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D800 Lenses


roy_s4

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<p>Don't overlook the Zeiss 25mm f2.8 ZF. It is one of the best landscape lenses available - it is extremely sharp wide open in the centre and when stopped down is sharp across the whole frame. It is also small and extremely well made.<br /><br />Because it has some curvature of field it tests not so well if you are photographing a planar subject like a wall at short distances. The plane of focus is curved so the corners are a bit out of focus and that effect is magnified the closer you are to the wall. But if you are using it in the real world for classic landscape purposes - shooting some open vista at f8 where everything in the shot is crisp or isolating a nearby subject at f2.8 - it is absolutely fantastic.<br /><br />This is one of the few lenses that Lloyd Chambers (diglloyd) rates as likely to carry over well to the D800. Because a lot of people have read the overly simplistic Photozone review of it, a myth has been perpetuated that it is in some way a poor relation to the other ZFs. The result of it is that you can pick these up used relatively cheaply.</p>
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  • 2 weeks later...

<p>Roy, you don't need a new lens! If you haven't felt the need for a new lens before, because you were happy with the field of view or image quality you get at the focal lengths you have with your 24-85mm, then you don't need anything else. Shoot with it for a while on your new camera, and see what you think. Ultimately, it all depends on what you see in your own images. You don't say you have a 70-200 or a 135mm f2 DC, so you obviously don't feel a need for longer focal lengths. You didn't mention that you wanted a wider lens, so you probably don't need to spend all that money on the 14-24mm f2.8, which would be a lens I would buy for the D800 (or ANY full-frame Nikon). Your 50mm f1.4 is an EXCELLENT lens, and it performs best at f5.6 (for image clarity). Your 24-85 should perform quite well at f8 (not far from where the 50mm excels). If you are wanting to buy a lens that performs well at wide apertures or something, I suggest a 105mm f2 DC or the amazing 135mm f2 DC, but maybe you don't want such a small field of view. The 85mm f1.4 lenses from Nikon and Sigma might be better choices for you.<br>

I have read that the new Nikon 35mm f1.4 is wonderful. I am a fan of the 35mm focal length, so that is the second lens I would buy, if I had the money for a really nice Nikon set-up. Here are the lenses I would have, if I had a dream set-up with a Nikon D800:</p>

<p>14-24mm f2.8<br>

35mm f1.4<br>

50mm f1.2 AIS<br>

85mm f1.4<br>

135mm f2 DC<br>

24-120mm f4 VR (just for all-around use)<br>

200-400mm f4 VR</p>

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Thanks Scott...I probably should wait until I have the camera in hand, which may be months. Looked at the 14-24

behemoth at the local shop, and it's amazing...also saw a Sigma 85..also very nice. Was hoping they had a 24-70 or the

24-120 but neither was in stock...I have been shooting with my 50 and 24-85 on my d80 and I'm very unhappy with the

results, especially when I compare the images to the 5d Mark 2 (I know, not a fair comparison). The images are soft, but

I'm thinking it may be the d80 and not the fault of the lenses...will know more when the d800 is in hand, whenever that is...

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  • 2 weeks later...
<p>The D80 is a capable camera Roy. Does it perform badly even with your 50mm lens focused on infinity and set on f5.6 for the shot? If so, there is a problem. A 10 megapixel image is good quality. You can print 20x30 and get good, sharp results with such a camera (if it is working right). You're shooting in RAW mode, right? I hope you are not shooting with standard compressing in JPEG mode. I doubt that, since you don't seem like a newb.</p>
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<p>Hi Scott...I am going to eat my words on the negative comments on the D80..I'm in Florida right now and shooting with the 50mm 1.4 D in daylight at fast shutter speeds, f8 or so, and getting beautiful images...I don't shoot in RAW mode and honestly, I'm anything but a pro, but will do that and compare results. If I'm a newb, I'm a pretty darn old one...thanks for the feedback and suggestion...very helpful...</p>
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<p>;)<br>

I have a feeling you will be getting a 10-24mm Nikon lens soon Roy, since it is much less expensive than the D800. I can imagine you will get a D800 some day though, considering it will shoot good 18 megapixel photos with that lens (no doubt) and produce some beautiful super large prints with your 50mm too. BTW, your 50mm f1.4 D should produce its best image quality at f5.6, and if you put your subject (maybe a beautiful girl) about three feet from the lens and keep her well away from any background, you will find that the bokeh looks just fine. In fact, shooting at f2.8 or wider will actually produce a depth of field that will be problematic for close portraits. I try to stay at f4 or above, when I shoot at 50mm or longer focal lengths, no matter what I'm shooting, just to keep the depth of field deeper. With long distance shots it is not so critical (though there is usually no need for a wide aperture in such cases), but with close shots I find myself wanting to shoot at f8 or even f11, because at f5.6 I will sometimes get my subject's eyes out of focus, while their ears and shoulders are in focus! Maybe I have back-focus issues with my equipment, but it seems to happen on occasion with almost every camera and normal length lenses I use. I believe it has to do with the fact that I switch off auto-focus after focusing on my subjects' eyes, and then when I recompose the plane of focus shifts back a little behind the eyes.</p>

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