NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: Michael Erlewine on June 15, 2019, 00:28:43
-
I find the Nikon lens 50mm f/1.8 S, made for the Z Cameras, to be a very useful lens. It is not too big or heavy and it compares well with even my best lenses like the Zeiss Otus series. Here is DXOMARK’s comparison of the two. The Otus 55mm rates higher than the Nkon 50mm S lens, but it is hard to see why from the numbers. The 50mm is sharper by several point, is equal in both distortion and vignetting, has less aberration than the 50mm S. Only in “transmission” does the Otus win out, so there is some subjectivity somewhere in these final scores.
From my own use of the Zeiss Otuss 55mm, it is more even in center and edges than the Nikon 50 s and I still feel the better all-around lens, IMO. However, the little Nikon 50mm S f/1.8 is plenty good enough for a lot of jobs. I have gotten used to the short focus throw and the focus-by-wire. I have a handle on that by now. It is not a problem, especially with the Nikon Z7’s LiveView and EVF and magnified focus.
But standing in a very wet microclimate in my high boots and balancing each footstep as I tried to set up my tripod, the difference between the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 S on the Nikon Z camera and the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4 (with the FTZ adapter) is very little and the savings in size and weight is great.
I am working in a tiny micro-climate where grow Michigan’s Showy Orchids, a small group of them. It is wet everywhere, with ferns and vegetation packed together. Each step is a guess and a hope since the ground is not level. I have to use my tripod to lean on as I can.
For me, the new Nikon Z7 is more and more the way I’m going. I can’t wait to use other brands of lenses, like the Sony E-mounts, on the Z7. The Voigtlander 65mm Macro, which I have had for a long time, is waiting for the new TeChart adapter to arrive.
-
not sure if its just me but mine has lots of CA :o :o :o
-
Pretty scene, Michael.
I presume DxO has it's value to many, but there is only so much you can determine from a flat chart on a wall at 2 meters.
-
not sure if its just me but mine has lots of CA :o :o :o
I agree. There is some CA, but mostly removable in post.
The 50mm f/1.8 S is very sharp, not very heavy, and no FTZ. I still use the Otus lenses in the studio or around home. In the middle of a swamp or a hike, the f/1.8 50 S is pretty decent.
-
Michael, I received an email yesterday from my Dealer in China saying the Adapter due to ship on the 20th (a weeks delay) . Have your heard anything on your order?
Cheers,
Tom
-
Nice example of what the 50/1.8S can deliver. My sample is largely devoid of CA, though. It's the 14-30 that is the CA "winner" amongst the new S-line Nikkors :(
-
It's the 14-30 that is the CA "winner" amongst the new S-line Nikkors :(
:o :o :o
-
And not to forget that the 50/1.8S, being an AF lens, does support the "Stacking for Dummies" mode in the Z6 and Z7 bodies; much more convenient than doing it by MF ;)
-
Michael, I received an email yesterday from my Dealer in China saying the Adapter due to ship on the 20th (a weeks delay) . Have your heard anything on your order?
Cheers,
Tom
No, I have heard nothing. I wait for it like a kid for Christmas. I hoped to have it for the photo below, but no luck. That and the Voigtlander 65mm Macro and I am good to go.
-
Beautiful work, Michael.
I originally stated that I would wait for v.2 of the Z6/Z7, hoping for better controls. Well, life is short and the Z6 was just too attractive given its a ability to mount a very large number of lenses I have in my possession. So I sprung for one along with the discounted 24-70 f/4.
My initial conclusion about the camera is that I like it a lot. Yes, I wish there were more controls, I still have a lot to learn, and as a result there are occasional frustrations, but overall Nikon did a great job of moving into the mirrorless domain in a serious way. The camera is a very nice size for a full-frame model and I'm looking forward to eventually putting a pancake lens on it.
After a nice trip in the mountains (photos pending) along came the current Nikon Z sale, so I went ahead and got the highly recommended 50mm f/1.8 and 24-70 f/2.8. The latter I'll report on at a later date after I actually use it. I passed on the 35/1.8 based on its lesser performance. Also I'm looking to over time build up a(n almost) Rorslett lens set of 28-50-105mm primes in the Z system.
The Z 50mm f/1.8 has been a pleasure to use. I'm not a huge fan of the focal length but it's a good one to have, especially in a relatively fast lens (in contrast to f/2.8 and f/4 zooms). I don't like manual focusing using the fly-by-wire system but maybe I'll get used to it. The size and weight, while larger than traditional 50/1.8 lenses, are still reasonable.
Where the lens has impressed me is its optical performance. I've only started to use it but I'm really surprised how good it is. Focus is pretty sharp out to the edges.
Performance when shooting into the sun is pretty good but not flawless. Outside of the obvious flare near the sun the rest of the image has little flare. The overall effect is very usable. The photo, originally taken in portrait orientation, has been rotated so the pixel rows on the sensor are running up-down.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48994539262_fa43c45993_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hDtPzy)_DSC0452-20percent-cropped (https://flic.kr/p/2hDtPzy) by Bill de Jager (https://www.flickr.com/photos/99349448@N06/), on Flickr
I love the rendition and sharpness of this lens
Reduced to 20% and cropped a bit:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48994412582_c2923dac31_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hDtaVq)_DSC0456_20percent_crop (https://flic.kr/p/2hDtaVq) by Bill de Jager (https://www.flickr.com/photos/99349448@N06/), on Flickr
Reduced to 50% and cropped quite a bit:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48994412887_08615aa724_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hDtb1F)_DSC0415_50percent_cropped (https://flic.kr/p/2hDtb1F) by Bill de Jager (https://www.flickr.com/photos/99349448@N06/), on Flickr
100% pixels, cropped quite a bit:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48993671618_3742ebd569_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hDpnEb)_DSC0461_100percent_crop (https://flic.kr/p/2hDpnEb) by Bill de Jager (https://www.flickr.com/photos/99349448@N06/), on Flickr
-
That is some serious sensor blooming from the sun there Bill.I'm quite surprised to see that,,, Is that 'normal' for Z6
-
That is some serious sensor blooming from the sun there Bill.I'm quite surprised to see that,,, Is that 'normal' for Z6
I have seen examples and comments on DPR and elsewhere that the blooming is actually some sort of flare caused by diffraction at the vertically traveling shutter blades at short shutter speeds. It can be remedied by using a fully electronic shutter. What has not been answered is why this is specific to these bodies, and does not seem to be an issue for our DSLR's.
-
OK, that sounds looks like possible cause for half of the issue, my guess would be the on-sensor AF is the other factor then.I recall seeing similar issues back in the early digital days,,, But really makes the image unusable IMHO
-
Look here:
https://photographylife.com/mechanical-electronic-shutter-efcs
-
Thank you for the link! It's the strange shape of the blooming that I dislike ::)
-
It's not pretty, the light 'outburst'.
For Nikon Z6/Z7 users it may be convenient to enter
- Photo-shooting menu - Silent Photography and
- Custom Settings D5 Shutter type
in the 'My Menu'.
-
I agree. There is some CA, but mostly removable in post.
The 50mm f/1.8 S is very sharp, not very heavy, and no FTZ. I still use the Otus lenses in the studio or around home. In the middle of a swamp or a hike, the f/1.8 50 S is pretty decent.
to hear YOU say that is almost a coronation!
-
Too early to have a final judgment but results with this lens are very promising
Posted in Oktober 2019
Backlight - underexposed
(https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8921.0;attach=41676;image)
Posted in November 2019
F8 16000 ISO
(https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8986.0;attach=41698;image)
-
I have seen examples and comments on DPR and elsewhere that the blooming is actually some sort of flare caused by diffraction at the vertically traveling shutter blades at short shutter speeds. It can be remedied by using a fully electronic shutter. What has not been answered is why this is specific to these bodies, and does not seem to be an issue for our DSLR's.
Do we see this on our DSLRs? My guess was that the shutters where the same regardless the type of camera ???
-
Look here:
https://photographylife.com/mechanical-electronic-shutter-efcs
Yes, that was one of the articles I was referring to, thanks for providing the link.
-
Do we see this on our DSLRs? My guess was that the shutters where the same regardless the type of camera ???
A reason it seldom shows up is that we usually stop the lens down to get the star bursts, causing shutter speed to get long enough to get out of the problematic range. However with a quick check I found one exposure where I forgot to stop the lens down and it should have shown up at 1/2500 s. So with the D7100 used here it was not much noticeable:
(https://otoien.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p3683799936.jpg)
D7100, f/8 @ 12 mm, 1/2500, ISO 400
-
Do we see this on our DSLRs? My guess was that the shutters where the same regardless the type of camera ???
I have definitely gotten it (and noticed it) from my Fujifilm mirrorless cams. DSLR? Gotta check...
Update: I checked my D800E w/ 17-35/2.8 at 17mm. No bilateral sunstar flare at 1/800 sec and longer, flare appears at 1/1600 sec, getting worse as the shutter time is shortened(worst at 1/8000).
IMO, this type of flare has a more "natural" feel than, say, the color blob ghosts generated by the Nikon 14-24G zoom.
-
Thank you to Øivind Tøien, Nikfuson, and John Geerts for the info and link.
That is some serious sensor blooming from the sun there Bill.I'm quite surprised to see that,,, Is that 'normal' for Z6
As I mentioned in my post the sensor photosite lines run up and down in that photo, not side to side which is the orientation where people have found lines in their Z6/Z7 photos under other conditions. My first thought had been the sensor until I remembered the orientation of the camera. The other photos I took into the sun that day were in landscape mode and the flare went up and down, mainly down.
I hadn't previously seen this effect because I hadn't shot into the sun, and the slower lens I was using before resulted in slower shutter speeds. I was deliberately trying to stress the lens in that photo but it looks like the camera was at fault for the flare. The shutter type was set to auto so at 1/6400 sec the mechanical shutter was involved.
I spoke too hastily about the quality of the flare. It's better than having blobs all over the place (unless you want that effect) or massive veiling flare, but in a photo of serious aesthetic quality it would be distracting. I think the lens itself did very well, though, with regard to flare.
It's still early, but from what I'm seeing so far I expect to be using both F and Z mount cameras for a good long time into the future based on their respective strengths and weaknesses.
-
Some more tests needed: I was thinking about waiting for clear sunny weather, but then realized I could use an artifical sun: aiming straight toward my Niterider bike light set to 200 lumen. Both of the exposures with my D500 and 12-24mm lens below were captured at 1/8000 sec ISO 1600, to the left f/4, then to the right f/8 with +2EV exposure compensation in CNX-D. Interestingly it is less noticeable at f/8 where diffraction spikes from the aperture dominate, while with the lens wide open the vertical spikes show up (both resized identical heavy crops):
(https://otoien.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p3684440694.jpg) (https://otoien.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p3684440695.jpg)
1/8000s f/4 left 1/8000s f/8 right
It looks like the vertical spikes with the D500 and this lens are less pronounced than that seen in the Z bodies. Again, normally a smaller aperture than f/8 would be used for starbursts, and it would not be noticeable.
-
This is an intriguing but a bit annoying phenomenon.
I could very easily induce the flare in question. Fujifilm X-T3 in mechanical shutter mode at 1/6000 with Zeiss Touit 1.8/32 at f5.6.
-
Thanks for testing and sharing, so it seems not to be a mirrorless only issue.
-
I saw it first mentioned at SLR times, late eighties, when 1/4000s became a commonplace. Or was it just the deformation of moving subjects?
-
Indoors the S works really well.
-
Nice.
Wide open met Nikon Close Up lens 6 T (Reversed)
-
Have you tried this lens with an extension ring? Fotodiox makes one that transmits the signals between lens and camera. It provides 12mm extension which is perfect for the 50 (and presumably, the 85 Z as well). Not cheap, but very well made.
-
Not yet. Just tried the 6 T. With good results I must say. Did you use this lens for macro purposes?
-
Not yet. Just tried the 6 T. With good results I must say. Did you use this lens for macro purposes?
Occasionally, yes. Still a good performer although some colour aberrations and field curvature start to impact the outcome.
-
Look here:
https://photographylife.com/mechanical-electronic-shutter-efcs
yes.. thank you for the link
-
This new APO Lanthar from Voightlander is another 50mm Z mount option - albeit manual focus:
https://www.dpreview.com/news/3934238900/cosina-announces-990-voigtlander-apo-lanthar-50mm-f2-aspherical-lens-for-z-mount-cameras
-
Thanks for the link Hugh. Perhaps not in the correct topic?
Good news "The lens is chipped for providing communication between the lens and camera body on compatible Z-mount cameras. In addition to enabling EXIF data, this also enables proper in-body image stabilization on compatible cameras, as well as support for the various focusing assist functions. This is all possible due to a licensing agreement Cosina has struck with Nikon that allowed it to develop and manufacture this unit."