Yes but the question was about small lensesI have a simple 'rule' on this, which is... if you can buy the very best then do so, that then removes any possible excuse of "its my gear"
I very VERY nearly went for the 40mm, but I still had it nagging me that I know the 'S' line is better; also, if I wanted a 40mm I'd go for the 35mm S-line instead and crop
Totally agree Dave, although the size and weight difference make a compelling argument for me based on the fact I use zoom lenses for ‘most’ of what I shoot.I have a simple 'rule' on this, which is... if you can buy the very best then do so, that then removes any possible excuse of "its my gear"
I very VERY nearly went for the 40mm, but I still had it nagging me that I know the 'S' line is better; also, if I wanted a 40mm I'd go for the 35mm S-line instead and crop
Autumn At Surprise View by Adrian Jones, on Flickr
The 50mm Voigtlander APO laughs in the face of the 50mm S
Nikon Z5 +24-50
Surprise View, Peak District 16-10-24
Thank you for your kind words was a special morning for a couple of hours
Got to agree on this. My copy of the 50mm 1.8 S wasn't that great and I sold it on pretty quickly. The Voigtlander is in a different league IMO.The 50mm Voigtlander APO laughs in the face of the 50mm S
Got to say I agree with you. Due to continued shoulder issues and other age and health constraints, I am very seriously considering giving up my Zf in favour of my Zfc. In fact, I don't think I've used the Zf since I bought the Zfc - I find it just too cumbersome for my needs and can get what I want, albeit by being careful sometimes, from he Zfc.
Sorry you're not doing well with your shoulders. I have had three Subacromial Decompression operations to my shoulders (2 left, 1right)along with Ulnar Nerve repositioning, if you can avoid these type of operations I would from my experiences.
I had an operation for impingement on my right shoulder about 10 years ago, and it’s been perfect since. The surgeon was going to do the left once it had settled, but we moved out of the area. In the interim the NHS decided that operation could no longer be done as “it wasn’t a proven cure”! So I’m left with an iffy left shoulder which has already had a hydro-distension, which was fine for a year, but now they only want to do physio.
Do you think you had a not-so-great copy of the 50 S? Mine is absolutely fantastic and I've not seen anything but praise for it anywhere online.Got to agree on this. My copy of the 50mm 1.8 S wasn't that great and I sold it on pretty quickly. The Voigtlander is in a different league IMO.
Must give a shout out for the 85mm 1.8 S though, incredibly sharp lens on my Z8. Too sharp my wife thinks, as she can see her imperfections in the photos I take of her
Never using a prime, I'm unsure what focal length I'd prefer. The 28mm se does appeal more as I could flip into dx mode for 42mm. That said, it's 2.8 when the whole point is to gain as much out of focus background.
I've recently tested the Z system waters with a Z5 and like what i see. The only thing i'm not happy about is the low light AF and noise above 3200. Not bothered about video so i'm really wanting to know people's real world experience of the image quality of the ZF and Z6 III - is there any noticeable difference especially in lower light? I'd imagine the improved AF systems are very close as both meant to be excellent. I shoot events and ergonomically the Z6 III would be the sensible choice but is the dynamic range less due to the part stacked sensor ? There's a good difference cost wise between the two so not really wanting to pay extra for advanced video features i'll never use. I'll keep the Z5 as a backup and trade in my workhorses D750 that are starting to let me down on AF with old age. Final question i really like the quiet mechanical shutter on the Z5, a god send at quiet events. Is the ZF purposely loud to recreate the vintage element of it's personality ? Could be a deal breaker if so as don't want to go back to a D750esque shutter gunshot
There are several very good de-noising softwares out e.g. Topaz and DxO offerings. I use the DxO stuff as I use the DxO Photo Lab Elite v8 product. In the past I use Topaz De-Noise with CaptureOne Pro and that worked well.I've recently tested the Z system waters with a Z5 and like what i see. The only thing i'm not happy about is the low light AF and noise above 3200. Not bothered about video so i'm really wanting to know people's real world experience of the image quality of the ZF and Z6 III - is there any noticeable difference especially in lower light? I'd imagine the improved AF systems are very close as both meant to be excellent. I shoot events and ergonomically the Z6 III would be the sensible choice but is the dynamic range less due to the part stacked sensor ? There's a good difference cost wise between the two so not really wanting to pay extra for advanced video features i'll never use. I'll keep the Z5 as a backup and trade in my workhorses D750 that are starting to let me down on AF with old age. Final question i really like the quiet mechanical shutter on the Z5, a god send at quiet events. Is the ZF purposely loud to recreate the vintage element of it's personality ? Could be a deal breaker if so as don't want to go back to a D750esque shutter gunshot
Zf shutter sounds like a guillotine dropping down
I never used any other Nikon cameras, so cannot comment on similarities. But Sony a7II and a7c had a little bit quieter shutter.
I barely remember, but when had some nice SLR cameras from Minolta back in 90s and 00s, those had a nice plasticky clicky shutter sound - nothing like Zf's sound
Just a point for @mikeyw re noise
I shoot regularly at 8,000-16,000 ISO and use DxO's PureRaw (for pretty much everything) any its made any concerns over a noise a thing of the past for me
Yeah, I mean, I like that sound, but it is louder than Sony A7 cameras I had in the past. I think Sony A7x have similar shutter sound so if you knwo those, you can imagine that Zf being louder. Zf sound is like multiple clicks in a split of a second, not like just single pure click, if you know what I mean.
You know drummers use their sticks, dont know how its properly called, but lets call them sticks
I use the mechanical shutter on my Zf. Purely because it sounds so good. I use electronic on my other cameras. Don’t write it off. Definitely try one.
Yes as I said, my copy wasn't great. When stopping down to f4 or something it improved. My 85mm is perfect from f1.8. I also didn't find the 70-180mm great wide open in the 70-105mm range, I then changed to the 70-200 f2.8 and its tack sharp at all focal lengths wide open.
Hope you don't regret wanting to sell it --I assume it's the weight of the system rather than the camera itself as that wouldn't make that much sense? If I was in the UK, I might have been interested but of course thanks to Brexit, it's impossible to send anything abroad now (unless from N. Ireland). I can imagine the Zfc being a nice camera but there are far fewer lenses available for it, although admittedly quite a few Chinese these days.
You are right on all counts, David. I may decide to keep it to use purely with primes. From an optical point of view there’s nowt wrong with the kit lenses. But they can be aperture-challenged. If they were faster then they would be heavier …
I'm sure you'll be happier with a z6iii. IMO the Zf is a weighty brick that definitely needs a grip to be properly usable.
Ouch !!
If you’re using zoom lenses. The 28/40 combo are fine on the Zf without the grip.
Apologies Trevor as I know you love the beast, but it's not for me. Im not a fan of cameras that I have to grip with my finger tips and really a camera at substantial cost that needs an extra grip. Doesn't take anything away from the workings but I would have thought in Mike's situation the z6iii or perhaps the z8 would be more suited after owning a Z5.
