FS7: Zeiss Milvus

And one more time in case you missed it the multiple times I wrote it, you understand what the nature of what that test was right?
 
Lol Doug, Yes we know what you are talking about. I said the bokeh was 'nervous' several posts ago. Ben said, he was just stress testing the lens...
 
Add some oil...

I think Bokeh is overrated these days. The term is só 1997.

I would like 35mm lenses with endless sharpness at F2.0 Why give viewers only 1% sharpness on their expensive big screens?

Have a nice weekend :-)
 
I don't want to get into the shouting match here about those shots - more an educational interest on my part. I actually do agree with Doug that I found all 3 of the shots that Ben posted unpleasant looking. Now I realize they were just lens tests so I'm not judging Ben or the lens, but I'm wondering why I didn't like them.

I frankly don't understand exactly what people mean by nervous bokeh or even what they judge as good or bad bokeh though I know what I like when I see it. I assumed that the bokeh was not that interesting or smooth just because it was a 21mm lens and just not that out of focus, and also the shots weren't framed to really pop from the backgrounds - but maybe I was reacting to so-called "nervous bokeh" .

How do you define "nervous bokeh" and what kind of booked do you prefer? Is there a 21mm that might have made this look better , or was it the result just of using any 21mm lens for those shots.
 
Well there's a technical ideal in terms of bokeh and a completely subjective one. Nervous or 'swirly' bokeh is often distracting and OTT but also can be great fun and is the reason lenses like the Helios 44-m2 and Jupiter9 are still so popular. Because they do things like this

iR3aoYS.jpg


Clear, clean perfectly circular bokeh with hint of angles of the iris shape, no donuts or onion skin artefacts tends to be the holy grail people are in search of.
 
the 21mm Zeiss has a lot of micro contrast which causes the out of focus parts to fall off faster from the in focus parts of the image which gives you that 3d look it needs some distance to the background to blur "pleasantly"
 
Actually Ben I almost mentioned the Helios look which I really like but some people call nervous. Nevertheless I guess I'm asking why did I dislike the shots you posted with the 21mm? Did you like them as images rather than just as tests? Did you like the bokeh?

By the way was that shot taken with the Jupiter or the Helios? I love it!
 
I opened the box, stuck it on the camera, went outside pressed the shutter 3 times and came back in. I wasn't trying to make a nice image. Just seeing how close it focuses and then looking at highlight recovery.

I'll do some 'proper' shots with it over the next few days and we can all evaluate what we think of it then.

As long as I have time I'll take some requests for what people would like to see.
 
I would love to see a shot with straight lines and corner sharpness at f4-5.6. I love those scenes with things happening all over the frame and its very hard to come by wide glass that can do it well :)
 
Are there any video tests of the Milvus in comparison w/the Otus out there?

I'm wondering what practical differences there are wide open, etc...? I have the 50/85 Milvus and I know there's a 55 Otus in town. Would anyone be interested in a real-world comparison test? Possibly toss in the Sigma 50ART as well. I find the charts to be a bit boring but I've gone looking for this test a few times and haven't found one yet.

Cheers,
 
I rented both to try on a project I would be lying if I said that I could detect massive IQ differences in 1080p. Im sure that there are. But the mechanical difference is massive the focussing on the Otus is 250 degrees vs 120 on the Milvus also the mechanics of the focusing on the Otus is ballbearing based similar to the master primes.
Is that enough to justify paying triple? To me it is since almost everything I do is covered by a 50 hopping on and off a speed booster on a S35.
 
I rented both to try on a project I would be lying if I said that I could detect massive IQ differences in 1080p. Im sure that there are. But the mechanical difference is massive the focussing on the Otus is 250 degrees vs 120 on the Milvus also the mechanics of the focusing on the Otus is ballbearing based similar to the master primes.
Is that enough to justify paying triple? To me it is since almost everything I do is covered by a 50 hopping on and off a speed booster on a S35.

Good feedback, thanks. Haven't held the Otus yet!

Wow, you mostly use one lens? Mind my asking what kind of work? That's gotta be convenient!
 
Thanks for posting these Ben. Obviously, it's a little tricky to judge the distortion on a medieval manor house - I'm guessing those beams might have sagged a little over the past 700 years:-) Sweet pics though.

Annoyingly, I've had to hold off on my Milvus order as my next two shoots are with Cannon Cine Primes.
 
Last edited:
Yup good point although the long wall doesn't show much in bending or moving :)

Never shot on those Canons. Report back.
 
Back
Top