Zeiss ZFs - Good Investment?

Actually, it probably has less to do with cost on 35mm adapters and more to do with 35mm Adapters + Wide Angles = Very bad edges. Sub Ultimate, anything else I've seen looks horrid when you get below 35mm.

I do agree that something around an 18mm is pretty detrimental to a lens set. I'm STILL here waiting on my full set of ZF's which does have the 18 and 21mm in it.

ARg. Won't even have anything to use them on yet though. Sad.
 
Resale value is pretty good – if you buy used. About a year and a half ago I bought a set of used ZF's (25, 35, 50, 85) on eBay and recently sold them again on eBay (I kept the 50mm, since that's the one I use most often). Even after the eBay selling fees, I pretty much broke even on the ZF's.. On the other hand, if I had invested that money in something with a higher rate of return, I could have made money, instead of merely broken even. Hindsight is 20/20 of course... ; )
 
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they are good. not great. i dont think they are that sharp. but im comparing them to much higher level glass.....
 
optimo. MAster primes. S4's.....

just did a music video where primary photography was on an Optimo, and the pickup shots were on Zf's. They looked great on a 1080p downconvert, but were a bit softer at full 4k.

I think they look great. Sometimes a bit softer is better for narritive.....


considering the price difference i think they give the best bang for the buck.
 
Lately I've also been thinking of getting a set of the ZF's too, from RPLens or Matt Duclos, and add a 21mm to the mix. That would bring the cost to about 6K from RPlens. I can deduct this stuff for taxes, and I have to make any planned purchases before year end. But I finally decided not to do it for personal reasons, which probably don't apply to everyone here:

I only need a 24mm F2 Nikon AIS to complete a somewhat equivalent Nikon set of lenses. The two sets would be redundant, and if I sold the Nikons they would only bring a partial amount to cover the cost of the new ZF's. If you have no Nikon lens set, than I could see how it's still an attractive option. I know the ZFs are nice in many ways, but they are far more expensive than used Nikons.

The ZFs are more contrasty than the manual focus Nikons from what I've seen of stills and video, but the difference isn't so great to make me go through the switch. The ZFs also focus the same way as Nikons, and their throw while better than most still lenses, ain't anywhere near UPs or the new Compact Primes. As a focus puller, I think it would really get on my nerves the way that Bogen tilts and pans get on my nerves and I would never take myself seriously. Having them geared with 80mm fronts would only mask their unsuitability for a while. Nikons would be a good set for fun and freebies where I don't have to account for or redeem much expense at all.

I kinda lusted after the Compact Primes for a while but would have to get a loan out from family to get them, since I don't shoot bigger shows to warrant buying a 24K lens set of my own. Better to rent this stuff and let other people deal with the headache (and profits) of rentals. But I'm an optimist and hope the Euro won't go sky high so maybe I can justify a purchase like that in a few years.

I have a set of BNCR mount cine lenses from the 70's that I'm going to get reconditioned with the thousands I don't spend.
 
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TimurCivan said:
they are good. not great. i dont think they are that sharp. but im comparing them to much higher level glass.....
Click to expand...


Apples/oranges.......For the price and consistant colour match through the range of primes, the ZF's are a no brainer.
 
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