NikonGear'23

Gear Talk => Camera Talk => Topic started by: Björn Carlén on August 23, 2020, 21:25:21

Title: My D600 revisited
Post by: Björn Carlén on August 23, 2020, 21:25:21
Hello, Nikon people!
After a few years of shooting Olympus MFT only, I took my old D600 down from the shelf and the 85/1,8G as well for use in the portrait studio.
I found that the lens was front focusing to the extent that I had to correct it by +20, and it may still not be totally spot on.
My images come out  not very sharp, I think. Is the degree of sharpness you see in the enclosed files normal for this combo straight out of camera, and may the blur be due to the AA-filter?
The attached focus test picture has a sharpness of 40 added in LR. Focus is on 37 on the centimeter scale. @f/1,8 at a distance of about one meter. The portrait is completely without sharpening in post. @f/8 from about 2 meter distance. Strobes were fired. Sharpening in camera is off. Both are 100% crops.
Kindly,
Björn Carlén
Title: Re: My D600 revisited
Post by: Birna Rørslett on August 23, 2020, 22:00:25
The scale/matches focusing test seems perfect. It is indeed spot on 37cm on the ruler. Do note that LCA makes placing the plane of focus  a matter of taste regarding minimised red-green fringing.

Thge musician's portret came out very nicely. She probably wouldn't appreciate it being any sharper is my guess :)

My D600 still delivers very sharp images if paired with a good lens.
Title: Re: My D600 revisited
Post by: Björn Carlén on August 23, 2020, 22:51:20
I forgot to say the portrait was taken at ISO 320.

Birna Rørslett, I take it you don’t consider the 85/1,8G to be a very good lens. Might I have gotten a bad sample?
Title: Re: My D600 revisited
Post by: Birna Rørslett on August 23, 2020, 22:56:23
No, that is not my intended meaning at all. It is generally known as a very good performer.

Whether or not you have an under-performing specimen of it cannot be ascertained from these sampes at all.