Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L and 16-35mm f/2.8L II compared to Canon 24mm f/1.4L II

Just published in DAP is an update to my review of the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L and the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II ultra-wide zoom lenses. This pretty much wraps up this “survey”, though I might return to it at future date with future lenses.

The latest addition compares the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L to the EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II and the 24mm f/1.4L II, including distortion, vignetting and sharpness across the full aperture range. The results are illuminating, and this comparison includes full-width central-strips as well as crops at top left/right and bottom right to show just how the lenses behave. I’ve also added a a Conclusions page to the review, summarizing the findings, and offering suggestions on primes and the two zooms.

The 24/1.4L II shows its mettle (albeit with some symmetry issues). Get the Canon TS-E 24mm f/1.4L II at our trusted vendor B&H Photo.

Why not subscribe to DAP and/or Guide to Zeiss ZE / Zeiss ZF Lenses today? A special bundle price is offered when you subscribe to both at the same time.

Looking for Applescript programmer

I’m looking for an AppleScript programmer and/or shell programmer for a couple of specific tasks. AppleScript work involves GUIs to front-end diglloydTools command line programs, and a few similar tasks. Must have strong code quality habits producing well structured and documented code that deals with "edge cases". This is a consulting "work for hire" and copyrights to rest with DIGLLOYD INC on the resulting work product.

We got rain, east coast got solid stuff...

I grew up in the midwest, so I know the drill (below 0°F for 3 weeks once!). Yesterday a nice warm storm blew in here in CA, pleasant to the skin. By comparison, our trusted vendor B&H Photo is suffering along with other areas out east in the USA:

Feb 26, 2010 Dear Friends and customers:
Due to the remarkable storm blanketing the northeast, B&H Photo-Video's store, telephone order department, and offices are closed today. We cannot respond to Live Chat inquiries or e-mail messages at this time.
Our warehouse in Brooklyn is opened and fully manned. We are not certain if UPS will be able to get packages from our warehouse though or maintain a regular schedule so we are uncertain about delivery times. You can track your package with the UPS package number we provide by visiting www.ups.com.‬
We will also be closed Sunday in observance of the Purim holiday. We regret this inconvenience and appreciate your patience. We will reopen Monday March 1, 2010 at 9:00am (EST). We will reply to all emails then and will work diligently to have any outstanding orders shipped as speedily as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
B&H Photo-Video

Gone fishin’ (not this year)

Most people think of Alaska as being cold in winter, but the truth is that portions of it are a lot warmer than where I grew up in the midwest.The interior areas of Alaska are where the bitter cold crackles.

But on the Kenai Peninsula in Homer, Alaska, the snow can hardly last without melting, even in February.

I was in Homer in 2004 photographing eagles, but I also (with a friend) chartered a fishing boat with Daniel’s Guide Service in Homer, Alaska.

We had a glorious day, perhaps 35°F, sunny and windless. If I had the time and funds, I’d head up there right now!

We didn’t just fish either! The local wildlife cooperated with us for some unexpected photography opportunities.

I love fresh fish, too bad the world’s oceans are being polluted with mercury from coal-burning power plants in places like China. But maybe it doesn’t matter too much, as the rape of entire fish populations continues unabated.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L and 16-35mm f/2.8L II compared to Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L

Just published in DAP is an update to my review of the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L and the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II ultra-wide zoom lenses. The latest addition compares the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L to the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II and the Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L, including distortion, vignetting and sharpness across the full aperture range.

The 17mm f/4L shows its mettle, and it offers tilt and shift as well. Get the Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L at our trusted vendor B&H Photo.

Next up is a 24mm comparison with the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II.

Why not subscribe to DAP and/or Guide to Zeiss ZE / Zeiss ZF Lenses today? A special bundle price is offered when you subscribe to both at the same time.

Fastest Photoshop MacBook Pro ever seen!

Blowing away any previous performance high with Photoshop on a MacBook Pro, I’ve posted my new article Optimizing Photoshop on the Apple MacBook Pro using Solid State Drives, using a MacBook Pro 17" 2.93GHz, 8GB and three drive combos.

Want your own awesome SSD-based MacBook Pro (or Mac Pro)? Contact me for consulting. Working with OWC, we can build your “killer” MacBook Pro, then rigorously “burn it in”, then ship it to you ready to use.

No professional seriously working with Photoshop on the MacBook Pro should be without this option: far faster, far more reliable, lower power consumption and silent operation.

Coming soon: Canon 17-40mm f/4L + 16-35mm f/2.8L II vs Canon TS-E 17/4L and 24/1.4L II

Update: I have the 17/4L and 24/1.4L II in hand, courtesy of LensRentals.com — an outfit I really like and respect. Unfortunately, a “pineapple express” has moved in and heavy rains prevent outdoor shooting for today at least.

Update 2: rain let up, the 17/4L is a good sample and comparison coming, along with 24/1.4L II.

On the way are two more lenses to compare with the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L and Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II:

• Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L [see review]
• Canon 24mm f/1.4L II [see review]

Both lenses were previously reviewed in DAP, and I’ll be showing how they compare to the zooms, which will provide useful comparison data for the zooms at 17mm, 21mm, 24mm, 35mm. I don’t plan much if any creative shooting for this comparison, it’s really a survey review of realistic performance expectations.

DSLR for hardly more than the price of some point-and-shoots

It’s easy to spend $300 or $400 on a point and shoot, but with prices of DSLR kits so low, why not pick up a quality camera at a barely higher price? If you’re a parent, what a great gift for a student interested in photography!

With instant rebates, the $499 Canon EOS Rebel XS with 18-55mm lens can be had at our trusted sponsor B&H Photo. You can also get $100 - $200 back when you purchase a Canon PIXMA printer along with it. Other good deals include a 2-lens kit for $599, and another 2-lens kit for $xxx.

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L and 16-35mm f/2.8L II compared to Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L

Just published in DAP is an update to my review of the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L and the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II ultra-wide zoom lenses. The latest addition compares the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L to the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II and the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L, including distortion, vignetting and sharpness.

Why not subscribe to DAP and/or Guide to Zeiss ZE / Zeiss ZF Lenses today? A special bundle price is offered when you subscribe to both at the same time.

I’m likely to make comparisons at 17mm and 24mm also, most likely next week. Not a promise, but likely, so that a broad picture can develop of the 17-40 and 16-35 II.

Top pick is clearly the 35mm f/1.4L compared to the 17-40mm f/4L, 16-35mm f/2.8L II. You might also want filters.

Canon 17-40 and 16-35 II compared to Zeiss ZE 21/2.8 Distagon

Added to yesterday’s comparison are crops from the Zeiss ZE 21/2.8 Distagon for left/right/center/top right crop series.

Unless you really must have a zoom and/or autofocus, just go get the Zeiss ZE 21/2.8 Distagon , our trusted vendor.

Mercury Extreme 200GB SSD update on Mac Pro bays

I’ve added some performance notes to my review of the OWC Mercury Extreme solid state drive (SSD).

I had hoped that a 4-drive RAID 0 stripe using the lower optical bay and three of the regular bays would work around the Mac Pro’s bandwidth limitations, but alas, no gains were to be had.

Want your own SSD-based Mac Pro? Call me for consulting. Better yet, OWC will build and rigorously “burn in” your new Mac Pro, then ship it to you ready to use (doesn’t have to use SSD, any configuration possible).

Reviewed: Canon 17-40mm f/4L and 16-35mm f/2.8L II ultra-wide zooms

Just published in DAP is my review of the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L and the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II ultra-wide zoom lenses.

You’ll find results at 21mm for vignetting, distortion, as well as sharpness and contrast.

Get these three lenses at our trusted sponsor B&H Photo : 17-40mm f/4L, 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 35mm f/1.4L. You might also want 72mm or 77mm or 82mm filters.

BMW’s Joy of Driving

Who is BMW kidding with their new Joy of Driving campaign? Suckers beware, there’s no joy in repair. Give me a warranty instead.

My wife drives an aging 2004 BMW X5, the worst car decision I ever made: in the past 14 months, numerous expensive components have failed (one by one a few months apart), lulling me one at a time into a painful $10K to keep this lemon running.

Had I known, I would have dumped this turd 18 months ago for a new pre-owned replacement with 7/100K warranty. I am furious this ultimate dunning machine started failing piece by piece as soon as the warranty expired. And the LCD screen / NAV system is now glitched, and it’s next to fail I presume. Maybe I can trade it for a Toyota, at least those “keep going”!

Vitamin D to fight illness

Update! Vitamin D might reduce the risk of heart disease.

It’s mid-winter, so a health update for anyone in northern climes—

Vitamin D won’t get drug company attention because no one can patent it and charge billions, but research has emerged in recent years showing a wide variety of benefits for Vitamin D, and it’s especially important for those in the winter at northern latitudes, or even most of the United States, with deficiency commonplace and under-rated by outdated guidelines.

The medical community at large has been slow to take this up, do your own research here, you might like what you find. The Vitamin D Council is one credible resource. .

I use a Vitamin D spray offered by Dr. Joe Prendergast, which allegedly is most easily absorbed (I won't argue with that based on my own experience). I’ve also used the capsules from Bio Tech Pharmaceuticals, but those can make me feel slightly nauseated if I take more than 10,000 IU. I'm rarely sick anymore, and I think the Vitamin D contributes to my health. I’m a natural skeptic of most supplements, but Vitamin D3 is one that has me convinced of its value. Give it a try perhaps and see if it helps you!

See also my March 14 blog entry on Vitamin C

Another take on OWC Mercury Extreme SSD

Rob-Art at barefeats.com adds his perspective on the OWC Mercury Extreme solid state drive (SSD).

I’ve spent a lot of time on SSDs over the past year, and I will be spending more because SSDs are the wave of the near-term future for anyone concerned with the “perfect calm” of performance and reliability, now made possible with the ultra high performance and reliability of the Mercury Extreme offerings.

With the advent of 400GB models sometime later this year, it will be possible for many photographers to contemplate an ultra-reliable and ultra-high performance photography workstation never before possible, not to mention laptop use, which will see even greater gains relative to what is possible with a hard drive.

Contact me for a consultation about a “killer” Mac Pro or MacBook Pro.

Order the Nikon AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR zoom is Nikon’s answer (after many years) to Canon’s EF 17-40mm f/4L zoom. But I suspect that the Nikon offering will yield superior performance, though that remains to be seen, especially at the 16mm end. See my Feb 9 notes for more.

Update: the 16-35mm f/4G ED VR is now IN STOCK .

B&H Photo is now listing the 16-35mm f/4G ED VR as available for pre-order , which means they expect a shipment very soon (B&H won’t sell what they cannot deliver in a short time frame). I expect they’ll sell out quickly, so pre-ordering is a smart move if you’re looking to get one. I’ll be reviewing it soon for DAP.

Nikon D3s showing up in channel

The amazing Nikon D3s is now listed for pre-order , which means they expect a shipment very soon (B&H won’t sell what they cannot deliver in a short time frame). The D3s has been out of stock for some time, so this is a chance to get one soon.

The D3s is a fabulous camera, see my review of the Nikon D3s in DAP, as well as numerous prior blog entries [search], like this one.

Fascinating new book: Goldbug!

In this time of runaway spending and currency debauchery, a scintillating and brilliant exposé of things you’d rather not know, but need to be understood. Goldbug! by James Dines is a life’s work, not a contemporary reaction to current events, though it is more relevant than ever.

Highly recommended. Read this book if you dare to understand what is being done to your financial future— regardless of what country you live in. You can also listen an interview with the author and also here.

Also previously and highly recommended is The Creature From Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve.

Protect your future by reading both and applying to your own economic situation.

See also this site and this site if you have an interest in investing, or just fascinating reading.

Test your color vision

I took this online color vision test yesterday and scored perfect, which means my color vision is good, but no doubt it has something to do also with the terrific gamut and calibration of my calibrated NEC 30" display.

Detecting a failing hard drive

I’ve added a brief note on how to detect a failing hard drives. It’s something to be aware of for all Mac users; PC users have similar functionality too (not sure where).

Zeiss ZM 15mm f/2.8 Distagon on Leica M9

Just posted to DAP in my Leica M9 review (guide) are examples with the extreme ultra-wide angle Zeiss ZM 15mm f/2.8 Distagon, along with a lens review.

The ZM 15/2.8 Distagon utilizes exotic types of glass including barium dense flint with a high refractive index and fluor crown with anomalous partial dispersion, as well as an aspheric lens element (unusual for Zeiss designs). Zeiss went all out with this design, hence it is the most expensive lens in the ZM lineup (about $4600), and don’t forget the optical viewfinder (about $435). You definitely do not want to scratch the (supplied) center filter, because it’s over $500 alone!

Improved change history for free articles, ZF, DAP, DIP

Check out the change history for the free articles and for Guide to Zeiss ZF / Zeiss ZE Lenses, as well as DAP.

To get there from any regular table-of-contents page, click on the button.

View contents by date >

 

Zeiss line of cine lenses for DSLR video (and stills)

Shooting high-definition (HD) video using a DSLR is an explosive trend, leading to DSLRs being used as backup cameras on major films, the recording of certain popular TV shows, independent film-makers, videos supplementing traditional photography (eg weddings), and of course, your everyday self-made videos.

Carl Zeiss is addressing this rapidly growing market by showing/introducing at NAB in April a new line of Cine lenses for DSLR video. I expect to have some of these lenses for review around that time. The optical design is the same as the existing Zeiss ZE optics for Canon EOS (which are the same optics as for Nikon ZF/ZF.2), but the lens barrel and mechanics are completely different.

See my Guide to Zeiss ZE / Zeiss ZF Lenses.

The target market for the new Zeiss Cine lenses includes independent film-makers, high end TV shows, even the big studios using DSLRs as 2nd cameras. The appeal is that the Zeiss offerings are a small fraction of the price of existing Cine lenses, such as the Zeiss Master Prime series.

There are substantive differences between the cine lenses and the ZE line:

• Each lens is hand-selected in Germany eg “cherry picked”;
• The diaphragm has 14 aperture blades, resulting in a near-perfect circular aperture (14 blades vs 10 is possible because of the larger diameter lens barrel);
• All lenses have 300° of focus rotation, with all new gearing designed for luxurious and accurate focusing for video use;
• A consistent size for each lens, with a 112mm frontal area;
• PL/EF mount for Canon EOS;
• The mount is interchangeable to future-proof the investment. (Changing mount requires backfocus adjustment and is not a field operation).
• No Nikon mount planned initially (HD video market is dominated by Canon at present);

The new Cine lenses will be available as a 6-lens kit (customer choice of lenses) for approximately US$20,000, an extremely aggressive price point for Cine lenses (the Zeiss Master Prime series costs $20K or more per lens!). They will also be available individually for approximately $3500 per lens. Final pricing will be announced in the April time frame, and will depend on various factors, including currency exchange rates. (But with the Euro looking at risk, this might mean favorable US prices at long last).

Canon DSLR users might be very tempted to choose these lenses for regular still-photo shooting: they are hand-picked and the build might prove appealing to those who want the very best. I personally will be lusting after the 100/2 Makro-Planar with that 14-blade diaphragm, but being Canon only is disappointing. Then again, until I experience the size/weight/ergonomics I'll reserve judgment.

Get the right Mac Pro or MacBook Pro with expert advice!

See my Mac Performance Guide site, especially for photographers.

Through the end of February, I am offering a 30 minute consultation ($100 value) on choosing and configuring a Mac Pro or MacBook Pro for your particular needs (Lightroom, Photoshop, performance/reliability/backup, etc). In summary:

• The consultation fee will be credited against the purchase of an Apple Mac Pro or MacBook Pro at OWC, customized to your specifications (following our discussion). There is no mark-up on the Mac or parts, just the usual competitive prices.
• The consultation fee must be pre-paid prior to our discussion. It is non-refundable. You have 30 days to make the purchase.
• Working with you, I’ll prepare customized specifications for your needs, to be quoted by OWC for your purchase. Whether your need is the highest performance, best reliability or best value is all taken into account.
• At your option, OWC will install and configure all extra hardware into your Mac Pro (memory, drives, RAID setup, etc). The quote will include labor charges for this work (very reasonable). The machine will show up ready to use. Alternately, you can choose to do all the installation and configuration on your own.
• Additional consulting time beyond 30 minutes will be billed directly to you.

Get my expert advice on what’s best for your performance, reliability and backup needs, and have a machine delivered to your door ready to use (or install/configure yourself)!

Leica M9 review: examples and more with Leica 75/2 APO-Summicron-M + Zeiss ZM 25/2.8 Biogon

Just added to my DAP review of the Leica M9 are three new pages of examples using the Leica 75mm f/2 APO-Summicron-M ASPH and the Zeiss ZM 25mm f/2.8 Biogon. Both lenses are excellent performers on the M9.

New pages of examples include creek shots, portrait, and miscellaneous.

See my handy list of Leica and Zeiss lenses for the M9.

World’s fastest Photoshop CS4 scratch disk!

I’ve been excited about solid state drives since early 2009, when the price and performance became attractive, see How to Make Your Mac Feel Lightning Fast.

Up till now, the fastest times I’ve recorded with my benchmarks for measuring Photoshop performance on huge files has been a 4-drive striped RAID of Hitachi 7K2000 hard drives (see my Optimizing Photoshop series).

Along comes the new OWC Mercury Extreme solid state drive (SSD), and just two of them eclipse the 4-drive hard drive array, and 4 of them add further gains.

If you work with enormous Photoshop files, be sure to read both my updated review of the OWC Mercury Extreme SSD, as well as Using Solid State Drives (SSD) for Photoshop Scratch.

But it’s not just huge files, laptops like the MacBook Pro can benefit: stay tuned!

But that’s not the only reason an SSD can speed up your computer. Contact me for a consultation if you’d like your own fast and reliable system eg Mac Pro.

MTF comments updated for Zeiss ZF / Zeiss ZE

I’ve updated the MTF pages in my Guide to Zeiss ZF / Zeiss ZE Lenses to reflect my 2.5 years of experience in the field using the lenses, and how that relates to what is shown by the MTF charts. MTF can be a very useful tool for predicting lens performance, but it doesn’t explain a lot of things, nor is it immediately obvious without experience and practical tips.

See Understanding MTF and related free articles.

Direct links to the pages: 18/3.5, 21/2.8, 25/2.8, 28/2, 35/2, 50/1.4, 50/2, 85/1.4, 100/2.

Zeiss ZF 100mm f/2 Makro Planar vs Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS

Just posted to my Guide to Zeiss ZF / Zeiss ZE Lenses is my comparison with the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS.

This comparison is expanded version of the one in DAP, it includes the full f/2 - f/11 aperture series, and is oriented to the Zeiss 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar.

 

 

Bad lighting, Nikon D3s, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II

Today I attended a school function for my daughter, held in a gymnasium with the usual spectrally-awful lighting. Sorry I can’t share the photos, these were minors, and too many for model releases.

I observed several things which impressed me immensely:

1) The Nikon D3s handles ISO 3200 superbly. The flag shot at right was also pushed by 2/3 stop = ISO 5000 equivalent. Yet the noise is minimal, and the color true. I also shot at ISO 12800, and I’ll be pitiqualated if I wasn’t even more impressed than I expected. The Nikon D3s is truly a breakthrough camera.

As I observed in my various blog entries [search] and in my in-depth Nikon D3s review in DAP, the D3s is one heck of a camera for low-light shooting, and it’s far more of a winner than just noise.

2) The Nikon D3s autofocus (with focus priority) in the dim lighting could takes a moment or two to lock on, especially in shaded areas. Yet I don’t recall better focus with any other Nikon or Canon body, and the results were spot-on (70-200VR II). I used both single sensor and multiple sensor focus modes.

3) When autofocus and vibration reduction (VR) are useful, they’re indispensable: by holding the camera and lens securely, I obtained sharp results right down to 1/20 second at 200mm. No way could I have succeeded with manual focus and without VR under those conditions. My keeper rate was very high. The Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II is also covered in my blog and in my in-depth Nikon 70-200 VR II review in DAP.

4) I’ve never before seen such good color under this kind of awful lighting, let alone at ISO 3200 and 12800. It is particularly impressive in the natural tonal rendition and color balance (once a white point is set).

You can get the Nikon D3s and Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II at our trusted sponsor B&H Photo . You might also want a high quality 77mm filter, see my recommended list.

OWC Mercury Extreme SSD as fast RAID-0 stripe 4 drives

I’ve updated my review of the OWC Mercury Extreme SSD to include results using a four-drive RAID-0 stripe.

These SSDs are so fast that the Mac Pro’s SATA ports throttle the top speed to about 600 MB/sec, but when used externally higher speeds can be achieved.

See my previous comments.

If you’ve been sitting on the fence about getting a solid state drive, this is the one to get. If you want to know more, consult with me, and see my comments on using a solid state drive with a laptop.

OWC Mercury Extreme enterprise-class RAID-ready SSD

Read my review of the OWC Mercury Extreme SSD.

No other solid state drive (SSD) that I’ve used so far (I own 4 of them) can touch the new OWC Mercury Extreme enterprise-class RAID-ready SSD, just released for sale last week.

The OWC Mercury Extreme uses an advanced new controller, and sets aside 56GB for error correction and redundancy, making it as reliable a storage device as you could demand, even for brutal 24X7 use in server environments.

If you’ve been sitting on the fence about getting a solid state drive, this is the one to get. If you want to know more, consult with me.

Nikon’s new AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR zoom is Nikon’s answer (after many years) to Canon’s EF 17-40mm f/4L zoom. But I suspect that the Nikon offering will yield superior performance, though that remains to be seen, especially at the 16mm end.

As with the newly-announced 24mm f/1.4FG ED, the new 16-35mm f/4G goes to great pains to achieve high image quality, though sharpness at 16mm looks a bit dubious off-center. As a “first”, the 16-34/4G include VR (vibration reduction) functionality, something not yet seen in such a wide-angle zoom for a DSLR. I would personally rather have omitted the weight and extra complexity of the VR lens group, but I’ll reserve judgment until I can put it through its paces.

The 16-35/4G ED VR is a “G” lens, which means that it cannot be used on Canon with a mechanical lens adapter, thus reducing its versatility for those of use with more than one brand. Very disappointing since for many types of landscape work, manual control is perfect, a gain not a loss.

The AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR will be available in early March 2010.

Nikon’s new AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G ED

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G ED is Nikon’s answer (after many years) to Canon’s lock on f/1.4 at 24mm. Like Canon’s EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM, the Nikon lens goes to great pains to maximize image quality, with the excellent Nano Crystal Coat for reduced flare and better color rendition, ED lens elements for color aberration correction, and aspheric elements to correct other aberrations.

My biggest disappointment with the new Nikon 24/1.4 is that it is a “G” lens, which means that it cannot be used on Canon with a mechanical lens adapter, thus reducing its versatility for those of use with more than one brand.

The AF-S Nikkor 24/1.4G ED will be available in late February 2010.

New samples with D3x for Zeiss ZF21/2.8, 28/2, 35/2 Distagons

Just published in my Guide to Zeiss ZF / Zeiss ZE Lenses are many new samples. This follows Friday’s publication of new samples for the Zeiss ZF 85mm f/1.4 Planar. Subscribers should also see the revision history. Why not subscribe today?

The 21/2.8 Distagon and 28/2 Distagon samples tell the story of my climb up Mt Dana in Yosemite, a sort of practical usage of the lens from Tioga Pass to the summit of Mt Dana. The 35/2 samples are elsewhere, but also near Yosemite.

The Zeiss lenses are available at B&H Photo for Canon EOS and for Nikon (and Pentax). You might also want a high quality filter for them, see my recommended list.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS compared to Zeiss ZE 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar

Just published in DAP is a comparison of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS to the Zeiss ZE 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar. Why not subscribe to DAP today?

I previously reviewed the Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS back in November and had two bad samples (brand-new). I must be a glutton for punishment, because this third sample is also bad, obviously so. Canon’s quality control apparently has taken a serious downturn, or perhaps the EF 100/2.8L IS is simply an optical design that cannot be built reliably.

The comparison in DAP is oriented to the 100/2.8L IS; I will shortly be publishing a variant which is focused more on the Zeiss ZE 100mm f/2.8L IS in my Guide to Zeiss ZF / Zeiss ZE Lenses.

Reader feedback

I receive unsolicited feedback on a regular basis, which I enjoy, and I’m often remiss in not posting some of it. Nothing makes me feel better than knowing that what I’m offering is of direct benefit to my subscribers and readers. Thank you very much.

I’m not advising anyone to sell their equipment, but what I’ve found, echoed here by reader/subscriber Bud R, is that the “right” equipment can not only suit your needs better and be a pleasure to use, but offer results you might have not previously attained, keeping in mind that “results” is a multi-dimensional concept that varies for each photographer.

Here are Bud R’s thoughts on this site and on DAP:

I just wanted to say how much I appreciate all the information on your website. I thought I knew just about all there was about taking pictures, but reading your DAP columns, and your evaluations about the Zeiss lenses completely changed the way I think about photography. After reading your work, and doing much thinking, I sold ALL of my photo gear and started over with the premise that I would rather have one great lens than a few good ones. So, I bought a D700 and the Zeiss 50 and 100 makro-planars. Wow! I actually enjoy the manual focus and photos are sensational by comparison to my other gear. My main interest is in portrait work, mainly black and white, which is why I recently bought the Nikon 70-200. Anyway, keep up the good work. — Bud R

The Zeiss Makro-Planars are indeed two of my favorites, and I’ve written about them numerous times here in this blog (search), most recently here.

See all Zeiss ZF.2 lenses for Nikon and all Zeiss ZE lenses for Canon.

SSD slowing down? Speed it up with DiskTester 'recondition'

Over time, most solid state drives slow down with use as their internal blocks become severely fragmented (not conventional file-system fragmentation).

The slowdown can sometimes have an impact on read speed, but write speed is usually most impaired, though it all can depend on usage and brand and firmware version. Read more about this in Reconditioning a Solid State Drive and my review of the Crucial 128GB SSD.

My very own DiskTester can help restore the lost performance via its recondition command, even if the SSD is your boot drive.

The DiskTester recondition command works fastest and achieves the best results when a significant amount of free space is available. If you’re using a Windows PC, then there might be a toolkit for your brand of SSD available from the manufacturer; as far as I know, no such toolkit exists for Mac OS X, though Macs can be booted into Windows with some effort.

A sea-change in SSD behavior?

I have high hopes for the new OWC enterprise-class solid state drive as being perhaps the first SSD on the market to sidestep this lingering issue with SSDs, as well as offering far better longevity and data safety than other models on the market today.

My review of the OWC solid state drive will be published sometime later this week.

Zeiss ZF / Zeiss ZE 85mm f/1.4 Planar as a lens for landscape

The Zeiss ZF / Zeiss ZE 85mm f/1.4 Planar is considered a portrait lens by many. Yet its high brilliance, ultra-low distortion, delicious color rendition, and slight telephoto compression effect make it an outstanding lens for landscape shooting. The 85mm focal length is one I have found to be eminently useful for landscape use over the years.

Just published in Guide to Zeiss ZF / Zeiss ZE Lenses is a batch of landscape photos taken with the Zeiss ZF 85mm f/1.4 Planar on the Nikon D3x, last fall in Yosemite National Park.

The Zeiss 85/1.4 Planar is available at B&H Photo for Canon EOS, Nikon, Pentax and Sony for about $1280 .

Ultra Wide Zeiss 21mm or 24mm Tilt/Shift lens? (Nikon/Canon)

Reader Ron L asks:

I really want a good wide angle lens for nature, landscapes and some indoor use (product-type photography). I shoot with a Nikon D700 and have a 17-35 for general wide angle use. I could afford to buy one of these lenses. Can you give me your opinion of which one you would recommend? I know I haven't given you much info here on how I shoot but perhaps I have given you enough for you to hazard an opinion.

I could spend many pages answering this question, but I’ve given it some reasonable discussion which I hope will be of assistance. See my answer in Ultra Wide Zeiss 21mm or 24mm Tilt/Shift lens?.

Leica 75mm f/2 APO-Summicron-M ASPH for Leica M9

Just posted is my introductory mini review of the Leica 75mm f/2 APO-Summicron-M ASPH for the Leica M9.

The Leica 75mm f/2 APO-Summicron-M ASPH (about $3395) is an ultra-compact 75mm lens with an aspheric design and special exotic glass used to minimize color aberrations, and a floating element for close-up quality.

Due to my pink-eye infection, I’ve been delayed in evaluating field images for this lens and some Canon/Nikon gear, but it is improving and I hope to be able to resume my usual reporting for DAP and Zeiss lenses by Monday.

Zeiss ZE 21m f/2.8 Distagon for Canon EOS (or Nikon)

The Zeiss ZE 21mm f/2/8 Distagon for Canon EOS has been out of stock regularly, no doubt due to very strong demand, but B&H is now taking pre-orders, which means that they expect some to show up soon. It’s also available for Nikon as the ZF.2 model.

The 21/2.8 Distagon is a true standout, there really isn’t anything like it. I strongly advise anyone who likes ultra-wides to obtain one as soon as feasible. It is optically identical on Canon and Nikon and Pentax.

Today I was asked which lens to choose if the budget afforded only one lens, the choices being the Zeiss 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar or the Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Distagon. Although the 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar is an exceptional lens, I do feel that a 21mm will see wider use for most shooters than the 100mm. It all depends on your preferred subject matter, but my default suggestion is to go with the 21mm as being more versatile indoors and out.

The Zeiss 21mm f/2.8 Distagon is very highly corrected for color aberrations and other problems, with near-macro close-up performance also. I show many examples on Canon and Nikon my my Guide to Zeiss ZF / Zeiss ZE Lenses.

As a friend of mine said when I loaned mine to him for a few hours: “I can’t make anything that looks like that with my Canon 16-35!”.

Although I own the Nikon 14-24 (excellent lens), I rarely use it, as I prefer the ergonomics and brilliance of the Zeiss 21/2.8. The Nikon 14-24 is best used for autofocus and when the shooting demands rapid adjustment of angular coverage.

On Canon EOS, it’s no contest, my EF 16-35/2.8L II has sat unused for a long time. While the Canon EF 24/1.4L II is excellent, it has some drawbacks, see my review in DAP.

Mac Pro power usage spike playing music

In one of the more bizarre issues I’ve ever seen, a 2.5% CPU utilization playing music in iTunes sucks up 143 watts more power over idle— 71% more. So much for “green” Macs. Read my report in Mac Performance Guide.

Pink-eye pains

I’m being delayed with a nasty infection of pink-eye (viral conjunctivitis) in both eyes. Normally the kids bring such stuff home, but this time the source is a mystery. I’m taking an antibiotic eye drop as a precaution to prevent any bacterial infection.

No contact lenses and oh-so-fun having the feeling of sand grains under my eyelids. It will take at least a few more days to recover to where I can wear contact lenses again, mandatory to be able to shoot and assess photos, since it’s hopeless with my glasses.

Not sure if you want to buy? Rent first and try!

Readers regularly email me asking which lens to buy out of several choices. While I address this topic in as many ways as I can in my reviews, sometimes there is no substitute for trying a lens yourself.

The solution: rent the lens at a reasonable cost, typically about 5-7% of the new-lens price at LensRentals (shipping might raise that slightly for short rentals). With sales tax alone at 9.25% here in CA, that seems like a no-brainer if you have any doubts about whether a particular lens if for you. With the convenient to/from shipping, there’s no hassle.

LensRentals rents Nikon, Canon, Zeiss, Leica and other brands, both lenses and cameras. When you decide to buy, please give our trusted sponsor B&H Photo your business using the links on this site, thank you.

Here’s something to make it easier: I’ve arranged for a 5% discount for diglloyd.com readers: use . LensRentals now helps support this site with their ad in this blog and elsewhere, a win/win for all concerned. Give them a try, I and I think you’ll be pleased.

I’ve used LensRentals.com on a numerous occasions when I need fast and reliable delivery of a lens for testing (they also rent cameras). They are located near the Memphis, TN shipping hub, and so they can get things out quite late in the day as well.

Their policies and prices are very straightforward, and the return via the pre-paid return label means you can drop the lens off for return anywhere you like— even if you’re on a trip.

Zeiss ZF.2 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar for Nikon released for sale

Carl Zeiss USA informs me that the Zeiss ZF.2 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar for Nikon has been released for sale in the US, which means it should show up in the channel this week, perhaps as early as tomorrow.

You can pre-order the Zeiss ZF.2 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar from our trusted sponsor B&H Photo , a smart move if you want one soon; I suspect that it will be a popular lens, as some buyers have no doubt held off the original ZF 100/2 anticipating the new model.

The 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar is a standout performer in the Zeiss ZF / Zeiss ZE line (lenses are all optically identical for Canon/Nikon/Pentax). It's a reference lens whenever I test new cameras or lenses, with corner-to-corners sharpness wide-open at f/2, as well as gorgeous bokeh, a flat field, and high performance close up and at infinity.

There isn't really anything else like it, nor anything else I'd rather shoot in that focal length range (unless I needed autofocus). The 50mm f/2 Makro-Planar makes an excellent complement to the 100/2. Those two, along with the 21/2.8 Distagon make a versatile high performance kit. See all Zeiss ZF.2 lenses for Nikon and all Zeiss ZE lenses for Canon.

Read my mini review, or get the full scoop on the entire ZF/ZE line in Guide to Zeiss ZF/ZE Lenses. See also my Jan 9 comparison notes and my discussion of the differences between ZF and ZF.2.

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Reviewing: MAXPower eSATA 6 card

Update! I’ve posted my review to Mac Performance Guide.

I have the new MAXPower eSATA 6G PCIe-2.0 card in my Mac Pro being tested. So far, I like what I see a lot. See my previous notes.

Priced at $59, it’s an inexpensive option for any Mac Pro users looking to beef up external performance via eSATA, which is much faster than Firewire 800 . The best part? It’s plug-and-play, no driver software needed!

The MaxPower 6G is a great choice for any external drive for archiving or backup purposes on your Mac Pro, including robust and reliable units like the QX2.

A full review is coming.