Fisheye Hemi description
Provide a more normal view of people by not distorting their faces and bodies, and straightens vertical lines.
Fisheye-Hemi is a set of Photoshop plug-in filters which provides correction for hemispheric fisheye lens distortion.
Download Now version 1.1.3 trial
This set comprises of:
· Fisheye-Hemi 1 (Circle) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers 180 degrees horizontally across the field, so the captured image appears with black edges in the corners like a globe in space.
· Fisheye-Hemi 2 (Full Frame) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers 180 degrees diagonally, but the captured image has no black edges in the corners. This combination is commonly called a "full frame fisheye image".
· Fisheye-Hemi 3 (Cropped) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers less than 180 degrees, where the captured image appears almost normal with mild fisheye distortion.
Fisheye Hemispheric lenses in the hands of a photographer provide an expanded view of the world across approximately a 180 degree diagonal field. Until now, the primary option available to the photographer was to render these fisheye images using rectilinear mapping techniques.
These methods have many drawbacks, such as distortion of people near the perimeter and loss of resolution and data. Although the image is similar to what is seen by the eye, printed, the images appear distorted.
Fisheye-Hemi offers an aesthetically pleasing and natural view of the image using a unique mapping technology! Fisheye-Hemi provides a more normal view of people by not distorting their faces and bodies, and straightens vertical lines.
It has improved resolution of the image plus it displays the intended composition and framing better than other un-warping programs.
The most important requirement for Fisheye-Hemi is to not distort people, no matter where they are in the image. The faces and bodies must appear as normal as possible; given it is a fisheye lens! The Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In preserves the people.
Another important feature of Fisheye-Hemi is the clarity of the mapping. A rectilinear mapping will discard approximately one third of the pixels and crop to the center along the horizontal axis. Photographers purchase a lens to capture up to 180 degrees.
Much of the data is discarded in a rectilinear view. Fisheye-Hemi uses almost all of the pixel data in that view. A rectilinear view will shrink the center of the image which has the most detail. Fisheye-Hemi preserves this detail by using advanced mathematics to preserve all of the content of the original fisheye image.
Last, but not least, this product also straightens vertical lines.
Requirements:
· Photoshop 7.0 or higher
· Elements 2.0 or higher
· Paint Shop Pro or higher
The new Fisheye-Hemi 1.1.0 now includes three plug-ins that support a wider range of camera and fish-eye lens combinations, including fish-eye zoom and fish-eye converters.
Fisheye-Hemi 1 (Circle) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers 180 degrees horizontally across the field, so the captured image appears with black edges in the corners like a globe in space.
Fisheye-Hemi 2 (Full Frame) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers 180 degrees diagonally, but the captured image has no black edges in the corners. This combination is commonly called a "full frame fish-eye image". This is the original Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In.
Fisheye-Hemi 3 (Cropped) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers less than 180 degrees, where the captured image appears almost normal with mild fish-eye distortion.
You can choose the appropriate Fisheye-Hemi number (1, 2 or 3) according to a web-based selection chart and it will render an aesthetically pleasing and natural view of people — their faces and bodies not distorted. Fisheye-Hemi also preserves the resolution of the image by including more of the original pixels, and displays the intended composition and framing, as compared to the common rectilinear correction methods. Additionally Fisheye-Hemi straightens vertical lines.
The Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In is available for immediate purchase on-line for $29.95 USD. Individuals that have purchased version 1.0.0 can update to version 1.1.0 at no charge. The current version is Windows only, the Mac version is expected in the first half of 2007. You can also download a free trial version.
5/16/2008
Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In review
Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In review
A Photoshop plugin for 'fixing' fish-eye lens distortions
Keith uses a Canon 15mm fish-eye lens for some work with his Canon 1Ds. Whilst we've looked at using a program like DxO optics pro for things like this, the Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In from Image Trends works with any lens on any camera to 'de-fish' images - it's a fraction of the price as well. So what can it do?
Topics
What's in the software?
Conclusions
Summary
More info
The What's New Page gives a quick overview of the hundreds of pages of articles and picture on this site.
This page is part of the Reviews feature in our Articles and info section
The Apple Mac version of the plugin is covered here, but the PC windows version works the same.
Move your mouse over the image to see the effect of the fish-eye-hemi plug-in
Northlight Images prides itself on its independence when giving advice. We do not sell hardware or software and have no direct commercial links with any of the software or hardware vendors that may be mentioned here. See our Review Policy for more information.
What's in the software?
The plug-in comes in three versions depending on the sensor size of your camera and the amount of fish-eye effect your lens (or camera + fish-eye attachment) gives.
I'm looking at using the Canon 15mm fish-eye on a full frame Canon 1Ds in this review. That lens has a 180 degree field of view from corner to corner, but has serious distortion compared with the 'normal' rectilinear projection of standard wide angle lenses.
Rectilinear means that straight lines stay straight, while with the fish-eye, only straight lines passing through the centre of the field of view remain straight.
One aspect of this that people forget, is that means -any- line running through the centre axis, such as this shot which captures the whole 180 field of view of the horizon.
There is a very good explanation of the geometry on the Image trends web site
Pacific beach - North California coast
Cropped out part of the image above (~170 degree field of view)
I've covered more details about wide-angle correction in the DxO review, but the important thing to note about the Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In is that it has no adjustments, no sliders, just three versions for different lens/camera combinations.
It just works...
Taking the example shot from the top of the article, you can get three different amounts of correction - there is no 'right' amount - just what works best for your image.
The Version names refer to their suggested uses (more details later)
Fisheye-Hemi 1 (Circle) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers 180 degrees horizontally across the field, such as a Nikon D80 with an 8mm lens.
Fisheye-Hemi 2 (Full Frame) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers 180 degrees diagonally, such as a Nikon D80 with a 10.5mm lens or Canon 1Ds with a 15mm lens. This combination is commonly called a "full frame fisheye image".
Fisheye-Hemi 3 (Cropped) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers less than 180 degrees diagonally, such as a Nikon D80 with a 16mm lens.
For this picture, version (2) of the plugin works best for faces (it's the one suggested for my lens/camera combination)
Getting people in the image to look right is one of the key strengths of this plug-in.
I'll now show some recent examples taken with the Canon 15mm.
With each image, move your mouse over it to see the corrected version.
Better looking buildings
Hotel Restaurant
The next two shots show different views of the restaurant, as you might crop them for inclusion in a brochure or web site
In both the images above I like the look of the corrected versions better, but with something like this it's what the client likes best that counts.
Use of a fish-eye lens is always a bit of a risk - sometimes the effect works and sometimes not.
It's always in my camera bag on a job, but if you get one I'd suggest a lot of experimenting (best not on paying jobs ;-)
In the example below for example I prefer the curved pipe above - it frames the shot better. Then again it was 1am in the morning and I was just out having a drink and trying out a new lens.
For the building below (our head office ;-), well, it's just beyond the correction you can get with a 'simple' plugin
Not that the corrections in this plugin are simple - they have been optimised to give what is usually the most visually pleasing view - particularly if there are people in the image.
The example below shows what can be done with more complex (and more expensive) software - even so I've managed to clip the top of the building...
For something like this I'd be much more likely to stitch multiple images together.
The Canon 15mm is ideal for web use, where the loss of sharpness at the edges that can come with 'correction' is not important.
Other cameras and lenses
A key feature of the software is that it works with any lens-camera combination. There is plenty of useful information on the Image Trends web site.
This table shows the suggested choices for plugin version with different camera/lens combinations (I didn't have any of them to try...) Lens Type:
8mm
Nikon 10.5mm
15/16mm
10-17mm Zoom
Camera:
35mm Camera
*
Hemi 1
Hemi 2
Hemi 1-2
Nikon Models - Nikon D1, D1H, D1X, D2X, D2Xs, D2H, D2Hs, D100, D200, D40, D50, D70, D70s, D80
Hemi1
Hemi2
Hemi 3
Hemi 2-3
Canon Models - 1D, 10D, 2D, 20Da, 30D, D60, Rebel XT, XTi
Hemi 1
-
Hemi 3
Hemi 2-3
Canon Models - 1Ds, 5D (full frame sensors)
*
-
Hemi 2
Hemi 1-2
Sigma Models - SD9, SD10, SD14
Hemi 1
-
Hemi 3
-
Pentax Models - K10D, K100D, K110D, *ist D, *ist DL, *ist DS, *ist DL2
-
-
-
Hemi 2-3
Olympus Models - Evolt E-300, Evolt E-330, Evolt 400E, Evolt E-500, Evolt E-1
Hemi2
-
-
-
Sony/Minolta Models - Sony DSLR A100
-
-
Hemi 3
-
Kodak Models - DCS SLR/N, DCS SLR/C, DCS 14N
*
Hemi 1
Hemi 2
Hemi 1-2
NOTE: * means this combination of camera and lens requires the image to be cropped prior to using a Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In.
You can also vary the amount of correction by varying the canvas size of your image - see the Image Trends web site for more info (and examples)
Fixing an already good lens...
I often use a Canon 16-35 2.8L lens on my 1Ds, frequently for interiors and architectural work where straight lines are quite important.
At full width (16mm) it preserves straight lines (rectilinear), but as such, distorts images of people.
In the example below, I deliberately added some barrel distortion to the image (Filter>Distort>lens correction) -before- applying Hemi-3 to it. The idea is to introduce more distortion to the view, so that when you apply the plug-in, it only corrects some of what you had added.
Some straight lines are now curved, but the people look better...
Move mouse over image to see the result of adding some distortion -before- 'fixing' the image - the version you see is the result of both actions.
If you have a good 'normal' wide angle lens, this means that the chances of taking usable shots with people in them are increased...
Conclusions
Very effective image processing for quite a specialised use - just the sort of software that should help persuade more people to try the creative flexibility of a very wide angle lens and digital processing of the resulting images.
For images with people it really does look good. I fiddled around with settings on more advanced software for some time to get similar results.
Considering the amount of image processing it's doing, there is relatively little impact on image quality.
At under $30 it's excellent value for money - just one extra picture that a client likes would more than pay for the software.
There is a free trial (watermarked) version of the software available on the Image Trends site
Summary
A very effective Photoshop plugin for quick and simple correction of images taken with very wide (fish-eye) lenses.
Good value at under $30 - free demo available.
Available in both Mac and Windows PC versions.
More Info
DxO review - lens correction and raw processing
Stitcher Pro - stitching images together for very high quality wide angle views
Peleng 8mm - good article on this lens - lots of useful links at the end
Fish Eye - Wikipedia info for useful background
We have a version of Google's Search engine, optimised for photography related items that may be of use in finding more information...
A Photoshop plugin for 'fixing' fish-eye lens distortions
Keith uses a Canon 15mm fish-eye lens for some work with his Canon 1Ds. Whilst we've looked at using a program like DxO optics pro for things like this, the Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In from Image Trends works with any lens on any camera to 'de-fish' images - it's a fraction of the price as well. So what can it do?
Topics
What's in the software?
Conclusions
Summary
More info
The What's New Page gives a quick overview of the hundreds of pages of articles and picture on this site.
This page is part of the Reviews feature in our Articles and info section
The Apple Mac version of the plugin is covered here, but the PC windows version works the same.
Move your mouse over the image to see the effect of the fish-eye-hemi plug-in
Northlight Images prides itself on its independence when giving advice. We do not sell hardware or software and have no direct commercial links with any of the software or hardware vendors that may be mentioned here. See our Review Policy for more information.
What's in the software?
The plug-in comes in three versions depending on the sensor size of your camera and the amount of fish-eye effect your lens (or camera + fish-eye attachment) gives.
I'm looking at using the Canon 15mm fish-eye on a full frame Canon 1Ds in this review. That lens has a 180 degree field of view from corner to corner, but has serious distortion compared with the 'normal' rectilinear projection of standard wide angle lenses.
Rectilinear means that straight lines stay straight, while with the fish-eye, only straight lines passing through the centre of the field of view remain straight.
One aspect of this that people forget, is that means -any- line running through the centre axis, such as this shot which captures the whole 180 field of view of the horizon.
There is a very good explanation of the geometry on the Image trends web site
Pacific beach - North California coast
Cropped out part of the image above (~170 degree field of view)
I've covered more details about wide-angle correction in the DxO review, but the important thing to note about the Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In is that it has no adjustments, no sliders, just three versions for different lens/camera combinations.
It just works...
Taking the example shot from the top of the article, you can get three different amounts of correction - there is no 'right' amount - just what works best for your image.
The Version names refer to their suggested uses (more details later)
Fisheye-Hemi 1 (Circle) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers 180 degrees horizontally across the field, such as a Nikon D80 with an 8mm lens.
Fisheye-Hemi 2 (Full Frame) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers 180 degrees diagonally, such as a Nikon D80 with a 10.5mm lens or Canon 1Ds with a 15mm lens. This combination is commonly called a "full frame fisheye image".
Fisheye-Hemi 3 (Cropped) works best with a lens and camera combination that covers less than 180 degrees diagonally, such as a Nikon D80 with a 16mm lens.
For this picture, version (2) of the plugin works best for faces (it's the one suggested for my lens/camera combination)
Getting people in the image to look right is one of the key strengths of this plug-in.
I'll now show some recent examples taken with the Canon 15mm.
With each image, move your mouse over it to see the corrected version.
Better looking buildings
Hotel Restaurant
The next two shots show different views of the restaurant, as you might crop them for inclusion in a brochure or web site
In both the images above I like the look of the corrected versions better, but with something like this it's what the client likes best that counts.
Use of a fish-eye lens is always a bit of a risk - sometimes the effect works and sometimes not.
It's always in my camera bag on a job, but if you get one I'd suggest a lot of experimenting (best not on paying jobs ;-)
In the example below for example I prefer the curved pipe above - it frames the shot better. Then again it was 1am in the morning and I was just out having a drink and trying out a new lens.
For the building below (our head office ;-), well, it's just beyond the correction you can get with a 'simple' plugin
Not that the corrections in this plugin are simple - they have been optimised to give what is usually the most visually pleasing view - particularly if there are people in the image.
The example below shows what can be done with more complex (and more expensive) software - even so I've managed to clip the top of the building...
For something like this I'd be much more likely to stitch multiple images together.
The Canon 15mm is ideal for web use, where the loss of sharpness at the edges that can come with 'correction' is not important.
Other cameras and lenses
A key feature of the software is that it works with any lens-camera combination. There is plenty of useful information on the Image Trends web site.
This table shows the suggested choices for plugin version with different camera/lens combinations (I didn't have any of them to try...) Lens Type:
8mm
Nikon 10.5mm
15/16mm
10-17mm Zoom
Camera:
35mm Camera
*
Hemi 1
Hemi 2
Hemi 1-2
Nikon Models - Nikon D1, D1H, D1X, D2X, D2Xs, D2H, D2Hs, D100, D200, D40, D50, D70, D70s, D80
Hemi1
Hemi2
Hemi 3
Hemi 2-3
Canon Models - 1D, 10D, 2D, 20Da, 30D, D60, Rebel XT, XTi
Hemi 1
-
Hemi 3
Hemi 2-3
Canon Models - 1Ds, 5D (full frame sensors)
*
-
Hemi 2
Hemi 1-2
Sigma Models - SD9, SD10, SD14
Hemi 1
-
Hemi 3
-
Pentax Models - K10D, K100D, K110D, *ist D, *ist DL, *ist DS, *ist DL2
-
-
-
Hemi 2-3
Olympus Models - Evolt E-300, Evolt E-330, Evolt 400E, Evolt E-500, Evolt E-1
Hemi2
-
-
-
Sony/Minolta Models - Sony DSLR A100
-
-
Hemi 3
-
Kodak Models - DCS SLR/N, DCS SLR/C, DCS 14N
*
Hemi 1
Hemi 2
Hemi 1-2
NOTE: * means this combination of camera and lens requires the image to be cropped prior to using a Fisheye-Hemi Plug-In.
You can also vary the amount of correction by varying the canvas size of your image - see the Image Trends web site for more info (and examples)
Fixing an already good lens...
I often use a Canon 16-35 2.8L lens on my 1Ds, frequently for interiors and architectural work where straight lines are quite important.
At full width (16mm) it preserves straight lines (rectilinear), but as such, distorts images of people.
In the example below, I deliberately added some barrel distortion to the image (Filter>Distort>lens correction) -before- applying Hemi-3 to it. The idea is to introduce more distortion to the view, so that when you apply the plug-in, it only corrects some of what you had added.
Some straight lines are now curved, but the people look better...
Move mouse over image to see the result of adding some distortion -before- 'fixing' the image - the version you see is the result of both actions.
If you have a good 'normal' wide angle lens, this means that the chances of taking usable shots with people in them are increased...
Conclusions
Very effective image processing for quite a specialised use - just the sort of software that should help persuade more people to try the creative flexibility of a very wide angle lens and digital processing of the resulting images.
For images with people it really does look good. I fiddled around with settings on more advanced software for some time to get similar results.
Considering the amount of image processing it's doing, there is relatively little impact on image quality.
At under $30 it's excellent value for money - just one extra picture that a client likes would more than pay for the software.
There is a free trial (watermarked) version of the software available on the Image Trends site
Summary
A very effective Photoshop plugin for quick and simple correction of images taken with very wide (fish-eye) lenses.
Good value at under $30 - free demo available.
Available in both Mac and Windows PC versions.
More Info
DxO review - lens correction and raw processing
Stitcher Pro - stitching images together for very high quality wide angle views
Peleng 8mm - good article on this lens - lots of useful links at the end
Fish Eye - Wikipedia info for useful background
We have a version of Google's Search engine, optimised for photography related items that may be of use in finding more information...
Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye Interchangeable Lens Review
Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye Interchangeable Lens Review· 11 Sep 2006
This circular fisheye lens from Sigma is the world’s only 8mm lens with full autofocus capability. With some speciality uses as well as the novelty images it can produce, we take a look at it’s capabilities.
Specifications
Focal length 8mm
Max aperture f/3.5
Min aperture f/22
Angle of view 180° (on full frame digital or 35mm film)
Construction 11/6 elements/groups
Filter size Rear Gelatine
Dimensions 73.5x68.6mm
Weight 0.4kg
Price (SRP) £599.99p
Build and handling
Being a member of Sigma’s EX family, this lens is well built and finished and is supplied in it’s own zip-topped semi-hard pouch. The only controls on the lens are the manual focus ring with a distance scale marked in metres and feet and the standard AF/MF switch. There is a depth-of-field scale marked on the lens that has an exceptionally large range due to the focal length of the lens.
There is no filter thread, or, for that matter, a hood bayonet as the coverage of the lens, being a full 180°, stops any accoutrements forward of the front element being permissible. The lens cap/hood is a two part affair consisting of a stopped sleeve and a fairly normal lens cap that fits onto it. The sleeve sports a 72mm filter thread and cap. And 72mm filters can be used in this thread, albeit at the expensed of further vignetting. Under manual focussing, the ring requires a quarter turn to go through the full range and the ring does turn during autofocus, which is fairly quiet during operation and quick enough for any purpose this lens could be put to.
A spring loaded holder is fitted to the rear element of the lens to accept gelatine filters and the lens comes with a metal template to assist in the cutting of these from gelatine sheet.
The lens is not the kind of thing you would want to carry on the camera all day, but it is light enough and compact enough to fit in the camera bag with hardly any penalty.
Optical quality
An unusual lens to test as the program we use is designed to measure resolution on a slant edged straight line. In the centre we obtained a line straight enough to measure, but, due to the nature of the lens, a line straight enough to put through the system proved impossible. Distortion, similarly, is not measurable by our normal methods but suffice to say that, on a full frame camera, it is circular, just like it says on the box!
The resolution readings obtained from the centre of the frame are outstanding with the lens wide open and a peak is very soon reached at f/4 and staying high until f/11 where reciprocity starts to play its part.
Contrast is very good, with the 10-90% rise staying well below one pixel throughout.
Chromatic aberrations are also exceptionally well controlled with no readings even approaching a level of concern. Flare, although present to an extent when strong light sources were included in the frame (fairly un-avoidable considering the type of lens) is restricted to the area of the image it is included in and no ghosting is apparent showing strong control of internal reflections.
The full effect of a circular fisheye is not visible on a cropped sensor but these shots give a good idea of the type of image you can obtain. Taken at f/8 on a Canon EOS 20D.
Again on a Canon EOS 20D, this shot gives an idea of the amount of distortion exhibited towards the edges. The lighting clearly shows the coverage of the EOS 20D’s on board flash, used here to attempt some fill-in.
This circular fisheye lens from Sigma is the world’s only 8mm lens with full autofocus capability. With some speciality uses as well as the novelty images it can produce, we take a look at it’s capabilities.
Specifications
Focal length 8mm
Max aperture f/3.5
Min aperture f/22
Angle of view 180° (on full frame digital or 35mm film)
Construction 11/6 elements/groups
Filter size Rear Gelatine
Dimensions 73.5x68.6mm
Weight 0.4kg
Price (SRP) £599.99p
Build and handling
Being a member of Sigma’s EX family, this lens is well built and finished and is supplied in it’s own zip-topped semi-hard pouch. The only controls on the lens are the manual focus ring with a distance scale marked in metres and feet and the standard AF/MF switch. There is a depth-of-field scale marked on the lens that has an exceptionally large range due to the focal length of the lens.
There is no filter thread, or, for that matter, a hood bayonet as the coverage of the lens, being a full 180°, stops any accoutrements forward of the front element being permissible. The lens cap/hood is a two part affair consisting of a stopped sleeve and a fairly normal lens cap that fits onto it. The sleeve sports a 72mm filter thread and cap. And 72mm filters can be used in this thread, albeit at the expensed of further vignetting. Under manual focussing, the ring requires a quarter turn to go through the full range and the ring does turn during autofocus, which is fairly quiet during operation and quick enough for any purpose this lens could be put to.
A spring loaded holder is fitted to the rear element of the lens to accept gelatine filters and the lens comes with a metal template to assist in the cutting of these from gelatine sheet.
The lens is not the kind of thing you would want to carry on the camera all day, but it is light enough and compact enough to fit in the camera bag with hardly any penalty.
Optical quality
An unusual lens to test as the program we use is designed to measure resolution on a slant edged straight line. In the centre we obtained a line straight enough to measure, but, due to the nature of the lens, a line straight enough to put through the system proved impossible. Distortion, similarly, is not measurable by our normal methods but suffice to say that, on a full frame camera, it is circular, just like it says on the box!
The resolution readings obtained from the centre of the frame are outstanding with the lens wide open and a peak is very soon reached at f/4 and staying high until f/11 where reciprocity starts to play its part.
Contrast is very good, with the 10-90% rise staying well below one pixel throughout.
Chromatic aberrations are also exceptionally well controlled with no readings even approaching a level of concern. Flare, although present to an extent when strong light sources were included in the frame (fairly un-avoidable considering the type of lens) is restricted to the area of the image it is included in and no ghosting is apparent showing strong control of internal reflections.
The full effect of a circular fisheye is not visible on a cropped sensor but these shots give a good idea of the type of image you can obtain. Taken at f/8 on a Canon EOS 20D.
Again on a Canon EOS 20D, this shot gives an idea of the amount of distortion exhibited towards the edges. The lighting clearly shows the coverage of the EOS 20D’s on board flash, used here to attempt some fill-in.
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85mm F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ field report
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85mm F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ field report
by mladen sever, June 2007
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ
When Sony and Zeiss announced Carl Zeiss ZA lenses many of us were pretty surprised that one of the most highly regarded lenses in the Minolta lineup, the Minolta AF 85 F1.4 G D had been discontinued in favour of the all-new Zeiss Planar T* 85/1.4 ZA (aka. SAL-85F14CZ) lens. The latest Minolta model was pretty new (released in 2000), was ADI compatible and has gained excellent reviews. In fact this lens was quite often the reason some stayed with Minolta over the years since, unlike some other 85mm lenses, the Minolta had that bit of extra appeal in smoothing out of focus areas.
It is a widely accepted belief that with many lenses, Minolta lens designers have intentionally sacrificed pure resolution and MTF scores in favour of more pleasing results, especially in the out of focus areas. Minolta even produced a special "limited edition" of 85/1.4mm lens that further improved color aberration control and bokeh; Minolta AF 85 F1.4 G D LE, released only on Japan market (supposedly, only 700 LE lenses were made).
You can support dyxum.com purchasing this lens from:
Adorama or BH photo
On the other hand, the Zeiss planar 85mm lenses were always highly regarded by many photographers and adding a "real" Zeiss planar to the Alpha system, and an autofocus version at that (previous Zeiss planars have all been manual focus lenses) doesn't sound like a bad marketing move at all, even if it means that the Minolta design had to be dropped. (Somewhat contrary to the Minolta lens design philosophy, Zeiss lens philosophy seems to emphasize absolute resolution).
I'm a bad lens reviewer. I'm too lazy to make serious test comparisons; too subjective to be able to "see" "true" lens value and I'm far from a talented photographer whose opinion can be trusted.
In a perfect world I would be forbidden to write any kind of review! But since this isn't a perfect world and since there isn't too much info about this lens on the net, I found this field report worth writing.
With this in mind, please take my findings with a grain of salt since my subjective view may be very different from yours!
And don't trust the visual comparisons presented; there is no way few crops can tell the story!!
It is worth noting that the Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ sells for significantly more than the Minolta 85 lens. (The Minolta 85mm last sold on B&H Photo for less than 700$ while the SAL-85F14CZ is currently selling for 1300$ !). But even so, not many Minolta and Sony users have complained about missing the Minolta lens design, particularly on digital cameras like the A100 which can record great detail, and the Carl Zeiss reputation has certainly appeals to many.
The Carl Zeiss name implies top quality glass and not surprisingly even those not interested in Minolta / Sony alpha system have found Sony and Zeiss collaboration in this field quite intriguing. And here we come at a point that is so crucial for my review of this lens (and also in my review of the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80 F3.5-4.5 SAL-1680CZ review). For the sake of the reputation of Carl Zeiss lenses, it is very, very important to keep both the build quality and optical performance high. I'm well aware of Sony marketing power and "know how" to sell something, but when putting the Zeiss name on the glass it would be very wrong to count on that name alone without maintaining the qualities on which Zeiss has built its name. Fortunately, this lens does nothing to diminish the Zeiss reputation and I hope future lenses will be equal in this respect.
The Planar is a "classic" lens design that dates way; back from 1896. One of the strongest point of this design is the flat image plane and thus here is where the name came from.
It is the most common used lens design today most likely found on your favourite prime lens (at least my favourite 100/2 is a planar)
Unlike some have speculated, Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ is a whole new lens made for alpha system (and the only Zeiss 85mm AF lens to date) and different from Planar T* 85/1.4 ZF and Planar T* 85/1.4 ContaxN Zeiss lenses.
Planar
Planar T* 85/1.4 ZF (left) uses 6 elements in 5 groups. Minolta 85/1.4 G (middle) use 7 elements in 6 groups. Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ uses 8 elements in 7 groups (right).
Since I didn't have a Minolta 85/1.4 at the time I had Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ, I was not able to compare Zeiss lens directly to its Minolta precedent. I have used the Minolta 85/1.4 in the past, I'm pretty much familiar with how does perform but my statements here are highly subjective ones so please take them as such.
I know many may be disappointed with this but you may find on Dyxum an informative comparison between the two in an article written by minman which will hopefully be useful enough.
The lens hasn't yet been properly tested and reviewed by any major website but I hope reviewers will finally find Alpha system worth more of their attention.
What's in the box
What's in the box
no hood
with hood
extended
Compared to 50/1.4 and 100/2Compared to 50/1.4 and 100/2 Compared to 50/1.4 and 100/2
Compared to 50/1.4 and 100/2
Lens with the hood
Excellent lens hood included in the box.
Build and handling
In a typical orange Sony Alpha box Sony has packaged the lens, front and rear lens cap, lens hood(SH0002), soft pouch, manually signed Zeiss certificate and set of printed instructions. Sony is keeping a good old Minolta tradition of including caps, hood and pouch in the package. Kudos to Sony for this decision (and remember it when comparing lens prices to ... certain competition) !
A word of caution to (possible) owners here; the estimated value of the soft pouch is $30 while the ALC-SH0002 hood retails for $130, so keep an eye on them !
The build quality of the lens is excellent and I doubt any owner will have complaints in this respect. Metal construction, with a weight of 560g and a 72mm filter thread, the size of the lens is just perfect for my tastes. The lens balances very well with or without the vertical grip on my 7D and that helps hold my camera steadier at critical, low shutter speeds.
The focus ring is adequate, well damped with even stiffness across the range. Manual focusing is a joy here !
As can be seen from the images on the right, the lens does extend during focusing. An auto clutch feature keeps the manual focus ring from rotating during AF mode.
The lens features a focus hold button which can of course be "programmed" as a DOF preview button on our cameras
The distance scale is visibly marked with DOF scale (F8, F16, F22) in 35mm terms.
The lens cap is really nice, with center pinch release. It is much, much better than the one found on Canon 85/1.2 L US lens, for example, as can be seen here since it can be put on and taken off without removing the hood. compared to canon 851.2IIcompared to canon 851.2IIcompared to canon 851.2II
As the price suggests, the lens hood is really good. Metal (aluminum) construction, with rubber on the hood end for safe (no sharp edges) and easy handling. The inner hood surface is lined with a matte foam material which will helps reduce light reflections (and will hold a lot of dust).
I'm a big advocate of using hoods since they DO improve image quality and I need to be a little picky :)
Since the front element doesn't not rotate during focusing I would rather see a flower shaped hood and a filter hole (as seen on the 70-200 SSM hood ) would be nice, but again the hood is still very good.
The hood uses a bayonet mount and at least on my sample it does come off too easily which creates a risk of losing it if you carry your camera outside the bag (I almost lost it, but thanks to its metal construction I heard when it felt down on the street) .
AF is reasonably fast, and if my memory serves me well I would say it's a tad faster than with Minolta 85/1.4 G D lens. For those were hoping for SSM focussing, this lens is noticeably faster with my 7D than the Canon 85/1.2 II lens used on a Canon 20D. The Canon lens is of course quieter (this isn't really a fair comparison since the Canon lens - a beautiful piece of glass, btw - is heavier and more glass needs to be moved when focusing).
As a little curiosity, I would like to mention that the lens (just like the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80 F3.5-4.5 SAL-1680CZ and Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135 F1.8 SAL-135F18CZ) comes with two serial numbers engraved; one on the external lens barrel (and on the box) which is Sony serial number and other on the inner lens barrel (Zeiss serial number, same as found on included Zeiss quality certificate).
Worth noticing is that the lens is correctly recognized by Dalifer as Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 f1.4 ZA
Lens build quality is what one would expect at this price tag. Excellent in every aspect, this lens is build to last !
Performance
If something is of "concern" for the owners of the Minolta 85/1.4 lens, then it's the performance with the aperture wide open. This was emphasised again with the advent of the DLSR age; a "pixel peeping mentality" encouraged by MTF charts have somehow resulted in a common opinion that at F1.4 or F2 the lens wasn't very usable. While I don't share this opinion I have some great news here; the Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ is very good even wide open. I didn't have any doubts that Sony and Zeiss would provide an excellent lens optically, I do confess however that I was positively surprised by how well the lens performs wide open. I may go that far and say that even at F1.4 the main limiting factor was 7D sensor resolution.
Here are some images taken wide open (jpg straight from 7D).
Test imageTest image
7D; 1/2000s; F1.4
Entire frame
100% crop
Test imageTest image
7D; 1/750s; F1.4
Entire frame
100% crop
Test imageTest image
7D; 1/1000s; F1.4
Entire frame
100% crop
Since the lens is such a good performer even wide open, making overall judgement about resolution is quite easy when stopping the aperture down. It is an excellent sample of why Zeiss designs are so well regarded and this planar design confirms their reputation.
Contrast and colours are well tailored toward portrait shooting but lens can be really great for other applications as well.
test image sample imagessample images sample images
7D; 1/250s; F2
crop 1
crop 2
crop 3
As expected the lens doesn't exhibit noticeable geometry distortions.
Another excellent feature of the lens is very good flare control and at this point I don't have any examples of flare occurring when you wouldn't expect it :)
sample image
7D; 1/90s; F8; excellent geometry isn't a suprise.
Fast lenses (with large aperture openings) can be very prone to color aberrations and purple fringing. After few weeks of using this beautiful lens, I didn't find any serious issue in this regard. Of course, in most challenging situations this anomaly can always be seen as the next sample image shows:
Test imageTest image
7D; 1/1500s; F1.4
Entire frame
100% crop
Again, this happens in very rare cases, and in very demanding situations, so it cannot be considered as a weak part of the lens.
Many of you may be familiar with the kind of images like the next one, where highlight sparkles in water reflections can cause very nasty purple fringing.
Test imageTest image
7D; 1/3000s; F4
Entire frame
100% crop
Excellent !
With every lens sold today that is aimed to be anything like a "portrait" lens, you will read about smooth out of focus rendition in the manufacturer’s description. Bokeh ("aesthetic rendition of image areas outside the focal plane" as Zeiss describes it) is becoming a major marketing point and this lens is no exception. As already said in this field report, bokeh is something Minolta users have always considered as a strong asset of so many old Minolta lenses and I mainly share this opinion.
It is fair to say that it wasn't uncommon to find quite negative opinions among Minolta owners about how much (or how well) Zeiss design copes in this field especially considering the old Minolta philosophy.
Once I started using Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ, I really regretted not having a Minolta 85mm lens at the same time, since my feelings tell me that the Zeiss lens is quite different to the Minolta one. Of course, I have many other Minolta lenses, I did some comparisons against CZ 85 lens and I DO have my SUBJECTIVE opinion about how well the new Sony / Zeiss 85mm lens is performing bokeh-wise. However, presenting these results here would be a wrong thing to do IMHO and I will skip them.
Let's see some image samples with bokeh in mind:
sample imagessample images sample images
7D; 1/500s; F2.8
Entire frame
crop #1 100%
crop #2 100%
test image sample imagessample images sample images
7D; 1/250s; F2
crop 1
crop 2
crop 3
I guess these samples show little to complain about for most of you, but personally (and highly subjectively) I was a bit disappointed. Hard to explain it without image to image comparisons but the Zeiss lens performs a bit too harshly (or is too "analytical") for my tastes. It's more like a CaNikon approach, if I'm allowed to be rude, than a Minolta one.
test image sample images
7D; 1/3000s; F2.8
A "tough" lighting condition and a background texture with which the lens has coped with very well, but it is still a bit "too mannish" for my likings. Whether or not lens design efforts to make resolution and sharpness as high as possible do compromise a bit the gentle and subtle character of bokeh is beyond my knowledge (I'm not an expert in optics at all).
But, let’s be open; if we could provide the option to have smoother bokeh OR better sharpness (especially wide open) most users will select the second opinion in a heartbeat; especially today when zooming our images on screen is a more often used method to evaluate our gear than viewing large prints. And for those of us who may prefer the first option, an AF STF lens would be better thing to ask for in the future.
As a pure curiosity here are some comparisons with the EF 85mm f/1.2L USM II lens and Minolta 100/2 (reframed to match frame coverage)
Test imageTest imageTest imageTest imageTest image
CZ85mm@F1.4
CZ85mm@F2
Min100/2@F2
Canon85/1.2II@F1.4
Canon85/1.2II@F2
And again, Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ compared to Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM lens (both taken at 1/4000, F1.4)
Test imageTest image
CZ 85/1.4@F1.4
Canon 85/1.2II@F1.4
The lens is only one part of the story, with the body
test image
test image22
being the second.
And there is one field where this lens and our cameras do provide great opportunities – as a tool in low light situations. When it comes to low light shooting, we are very fortunate to have that unique Minolta invention in our cameras: AS / SSS. Many people underrate this option when comparing our system to CaNikons.
While both Canon and Nikon try to compensate for the lack of in-body stabilisation with IS or VR lenses, there isn't anything like a decent 85mm IS or VR lens (add to this, our old and beautiful 28/2 or 35/2 lenses). In-camera AS means we have an excellent low light machine in our hands.
The samples above should be taken just for fun and not to prove any judgements. Only minor changes in framing may cause different results here and every lens will perform differently in various lightning conditions.
It's really hard to fault the performance of this lens, no matter what you are looking for. One of the reasons I prefer the Minolta 100/2 ahead of the Minolta 85/1.4 is faster AF and performance wide open, since I often shoot concerts. I tried the new lens under these circumstances on two occasions and it is great for this use too! No frustrating AF hunting, very good performance wide open, good flare control and pleasing bokeh makes this lens excellent tool for the job.
Final words
Every time I use Canon cameras in manual focusing mode, I'm aware of how much I miss some simple features on my 7D -- focus confirmation, and the highlighting of the chosen AF sensor area in the VF. It's a very isolated drawback of the Minolta design, but would be so much help when manual focusing. With this in mind, I really hope Sony will not overlook this feature in their upcoming camera models.
I don't have any doubt that the Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ is an significant addition to Alpha system. Having the Carl Zeiss name on the lens (while keeping the Zeiss reputation for excellent build and image quality !) represents a strong asset for the future and a strong commitment about how seriously Sony takes Alpha system.
This isn't a lens that will be sold in mega-electronics shops like cakes; this is a serious glass for those who knows what they are looking for.
Optical performance is great in every aspect and while I do have some reservations about bokeh, this is more of a subjective nature than a real drawback.
Despite it being considered as a "classic" portrait lens, its range of applications are far wider. A large aperture does isolate the subject from the background and foreground making it perfect lens for flowers, nature shoots, street photography …
Excellent resolution and distortion free results make this lens a great choice for documentary photography as well.
And last, but not least, as already stated, image stabilisation in our body and the large aperture of the lens do result in an excellent low light tool.
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ will became a very popular lens between those who need this kind of glass, and with this lens, the Sony Alpha system can compete with the best (and even more expensive) portrait lenses that other systems provide.
For those who already have (and love) the Minolta 85mm lens, "upgrading" to this one shouldn't be a priority in my opinion (save the money for Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135 F1.8 SAL-135F18CZ instead :)). For all others, this lens will rarely bring any disappointment and despite higher price than the Minolta one it is a more than a worthwhile purchase.
You can support dyxum.com purchuasing this lens from:
Adorama or BH photo
Happy shooting !
You can find discussions about this article in our forum
by mladen sever, June 2007
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ
When Sony and Zeiss announced Carl Zeiss ZA lenses many of us were pretty surprised that one of the most highly regarded lenses in the Minolta lineup, the Minolta AF 85 F1.4 G D had been discontinued in favour of the all-new Zeiss Planar T* 85/1.4 ZA (aka. SAL-85F14CZ) lens. The latest Minolta model was pretty new (released in 2000), was ADI compatible and has gained excellent reviews. In fact this lens was quite often the reason some stayed with Minolta over the years since, unlike some other 85mm lenses, the Minolta had that bit of extra appeal in smoothing out of focus areas.
It is a widely accepted belief that with many lenses, Minolta lens designers have intentionally sacrificed pure resolution and MTF scores in favour of more pleasing results, especially in the out of focus areas. Minolta even produced a special "limited edition" of 85/1.4mm lens that further improved color aberration control and bokeh; Minolta AF 85 F1.4 G D LE, released only on Japan market (supposedly, only 700 LE lenses were made).
You can support dyxum.com purchasing this lens from:
Adorama or BH photo
On the other hand, the Zeiss planar 85mm lenses were always highly regarded by many photographers and adding a "real" Zeiss planar to the Alpha system, and an autofocus version at that (previous Zeiss planars have all been manual focus lenses) doesn't sound like a bad marketing move at all, even if it means that the Minolta design had to be dropped. (Somewhat contrary to the Minolta lens design philosophy, Zeiss lens philosophy seems to emphasize absolute resolution).
I'm a bad lens reviewer. I'm too lazy to make serious test comparisons; too subjective to be able to "see" "true" lens value and I'm far from a talented photographer whose opinion can be trusted.
In a perfect world I would be forbidden to write any kind of review! But since this isn't a perfect world and since there isn't too much info about this lens on the net, I found this field report worth writing.
With this in mind, please take my findings with a grain of salt since my subjective view may be very different from yours!
And don't trust the visual comparisons presented; there is no way few crops can tell the story!!
It is worth noting that the Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ sells for significantly more than the Minolta 85 lens. (The Minolta 85mm last sold on B&H Photo for less than 700$ while the SAL-85F14CZ is currently selling for 1300$ !). But even so, not many Minolta and Sony users have complained about missing the Minolta lens design, particularly on digital cameras like the A100 which can record great detail, and the Carl Zeiss reputation has certainly appeals to many.
The Carl Zeiss name implies top quality glass and not surprisingly even those not interested in Minolta / Sony alpha system have found Sony and Zeiss collaboration in this field quite intriguing. And here we come at a point that is so crucial for my review of this lens (and also in my review of the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80 F3.5-4.5 SAL-1680CZ review). For the sake of the reputation of Carl Zeiss lenses, it is very, very important to keep both the build quality and optical performance high. I'm well aware of Sony marketing power and "know how" to sell something, but when putting the Zeiss name on the glass it would be very wrong to count on that name alone without maintaining the qualities on which Zeiss has built its name. Fortunately, this lens does nothing to diminish the Zeiss reputation and I hope future lenses will be equal in this respect.
The Planar is a "classic" lens design that dates way; back from 1896. One of the strongest point of this design is the flat image plane and thus here is where the name came from.
It is the most common used lens design today most likely found on your favourite prime lens (at least my favourite 100/2 is a planar)
Unlike some have speculated, Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ is a whole new lens made for alpha system (and the only Zeiss 85mm AF lens to date) and different from Planar T* 85/1.4 ZF and Planar T* 85/1.4 ContaxN Zeiss lenses.
Planar
Planar T* 85/1.4 ZF (left) uses 6 elements in 5 groups. Minolta 85/1.4 G (middle) use 7 elements in 6 groups. Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ uses 8 elements in 7 groups (right).
Since I didn't have a Minolta 85/1.4 at the time I had Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ, I was not able to compare Zeiss lens directly to its Minolta precedent. I have used the Minolta 85/1.4 in the past, I'm pretty much familiar with how does perform but my statements here are highly subjective ones so please take them as such.
I know many may be disappointed with this but you may find on Dyxum an informative comparison between the two in an article written by minman which will hopefully be useful enough.
The lens hasn't yet been properly tested and reviewed by any major website but I hope reviewers will finally find Alpha system worth more of their attention.
What's in the box
What's in the box
no hood
with hood
extended
Compared to 50/1.4 and 100/2Compared to 50/1.4 and 100/2 Compared to 50/1.4 and 100/2
Compared to 50/1.4 and 100/2
Lens with the hood
Excellent lens hood included in the box.
Build and handling
In a typical orange Sony Alpha box Sony has packaged the lens, front and rear lens cap, lens hood(SH0002), soft pouch, manually signed Zeiss certificate and set of printed instructions. Sony is keeping a good old Minolta tradition of including caps, hood and pouch in the package. Kudos to Sony for this decision (and remember it when comparing lens prices to ... certain competition) !
A word of caution to (possible) owners here; the estimated value of the soft pouch is $30 while the ALC-SH0002 hood retails for $130, so keep an eye on them !
The build quality of the lens is excellent and I doubt any owner will have complaints in this respect. Metal construction, with a weight of 560g and a 72mm filter thread, the size of the lens is just perfect for my tastes. The lens balances very well with or without the vertical grip on my 7D and that helps hold my camera steadier at critical, low shutter speeds.
The focus ring is adequate, well damped with even stiffness across the range. Manual focusing is a joy here !
As can be seen from the images on the right, the lens does extend during focusing. An auto clutch feature keeps the manual focus ring from rotating during AF mode.
The lens features a focus hold button which can of course be "programmed" as a DOF preview button on our cameras
The distance scale is visibly marked with DOF scale (F8, F16, F22) in 35mm terms.
The lens cap is really nice, with center pinch release. It is much, much better than the one found on Canon 85/1.2 L US lens, for example, as can be seen here since it can be put on and taken off without removing the hood. compared to canon 851.2IIcompared to canon 851.2IIcompared to canon 851.2II
As the price suggests, the lens hood is really good. Metal (aluminum) construction, with rubber on the hood end for safe (no sharp edges) and easy handling. The inner hood surface is lined with a matte foam material which will helps reduce light reflections (and will hold a lot of dust).
I'm a big advocate of using hoods since they DO improve image quality and I need to be a little picky :)
Since the front element doesn't not rotate during focusing I would rather see a flower shaped hood and a filter hole (as seen on the 70-200 SSM hood ) would be nice, but again the hood is still very good.
The hood uses a bayonet mount and at least on my sample it does come off too easily which creates a risk of losing it if you carry your camera outside the bag (I almost lost it, but thanks to its metal construction I heard when it felt down on the street) .
AF is reasonably fast, and if my memory serves me well I would say it's a tad faster than with Minolta 85/1.4 G D lens. For those were hoping for SSM focussing, this lens is noticeably faster with my 7D than the Canon 85/1.2 II lens used on a Canon 20D. The Canon lens is of course quieter (this isn't really a fair comparison since the Canon lens - a beautiful piece of glass, btw - is heavier and more glass needs to be moved when focusing).
As a little curiosity, I would like to mention that the lens (just like the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* DT 16-80 F3.5-4.5 SAL-1680CZ and Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135 F1.8 SAL-135F18CZ) comes with two serial numbers engraved; one on the external lens barrel (and on the box) which is Sony serial number and other on the inner lens barrel (Zeiss serial number, same as found on included Zeiss quality certificate).
Worth noticing is that the lens is correctly recognized by Dalifer as Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 f1.4 ZA
Lens build quality is what one would expect at this price tag. Excellent in every aspect, this lens is build to last !
Performance
If something is of "concern" for the owners of the Minolta 85/1.4 lens, then it's the performance with the aperture wide open. This was emphasised again with the advent of the DLSR age; a "pixel peeping mentality" encouraged by MTF charts have somehow resulted in a common opinion that at F1.4 or F2 the lens wasn't very usable. While I don't share this opinion I have some great news here; the Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ is very good even wide open. I didn't have any doubts that Sony and Zeiss would provide an excellent lens optically, I do confess however that I was positively surprised by how well the lens performs wide open. I may go that far and say that even at F1.4 the main limiting factor was 7D sensor resolution.
Here are some images taken wide open (jpg straight from 7D).
Test imageTest image
7D; 1/2000s; F1.4
Entire frame
100% crop
Test imageTest image
7D; 1/750s; F1.4
Entire frame
100% crop
Test imageTest image
7D; 1/1000s; F1.4
Entire frame
100% crop
Since the lens is such a good performer even wide open, making overall judgement about resolution is quite easy when stopping the aperture down. It is an excellent sample of why Zeiss designs are so well regarded and this planar design confirms their reputation.
Contrast and colours are well tailored toward portrait shooting but lens can be really great for other applications as well.
test image sample imagessample images sample images
7D; 1/250s; F2
crop 1
crop 2
crop 3
As expected the lens doesn't exhibit noticeable geometry distortions.
Another excellent feature of the lens is very good flare control and at this point I don't have any examples of flare occurring when you wouldn't expect it :)
sample image
7D; 1/90s; F8; excellent geometry isn't a suprise.
Fast lenses (with large aperture openings) can be very prone to color aberrations and purple fringing. After few weeks of using this beautiful lens, I didn't find any serious issue in this regard. Of course, in most challenging situations this anomaly can always be seen as the next sample image shows:
Test imageTest image
7D; 1/1500s; F1.4
Entire frame
100% crop
Again, this happens in very rare cases, and in very demanding situations, so it cannot be considered as a weak part of the lens.
Many of you may be familiar with the kind of images like the next one, where highlight sparkles in water reflections can cause very nasty purple fringing.
Test imageTest image
7D; 1/3000s; F4
Entire frame
100% crop
Excellent !
With every lens sold today that is aimed to be anything like a "portrait" lens, you will read about smooth out of focus rendition in the manufacturer’s description. Bokeh ("aesthetic rendition of image areas outside the focal plane" as Zeiss describes it) is becoming a major marketing point and this lens is no exception. As already said in this field report, bokeh is something Minolta users have always considered as a strong asset of so many old Minolta lenses and I mainly share this opinion.
It is fair to say that it wasn't uncommon to find quite negative opinions among Minolta owners about how much (or how well) Zeiss design copes in this field especially considering the old Minolta philosophy.
Once I started using Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ, I really regretted not having a Minolta 85mm lens at the same time, since my feelings tell me that the Zeiss lens is quite different to the Minolta one. Of course, I have many other Minolta lenses, I did some comparisons against CZ 85 lens and I DO have my SUBJECTIVE opinion about how well the new Sony / Zeiss 85mm lens is performing bokeh-wise. However, presenting these results here would be a wrong thing to do IMHO and I will skip them.
Let's see some image samples with bokeh in mind:
sample imagessample images sample images
7D; 1/500s; F2.8
Entire frame
crop #1 100%
crop #2 100%
test image sample imagessample images sample images
7D; 1/250s; F2
crop 1
crop 2
crop 3
I guess these samples show little to complain about for most of you, but personally (and highly subjectively) I was a bit disappointed. Hard to explain it without image to image comparisons but the Zeiss lens performs a bit too harshly (or is too "analytical") for my tastes. It's more like a CaNikon approach, if I'm allowed to be rude, than a Minolta one.
test image sample images
7D; 1/3000s; F2.8
A "tough" lighting condition and a background texture with which the lens has coped with very well, but it is still a bit "too mannish" for my likings. Whether or not lens design efforts to make resolution and sharpness as high as possible do compromise a bit the gentle and subtle character of bokeh is beyond my knowledge (I'm not an expert in optics at all).
But, let’s be open; if we could provide the option to have smoother bokeh OR better sharpness (especially wide open) most users will select the second opinion in a heartbeat; especially today when zooming our images on screen is a more often used method to evaluate our gear than viewing large prints. And for those of us who may prefer the first option, an AF STF lens would be better thing to ask for in the future.
As a pure curiosity here are some comparisons with the EF 85mm f/1.2L USM II lens and Minolta 100/2 (reframed to match frame coverage)
Test imageTest imageTest imageTest imageTest image
CZ85mm@F1.4
CZ85mm@F2
Min100/2@F2
Canon85/1.2II@F1.4
Canon85/1.2II@F2
And again, Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ compared to Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM lens (both taken at 1/4000, F1.4)
Test imageTest image
CZ 85/1.4@F1.4
Canon 85/1.2II@F1.4
The lens is only one part of the story, with the body
test image
test image22
being the second.
And there is one field where this lens and our cameras do provide great opportunities – as a tool in low light situations. When it comes to low light shooting, we are very fortunate to have that unique Minolta invention in our cameras: AS / SSS. Many people underrate this option when comparing our system to CaNikons.
While both Canon and Nikon try to compensate for the lack of in-body stabilisation with IS or VR lenses, there isn't anything like a decent 85mm IS or VR lens (add to this, our old and beautiful 28/2 or 35/2 lenses). In-camera AS means we have an excellent low light machine in our hands.
The samples above should be taken just for fun and not to prove any judgements. Only minor changes in framing may cause different results here and every lens will perform differently in various lightning conditions.
It's really hard to fault the performance of this lens, no matter what you are looking for. One of the reasons I prefer the Minolta 100/2 ahead of the Minolta 85/1.4 is faster AF and performance wide open, since I often shoot concerts. I tried the new lens under these circumstances on two occasions and it is great for this use too! No frustrating AF hunting, very good performance wide open, good flare control and pleasing bokeh makes this lens excellent tool for the job.
Final words
Every time I use Canon cameras in manual focusing mode, I'm aware of how much I miss some simple features on my 7D -- focus confirmation, and the highlighting of the chosen AF sensor area in the VF. It's a very isolated drawback of the Minolta design, but would be so much help when manual focusing. With this in mind, I really hope Sony will not overlook this feature in their upcoming camera models.
I don't have any doubt that the Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ is an significant addition to Alpha system. Having the Carl Zeiss name on the lens (while keeping the Zeiss reputation for excellent build and image quality !) represents a strong asset for the future and a strong commitment about how seriously Sony takes Alpha system.
This isn't a lens that will be sold in mega-electronics shops like cakes; this is a serious glass for those who knows what they are looking for.
Optical performance is great in every aspect and while I do have some reservations about bokeh, this is more of a subjective nature than a real drawback.
Despite it being considered as a "classic" portrait lens, its range of applications are far wider. A large aperture does isolate the subject from the background and foreground making it perfect lens for flowers, nature shoots, street photography …
Excellent resolution and distortion free results make this lens a great choice for documentary photography as well.
And last, but not least, as already stated, image stabilisation in our body and the large aperture of the lens do result in an excellent low light tool.
Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85 F1.4 SAL-85F14CZ will became a very popular lens between those who need this kind of glass, and with this lens, the Sony Alpha system can compete with the best (and even more expensive) portrait lenses that other systems provide.
For those who already have (and love) the Minolta 85mm lens, "upgrading" to this one shouldn't be a priority in my opinion (save the money for Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135 F1.8 SAL-135F18CZ instead :)). For all others, this lens will rarely bring any disappointment and despite higher price than the Minolta one it is a more than a worthwhile purchase.
You can support dyxum.com purchuasing this lens from:
Adorama or BH photo
Happy shooting !
You can find discussions about this article in our forum
Peleng 8mm fisheye lens Review
Peleng 8mm fisheye lens review
by mladen sever, December 2006
Peleng 8mm fisheye
Too often, general interest for (digital) photography is oriented primary on our equipment from a technical point of view rather than creative one. And too often we are spending our time discussing topics like "which lens is sharper" instead on how do we expand our photography expressions and creativity.
Peleng 8mm fish eye lens, is just a great example on how can a simple (and not so expensive since it can be found for 250$ new) tool lead us back, to a "fun-world" , where all that matters is enjoy our photography and "consume" our creativity expression.
Build and handling
Peleng 8mm is a t-mount lens. We can use it with both T-mount to MAF adapter or with t-mount to M42 adapter (provided with the lens) and m42 to MAF adapter (this is how I do use it). You can find more about the lens itself visiting links provided at the left side of this page, so there isn't of much sense to repeat it here.
Related peleng 8mm links
www.jarnell.com
www.pauck.de
www.muellerworld.com
One the biggest problem when using manual lenses on our DSLR is ability to focus properly. Smaller viewfinders (due to reduced sensor size) not really optimized for manual focusing (except if you are using additional M screens or special split screens) aren't of great help in this regard. While mentioned is a real issue with longer focal range lenses, in this case, with 8mm lens (35mm) this isn't a problem. Set your aperture to f8 and you practically have all in focus !!
The build quality is excellent. A all metal construction gives the feeling that you can drop this lens from an airplane and the lens will still work. Aside focusing and aperture rings there is additional ring for opening or closing aperture blades which is used for stop down metering process.
Performance
Peleng 8mm fisheye
Click image for full resolution (from the camera) version (2.8MB)
First of all, this is a special lens, not adequate for most applications. And, it isn't for anyone!
This is a typical "hate it – like it" lens that may be too frustrating to use for some but that at the same time may be a favourite lens for others. Whether you will like it or not, will depend on your shooting style and preferences and has nothing to do on your photographers skills.
The more we close the aperture the better overall image quality is. The lens can be used wide open, but image quality isn't what the lens can really provide if stopped down. At f8 images are sharp enough even for some serious applications, but the lens really shines at f11 and f16. As expected, image quality is best at center of the frame, with the sharpness and contrast significantly decreasing in corners.
Many owners may notice another strength of this lens; colors. Those of us who love old Minolta glass for their color rendition may love this lens too in this regard. Both colors and contrast are very appealing at least for my taste.
Peleng 8mm fisheye
Click on a image to get bigger version
The lens is multicoated, which should result in more resistance to flare. But, we are talking about extremely wide focal range and care should be taken.
In certain situations the lens can exhibit flare and "white ring" artefacts at the edges of projected images. Most probably this is caused by light inner ring found on the front lens element (I don't know the reason the lens is build this way).
Again, it's an issue that can be a turn-off for some users, but personally, doesn't bother me much at all.
One of the most common questions is how wide the lens is, once corrected and compared to some other wide lenses.
It's WIDE !
If you think you can get about the same angle of view with lenses like Sigma 10-20 or Minolta (Sony) 11-18, then you wrong. Below you can see original image, fisheye corrected (using fisheye-hemi plugin .. so far the most pleasing correction tool I have found) and the same frame taken with sigma 10-20 lens at 10mm.
Peleng 8mm uncorrected
peleng 8mm corrected
Sigma 10-20@10mm
It's not a perfect lens, not even close. But is a fun, creative tool that will became an permanent inventory of my photo bag.
For a lens like this on, where creativity has a higher priority than technical perfection, images taken with this lens may be the best presentation of capabilities, and for this reason I have asked a good friend of mine to try it a bit and share his fish-eye vision.
Thank you Pastyr, for taking care of the Peleng :)
Update January 2008
A great lens to play with is has served me great for our dyxum January Madness challange.
It was fun to use this lens every day for an entire months. You can see my January madness gallery here.
by mladen sever, December 2006
Peleng 8mm fisheye
Too often, general interest for (digital) photography is oriented primary on our equipment from a technical point of view rather than creative one. And too often we are spending our time discussing topics like "which lens is sharper" instead on how do we expand our photography expressions and creativity.
Peleng 8mm fish eye lens, is just a great example on how can a simple (and not so expensive since it can be found for 250$ new) tool lead us back, to a "fun-world" , where all that matters is enjoy our photography and "consume" our creativity expression.
Build and handling
Peleng 8mm is a t-mount lens. We can use it with both T-mount to MAF adapter or with t-mount to M42 adapter (provided with the lens) and m42 to MAF adapter (this is how I do use it). You can find more about the lens itself visiting links provided at the left side of this page, so there isn't of much sense to repeat it here.
Related peleng 8mm links
www.jarnell.com
www.pauck.de
www.muellerworld.com
One the biggest problem when using manual lenses on our DSLR is ability to focus properly. Smaller viewfinders (due to reduced sensor size) not really optimized for manual focusing (except if you are using additional M screens or special split screens) aren't of great help in this regard. While mentioned is a real issue with longer focal range lenses, in this case, with 8mm lens (35mm) this isn't a problem. Set your aperture to f8 and you practically have all in focus !!
The build quality is excellent. A all metal construction gives the feeling that you can drop this lens from an airplane and the lens will still work. Aside focusing and aperture rings there is additional ring for opening or closing aperture blades which is used for stop down metering process.
Performance
Peleng 8mm fisheye
Click image for full resolution (from the camera) version (2.8MB)
First of all, this is a special lens, not adequate for most applications. And, it isn't for anyone!
This is a typical "hate it – like it" lens that may be too frustrating to use for some but that at the same time may be a favourite lens for others. Whether you will like it or not, will depend on your shooting style and preferences and has nothing to do on your photographers skills.
The more we close the aperture the better overall image quality is. The lens can be used wide open, but image quality isn't what the lens can really provide if stopped down. At f8 images are sharp enough even for some serious applications, but the lens really shines at f11 and f16. As expected, image quality is best at center of the frame, with the sharpness and contrast significantly decreasing in corners.
Many owners may notice another strength of this lens; colors. Those of us who love old Minolta glass for their color rendition may love this lens too in this regard. Both colors and contrast are very appealing at least for my taste.
Peleng 8mm fisheye
Click on a image to get bigger version
The lens is multicoated, which should result in more resistance to flare. But, we are talking about extremely wide focal range and care should be taken.
In certain situations the lens can exhibit flare and "white ring" artefacts at the edges of projected images. Most probably this is caused by light inner ring found on the front lens element (I don't know the reason the lens is build this way).
Again, it's an issue that can be a turn-off for some users, but personally, doesn't bother me much at all.
One of the most common questions is how wide the lens is, once corrected and compared to some other wide lenses.
It's WIDE !
If you think you can get about the same angle of view with lenses like Sigma 10-20 or Minolta (Sony) 11-18, then you wrong. Below you can see original image, fisheye corrected (using fisheye-hemi plugin .. so far the most pleasing correction tool I have found) and the same frame taken with sigma 10-20 lens at 10mm.
Peleng 8mm uncorrected
peleng 8mm corrected
Sigma 10-20@10mm
It's not a perfect lens, not even close. But is a fun, creative tool that will became an permanent inventory of my photo bag.
For a lens like this on, where creativity has a higher priority than technical perfection, images taken with this lens may be the best presentation of capabilities, and for this reason I have asked a good friend of mine to try it a bit and share his fish-eye vision.
Thank you Pastyr, for taking care of the Peleng :)
Update January 2008
A great lens to play with is has served me great for our dyxum January Madness challange.
It was fun to use this lens every day for an entire months. You can see my January madness gallery here.
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