Lenses...

Photoguy365 · Jun 10, 2018

Ok, so here is a question. Image quality. Leica 50mm R vs Zeiss 50mm. Given that an image is properly exposed, would there be any difference in image quality between a Leica 50mm on a Leica body versus a Zeiss 50mm on a Nikon F3? I know that this may be subjective... I'm in the process in getting into the world of Leica, but the vast majority of my gear is fully in the Nikon camp. Would I notice a huge improvement in IQ by pickup up a Zeiss for my F3 over the Nikkor AIS 50mm that I am currently using? Sharpness, detail, etc...?

darinwc · Jun 10, 2018

4season · Jun 10, 2018

Nope. Thing to remember is that Japanese companies became masters at offering very high quality at prices the Germans couldn't match. Which is why the Germans retreated to the luxury / high end market and Leica and Rollei offered so many special-edition products. There's nothing cheap about the way say the Nikon 50/1.8 AI is made, they were just really efficient at producing them and had big economies of scale working in their favor.

film_man · Jun 10, 2018

There will be a difference in overall look given that Zeiss, Leica and Nikon render differently but quality is just as high. I have shot quite a bit with the Nikon 50/1.4D, 50/1.2AIS, Leica 50/2R and Zeiss 50/1.4 ZF. I haven't shot them side by side but going through the photos in Lightroom the overall feel is that the Nikon 50/1.2 looks a bit like the Leica (sharp but gently if that makes sense), the Zeiss has its own look (high contrast, punchy stopped down but slightly hazy wide open in a good way) while the 50/1.4D is basically neutral.

You can't go wrong with any of them really, I mean none of these lenses will break a shot but they may add a little something if you get the right light and subject.

Edit:
PS
I've also owned numerous copies of the Nikon 50/1.8. Yes for the money it is a great lens but at f/2 it is just a nothing compared to any of the above mentioned lenses.

Ron789 · Jun 10, 2018

No. In real life you won't notice any difference. In a test setup you may notice marginal differences when putting results side-by-side. I did such tests with a Leitz Summicron-R 50 F/2 and 3 Carl Zeiss Ultron 50mm F/1.8 lenses. I found that 2 Ultrons performed better than the Summicron but one stayed behind. The differences only showed up at full opening and one stop down. As of F/4 no significant difference. But in normal photography the differences are too small to ever be noticed. If you mind about price/performance there are certainly better buys than Leitz lenses; they are way too expensive due to the hype and all the collectors buying them.

jjphoto · Jun 10, 2018

Photoguy365 said:
... Would I notice a huge improvement in IQ by pickup up a Zeiss for my F3 over the Nikkor AIS 50mm that I am currently using? Sharpness, detail, etc...?

No, you wont see a huge difference. In fact the main difference you'll notice is that your pictures will be out of focus because you'll habitually focus in the wrong direction (Nikon focuses in a different direction to most other brands) although you've not specified the exact Zeiss 50mm lens which may or may not focus in the Nikon direction.

The truth is that all lenses have differences in how they render an image, their out of focus rendition, edge sharpness, flare resistance etc etc. There is certainly a difference, but you may not see it or it may not matter to your photography. Try to compare the lenses you're considering in the types of circumstances you would normally use them in. If possible, try to make direct comparisons, ie comparing identical images.

WilmarcoImaging · Jun 10, 2018

Are you using color or black and white film? Colors likely will appear slightly different. Zeiss is known for a cooler rending.

narsuitus · Jun 10, 2018

I shoot with Leica, Zeiss, Nikon, Fuji, Panasonic, Takumar, and Vivitar lenses. I periodically perform comparative image tests on these lenses. In general, all these lenses are capable of producing high-quality images. Here are some of the results that surprised me:

50mm f/1.4 8-element Takumar lens superior to my 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor

135mm f/2 Zeiss superior to my 135mm f/2 Nikkor

28mm f/2.8 Nikkor equal to my 28mm f/2 Zeiss

35mm f/1.4 Zeiss, 35mm f/1.4 Nikkor, 23mm f/1.4 Fujinon very similar in performance

21mm f/1.4 Leica and 21mm f/2.8 Zeiss very similar in performance

28mm f/2.8 Vivitar performed slightly better than my 28mm f/2.8 Takumar

105mm f/2.8 Takumar equal to 105mm f/2.5 Nikkor

21mm Lens Test by Narsuitus, on Flickr

flavio81 · Jun 16, 2018

Photoguy365 said:
Ok, so here is a question. Image quality. Leica 50mm R vs Zeiss 50mm. Given that an image is properly exposed, would there be any difference in image quality between a Leica 50mm on a Leica body versus a Zeiss 50mm on a Nikon F3? I know that this may be subjective... I'm in the process in getting into the world of Leica, but the vast majority of my gear is fully in the Nikon camp. Would I notice a huge improvement in IQ by pickup up a Zeiss for my F3 over the Nikkor AIS 50mm that I am currently using? Sharpness, detail, etc...?

I have used so many 50-58mm lenses, the list goes like this:

Pentax
55/1.8
50/1.4 takunar
50/1.4 KA

Canon
FD 50/1.8
FD 55/1.2
R 50/1.8
FD 50/1.4

Nikon
50/1.4 Nikkor-S
58/1.4 Nikkor-S
50/2 Nikkor-H
50/1.8 AI
55/2.8 Micro

misc
Helios 58/2

... not to mention medium format lenses...

There are so many -- my advice now is to choose the ones who give better rendering or bokeh/etc.

In that regard the best I own is the lowly russian Helios44-2, the special Nikkor 58/1.4 and the Canon 55/1.2. They are great. I think the Pentax 55/1.8 is also good in this regard, as well as the 55/2.8 Micro-Nikkor.

The Nikkor AI 50/1.8 you own is extremely sharp, but I did not like the rendering at all, thus I sold it.

BradS · Jun 16, 2018

darinwc said:
No

+1

Paul Howell · Jun 16, 2018

Both lens are very good, well not good but excellent, you may find a difference in color rendering, maybe on bench you would some small difference in resolution. In terms of distortion I don't think you will see any difference. But if you were to shoot a Nikon. Leica, and Zeiss or for matter a Sigma 50mm 1.4 and print to 11X14 to 16X20 I don't think you would be able to tell difference in a double blind viewing. Maybe if your printing really large the Leica and Zeiss would stand out. Of contemporary lens the sharpest 50 1.4 may be the Sigma Art.

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