Mixing Lenses (Zeiss + Nikon)

S

shortnstout

Well-known member
So I have a Nikon 50mm f1.4 that I'm not happy with and I'm considering getting a Zeiss 50mm. It would be very hard for me to pull off getting a whole Zeiss lens line-up because the other focal length lenses are too expensive for me. So I want to get a Zeiss 50mm and then a Nikon 28mm and 85mm. My question is, would it be bad to mix lenses in this way? Will color,contrast, sharpness differences be noticeable?
The reason I'm unhappy with my nikon 50mm is that when I rack focus there is significant lens jitter and its very hard to get a smooth shot. Its not the normal breathing that happens with racking focus, its like the front element of lens wobbles a little (because obviously these nikons weren't designed for movies). Would the Zeiss help with this? Or can anyone direct me specifically to a nikon that would work?
thanks! I look forward to hearing more zeiss reactions.
sns
 
Which Nikon is this one you have? Is it an older film or digital (AF?) lens?
If is from the manual generations and if the front element wobbles, cleaning&greasing might fix the problem. If it doesn't, another one from ebay could.
Even if you get them all Nikon, unless they belong to the same "era", they will not match each other in color, contrast, etc, (that matters A LOT when you shoot FILM).
In the video world, you have the WB at hand when you switch lenses, as for sharpness, they exceed anyway what the CCD/COMS can resolve and (guessing you want to use them on an image converter aka 35mm adapter) the GG grain becomes a factor more important than the lenses resolution (imo).
On the other hand, you could get the Zeiss (if you have in mind the lens made by Cosina) that coems with Nikon mount. I hope you were not thinking about 50 mm Zeiss for film caemras.
See more here:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/50-comparison/index.htm
I hope this helps you decide.
Best,
Dan
 
thanks Dan,
Yeah I figured either lens would exceed the necessary sharpness when using the GG of a 35mm adapter, but I've also noticed a HUGE difference in quality and punchiness of the image when using my 105mm Vivitar f2.5 macro as compared to my Nikon 50mm f1.4. I don't know exactly why but the image looks much more professional and impressive. Thanks for the info on Nikons varying outside of the same era- that point helps a lot. I'll try to get them to match with WB, etc. I went ahead and bought a Zeiss 50mm f1.4 (for still camera). I got a 'mint' used one for $400. Its not here yet so I hope its good. I wanted to try out the less expensive "normal" lens before going for a full set. Want to see if its worth it.
Thanks!
sns
 
shortnstout said:
thanks Dan,
Yeah I figured either lens would exceed the necessary sharpness when using the GG of a 35mm adapter, but I've also noticed a HUGE difference in quality and punchiness of the image when using my 105mm Vivitar f2.5 macro as compared to my Nikon 50mm f1.4. I don't know exactly why but the image looks much more professional and impressive. Thanks for the info on Nikons varying outside of the same era- that point helps a lot. I'll try to get them to match with WB, etc. I went ahead and bought a Zeiss 50mm f1.4 (for still camera). I got a 'mint' used one for $400. Its not here yet so I hope its good. I wanted to try out the less expensive "normal" lens before going for a full set. Want to see if its worth it.
Thanks!
sns
Click to expand...

Dude me too! I have a Vivitar 135mm that I used with my Nikon DSLR. Put it on the Redrock and I love the image from it. It's pretty much what you describe.

My Nikon 50mm isn't that bad... however my Nikon 105mm is kinda terrible and I'm looking for a Vivitar 105 or 90mm.

I think you'll be okay mixing lenses if you white balance between em.
 
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