Good wide angle lens for Nikon D800E

[sanking]

I would be interested to know if there are any really high quality prime wide angle lenses in Nikor mount in the 20mm - 24mm range for the Nikon D800E? I have tested most of the Nikkor lenses in this range, D model and older AF and Ai-I lenses as well, and they all show significantly less resolution on the corners than in the middle of the field. I am a landscape photographer and use the camera on a tripod most of the time and shoot at optimum apertures of f/5.6 and f/8, not wide open.

Am I am being too demanding with the D800E? I have used Mamiya 7II with the 43mm and 50mm lenses for many years and these lenses were superb, in the center and on the corners.  The 65m of the Fuji GSW6900II also was an excellent performed on the corners. Can the retro-focus wide angles for DSLR simply can not match the optical quality of wide angle lenses for medium format rangefinders?

Sandy

[Gulag]

I would be interested to know if there are any really high quality prime wide angle lenses in Nikor mount in the 20mm - 24mm range for the Nikon D800E? I have tested most of the Nikkor lenses in this range, D model and older AF and Ai-I lenses as well, and they all show significantly less resolution on the corners than in the middle of the field. I am a landscape photographer and use the camera on a tripod most of the time and shoot at optimum apertures of f/5.6 and f/8, not wide open.

Am I am being too demanding with the D800E? I have used Mamiya 7II with the 43mm and 50mm lenses for many years and these lenses were superb, in the center and on the corners.  The 65m of the Fuji GSW6900II also was an excellent performed on the corners. Can the retro-focus wide angles for DSLR simply can not match the optical quality of wide angle lenses for medium format rangefinders?

Sandy

Both 14-24 and 24G are excellent on my D800E. Give them a try.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Zeiss 21 mm?

[BernardLanguillier]

Both 14-24 and 24G are excellent on my D800E. Give them a try.

I would add th 24mm T/S to this list.

Its very corners are a bit soft when shitfed to the max but excellent in the default image circle and the center is top notch.

Cheers,
Bernard

[langier]

Haven't used prime w/a lenses in years other than my fisheye lenses and my 24 PCE.

I'm using the 17-35mm f2.8 and the 14-24 f2.8 for my landscape work. For travel, it's hard to beat the 17-35 for speed, size and weight and it's fine on my D800. The 24 PCE is also good in the field and stitching gets you even larger files.

If size and weight isn't as much a factor, the best of the three is the 14-24.

That said, for much of my printing and shooting, I'm backing off on the file sizes and shooting mostly with my lower rez bodies for day-to-day projects.

On my last month on the road to Spain, Greece and Serbia, I found the D700 with the 17-35mm and the D800 with the 24-120 f4 and set to 1.2x (24 MP) was a good pairing. When I wanted more rez for a landscape or wider, I swapped lenses briefly and that did the trick. The D800 is almost like having a 5x7 camera with 4x5 and 2.25x3.25 reducing backs, thus giving you more focal length options!

The D800 files are so nice, but are so large when you open them at full size and 16 bit. it gives you an edge for a little cropping if you need it, a little more IQ for low light and more dynamic range under adverse lighting.

What may be a even better lens for you may be to try the 16-35 f/4 VR for the field. It's supposed to have better sharpness than the 17-35 and it's smaller and lighter than the 14-24. I'd say rent one for a week and see how it works for you.

[joneil]

Zeiss 21 mm?

  Heh.         Even Zeiss doesn't think their lenses are good enough for the new crop of full frame, high resolution DSLRs.  Take a look here:
http://blogs.zeiss.com/photo/en/?p=2860

    Quoting here from the Zeiss blog, in case you don't want to read the full article:

"What is meant by “high-end SLR lens family”?
This is about lenses for full-frame (36x24mm) SLR cameras with manual focusing capability. This family of lenses is geared towards delivering uncompromising image quality for demanding users. The lenses are perfect for high-resolution, full-format digital cameras with more than 30 megapixels such as D800. The combined performance approaches that of medium format systems. If you shoot with the largest aperture, cameras with smaller number of pixels also benefit from much better image contrast. "

    Here is my favourite quote: 

"How much will the lenses cost?
Since the lenses are more demanding in terms of material selection and construction than our previous ZE and ZF.2 lenses, the price level will be higher. We are expecting prices around EUR 3,000."

    3,000 Euros is roughly around $3,800 to $3,900 dollars (US or CDN), and that's before taxes and shipping, eh?

  So the official answer from Zeiss on what wide angle lens is best for the D800 is a brand new four thousand dollar lens they haven't even put on the market yet.  Doesn't look to hope full, does it?  I've been looking forward to upgrading to a D800 some day, but the more posts I read like this, the more I wonder if maybe waiting for a while isn't such a bad thing.    I take the original poster's comment that the older Nikkor glass on the D800 shows drop off on the edges, but you know what, on my D7000, my old 24mm Nikkor stopped down to F5.6 is a fantastic lens.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

  Heh.         Even Zeiss doesn't think their lenses are good enough for the new crop of full frame, high resolution DSLRs...

You got to be kidding me, right!? And judging by the three smileys, you are.

[stever]

subscribe to Lloyd Chambers "guide to zeiss lenses" at diglloyd.com - he's done extensive testing of the Zeiss wide angles and some of the Nikon lenses on the D800E - mostly with landscape subjects

[joneil]

You got to be kidding me, right!? And judging by the three smileys, you are.

  Actually i wish i was kidding, but I am not.  i just cannot believe it myself.  Look for yourself. The projected release date is Autumn of 2013 - so almost a full year away.  

   Also,  I have two Zeiss ZF2 lenses I use on my D7000, and I love them.  I bought them as full frame lenses in anticipation  that someday i would upgrade to the D800 (or maybe the D600) and I would have lenses that would not only cover a FX frame, but would be optically  "worthy" of the new camera.

   Now I am frankly blown away to find out that even according to Zeiss, these lenses are not even good enough for the D800.  Kinda takes the wind out of your sails real fast, eh?


  IMO, the main reason for somebody like me to upgrade to the D800 is to be able to push that camera to it's full resolution, it's full capacity.  for day to day work, my D7000s are all I need, but I also shoot 4x5 sheet film, so the idea of a really high resolution DLSR appeals to me.  It's kinda like buying a brand new Lamborghini - you know the real reason you buy car like that is some day you really do want to see if it can hit 200 mph.  

     But here and elsewhere I keep reading about people who are disappointed with different lenses on the D800.  I suppose it depends on your standards, but again, as with the Lamborghini, why buy it if you don't want to push it to the limit some day?  the issue with the D800, IMO, seems to be like buying a brand new Lamborghini and finding out the only roads you can drive it on are old gravel roads at a top speed of 50 mph, and the Germans are still a year away from building new roads that can handle the top speeds of the car.




    

[ndevlin]

Reflecting my experience only:

24-120: an optically mediocre but exceptionally convenient lens

24mm TS: an optically mediocre but exceptionally inconvenient lens

14-24mm f2.8: good, but no filters and massive

16-35mm f4VR: as good as the 14-24 in the 20-24 range, surprisingly, and cheaper, lighter and more convenient.

24mm f1.4: very good.

Zeiss 21mm f2.8: not flat field - got disturbingly soft corner results on my few test frames, with cuttingly sharp centres

Zeiss 25mm f2: haven't used it but friends who have think the world of  it.

In truth, few lenses get the best out of the 800E.

- N.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... people who are disappointed with different lenses on the D800...

Most of those people would need help of a different kind of professionals, not photographers.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... Zeiss 21mm f2.8: not flat field - got disturbingly soft corner results on my few test frames, with cuttingly sharp centres...

Is there a 20-21mm lens with better corners?

[Peter McLennan]

Reflecting my experience only:
24-120: an optically mediocre but exceptionally convenient lens

Very concise report, Nick.  Thanks.  Any experience with the newer 24-85 F4?

[HarperPhotos]

Hello,

Attached are some shots with the new Nikon 24-85mm VR lens on a Nikon D800E.

1st shot 24mm F5.6 100 ISO
2nd shot 24mm F9.0 100 ISO

Cheers

Simon

[HarperPhotos]

Have a look at this review

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/samyang-24mm-f-1-4-ed-as-if-umc-lens-review-19623

Cheers

Simon

[alan_b]

Most of those people would need help of a different kind of professionals, not photographers.

+1  just pick one that comes close and get on with it. (Or be prepared to spend another $50k for something "better")

Good content far outweighs the differences between all of these lenses.

As a description of the trade-offs between lenses though, I agree with most of what ndevlin says - might place the 24pce better than mediocre though.

[Peter McLennan]

Attached are some shots with the new Nikon 24-85mm VR lens on a Nikon D800E.

Thanks, Simon. 

[BernardLanguillier]

24mm TS: an optically mediocre but exceptionally inconvenient lens

24mm f1.4: very good.

I own both of these lenses also, so it must be sample variation, but to me the 24mm T/S is as good or better between f5.6 and f8 than the excellent 24mm f1.4. That is at least true when not using movements, but remains mostly valid when using a small amount of tilt.

Cheers,
Bernard

[ndevlin]

Is there a 20-21mm lens with better corners?

I only tried one sample - new out of the box - and when shooting a flat subject, 30-50 years from the camera, the edges were not sharp @f5.6 on a tripod.  My sample is too small to draw a broad conclusion, but I have heard from a couple of people that it is not a flat-field lens.  I was really, really surprised by what I saw. Could have been a fluke.


- N.

[ndevlin]

Very concise report, Nick.  Thanks.  Any experience with the newer 24-85 F4?

No, but Simon has had really good results from it, as his posts show. I'd be really interested to try it. I am growing to seriously dislike the 24-120mm.

- N.