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06-19-2009, 05:03 AM   #31
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Photodo's testing comes from an average weight of the MTF at different F-stops.

06-19-2009, 06:18 AM   #32
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I'd loan my 85s, at different times of course, but he only accepts loans from the EU.

QuoteOriginally posted by robjmitchell Quote
someone needs to loan a 50/2.8 macro and a 85/1.4 to photozone to test out!
06-19-2009, 07:00 AM   #33
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QuoteOriginally posted by K-9 Quote
While those animal pics of the 200mm are splendid shots, they don't look as sharp on my screen as the crop of the FA 85 or F 50mm 1.4 that malakola provided above.
Interesting statement - would having them closer together for comparison to one another help?




Is sharper than this shot?? (I've added a couple)


Or this shot:




Or even this shot, taken with a TC in the mix, lower light conditions and a much lower shutter speed, not recommended for a sharp image at this focal length (1/100 at 420mm)


I have looked at them on several monitors, including my calibrated one.

Regards,
Marc

Last edited by Marc Langille; 06-19-2009 at 07:32 AM. Reason: added images
06-19-2009, 09:36 AM   #34
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I think the sharpest lens from Pentax is the 645 120mm 4.0 Macro (A and AF).

06-19-2009, 10:22 AM   #35
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QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Langille Quote
Interesting statement - would having them closer together for comparison to one another help?

Regards,
Marc
The crops of the eyes are a smaller area than your pics. Also, lighting, exposure, f-stops. etc. are probably all mixed. Only a side by side of same subject, same distance, same lighting, and with the same exposure would truly tell the difference.

I took a portrait yesterday with the F 50mm 1.4 and feel it's a sharper image than the one you posted of the young girl. I can pick out better skin texture and tiny hairs on the skin. Your skin looks slightly softer. Unfortunately, I'm pretty private about my pics and rarely post them. You'll have to take my word!

Also, in malakola's 2nd shot with the 50mm, it looks as though focus could have been on her hand, as it's closer to the lens, and the face was a tad soft. Or, she was slightly moving when he snapped it, resulting in a softer eye crop.

QuoteOriginally posted by danielchtong Quote
I second that

While sharpness is part of whole picture, I would consider my F50mmF1.7 fairly sharp even at F2 with very little DoF



Daniel
Yes, an impressive shot and lens. Stunning model. The F 1.4 is supposed to be a tad sharper than the 1.7, so imagine that.

QuoteOriginally posted by pcarfan Quote
The sharpest resolution figures measured for a current Pentax AF lens is that of the Pentax 43mm limited at F4, PERIOD.
However, the contrast, CA, bokeh, and IQ wide open also play into it's overall performance. You can't just go by "sharpest at f4". While this lens hasn't been tested on Photodo, I don't think it would score a 4.6, which is FA 85mm and f 50mm territory. It got an awful test result wide open on Photozone.

QuoteOriginally posted by lithos Quote
Carl Zeiss T* f2 45mm Planar, for the Contax G series.

That lens is sharp. Very sharp. Exceedingly sharp. Obsidian-ly sharp. Tim Page lent me a G2 with the Planar, and, holy crap:
I'm not going to argue that the 45mm Planar is perhaps THE sharpest 35mm lens on the planet.
06-19-2009, 01:51 PM   #36
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QuoteOriginally posted by K-9 Quote
The crops of the eyes are a smaller area than your pics. Also, lighting, exposure, f-stops. etc. are probably all mixed. Only a side by side of same subject, same distance, same lighting, and with the same exposure would truly tell the difference.
Agreed.

QuoteOriginally posted by K-9 Quote
I took a portrait yesterday with the F 50mm 1.4 and feel it's a sharper image than the one you posted of the young girl. I can pick out better skin texture and tiny hairs on the skin. Your skin looks slightly softer. Unfortunately, I'm pretty private about my pics and rarely post them. You'll have to take my word!
Sorry, that was at perhaps 66%-75% crop (never said it was at 100%) - my apologies if you thought so! I suspect you may already know that children's skin is smoother than an adult...

QuoteOriginally posted by K-9 Quote
Also, in malakola's 2nd shot with the 50mm, it looks as though focus could have been on her hand, as it's closer to the lens, and the face was a tad soft. Or, she was slightly moving when he snapped it, resulting in a softer eye crop.
Agreed on that statement. Here are the ones Malaka took and you thought were sharper, for reference:


Same model, slightly different pose and closer, now cropped 100%:




Does that help or do you still think Malakola's crops are sharper?

Regards,
Marc

Last edited by Marc Langille; 06-19-2009 at 02:07 PM.
06-19-2009, 02:04 PM   #37
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QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Langille Quote
Does that help or do you still think Malaka's crops are sharper?

Regards,
Marc
I think it's pretty clear that Marc's pics are sharper.

(oh, and careful with the spelling there, Marc, "Malaka" means something in Greek!)

I'd also like to throw the DA*55 in there--it's insanely sharp by f/2.5, sharpness you'd expect from f/4.

06-19-2009, 02:09 PM   #38
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QuoteOriginally posted by farfisa Quote
(oh, and careful with the spelling there, Marc, "Malaka" means something in Greek!)

I'd also like to throw the DA*55 in there--it's insanely sharp by f/2.5, sharpness you'd expect from f/4.
Oops - sorry... I've corrected the typo - thank you! I know - my last name gets butchered all the time!!!

Yes, that looks like a potential winner of a lens!
06-19-2009, 02:12 PM   #39
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Hmm...

does it really matter?

I mean personally i chose a lens based on focal length first and performance second.

I mean sure the A*85 is probably fantastic andso is the FA43 stopped down a little and it is far from poor wide open IMHO.

However the FA43 is going to do me no good if I really need a 14mm or a 200mm and vise versa.
The aperture is significant too, again the FA43 is wicked sharp @ f4, but if I am shooting at f11 then what?

So I guess I do not fully understand why it is important without facotring in intented use.

THe FA43 would still get my vote though, one of the few lenses that are wicked sharp and exceptionally beautiful renderings.
06-19-2009, 02:20 PM   #40
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QuoteOriginally posted by Duplo Quote
does it really matter?

I mean personally i chose a lens based on focal length first and performance second.

I mean sure the A*85 is probably fantastic andso is the FA43 stopped down a little and it is far from poor wide open IMHO.

However the FA43 is going to do me no good if I really need a 14mm or a 200mm and vise versa.
The aperture is significant too, again the FA43 is wicked sharp @ f4, but if I am shooting at f11 then what?

So I guess I do not fully understand why it is important without facotring in intented use.

THe FA43 would still get my vote though, one of the few lenses that are wicked sharp and exceptionally beautiful renderings.
Good points Thomas - thanks for pointing this out. At least I have been admonished for good reason. Sometimes we forget to classify the need/use and the final image results for our needs...

Regards,
Marc
06-19-2009, 02:25 PM   #41
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QuoteOriginally posted by Marc Langille Quote
Oops - sorry... I've corrected the typo - thank you! I know - my last name gets butchered all the time!!!

Yes, that looks like a potential winner of a lens!
Ha! I visited Greece once and it's the only word I remember

While we're doing eye crops, I don't shoot wide open very often but here's a 100% crop from the DA*55 at 1.4 (shot jpeg, bright setting, +2 fine sharpness, but no other PP except the crop). Not as sharp as Marc's, but it's at 1.4 and it looks sharper than the others:

(my daughter--apologies for the perfectly smooth skin! )

06-19-2009, 02:32 PM   #42
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QuoteOriginally posted by Duplo Quote
does it really matter?

I mean personally i chose a lens based on focal length first and performance second.

I mean sure the A*85 is probably fantastic andso is the FA43 stopped down a little and it is far from poor wide open IMHO.

However the FA43 is going to do me no good if I really need a 14mm or a 200mm and vise versa.
The aperture is significant too, again the FA43 is wicked sharp @ f4, but if I am shooting at f11 then what?

So I guess I do not fully understand why it is important without facotring in intented use.

THe FA43 would still get my vote though, one of the few lenses that are wicked sharp and exceptionally beautiful renderings.
True on the one hand--and sharpness matters more for Macro and less for portrait... but people keep posting portrait shots

But on a lens discussion forum it's also fair game to discuss sharpness for the sake of sharpness.

The FA43 is one of my favourites--love it for its size, sharpness, rendering and I find the focal length very versatile. But sharp wide open? Yes, I think so, no matter what those charts are saying!
06-19-2009, 02:45 PM   #43
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I would not say FA135mm is the sharpest. Likely because the skinny DoF, I hardly shoot at F2.8. But at F4, it has like reached 95% of its sharpness

You need to blur up the subject of less than perfect facial complexion





















At F5, you can count the centimeter of its DoF
Large file warning



IMGP1858e.jpg photo - Daniel TONG photos at pbase.com



Is that the sharpest? Probably not. Fastest AF? Yes.





Daniel
06-19-2009, 03:11 PM   #44
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QuoteOriginally posted by danielchtong Quote
The images are sharp. No doubt at F9.5.

I cannot find the exif of other images though


Daniel
My FA*300 2.8 turned out to be a dog (it was in new condition too) and even worse Pentax wouldn't fix it (I sent it twice). I'm sure it would have been a minor adjustment to the right technician but they wouldn't own up to it. I am looking at a canon body now for a 300mm f2.8 sadly. The Da* 300mm is a good one though.
06-19-2009, 04:24 PM   #45
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QuoteOriginally posted by borno Quote
My FA*300 2.8 turned out to be a dog (it was in new condition too) and even worse Pentax wouldn't fix it (I sent it twice). I'm sure it would have been a minor adjustment to the right technician but they wouldn't own up to it. I am looking at a canon body now for a 300mm f2.8 sadly. The Da* 300mm is a good one though.
Tom,

Ouch. A doggy *300mm F2.8! I would have felt the pain too. Sorry to hear that. Nowaday it is difficult to get a real pro for finetuning some lens. Maybe somewhere in Japanese there are a couple remaining.

Daniel
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