Thanks Don. I took about 40 shots to get her on the swing. A lot missed focus. I had to stand on top of a fence and stick my feet in it to balance myself.
Do any of you with multiple bodies feel this lens shines on one or the other? I'm loving shots I see from the d800 and Df alike but for different reasons. From what I've seen here, I feel like the d800 series has a little more punch in the color and contrast departments but love the skin tones of the Df. Realistically that could just be PP styles of different posters.
I own a d800 and have a rental Df, 58 and Zeiss 135 coming in a week+, so I plan to do my own "scientific" testing.
aut0maticdan wrote:
Do any of you with multiple bodies feel this lens shines on one or the other? I'm loving shots I see from the d800 and Df alike but for different reasons. From what I've seen here, I feel like the d800 series has a little more punch in the color and contrast departments but love the skin tones of the Df. Realistically that could just be PP styles of different posters.
I own a d800 and have a rental Df, 58 and Zeiss 135 coming in a week+, so I plan to do my own "scientific" testing.
I found my D800 struggled to hit when shooting wide-open much more often than my D700. When you miss with this lens you'll just think "oh crap, this lens is soft." That's how it got such a bad reputation initially. We're Nikon shooters, so we expect to hit 99% of the time when shooting wide open. But that's just not going to happen with the 58, even after an AF Tune, even after sending it in for calibration.
But what I have seen, again and again, are shots from the Df looking sharp. I've seen a handful from the D4 and they've all been sharp. It seems to me, when you find someone posting unusually soft shots it's typically from a D800.
However, it has also been suggested that the first crop of 58's were faulty, or less perfect. I had a very early copy and I just wasn't satisfied with its performance. Recently, as evidenced by this thread, there have been a number of shots looking pleasantly sharp - some even on D800's. And everything I've seen from the D810 has also seemed pretty sharp.
Also remember, this lens was modeled after the Noct-Nikkor 58 1.2. The same inconsistency plagues that lens. People know when they have a sharp copy of the original 58, and when they do, they'll hardly let go of the lens for less than $4000. Is the new 58 exhibiting this same inconsistency?
Everything I've said is sure to create contention. That's not my goal. But these are the things I've observed since the launch of the lens. I'm just thankful people are getting great results from the 58 now, because it is a special lens. It was really frustrating early on watching people dismiss the 58. They were all claiming Nikon was doomed.
^ I don't own the lens, so excuse me for butting in , but I just personally feel that the more megapixels, the better, as far as generating a final 'wow' image. That's assuming you're not pushing any of the camera's other limits (such as iso) and are using adequate glass for those mp, and technique is good.
This gives you maximum leeway in processing and it's why I love my D800 so much and why I sold the D4 I bought a while back and tried out briefly. The D4 could shoot at much higher iso, which I rarely need, and much higher frame rate, which I rarely need. Otherwise I just liked the D800 better - maximum options in PP, half the price, plus pro level AF that I've never felt lacking in any way.
donzo, this image looks like if your daughter is actually coming through a fog and her face is just coming into focus...that transition is scary nice, almost haunting but in a good way. very nice indeed!
aut0maticdan wrote:
Hardcore - like previously, nice shots!
What made you sell your 810?
It is an amazing camera. Hard to find fault with the camera on any level. It fixes every nitpick I had about the d800, but unfortunately for me, at the end of the day, I don't think it will give me better images.
I'm also looking into buying a drone (hexacopter) to use for aerial photography, so right now at this point, I need the cash more than the awesome camera.
Very nice images Hardcore! Do you mind posting a 1:1 crop of your daughters face on the third image on this page? It looks sharp to me but there are many complaints. Thanks!
AFphotography wrote:
Very nice images Hardcore! Do you mind posting a 1:1 crop of your daughters face on the third image on this page? It looks sharp to me but there are many complaints. Thanks!
Sure, no problem.
The one I posted the focus was missed or blurred ever so slightly, so I posted the next one in the series that was in focus and what you can expect. This is @ 36 megapixels.
Hardcore wrote:
It is an amazing camera. Hard to find fault with the camera on any level. It fixes every nitpick I had about the d800, but unfortunately for me, at the end of the day, I don't think it will give me better images.
I'm also looking into buying a drone (hexacopter) to use for aerial photography, so right now at this point, I need the cash more than the awesome camera.
I'm sure I'll regret selling it.
I hear you. As much as I'd like to trade up, the price on used d800s are so low. I'd rather just keep using it. I'm pretty happy with how my d800 focuses, though. I know many people haven't been.
My brother picked up a phantom2 and really nice gimbal for gopro to bring to my destination wedding. We had loads of fun with it. I assume you want a hex to lift something heavier, like an slr?
I had to stand on top of a fence and stick my feet in it to balance myself. 
