Imagery: Auto - Large Table of Contents

EXCERPT page containing first few paragraphs. 2024-03-28 22:57:02
UA_SEARCH_BOT_null @ 34.201.19.151

For full access, subscribe here. Or click title to login.

Zeiss ZF 85mm f/1.4 Planar T*

MTF Chart

Tthere is considerable haze/halo effect wide open (seen in field shots), the result of its spherical design and no small amount of resulting spherical aberration which increases at closer range.

Stopping down to f/2 offers a large boost in contrast by eliminating half of the peripheral rays, with f/2.8 eliminating 3/4 of the peripheral rays (1/2 of 1/2 = 1/4 left in center).

Stopping down to f/5.6 offers excellent performance, but beware of focus shift which is most troublesome in the f/2.8 and f/4 range, and particularly at closer range—it can shift focus rearward leading to the conclusion that performance at the chose point of focus is not as good as one might expect. This can also be an issue with autofocus assist on Canon, but with mirrorless cameras one can focus at f/2.8 or even f/4 to mitigate the entire issue.

Article continues for subscribers...

Diglloyd Guide to Zeiss is by yearly subscription. Subscribe now for about 21 cents a day ($75/year).
BEST DEAL: get full access to ALL 8 PUBLICATIONS for about 75 cents a day!

Diglloyd Guide to Zeiss offers comprehensive integrated coverage of Zeiss DSLR lenses for Canon and Nikon. Nearly a decade in the making, it covers everything you need to know for every lens in the ZF.2, ZE, Milvus and Otus lines. Guide to Mirrorless and Zeiss ZM rangefinder lenses in Guide to Leica.

  • Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away. A “cheat sheet” saving months of ad-hoc learning—Guide to Zeiss is much more than lens reviews.
  • Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time. A year’s subscription covering ALL these lenses is a tiny fraction of the cost of just ONE lens.
  • Make better images, a sort of “cheat sheet” saving yourself months or years of ad-hoc learning—Guide to Zeiss spells out best practices.
  • Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens behavior you won’t read about elsewhere.
  • Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to full camera resolution, plus large crops.
  • Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
  • Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.

Want a preview? Click on any page below to see an excerpt. And see Lloyd’s articles for Lenspire.Zeiss.com.

Aperture series 1.4, 5.6 available in full article

Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 Planar

diglloyd Inc. | FTC Disclosure | PRIVACY POLICY | Trademarks | Terms of Use
Contact | About Lloyd Chambers | Consulting | Photo Tours
RSS Feeds | X.com/diglloyd
Copyright © 2022 diglloyd Inc, all rights reserved.