Is the S5 Pro still a worthwhile buy?

[fWord]

i had compared the 16-85 to zf primes 50 & 85mm before.. sharpness for the 16-85 is resonably sharp, one of the sharpest kit lenses

the comparison was done at closer focus distances, not at infinity, both ZFs may appear to resolve better than the 16-85, but i admit i cheated a little, cuz on the 16-85 i used AF, but for the ZF, i bracketed the focus on manual focus, took abt 5-6 shots with very very fine focus adjustments and chose the sharpest one, this was with the aid of a focus screen and the green dot. it appears that very minor adjustments, affected the pixel peeping sharpness

chances is that on near field focussing, not at infinity distances, one may not get superbly optimal resolution unless they've been well accustomed to focussing accurately and properly.

that was why i gave up all my ZFs, because what i was shooting, didnt require that sort of resolution when my AIS nikkors could give me the bokeh i liked.

yes, the coating of t* has an effect on the contrast of the image and the color sensitivity, but proper choice of the right nikkors, they too have similar properties. not all nikkors are up to that coating standard, actually.. most are not.

It's actually not a big surprise if ZF glass manages to outresolve a good proportion of lenses from more recent manufacturers. That's where the appeal comes from I suppose, otherwise those who are forgoing AF just to use all this alternate glass are simply fooling themselves.

What you said however is entirely right. ZF glass might be sharper, but AF could well be more important than the difference in sharpness, contrast and colour and it would depend on the individual user to decide what is more important. I've generally stuck to still subjects and hence MF is not a big problem. Increasingly I've moved on to portraiture and realized that AF could occasionally be helpful, but have thus far managed without it anyway.

There's some talk about older Nikkor glass being superior to even some of the newest optics. What's your take on that statement?

 

[fWord]

sensor cleaning is simple lah. The sensor is quite hard to scratch. The trick is only getting it SPOTLESS.

My time with the s3pro has taught me how to clean sensors as fujifilm is SO EXPENSIVE for cleaning sensor.

Or maybe I'll consider cleaning the sensor only once every 5 years to keep costs down! Depends on the characteristic on the sensor and how likely it is to attract dust. It's a pain but its another of those things I manage by cloning them out in PS. My camera sensor is far from clean at the moment but for the outdoor pre-wedding shoot I did recently, there was no issue with dust at all.

 

[psychobiologist]

It's actually not a big surprise if ZF glass manages to outresolve a good proportion of lenses from more recent manufacturers. That's where the appeal comes from I suppose, otherwise those who are forgoing AF just to use all this alternate glass are simply fooling themselves.

What you said however is entirely right. ZF glass might be sharper, but AF could well be more important than the difference in sharpness, contrast and colour and it would depend on the individual user to decide what is more important. I've generally stuck to still subjects and hence MF is not a big problem. Increasingly I've moved on to portraiture and realized that AF could occasionally be helpful, but have thus far managed without it anyway.

There's some talk about older Nikkor glass being superior to even some of the newest optics. What's your take on that statement?

i've kinda given up on the resolution to the pixel level, esp when i print its not easily discernable, but one important thing to me, is the level/quality of shadow resolution that is, but nevermind on that..

unsharp mask in photoshop does wonders in most of my workflow. i'll prefer a lens that has the ideal bokeh characteristics that i like.. which explains most of my fickleness switching from different lenses of the same focal length from time to time..

some older nikkor lenses are really good cuz of the lense formulas, thats if you use them in the right lighting conditions take for example the 105 f2.5, if the scene's well lit, not overly bright, not overly dark, contrast and bokeh is really good, but if scene is too bright, you get terrible CA, v hard to repair the image.

choosing lenses wisely is important if you're all a color person.. if a lens has poorer contrast, it would be a waste to use it on a more dynamic dslr

 

[Zenten]

sensor cleaning is simple lah. The sensor is quite hard to scratch. The trick is only getting it SPOTLESS.

My time with the s3pro has taught me how to clean sensors as fujifilm is SO EXPENSIVE for cleaning sensor.

Agree to it ..... it's a piece of cake .... Fuji technicians also human too ..........

 

[photobum]

My simple logic is:

• If my images are just going to be appeared in 4R or 8R prints, I will use any Nikon AF lenses I grab from my dry cabinet.
• But if I know my images are going to be printed 16" x 20" or larger, I will use either my Carl Zeiss ZF, my favorite Nikkor 58mm f1.2 NOCT or the Nikon 105mm f2 DC.

 

[nakedtoes]

photoBum... may i know what setting u use for yr S5 Pro?

Like in std mode , what sharpening, tone, NR etc u set to .. thank u very much .. hope to learn from u guys:sweatsm:

 

[Henessy]

I use 400% DR, medium high for contrast and colour. Sharpening highest. NR I set to org which is lowest.

 

[photobum]

photoBum... may i know what setting u use for yr S5 Pro?

Like in std mode , what sharpening, tone, NR etc u set to .. thank u very much .. hope to learn from u guys:sweatsm:

I use what I feel like using (I don't tie myself down with a set of fixed settings. I think this practice is dumb as different settings can give an image a totally new look with surprisingly good results sometimes.

And since I shoot in RAF, I tweak the DR in HyperUtility HS-V3.

 

[soeypixels]

but since there no s6 with high iso nor FF
the fuji win in terms of color

if u got all the time to shoot what u want.. go s5
if u want speed and higher iso then nikon

i wont sell my current s5 still considering if i should get 1 more s5 or nikon since i just sold my d70.
I need the high ISO performance but i will miss fuji color :bsmilie:
:sweat:

 

[fWord]

i've kinda given up on the resolution to the pixel level, esp when i print its not easily discernable, but one important thing to me, is the level/quality of shadow resolution that is, but nevermind on that..

unsharp mask in photoshop does wonders in most of my workflow. i'll prefer a lens that has the ideal bokeh characteristics that i like.. which explains most of my fickleness switching from different lenses of the same focal length from time to time..

some older nikkor lenses are really good cuz of the lense formulas, thats if you use them in the right lighting conditions take for example the 105 f2.5, if the scene's well lit, not overly bright, not overly dark, contrast and bokeh is really good, but if scene is too bright, you get terrible CA, v hard to repair the image.

choosing lenses wisely is important if you're all a color person.. if a lens has poorer contrast, it would be a waste to use it on a more dynamic dslr

Ah yes, that's right. Does depend on how large the prints are I suppose. In a 4X6" the shadow and highlight detail is going to be more important than mere sharpness. There's a 8MP photo I have that is full of subject blur but the thing looks completely sharp in 4X6". Anything looks sharp at that size I suppose. With the 11MP images from the 1Ds now I'm finding the 8X12" prints to look even better than what I'm seeing on screen, which is perhaps a hint that I could be printing even larger sizes with this camera.

I've read about the 105/2.5, an oft-mentioned piece of glass that is considered lengendary by some users, but at least according to your experience it has its weaknesses as well and it's all a matter of employing the right glass for the right situation. The 105mm lens that I'm really tempted by is the Micro 105mm that has VR as well, if I'm not wrong. It'd be expensive, but a macro lens with VR sounds like an interesting proposition.

After using a bunch of Leica lenses I've come to love the uber contrast and resolution. Unfortunately to the best of my knowledge they will not fit on a Nikon mount DSLR, so if I switch, I'd be going for CZ glass, which is similarly lengendary for its own reasons but the characteristics are said to be different (not better or worse) than Leica.

 

[fWord]

Agree to it ..... it's a piece of cake .... Fuji technicians also human too ..........

Advantage of having them clean it is that I can blame THEM if the cleaning job goes wrong. :bsmilie: Similarly I'm completely at ease having the Canon center clean my camera sensor. If they stuff it up I know I'd get a replacement.

Having said that they left small smudges on my AA filter after the last clean, which has never happened before, so it was a slip-short job that they'd have to rectify when I bring the camera for cleaning next year. But there's absolutely no effect on the pictures, and the dust that is there now doesn't bother me too much either. Just got to be careful to clone it out.

 

[fWord]

My simple logic is:

• If my images are just going to be appeared in 4R or 8R prints, I will use any Nikon AF lenses I grab from my dry cabinet.
• But if I know my images are going to be printed 16" x 20" or larger, I will use either my Carl Zeiss ZF, my favorite Nikkor 58mm f1.2 NOCT or the Nikon 105mm f2 DC.

So in your opinion, the Nikon AF glass you use is not suitable for larger prints? I was looking at the new 16-85 VR but it's not available in Australia yet. That thing is supposed to be sharp corner to corner.

What's your opinion of Voigtlander 58mm f/1.4 Nokton? Thinking about using this as my portrait lens if I buy S5.

 

[fWord]

but since there no s6 with high iso nor FF
the fuji win in terms of color

if u got all the time to shoot what u want.. go s5
if u want speed and higher iso then nikon

i wont sell my current s5 still considering if i should get 1 more s5 or nikon since i just sold my d70.
I need the high ISO performance but i will miss fuji color :bsmilie:
:sweat:

There's still some speculation regarding whether there will be an S6 or not. I'm a slow shooter to start off with, firing just one shot each time for the most part, unless I need a burst to make sure people don't end up blinking in my photos. Plus manual focus. Very slow. But it works and I've proved it to myself that I can actually manage with it. So the S5 isn't going to be any slower for me, except I read it takes ages to write the uncompressed RAW files to card.

Since you have the luxury of owning two separate systems then you can cater your choice for your purposes. One setup for each purpose. I'd love to have 2 setups also.

 

[photobum]

So in your opinion, the Nikon AF glass you use is not suitable for larger prints?

Don't get me wrong. Not that they are not sharp (in fact my Nikon 17-35 f2.8 AFS is super sharp), just that they are a 'no-brainer' to use. And zoom lenses, are in my opinion, still a tad bit softer then fixed focal length lenses.

What's your opinion of Voigtlander 58mm f/1.4 Nokton? Thinking about using this as my portrait lens if I buy S5.

A very good and reasonably priced piece of optics. This lens gives very similar contrast and colors characteristics when compared to Leica Elmarit lenses. Most former Leica-users I know appreciate this lens greatly. Another good buy is the Apo-Lanthar 90mm F3.5 (not even Carl Zeiss ZF lenses have APO coating).

 

[photobum]

except I read it takes ages to write the uncompressed RAW files to card.

If you think the S5 Pro is slower, wait until you have tried a Ricoh GR Digital (my other camera). It takes 21 seconds to write an uncompressed RAW file, but I am used to it already.

 

[photobum]

More dynamic range test images under blazing bright morning sun.

Uncropped JPEG. Dynamic Range set to 100%.

Uncropped JPEG. Dynamic Range set to 400%.

 

[photobum]

Sharpness test (not sharpening ):

Original RAF converted with Fujifilm HyperUtility HS-V3. No sharpening. Lens used: Nikon 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 AFD (a S$400 lens).

Cropped portion.

 

[nakedtoes]

Comes across this review comparing the dynamic range..:thumbsup:

http://anthonyonphotography.blogspot.com/2007/04/initial-review-of-fujifilm-s5-pro.html

 

[psychobiologist]

I've read about the 105/2.5, an oft-mentioned piece of glass that is considered lengendary by some users, but at least according to your experience it has its weaknesses as well and it's all a matter of employing the right glass for the right situation. The 105mm lens that I'm really tempted by is the Micro 105mm that has VR as well, if I'm not wrong. It'd be expensive, but a macro lens with VR sounds like an interesting proposition.

After using a bunch of Leica lenses I've come to love the uber contrast and resolution. Unfortunately to the best of my knowledge they will not fit on a Nikon mount DSLR, so if I switch, I'd be going for CZ glass, which is similarly lengendary for its own reasons but the characteristics are said to be different (not better or worse) than Leica.

i had the 105 micro VR, and i could say its probably one of the best nikon lenses ever made, in terms of contrast & corner to centre resolutions, you could even do a 100% crop without applying USM, and people wouldnt even realize its cropped. sometimes i do regret selling it..

and your other question abt voiglander 58mm, i had the luxury of having one for a couple of days on loan from a friend, its sharp wide open, centre and corner performance is good, but there's just this.. voiglander hue that i dont really like.. its like having a 5% warm filter slapped onto your image in photoshop or something..

cz's still ahead in terms of subject contrast rendition, that the subject is often contrastier than the background bokeh, helping it stand out. the voig's a little flatter to that aspect

 

[photobum]

but there's just this.. voiglander hue that i dont really like.. its like having a 5% warm filter slapped onto your image in photoshop or something.

That's why the Voigtlander makes an ideal ladies' lens. Everybody will look in the pink of health without makeup.

These lenses are not meant for every photographer but I actual love them.