D700

An example at f/5.6: http://www.cabophoto.com/External/USA_Tr_0611.jpg

>>I can say, that both the Sigma 50mm ƒ/1.4 or Nikkor 50mm ƒ/1.4D are light years behind the Zeiss Makro Planar 50mm ƒ/2 in any aspect visible on the print No doubt about the Nikon 50/1.4D. However, the bokeh of the Sigma 50/1.4 at the wider apertures has a certain appeal that my Zeiss 50/2 Makro-Planar canÄt match. At f/4 or smaller it's just the other way around... Coming back to the Nikon 28/1.8G: a great lens, and it's definitely in the same league as the Nikon 35/1.4G. In fact it has smoother bokeh than the latter. At infinity the Zeiss 28/2 might have the edge,but we're really nitpicking here. Carsten

From what I've read the Sigma 35/1.4 is very sharp wide open. From what I know from personal experience the Nikon 35/1.4 AF-S is plenty sharp, too. However, and I think that could be the more interesting point for you, the Zeiss 35/1.4 has smoother bokeh. Being an MF lens it's not easy to focus wide open, though.

Amazon Germany lists it as available for pre-order :-(

>>sold through Amazon in the U.S. (869 copies) and the U.K. (138) There must be at least one that was sold in Germany ;-)

Carsten

I saw a few of Ctein's dye transfer prints in the living room of my late friend Günter Wehrmann. They were truly excellent in technical terms, the work of a master printer. Unfortunately Ctein's and my taste in subject matter are very different.

Mike, quite a coincidence to see the van Heusen ad here. I saw it for the first time just a couple of days ago in a report about sexist advertising in the German magazine SPIEGEL. Check http://einestages.spiegel.de/static/topicalbumbackground-xxl/24625/denn_zum_kochen_sind_sie_da.html

>>The Zeiss Makro-Planar 50mm f/2 is certainly outstanding. Yes, Chris, and fortunately I have one :-)

What I've seen so far from this lens looks great. However, comparing it to the Zeiss 50/1.4 doesn't tell your readers a lot. I had the ZF version of the Zeiss for two years and found it to be among the weaker 50s I know. I wish there was a 50mm lens with Nikon mount in the same league as Leica's 50/1.4 Summilux-M ASPH.

Congratulations!

After having used the X100 for a while I'm really looking forward to the X-Pro 1. What I really don't understand is the general obsession with M-mount adaptors. While there are some truly excellent Leica M lenses out there they were all computed for a full-frame sensor (or film). Using them on crop sensors seems a bit of a waste. Maybe that's because I mainly shoot in the 28-35mm range, so the only really interesting lenses on a 1.5x crop sensor would be the 21 and 24mm ones.

>>For me the S2 (was there an S1?)... Yes, there was. It was introduced back in 1996. See http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/newsLetter/Leica-S1.jsp

>>And the shutter is tested to 400,000 actuations, which must be a record for durability. If I remember correctly Leica claimed a life of 400,000 actuations for the cloth curtain shutter in the M series film-based cameras.

>>I fail to see the need to have Dwight from "The Office" chirping along like a demented Ed McMahon As I don't watch American TV over here in Germany I didn't recognize the guy - but demented he seems...

I'm with Speedy on this. A D700 B&W would be great. No idea why you didn't include FF DSLRs in your list.

I once had an Olympus E-P1 that exhibited the exact same phenomenon. Unfortunately turning IS on and off meant a foray into its menus every time.

A bit late, considering the imminent release of the iPhone 5.

>>The Giulietta eventually came to signify everything romantic and sophisticated about Europe to me To me it's just one of the most beautiful cars ever made ;-)

Now why does this neat feature only work when the AF is triggered by the shutter release button but not when it is triggered by presing the AFL button in MF mode?

I wish there was a really good fast 50 in Nikon mount. So far I have tried quite a few from Nikon, Sigma and Zeiss, but so far none of them have truly convinced me. But then, maybe I'm a victim of the metaphysical doubt you describe here: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/columns/sm-02-09-22.shtml

After finally having watched the video I must admit that I was wrong on first impulse. While the video is short, it gives of lot of insight into how HCB worked and thought. I found it fascinating to hear many things that have been written about from himself.

>>Available on DVD from Microcinema I'd say 24.95 Euros (about US$ 35) for an 18 minute video is a bit stiff...

After years of schlepping big DSLRs I fully understand your enthusiasm about a small, lightweight camera like the GF2. I tried a GF1 and a similar Olympus, but never could get used to the electronic viewfinder. A few weeks ago the Fuji X100 came to the rescue. It's a litte bigger than a GF2, has an APS-C sized sensor and a finder that can be switched between a "look through" mode (similar to the Leica M cameras) and an EVF by the flick of a switch. I'm very happy that the market finally offers some cameras that are responsive and offer good image quality without literally breaking your back.