Looking For More Canon Quality

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

Some of the parts are machined in Italy I think. Origins matter little as long as quality is good.

It is my understanding that Hartblei has put some design improvements in the original Zeiss designs so the Hartblei lenses are actually improved compared to the original Hasselblad designs in several aspects.

Best regards
Erik

Hi Glenn,

Your post highlights a very confusing issue regarding Hartblei lenses. The Photozone review you refer to is not reviewing the Harblei lens to which I am refering. This is a frustrating issue for this lens, there are two Hartblei super-rotator manufacturers and one has NOTHING to do with the other. The existence of this "Ukrainian" version of the Hartblei super-rotator is extremely misleading. The Ukrainian version is located at this website:

http://www.hartblei.com/lenses/lens_80mm.htm

The "German version" is located at this website:

http://www.hartblei.de/en/sr80pl.htm

To add to the confusion, the German version is assembled in Kiev where the mechanics are also manufactured, but the glass in the German version is completely made and adjusted by Carl Zeiss and a good part of why these lenses are so expensive. Here are a few links further detailing the German version:

http://diglloyd.com/articles/Hartblei-pub/Main.html
http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/hartblei_120_4_pc_n10/
http://www.avhub.com.au/index.php/Product-Reviews/ProPhoto/hartblei-superrotator-40mm-f40-if-tiltshift/Page-1.html

For a little more information on the German version: http://hartblei.de/en/about.htm

It took me over a year to figure all of this out! Cheers, Greg

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,
I'm just a bystander, shooting Sony, but:

The 5DIII would add 40% more resolution. The lenses you have would probably be OK. Zeiss lenses may improve sharpness somewhat but probably not much at small f-stops (f/8 - f22).

You can use Nikon's 14-24/2.8 on a canon with a Leitax mount.

Nikon D800/D800E is a nice upgrade over Canon in low ISO image quality, but I guess you can just buy a Canon 5DIII or 6D and be happy.

Check this: http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013/02/roger-buys-a-camera-system-finally

Best regards
Erik

While I can be a "gear head" with other passions, I tend to be pretty satisfied with my photography equipment.  That said, I'm feeling the urge/desire/need to invest in some new equipment.

I do photography as a passion as opposed to a profession.  Ninety percent of the pictures I take would be considered landscape.  I currently use a Canon 5D with the 17-40 f/4L and 70-200 f/4L lenses.  My method of operation tends to be camera on a tripod, remote release, ISO at 100, either autofocus with the central point or manual focus, raw image processed in Lightroom 4/Photoshop 6 and printed 13x19 on an Epson Stylus Photo R3000.

What I'm considering is possibly a new body (Canon 5D Mark III or Canon 6D) or new lenses (most likely primes; either Canon or Zeiss in the 85mm, 35mm and 24mm range).  My one caveat is that I'd like the improvement in quality to be noticeable.  And by noticeable, I don't mean on charts/graphs or by other photographers.  An improvement where a non photographer looking at one of my prints would be able to see the difference.

Any thoughts?

[LeonD]

Thanks for all the replies.  Kind of what I'm hearing is that if I take a crappy photo with the gear I have now, I can't blame the gear.   

I think I'll hold onto the 5D.  I was a happy 10D owner before I got the 5D a couple of years ago.  At that rate, my next body will be the 5D Mk viii.  Also, I can find many testimonials saying that there is an intangible quality to the original 5D that the newer versions don't have.  (Not sure if this is true or not but I can pretend it is.   )

I'll approach this from the perspective of other than quality, what do the other lenses offer (such as tilt/shift, shallower depth of field, better low light usage, etc.) and base my decision on that.

Thanks again for the help.

[stever]

for your use, my experience is that replacing the 5D with a 5D2, 6D, or 5D3 and replacing the 17-40 with any of a number of the better primes will make a significant difference in large prints - as will a good pano head, leveling base and L-bracket if you don't already have them.  the AF, high ISO, etc. of the 5D3 will not be of much use to you - i only find a difference in IQ at high ISO.  if you're interested in a good used 5D2, PM me.

[stevesanacore]

The weakest link in your kit is the 17-40. I have many 48" prints and a few 88" prints from my 5D. I started with the 17-40 but found it lacking at those size enlargements. At 13x19, a better lens like the new Canon 24TSE or a Zeiss will definitely look a bit sharper with more micro contrast, and detail to you - but to the average viewer there will probably be no difference.

If you have the extra money I would say pick your favorite focal length between 17 and 40 and buy or rent a quality prime lens and see if they are worth it to you.