Zeiss 85/1.4 size&wt vs. Zeiss 28-85 size&wt

[donger]

i own a 85/1.4 and i use it on a rts II. i find that i must hold it by the lens. partly because it's manual focus, but also because of its weight. the lens that i can use while holding the body is the 50/1.7, the 85 and the 35 are both too heavy for anyone to hold by the camera only and shoot comfortably.

 

[cesco]

Here I am, sorry for the delay but I have been out for the weekend...

Karel,

I mostly use b/w 100 and 400 ISO films or color slides, sometimes color negs. Light conditions are often precarious indoors and 400 ISO films seldom gives you the chance to take fotos unless you shoot wide open or use higher speed films.

Right before Chrismas I have been shooting at an open air Christmas celebration at 10-11 pm with Fuji Neopan 1600 pushed to 3200 and Ilford Hp 5 pushed to 3200. This allowed me to use the 85 1,4 and the 35 2,8 slightly stopped down in some occasions.

Two weeks ago I took fotos while my brother in law was transforming a living pig into Salami and Prosciuto ham at 7 am. I used Neopan 1600 again, but pushed to 6400 ISO this time.

In both situations no flash has been used and, admittedly, results are not exactly encouraging as my fotographic skills are poor. OK these are not standart situations. But if you shoot indoors you will have good lighting conditions during late spring until to the beginning of autumn, lets say from 9 am to 17 pm if the day is going to be sunny. In my opinion its hard to define "standart situation". And I have been shooting plenty of 100 ISO films as well during winter time...

The 35 f2,8 and 85 f2,8 are true bargains compared to the their faster versions and, according to other contributors, they are excellent lenses indeed. I find both lenses I own easy to focus. Yes, a wider aperture makes it more comfortable to focus, but in poor light conditions the notion of comfortable is somewhat relative. Consider that I am not a pro, cameras and lenses are not necessarily and not only tools to me. For me it's pure pleasure to handle them and fun to shoot fotographs. I get a real bang out of mom's comment about how beautiful their kids look like on my fotos. I don't care very much about specs and mtf charts, but I have to care about my wallet and my wife's vetos. Again, its not which one is better, but which one suits better to my needs (including those of my wife).

Susan,

The 85 f1,4 is heavier than the Sonnar 2,8. I always hold the camera with one hand and the lens with the other. I have always done this way with al cameras and lenses I own. Besides, the Aria manual describes the right posture and way to hold the camera with the lens attached on it. I like the feeling of the 85 f1,4 in my hands and IMHO it's weight helps to reduce camera vibrations and natural handshake.

Regards

Francesco

 

[paolosavio]

Hi Karel
My Xmas present was a 2.8 85...
I can give you some impressions after
some test shoots (the "usual" Xmas candids
at home and something around...)

The first thing to say about this lens is
that people in front of you do not "realize" what you are using

ok, let's stop joking!
You were worried about shutter speed: using natural light and 100 iso film (light coming from a window on a cloudy day), I preferred using a
tripod (I can't recall shutter speed, I guess it was around 1/15@2.8)

I have never tried the 85planar, if I had to describe how the sonnar renders skin I had to say "with strong contrasts"

Hope this helps
Paolo

 

[ltsdnce]

I now have the 85/1.4 and love the way it pops into focus. It is an absolute joy to use on the Aria. The specs say it isn't much lighter than the 28-85 but in actual experience I think it handles much better. Just my .02 worth.
Susan