Angie vs Fuji vs Zeiss vs Canon LW Zooms Salt 2012

[Josh Beadle]

@Mitch

IT'S RAINING GLASS!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfu54...eature=related

[Josh Beadle]

Any interest in adding the Cooke 15-40mm T2.0 CXX?

[Ryan Patrick O'Hara]

The Cooke CXX didn't impress me when I compared it to the Cooke S4's and Panchro/i's. It's a good lens, but just didn't deliver on the same level as the primes. Wide angle zooms aren't easy, so I really shouldn't have expected that it did. Also, S4's are one of the best prime lens sets ever, so the comparison bar was quite high. You can add it to your test, as I'd love to see how it compares to others, but it's expensive and rare to find.

[Gary Jones]

Any news on whether or not this test is going ahead?

[Lee Saxon]

Also it's very important to do the test somewhere with a lens projector, it's the only way to have an objective assessment of an optic independent of the sensor and recording of any particular camera system.

I disagree.

I realize that putting them on a camera can bias certain aspects of the results but on the other hand totally subjective commentary (like the SALT results) frustrates me.

For example, in a recent thread one guy who had projected the new Leica's insisted they were the sharpest primes and another claimed they were mediocre. Sigh.

I'd buy a Nikon to PL adapter, stick these lenses on a D800E, shoot raw stills of an ISO 12233 chart, run them through Imatest, and show people a graph of the results. Preferably with multiple copies of each lens to average out sample variation.

[Matthew Duclos]

For example, in a recent thread one guy who had projected the new Leica's insisted they were the sharpest primes and another claimed they were mediocre. Sigh.

I agree with your discontent. The problem is that some people are putting lenses on projectors and commenting on the results but some of those people have no idea what they're looking at on a test projector.
Take EVERY test with a grain of salt.

[Josh Beadle]

Any news on whether or not this test is going ahead?

I have a fully rigged big studio in San Diego with K5600 lights, DSC Lab charts and an Epic. Just need for someone like Mitch/Abel to step up with the new zooms on a weekend loan basis - I'll cover shipping and insurance. We can add the RED zoom in the mix for flavor. Maybe use the Master Primes as a reference standard since we all know what they can do and are a bit more available to rent.

Also need the original SALT Team to conduct the test since this will be my first. I'm good on my end - I'll provide a bunch of stuff if this is a go . . . just need for others to kick it up a notch.

[Mitch Gross]

Throwing down the gauntlet are we?

The lenses that are still in dev. are the property of the manufacturers. It's up to them if they can be used in this manner. And if they are still in dev., then it is improper to test them this way as they can and likely will change. The shipping lenses are either units for sale (can't touch) or units for rental, and to give them away for a weekend is expensive to the point of impossible. It's just not realistic.

[Josh Beadle]

@Mitch
. . . think of it as a amazing marketing and Abel Branding opportunity, not an expense, since RU has more viewers in your target demographic than any other forum on the planet (wink wink). Is there a reduced rental rate available or can you assist with a manf rep introduction so I can hit them up? Would love to do the test but not if it's a $10K project.