Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/12/01

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Subject: [Leica] Comparison of DMR to Nikon D800E the cheap nikon 28-80
From: mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)
Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:43:34 -0500

correction some distortion in software is a no brainier it seamless part of
the stuff you do in your adobe camera raw filter software before you get to
Photoshop or Lightroom.. Normally your correcting stuff you used to live
with all the time but never noticed . Also distortion that nobody mentioned
before. Everyone's hyper aware of pin cushion or barrel distortion now
becuae they want to know that number they have to punch in and fix it. Make
all their lines line up to the grid. You want something non distorted out of
the box you don't use a zoom you use a prime and preferably a non retrofocus
optic. You use a true symmetrical wide angle lens like a real Biogon. The
kind of lens you'd have to lock up your mirror to use on an SLR.
If your not doing architectural or interiors for clients I'd not worry about
it. Street shooters sure don't for the most part.

Mark William Rabiner
Photography
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/


> From: Aram Langhans <leica_r8 at hotmail.com>
> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2012 16:48:26 -0800
> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Comparison of DMR to Nikon D800E the cheap nikon 28-80
> 
> I'll look into that one.  My main concern is replacing my DX 10-24 with
> something comparable.  That lens is really pretty good.  Much better than 
> my
> father-in-law's 12-24 and much better than the Tokina 12-24 I had for my
> Canon.  And it is light, to boot.  Corner performance is really quite good.
> I have nothing  Leica to compare it to in that focal range, other than the
> 24/2.8R I have not converted to Nikon mount.
> 
> My possible choice is the 16-35/4 Nikon.  I don't want the 14-24/2.8 Nikon.
> I want to be able to use filters and not have that massive lens exposed to
> the elements all the time.  Too much money to risk that.  That said, it
> seems like all the zooms I read about talk about the horrendous distortions
> they have. They do say it is correctable in software, but I guess I am
> spoiled by my Leica and before that by Zeiss glass.  Why spend well over 
> $1K
> for a lens that has this distortion and has to be corrected with software?
> And when you do correct, the sharpness does suffer as you stretch and
> massage pixels into their correct position.
> 
> Aram
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Rabiner
> Sent: Saturday, December 01, 2012 12:42 PM
> To: Leica Users Group
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Comparison of DMR to Nikon D800E the cheap nikon 28-80
> 
> For two solid weeks I've been shooting with a normal zoom nikon kit lens of
> the pervious film fueled decade.
> The Nikon 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G
> 
> On my D700
> 
> Straight from the dark side:
> http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/28-80mm-g.htm
> 
> " The Nikon 28-80mm G is a dinky 7-ounce (190g) plastic zoom with 
> incredibly
> good performance."
> " Incredible means unbelievable. The performance of this lens is so good
> that no one will believe it possibly can come from a lens this cheap."
> 
> Cheap means 50 bucks.
> 
> " The Nikkor 28-80mm G is one of Nikon's most popular lenses of all time.
> Nikon made over a million and a half of these, so you will find them
> everywhere. Mine came attached to an N55."
> 
> I bought an N55 so I could get this lens. I used the camera once.
> 
> " The front element is a compound aspherical. This means Nikon glues a thin
> plastic corrector over another spherical glass element, giving the
> performance of an aspherical lens at a low price"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mark William Rabiner
> Photography
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/
> 
> 
>> From: Aram Langhans <leica_r8 at hotmail.com>
>> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
>> Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2012 09:55:32 -0800
>> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Comparison of DMR to Nikon D800E
>> 
>> That's what I have gathered.  But as you say, expensive, and indeed heavy.
>> One of my prime considerations for lens choice is weight, as I hike all
>> over
>> with them.  They could be with me for 10 hours in a day.  I thought the
>> 35/70 was heavy at one time, but nothing compared to my current Nikon
>> 24-120/4 I bought at the last minute to substitute for the 35/70 when I
>> dropped it and broke it a few weeks before a two month trip, so I needed
>> something.  the 24/120 was lighter and smaller than the 24-70/2.8
>> 
>> Aram
>> 
>> 
>> --------------------------------------------------
>> From: <grduprey at mchsi.com>
>> Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 10:54 PM
>> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org>
>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Comparison of DMR to Nikon D800E
>> 
>>> Aram,
>>> 
>>> I will try to do it this weekend.  However, I can tell you the 24/70 f2.8
>>> is a real gem of a lens.  Fast focussing, quiet and sharp.  Also
>>> expensive.
>>> 
>>> Cheers,
>>> Gene
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Aram Langhans" <leica_r8 at hotmail.com>
>>> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org>
>>> Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 9:01:21 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
>>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Comparison of DMR to Nikon D800E
>>> 
>>> Would love to see the 35/70 R vs the 24/70 N.  I am considering the D600,
>>> but will have to replace my Nikon DX 10-24 with something.  In looking at
>>> what Nikon has to offer for FF in that range, I cringe at every review
>>> when
>>> they talk about the massive amount of distortion, or the edge
>>> performance.
>>> That seems to be universal for zooms with Nikon and Canon and xxxx.  But
>>> I
>>> have never noticed much with the 35/70 R.  But have never done any
>>> objective
>>> tests.  Hope you have the time to make this comparison.
>>> 
>>> Aram
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: grduprey at mchsi.com
>>> Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 2:50 PM
>>> To: Leica Users Group
>>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Comparison of DMR to Nikon D800E
>>> 
>>> Frank,
>>> 
>>> No I have not seen any comparisons of the DMR and D800E.  Can't comment
>>> on
>>> the D800, but I do have a D4, and just off the top, the DMR does a fair
>>> job
>>> against the D4 for an 8? year old design.  Although I have not made a
>>> side
>>> by side comparison of images.  The D4 kills the DMR when it comes to high
>>> ISO, and kills just about anything else in that category.  The D4 is very
>>> waterproof, from recent experience, where the DMR may not be as good, as
>>> I
>>> keep it out of the rain when I am not shooting, but it has not had any
>>> glitches when it did get wet, but I worry about the motor to camera
>>> interface not being too water tight.  They are both heavy, pretty close
>>> actually, the DMR on the R8 is a bit shorter than the D4.  Turn on is
>>> much
>>> slower with the DMR, and so is write speed.  The buffer on the DMR is
>>> very
>>> small, where the D4 buffer is vast and you can shoot rapidly with no
>>> problem
>>> of the camera slowing down (great for bird in flight photos), although i
>>> would bet Doug would out do it with the DMR and a single click ;).  The
>>> R8DMR is a bit quieter, noise wise, but the D4 beats the D800 or D700 by
>>> light years in this area.  I prefer the simplicity of the DMR controls
>>> over
>>> those of the D4, although the D4 controls are well laid out, when
>>> compared
>>> to earlier Nikon DSLRs, and definitely better than Canon DSLRs.  You can
>>> get
>>> D4 batteries, where the DMR batteries are rarer than Hen's Teeth, and
>>> must
>>> be rebuilt or use an external source if you cannot get them rebuilt.  The
>>> charge also lasts way longer than the DMR's batteries, although they are
>>> not
>>> cheap by any measure.  The auto focus on the D4 is simply AMAZING! It
>>> locks
>>> on very fast and no hunting at all, even in low light, MF with the D4 and
>>> older MF Nikkors is very good also, as it has a bright view finder (but
>>> not
>>> as quite as bright as the R8 I think).  MF on the DMR is getting a bit
>>> slow
>>> with my 64 year old eyes, but still works good in most light levels.
>>> Build
>>> for both is excellent, but would give the D4 a bit of a nod here, due to
>>> the
>>> previously mentioned motor to camera body interface of the DMR.  I will
>>> go
>>> out this weekend and do a side by side image test of the two, probably
>>> with
>>> the 180/2.8 MF Nikkor, and the 180/3.4 R APO lenses (Similar vintage
>>> lenses), don't have any other similar lenses to compare.  But could do a
>>> comparison of my 35~70R zoom and my 24~70 AF-S Nikkor zoom.  Any thing I
>>> have not covered, that you would like to know?
>>> 
>>> CHEERS,
>>> Gene
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Frank Filippone" <red735i at verizon.net>
>>> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org>
>>> Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 1:22:20 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central
>>> Subject: [Leica] Comparison of DMR to Nikon D800E
>>> 
>>> Has anyone seen a comparison of the DMR and the Nikon D800E?  Using Leica
>>> glass, of course.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Frank Filippone
>>> 
>>> Red735i at verizon.net
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>> 
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Leica Users Group.
>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information




In reply to: Message from leica_r8 at hotmail.com (Aram Langhans) ([Leica] Comparison of DMR to Nikon D800E the cheap nikon 28-80)