Fast lens .... What What?

[Fred Doane]

<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"]I agree with part of what you wrote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"] Most lenses improve their sharpness when stopped down but f8 isn&rsquo;t a magic number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"] Most lenses reach there almost maximum sharpness when they are stopped down 2-3 stops from wide open (again there is no magic number).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"] That being said the 85mm 1.2L II is absolutely tack sharp at f2.8 where as a consumer lens with a variable aperture might not reach that its max sharpness till f8. To reiterate what everyone else has already said, there is nothing like a fast lens for portrait photography but there are other uses for a fast lens such as museums, night photography, stage performances, etcwhere flash isn&rsquo;t allowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"] Here is a 100% cropof a shot taken with my 85mm 1.2L II @ 1.2.[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.25.52/5R8B1114-100_2500_-Crop.jpg[/img]
There was no post or in camera sharpening on this image. It was converted from RAW in CS4 with 0 sharpening. If it were at f8 you would see every flaw inthe models skin and you wouldn't have a absolutely gorgeous background that you can see in the full image below...

[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.25.52/5R8B1114-SF-Small.jpg[/img]
It would be impossible to get that background with f8 unless you were shooting with the 800mm 5.6L

Fred~

[neuroanatomist]

<span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:115%;font-family:'Calibri','sans-serif';mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;"]It would be impossible to get that background with f8 unless you were shooting with the 800mm 5.6L

...and then to get that framing, you'd need walkie-talkies, cell phones, or a pair of bullhorn to communicate with your model. [:P]

[Keith B]

Nice shot Fred.


Man, I want that lens!

[Fred Doane]

...and then to get that framing, you'd need walkie-talkies, cell phones, or a pair of bullhorn to communicate with your model. [img]/emoticons/emotion-4.gif[/img]

Haha all very good points []

[Chuck Lee]

Why am I sneezing so much? LOL


Nice shot Fred!


Keith, I just like to have the 85 1.8! For now.

[Keith B]

Keith, I just like to have the 85 1.8! For now.

I am contemplating that one too. It focuses faster and would be better for night time sports shots.


I really doubt I'll ever get the 1.2.

[Chuck Lee]

Cont. highjacking........

I really doubt I'll ever get the 1.2.

Yeah, after seeing what Joey Lawrence can do with a 5D and 50 1.4 makes me feel pretty good about the equipment I'm shooting with. Now I just need to find some really cool jungle guys to shoot.


BTW have you seen his recent stuff shot with Phase One? Kids got it goin on. Love Nikon Girl. LOL

[Bombsight]

ok ... now that I've been schooled [^o)]


.... I was thinking that the sweet zone for most lens was way above the wide open end of things.


One day, I'm going to have a good, fastprime.


Thanks for the info, y'all.

[alexniedra]

If the most expensive lens out there are the fastest ones, then why do we need to stop them down in order to get the clearest, sharpest picture?

You're right - Fast lenses are usually very expensive. At least in the case of zoom lenses, their optical performance is the best at narrower apertures, but I believe this is the case with all lenses, regardless of their focal length, speed, etc.





However, how much better optical performance really is depends on the lens being used. For instance, you will notice little difference in image quality when shooting at f/8 with the EF 200 f/2 L IS as opposed to wide open at f/2 - That's just the way things are.

On the other hand, shooting at f/8 with the EF 70-200 f/2.8 L IS, at least in my experience, yields much better sharpness and detail, when I do my part right, of course.

Dont we pay more for those low numbers??

Yes! I use my lenses at f/2.8 about 90% of the time. But, you should know that 90% of my shooting has been indoors in low light situations. Heck, under ideal circumstances I would use my lenses at f/4-8 at all times to provide optimal image quality (I use the 24-70 and 70-200 zooms), however, since light is frequently inadequate, the ability to cover a low light event in general far outweighs the slight increase in image quality available when shooting stopped down. Am I being clear?

Somebody explain why we would pay nearly two thousand dollars for a low f stop lens when, if we get a better pic around f8, we couldnt be better off with a bottomed out f4?

This is what I previously explained - Many people rely on fast lenses to make low light shooting more feasable.


Hope this helps.


- Aleks

[btaylor]

Yeah, after seeing what Joey Lawrence can do with a 5D and 50 1.4 makes me feel pretty good about the equipment I'm shooting with. Now I just need to find some really cool jungle guys to shoot.


BTW have you seen his recent stuff shot with Phase One? Kids got it goin on. Love Nikon Girl. LOL
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Wow I just had a look through his website. Really amazing work.


That's inspired me to travel again!!! For some time now I've beenplanning outa trip with 2 friends to ride motorbikes from Darwin, Australia to London over 6 months as a photographic/ documentary journey. The amazing images on Joey L's portfolio are the reason these sort of random trips pay off. Oh and the adventure... mustn't forget that.


Thanks for pointing him out to us Chuck!