1DsMII and 24-70L

RalphEisenberg · #15 04-12-2005, 10:21 AM

It is a regrettable fact that an insidious but rarely reported side effect of Canon wide angle glass is the highly contagious Mancuso's Syndrome characterized by acute Zeissitis that ramifies into chronic financial insolvency.

Guy_Mancuso · #16 04-12-2005, 10:30 AM

Better known by the common name of Z virus. LOL

DonFarrall · #17 04-12-2005, 09:57 PM

I have a number of Canon lenses including all mentioned here. I am a former Nikon user and have generally been dissapointed in the Canon lens offerings. I have a 1Ds and a 1DsMark2, these are indeed incredible cameras and as has been suggested a camera capable of this level of capture requires excellent lenses. My comparison to the Nikon lenses may not be fair, because I can't easily make a direct comparison. Still I use the nikon lenses with a 16Mega Pixel (36mm square) Sinar back and from what I can tell the Nikon lenses have the edge over the Canon lenses. I have heard talk about the Canon wide lenses not being up to the task, and yet I am quite happy with the 17-40. As for vignetting, on any of these lenses this doesn't seem to bother me too much, I don't shoot too many things that are negatively effected by this aberation. I find the barrel distortion very anoying. And at times focus seems to be somewhat soft. I am least impressed with the 24-70L. I just think that over all it should be better. With the advent of such a capable camera I would like to see Canon design some no excuses fixed length lenses that rival the best in the world. I would be quite willing to pay twice the price for a few really top performance lenses. Those of us that have worked in medium and large format are used to paying $3,000 for a good lens, I would like to see Canon take up the task. I believe that this issue will plague Canon as these new cameras really challenge lens preformance.

Don Farrall

Eric_Chan · #18 04-12-2005, 11:03 PM

Don, I don't agree at all. IMO, Canon does in fact have some of the finest "no excuses fixed length lenses" in the world. Some of these include the 35 f/1.4, 85 f/1.2, 135 f/2, their entire super-tele line, and a bunch of others not mentioned here. The offerings in the wide and super-wide may be relatively weak, but on the whole the EF lineup is very strong.

Eric

Bill_Foote · #19 04-12-2005, 11:52 PM

OK, to put in my 2¢ worth:

1. The Canon "long glass" has no competition: i.e. 200-600. I am a sports shooter, and on the sidelines you will see 95% Canon glass. When papers and magazines can buy whatever they want (and get loaners too) they pick the best there is, and it's Canon.

2. Since getting the 1Ds I have become adamant about lens testing. It started with the 24/1.4L and the 35/1.4L vs. the 24-70/2.8L and the Zeiss 25, 28, and 35. I sent back the 24 and the 35 Canons because the 24-70 was so good at apertures of 5.6 and higher, and that was my need at that time (two years ago). I am now in line for the 35/1.4L because my needs have changed and I want the "wide-open" look that I didn't need before, plus the utter sharpness that the 35 offers across the full frame. As far as the Zeiss 25, 28, and 35, they are no better than the Canon in my testing! This was done on the "brick wall" test. I realize that I'm stepping on the toes of a fellow Arizonan and his love for Z glass, but my tests are what I have to go with.

3. Two generations later (1D2 and 1Ds2) and I am more convinced of Canon's superior lenses than ever. That is not to say they can't make anything better, and I really would love a portrait zoom, e.g. 50-125/2.0L. OK maybe I'm dreaming, but in my hands, that would be it! I have compared similar images shot with my RZ of the Golden Gate Bridge and other images with my 4x5 with Nikon glass, and quite frankly, my digital prints are superior to the RZ and 4x5, using the Canon primes.

In the end it's what system you can handle and what gives you your image you have in mind, and the image you have pre-ordained, and the body or lens or tripod or meter or lens shade is only your set of tools. Again, my 2¢ worth, but it's been because of 13 years of experience since moving over to Canon from Contax/Zeiss.

Bill/SOB

Guy_Mancuso · #20 04-13-2005, 01:05 AM

Bill I still love ya man. But the 18,25mm is not one of Zeiss's finest lens . The 21mm Distagon is just unmatched, I have tried everything and nothing comes close. The 15mm is a very good lens and I like it very much for what it is and not what it could be a 21mm performer but very good and no CA. The 28 2.8 is a bargain lens but performs very well. The 50 1.7 is better than the Canon 1.4 in my mind. Now the sleeper is the 35-70 zoom , it is very good. But the one you never ever hear about is on it's way from germany as we speak. the Zeiss 35 pc lens that is excellent corner to corner even fully shifted. But it ain't cheap and hard to find.

Now having said that there may be a better a 35mm lens out there in Zeiss but the Canon 35mm 1.4 is just so hard to beat and the 24 1.,4 is no slouch but after that canon is very weak with the wide end. The 24MM Tse is soft in the corners but once you hit there tele's 50 macro, 85 1.2, 135 f2 my all time favorite lens the 200 1.8 and anything they have above that is just awesome and being a old Nikon shooter the canon has the edge here, no doubt.

But Canon needs to wake up a little because if I have 6 Zeiss lenses than something is wrong ( I really am not crazy) and they better come to the plate very soon or there going to lose Pro's . there are just to many of us scrambling to either buy Zeiss lense or find beter alternatives to what is being offered and it better be primes. My casual wake up call. LOL

Bill_Foote · #21 04-13-2005, 01:22 AM

Guy,

I yield to your knowledge of the wide end, and in that I do very little of it. Rarely architecture, sometimes scenics, etc. BTW, i have just now started doing some 3 or 4 frame PhotoMerge composites and they are truly stunning! E.g. a 3-frame of the Yosemite Valley with the 85/1.2L in vertical, using PhotoMerge, I've never seen anything close to it at 24" X 48."

Back to reality, and making all this fun pay. Great time to be a photographer!

Bill/SOB

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