deang001 Posted March 19, 2013 Share #1 Â Posted March 19, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm very interested in buying this lens for my M9, however I read that they are now optimised for shooting at f/2.8 and that it exhibits focus shift at f/1.5. Â I also read that people have had their lens optimised for shooting at f/1.5 and close distance. Â Has anyone here had this done? If so, where did you have it done and are you pleased with the results. Â Cheers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 19, 2013 Posted March 19, 2013 Hi deang001, Take a look here Zeiss Ikon C Sonnar T* 50mm f/1.5 ZM. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
bill Posted March 19, 2013 Share #2  Posted March 19, 2013 Yes, by Zeiss, in Germany, yes.  Regards,  Bill  Sent from another Galaxy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macjonny1 Posted March 19, 2013 Share #3 Â Posted March 19, 2013 Yes you can also in USA pay to have it done by DAG he charges about $75 or so. Little enough to not worry about it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted March 20, 2013 Share #4 Â Posted March 20, 2013 I agree with Bill. Â I bought the lens after reading of his experiences with it, and of course seeing his photographs. After receiving the lens I emailed Zeiss and with the information provided and sent it in. 12 day turn around time from Australia to Germany and back again (Leica could learn something from Zeiss about customer service). And I only paid for the cost of postage to Zeiss. Â I'm very happy with the lens. Renders very gently when wide open (no I don't mean out of focus;)), and tack sharp when shut down. Â This thread will of course open the usual can of worms about moving rather than fixing the close up focus shift but I couldn't be happier with the lens - and I also use a 1.4/50 Summilux ASPH and E60 1.0/50 Noctilux. Â Mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richfx Posted March 20, 2013 Share #5 Â Posted March 20, 2013 I just rented a new one from Lens Rentals for five days. It created nice images, but was noticeably softer than my 50mm Summilux ASPH at every aperture. Reminded me more of the CV 35mm Nokton f/1.4 MCs I've used in the sharpness department. It seemed to be as in focus at f/1.5, even when shooting at minimum distance, as when stopped down, but it was a bit soft throughout. I didn't see the "dreamy" effect so often written about. It's softness was a surprise, as my 25mm and 35mm Zeiss Biogon C lenses are astoundingly sharp (although they are both f/2.8s). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted March 20, 2013 Share #6 Â Posted March 20, 2013 A Summilux ASPH it is certainly not, a Biogon it is not either! Â But nevertheless I'm surprised about the marked softness you describe at smaller apertures. Maybe something is wrong with that particular lens? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deang001 Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share #7  Posted March 20, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Wow, guys, thank you for all the prompt responses !  Yes, I was not intending this to be another discussion regarding moving the camera an inch or two rather than amending the focus shift ... I know I want it fixed, just wanted to know the best way of going about it  I'm based in Hong Kong and contacted the Zeiss distributor here with a detailed question and all I got as a response was which shops here in HK stock the lens. I don't think any type of adjustment will happen here in HK.  macjonny1 - might just get DAG to do it. He's a nice guy to deal with.  bill - did a tag search of your sonnar images in flickr and bookmarked. I'll take a look at them.  Thanks, again everyone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macjonny1 Posted March 20, 2013 Share #8 Â Posted March 20, 2013 May want to get it coded too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deang001 Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share #9  Posted March 20, 2013 Well, I'm happily confused now !  I tried one out at my local dealer and it seemed to focus OK at 1.5 at MFD. Doesn't look as contrasty as 2.8 does, but it doesn't really look out of focus too much.  Sonnar f/1.5 - a set on Flickr  It also focused OK at 2.8 ...  Sonnar.f2.8 - a set on Flickr  Zeiss HK also sent me another email saying that I could take the lens to them and they'd send the lens back to Japan for optimisation at no charge. Nice. I think I like Zeiss.  Anyway, I think I'll just go back and buy the lens and start shooting it. If it needs to go to Japan, I'll send it in, but it looks OK so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkP Posted March 20, 2013 Share #10 Â Posted March 20, 2013 Anyway, I think I'll just go back and buy the lens and start shooting it. Â Enjoy it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted March 20, 2013 Share #11 Â Posted March 20, 2013 Anyway, I think I'll just go back and buy the lens and start shooting it. Way to go! And welcome to the world of Sonnars... Their rendering may get addictive despite their quirks, and you may soon find yourself lurking on Fleabay. Some of the Nikkor or Canon rangefinder lenses from the 50's and 60's are truly wonderful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardkaraa Posted March 20, 2013 Share #12 Â Posted March 20, 2013 I have been using one for the last couple of weeks. It seems that new batches are now optimized for 1.5. At least my copy is. Â The drawback is that the focus shifts steadily when you stop down, and by 5.6, it is too much to be covered by the DOF. I think the best compromise is to have it optimized for 2.8, so that it front focuses slightly WO, and back focuses slightly at 5.6. Also there is focus shift at infinity, and even at 8 it is quite visible, so that I have to pull the focusing ring back by about 3 mm to get the sharpest focus. Â Of course, if I had a typ 240, it wouldn't really matter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_n Posted March 21, 2013 Share #13 Â Posted March 21, 2013 Of course, if I had a typ 240, it wouldn't really matter Exactly! I bought one in January to use on a Sony NEX and absolutely no focus issues. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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