe Sigma has to update the lens, too. Funny is, it happens mostly at infinity and rarely at other distances with the suggested AFMA value -3 of LensAlign, so I corrected it by myself and found +1 the best. It appears the ramp between the various distances plays a role as well and the distance for the LensAlign target was about 2 meters. At that distance, there's already a separate setting in the optimisation pro App of Sigma. After doing that right, the combination is reliable. And, just to add that, I think I could pretty much do without any AFMA.


Not bothering with long explanations, the combination of Art lenses and D810 is superb and all other lenses only benefit from the improvements in AF. Makes me a happy bunny