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Nikon Flat Profile Question...


mercer
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37 minutes ago, TheRenaissanceMan said:

What lens did you use on the second shot? Very cinematic look there.

You guys may be selling me on Nikon...my only issues are the backwards controls and lack of upgrade path.

Also, I dropped the Saturation in half in the Flat profile for that shot because I noticed the Blue Channel was clipping a little at default. I've since been using it at default again, except for sharpening all the way down. I like both ways for different looks. 

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On 10/22/2016 at 3:33 PM, mercer said:

Actually, I think I might have a a 50mm Series E. But I was considering a 50mm D lens due to their ability to meter on the 5500.

Ok, thanks. I must have misunderstood the article or skimmed it too quickly... It was a while ago. Unfortunately, there aren't many fast 50mm options with good reviews. There isn't much love for the ai/ai-s f/1.4 and the 1.2 is crazy expensive, but the 1.4D gets decent reviews for  its glass and IQ, I just fear that build quality. 

I was also looking at a couple zooms. I already have a Tokina 24-40mm AT-X that I really like, and its sister the 35-70mm, but I'd like a wide to medium zoom as well for run and gun. I saw the 28-50 ai-s and that gets decent reviews but I don't really want a push/pull zoom. Do you have or have ever used the 24-50 AF-D zoom?

I have shot quite a bit with the 50mm AF-D f/1.4, 50mm AF-D f/1.8 and 50mm AI-S f/1.8.

Optically, the two f/1.8s are very similar in sharpness, but the AF-D has different flaring/ghosting characteristics (both look good, just behave a bit differently). The AI-S focus ring is certainly better for video. Only go for the AF-D if you're going to shoot stills and want the AF and metering as well.

The 50mm f/1.4 AF-D is a decent lens, but it's very soft at f/1.4. A bit better at f/1.6, really nice at f/1.8. If this lens would break I wouldn't bother buying it again. I'd rather go for the AI-S 50mm f/1.8 or the AF-D f/1.8 - or for stills either of the new 50mm G lenses. Also, with certain directions of lights (shining nearly directly into the lens) it has a nasty type of ghosting wide open. It's rare, but it is nasty when it happens. The 50mm f/1.8 AF-D is much better in that aspect.

Mechanically, I far prefer the 50mm AI-S over the E-series lenses I've tried. I think they're identical optically.

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1 hour ago, dahlfors said:

I have shot quite a bit with the 50mm AF-D f/1.4, 50mm AF-D f/1.8 and 50mm AI-S f/1.8.

Optically, the two f/1.8s are very similar in sharpness, but the AF-D has different flaring/ghosting characteristics (both look good, just behave a bit differently). The AI-S focus ring is certainly better for video. Only go for the AF-D if you're going to shoot stills and want the AF and metering as well.

The 50mm f/1.4 AF-D is a decent lens, but it's very soft at f/1.4. A bit better at f/1.6, really nice at f/1.8. If this lens would break I wouldn't bother buying it again. I'd rather go for the AI-S 50mm f/1.8 or the AF-D f/1.8 - or for stills either of the new 50mm G lenses. Also, with certain directions of lights (shining nearly directly into the lens) it has a nasty type of ghosting wide open. It's rare, but it is nasty when it happens. The 50mm f/1.8 AF-D is much better in that aspect.

Mechanically, I far prefer the 50mm AI-S over the E-series lenses I've tried. I think they're identical optically.

Thanks for this. I bid on a 1.4D last night and lost... Glad I didn't win it. I'd rather work with ai-s lenses, but they won't meter on my D5500, so I am kinda flying blind. Another poster informed me of a good trick... Take a second of video and the hit the play button to see a histogram of the previous shot. It works well but is still a little clunkier than I'd like. I like this Nikon so much, that I will probably get a D7200 for metering, zebras, Kelvin WB (even though AWB works pretty damn good) and headphone input.

Then I'll just stick with ai/ai-s lenses. But for now, I wouldn't mind one lens that metered on the 5500. That 1.8D is so cheap, I'll probably pick it up. Is the manual focus ring that bad?

49 minutes ago, Inazuma said:

BTW I think with the new Nikon E type lenses, the aperture can be controlled in liveview on bodies that previously couldn't (i.e. d3xxx, d5xxx and d7xxx). Or am I mistaken?

 

It certainly looks that way, but I can't tell if the maker of that video has his camera set to Photo LiveView, or Movie LiveView, or if that even makes a difference. Other than a refurbished 16-80mm... They're all out of my price range anyway. But they look like great lenses. 

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4 hours ago, mercer said:

Then I'll just stick with ai/ai-s lenses. But for now, I wouldn't mind one lens that metered on the 5500. That 1.8D is so cheap, I'll probably pick it up. Is the manual focus ring that bad?

It's really that bad. But it's also really cheap and i use it a lot for stills with the D750 since the glass is pretty sharp and the AF amazingly fast for the price. 

For video I only use AI/S glass, because the focus feel is essential for my taste.

Nonetheless I'd like to get a VR zoom lens as an all rounder for more casual stuff but I can't afford any of them right now...

And I've been there myself regarding Nikon's image. I've had Canon, Panasonic, Olympus and Blackmagic cameras and there is something about the dynamic range, color and cleanness in that small but robust file that makes me love my D750. With all the recent camera releases and announcements I've been considering switching to the A6500, the EM1 II or even the XT-2... but when I make an overall analysis of the trade-offs and my personal priorities, I cannot find a good reason to let the D750 go.

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31 minutes ago, Flaaandeeers said:

It's really that bad. But it's also really cheap and i use it a lot for stills with the D750 since the glass is pretty sharp and the AF amazingly fast for the price. 

For video I only use AI/S glass, because the focus feel is essential for my taste.

Nonetheless I'd like to get a VR zoom lens as an all rounder for more casual stuff but I can't afford any of them right now...

And I've been there myself regarding Nikon's image. I've had Canon, Panasonic, Olympus and Blackmagic cameras and there is something about the dynamic range, color and cleanness in that small but robust file that makes me love my D750. With all the recent camera releases and announcements I've been considering switching to the A6500, the EM1 II or even the XT-2... but when I make an overall analysis of the trade-offs and my personal priorities, I cannot find a good reason to let the D750 go.

I like S35, so I will probably just buy a D7200 on a Black Friday sale to get the extra exposure tools. I don't need to be spending extra money on lenses just so they'll meter on the D5500. I guess I'll also just keep the D5500 too for b-cam, I got it pretty cheap. 

I bought so many cameras over the past year chasing a particular image and I could have saved myself a bunch of time and money if I just bought the D5500 a year ago. Like you said, there is just something so cool about the image and its flexibility. 

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5 hours ago, mercer said:

Thanks for this. I bid on a 1.4D last night and lost... Glad I didn't win it. I'd rather work with ai-s lenses, but they won't meter on my D5500, so I am kinda flying blind. Another poster informed me of a good trick... Take a second of video and the hit the play button to see a histogram of the previous shot. It works well but is still a little clunkier than I'd like. I like this Nikon so much, that I will probably get a D7200 for metering, zebras, Kelvin WB (even though AWB works pretty damn good) and headphone input.

Then I'll just stick with ai/ai-s lenses. But for now, I wouldn't mind one lens that metered on the 5500. That 1.8D is so cheap, I'll probably pick it up. Is the manual focus ring that bad?

It certainly looks that way, but I can't tell if the maker of that video has his camera set to Photo LiveView, or Movie LiveView, or if that even makes a difference. Other than a refurbished 16-80mm... They're all out of my price range anyway. But they look like great lenses. 

 

The focus ring is certainly usable on the 50mm f/1.8 for manual focusing, but it doesn't feel as good as the AI-S. Difficult to be precise if you want to rack focus or such.

You could also buy a used 50mm f/1.8D. The used prices on those lenses have been roughly the same for 7-8 years - so if you're not happy with it, just sell it for the same money and get the 50mm AI-S f/1.8 instead. Just don't pay the extra price premium for the f/1.4D, the extra bucks aren't worth it.

Also, keep an eye out for the AI-S 50mm lenses, sometimes there's really nice ones to be found for nearly nothing. I found mine for about 50 euro - in mint condition.

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1 hour ago, dahlfors said:

 

 

The focus ring is certainly usable on the 50mm f/1.8 for manual focusing, but it doesn't feel as good as the AI-S. Difficult to be precise if you want to rack focus or such.

You could also buy a used 50mm f/1.8D. The used prices on those lenses have been roughly the same for 7-8 years - so if you're not happy with it, just sell it for the same money and get the 50mm AI-S f/1.8 instead. Just don't pay the extra price premium for the f/1.4D, the extra bucks aren't worth it.

Also, keep an eye out for the AI-S 50mm lenses, sometimes there's really nice ones to be found for nearly nothing. I found mine for about 50 euro - in mint condition.

Thanks, I think I'm just gonna stick with ai/ai-s lenses. I love the focus rings on them. Have you ever used the 1.4 ai-s? I have heard some mixed reviews. Once upon a time I had the K non-ai version and it wasn't that great, but I've never used the ai or ai-s versions. 

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4 minutes ago, mercer said:

Thanks, I think I'm just gonna stick with ai/ai-s lenses. I love the focus rings on them. Have you ever used the 1.4 ai-s? I have heard some mixed reviews. Once upon a time I had the K non-ai version and it wasn't that great, but U' e never used the ai or ai-s versions. 

Never used the 1.4 AI-S lenses. They are in general harder to come by (at least here in Sweden), and more expensive. The set of AI-S lenses I use is: 28mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/2 (can't remember if this is AI or AI-S version), and a 105mm f/2.5. All of them are excellent. If I'd be using APS-C crop, I think I'd skip the 28mm f/2.8 and get the sigma 18-35 f/1.8 if budget allows for it. On full frame, the 28mm f/2.8 is wide enough for my use.

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1 hour ago, dahlfors said:

Never used the 1.4 AI-S lenses. They are in general harder to come by (at least here in Sweden), and more expensive. The set of AI-S lenses I use is: 28mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/2 (can't remember if this is AI or AI-S version), and a 105mm f/2.5. All of them are excellent. If I'd be using APS-C crop, I think I'd skip the 28mm f/2.8 and get the sigma 18-35 f/1.8 if budget allows for it. On full frame, the 28mm f/2.8 is wide enough for my use.

Honestly, I have a 28mm f2 ai-s and I will rarely take that lens off the camera. I have that Polanski normal viewpoint I like, plus I am better when I have fewer options. However, after seeing The Revenant and The Witch, I would like one ultra wide zoom... Since I already have two manual AT-X Tokina zooms, I am looking to eventually get either the 11-20mm or the 14-20mm Tokina. I'd rather have the 14-20 for the extra stop. But I have to sell off a bunch of lenses before I will get one... Hopefully it will go on sale this Christmas. 

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1 hour ago, mercer said:

Another lazy Sunday messing with some footage, so I thought I'd share a couple more screengrabs shot with the 28mm f2...

 

 

Hey Merce! You had em all, them cams:) So, how do you like the Nikon 28mm?

By the way, as Andy Lee stated, the Canon FD 28mm 2.8 speedboosted is something like the Contax Zeiss is something

like the Hollywood 28mm F2.0 Zeiss. That way I can sleep well without nighmares about how many cool lenses I would have to buy:)

 

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56 minutes ago, PannySVHS said:

 

Hey Merce! You had em all, them cams:) So, how do you like the Nikon 28mm?

By the way, as Andy Lee stated, the Canon FD 28mm 2.8 speedboosted is something like the Contax Zeiss is something

like the Hollywood 28mm F2.0 Zeiss. That way I can sleep well without nighmares about how many cool lenses I would have to buy:)

 

Love the 28mm. Yeah I have made the rounds with cameras. I'm good for a while now though. Between the XC10 and the Nikon, I am really happy. How do you like the GX85?

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On 30.10.2016 at 9:47 PM, mercer said:

Love the 28mm. Yeah I have made the rounds with cameras. I'm good for a while now though. Between the XC10 and the Nikon, I am really happy. How do you like the GX85?

 

Have not received it yet. Hope it wasn´t just GAS. My G6 is serving me good enough actually. I think it is really true that from the 5DII, GH2, even DVX100 days on, it´s not the camera anymore but lights, blocking, shotdesign, action, visuality, composition, framing, ideas behind all those. So maybe it wasn´t the best of ideas to go for the GX85, and the bump

in image quality is not worth it. I will see. Feeling unsure right now. Okay, back to topic:)

 

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