Jorge Torralba wrote:
I hate to be the one who points out the obvious. Especially since I have been a Nikon fan for so long and don't want to upset those who own the lens. But for me, this lens renders really poor image detail/contrast/sharpness. It has a lovely bokeh but that is about it. The 1.4G or AIS are just as good if not better. The 50mm 1.2 AIS would be a better choice if you want that classic look. Again, I'm sorry to say it but I am the one calling out the elephant in the room. Just look through the majority of the images on this thread and you will see what I am talking about. Great images posted by people but diminished because of the soft look.
I don't see a problem with 58G's rendering. Sure it's not as sharp/contrasty as Otus or the Sigma Art, but the rendering is in a class similar to the legendary Noct.
I have owned pretty much every single "legendary" fast standard (50~60mm) lenses for 135 format out there, and the rendering from Otus is among my least favorite. (which is why I sold it for a tiny profit after a week of ownership) It's sharp like razor and contrasty... but that's about it. Nothing pleasing coming out from there. I haven't owned a Sigma Art, but I suspect to have similar result.
I think the problem is many try to quantify the capability of lenses like how Sigma and Zeiss are approaching with their high-end lenses; they are objectively good. But there's another side of it: the subjective part, like how a lens render its bokeh, or its color. They cannot be perfect as each person has their preference on that, but that's the beauty of it.
Jorge Torralba wrote:
I hate to be the one who points out the obvious. Especially since I have been a Nikon fan for so long and don't want to upset those who own the lens. But for me, this lens renders really poor image detail/contrast/sharpness. It has a lovely bokeh but that is about it. The 1.4G or AIS are just as good if not better. The 50mm 1.2 AIS would be a better choice if you want that classic look. Again, I'm sorry to say it but I am the one calling out the elephant in the room. Just look through the majority of the images on this thread and you will see what I am talking about. Great images posted by people but diminished because of the soft look.
There's no elephant in the room Jorge. I went through all of the images here and other places again and I came to the conclusion that this is the most exciting lens Nikon (or any other manufacturer) have introduced in a very long time. The 58 1.4g is not Nikon's response to the Otus but rather to the Rokkor 58 1.2.
You can PP anything in an image these days, however, the only thing you cannot PP is such beautiful rendering. It's also more than half the price of the Otus and has AF The Sigma 50 ART provides a great option for those looking for a clinically sharp image (as much as the Otus) at a quarter of the price of the Otus and much less heft with AF, hence the only elephant in the room IMHO is "who needs the Otus"
I was almost ready to return this lens. It was in the trunk of my car on Monday, ready to get shipped back to B&H. But I had a feeling in my gut that I would regret it. So I kept it for a few more days. By the end of the week, the lens grew on me.
I'll be honest, it's not an easy lens to use. The depth of field is razor thin. From my experience "focus and recompose" and non-center AF points have a much lower keeper rate for me than just using the center AF point. After some AF micro-adjustments and just time getting to know the lens, I can safely say I'm keeping it. I'm very excited to see what images I get with it; I'm sure they will be better and better once me and the 58mm "get to know each other better". Here are some samples so far:
those little puppy shots are fun! great colors but most importantly smooth transitions and overall rendering..
i agree that this lens needs to be understood, but when it finally clicks...it really is unique! every time i go out this lens is in my bag with either a long tele or a wide. i never leave home without this lens.. im always trying to paint the scene with this FL in my head. tack on that creamy bokeh...and im always smiling at the images on my computer screen.
Jorge Torralba wrote:
I hate to be the one who points out the obvious. Especially since I have been a Nikon fan for so long and don't want to upset those who own the lens. But for me, this lens renders really poor image detail/contrast/sharpness. It has a lovely bokeh but that is about it. The 1.4G or AIS are just as good if not better. The 50mm 1.2 AIS would be a better choice if you want that classic look. Again, I'm sorry to say it but I am the one calling out the elephant in the room. Just look through the majority of the images on this thread and you will see what I am talking about. Great images posted by people but diminished because of the soft look.
rodizzle33 wrote:
I find the sharpness on this lens much better on my D4 rather than my D800E, but never do I feel it's unusable under any circumstances even wide open.
If sharpness is the only thing you are looking for there are plenty of other options.
After a touch of fine tuning, this lens is plenty sharp for me on my DF and its 16 megapixels. I'm really loving this lens.
I remember everyone complaining about the low weight and how it didn't feel like it was worth $1700. I actually love the low weight compared to all my other 1.4 and 2.8 lenses.
chuhsi1 wrote:
After a touch of fine tuning, this lens is plenty sharp for me on my DF and its 16 megapixels. I'm really loving this lens.
I remember everyone complaining about the low weight and how it didn't feel like it was worth $1700. I actually love the low weight compared to all my other 1.4 and 2.8 lenses.
ive been preaching about the weight since day 1. thats why this lens is stuck on my Df! felt great on my d800 also.
Is it just me or am I the only one that actually likes this lens cause it's not uber sharp? It's sharp enough to get great detail, but as a portrait lens, it hides a lot of human imperfections, such as wrinkles and blemishes. It requires far less PP work and I love it... Absolutely, positively love this lens. Plus it gets uber sharp stopped down if you really want/need it. I have zero doubts about keeping this lens in my repertoire forever.
My wife might kill me for posting this here, but one of my first test shots with the lens.
The Sigma 50 ART provides a great option for those looking for a clinically sharp image (as much as the Otus) at a quarter of the price of the Otus and much less heft with AF, hence the only elephant in the room IMHO is "who needs the Otus" 
