55-200mm for IR?

[benveniste]

Nikon USA is currently selling the 55-200mm VR-II for $150, and I admit I'm tempted. The "plan" such as it is, would be to use it as lightweight telephoto on my V2 (with FT-1) and on my infrared converted D200.

As might be expected, I haven't found any reviews which mention IR performance with this lens. Have any of y'all tried it?

[benveniste]

I tried to force a hotspot by using a small aperture and pointing it at angle into the North Sky.  After I reversed the Red and Blue channels, I didn't see a hot spot:

[Seapy]

Not aware that you have to swap channels to reveal hotspots?

I understand hotspot can appear even in normal spectrum photography with some lenses.

When I tested my lenses for hotspots, if they were present, they appeared in the raw image without any processing.  I have never found a hotspot appear as a result of my adjustments or processing, although obviously increasing contrast will accentuate any hotspot present.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

You should clearly be able to use that lens for IR

Many reviewers steer away from the so-called 'kit' lenses. Not necessarily because they are bad performers, but these designs tend to be replaced ever so often so it's hard to keep track of the changes and this concomitantly reduce the value of nay reviews. The longevity of kit-class lenses might also be questionable these days. Often they literally are held together with tape inside ....

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Seapy: some versions of the 50/1.8 Nikkors have a tendency to make [small] hot-spots even in visible light. This issue usually will occur when the lens is stopped all the way down and no hood is used.

Channel swapping is not required in order to detect any IR-generated hot spot. If it's there, it'll be obvious straight away.

[Seapy]

Thanks Bjørn, I had heard of it although I haven't experienced it.

The Nikkor AF 50mm f1.4 was my worst candidate:

D1 IR 720nM Custom white balance made on mown grass in direct sunlight.  f16.  These images are the original NEF's, no processing.



The Micro Nikkor D 60mm; D1 IR 720nM f16.  No processing.



The Nikkor zoom 18-35mm f3.5-4.5; D1 IR 720nM f11.  No processing.  This became my standard lens for IR until the 18-105.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Unfortunately, there are lenses making far worse IR hot spots than the example shown here.

[benveniste]

Not aware that you have to swap channels to reveal hotspots?

I understand hotspot can appear even in normal spectrum photography with some lenses.

You don't need to swap channels, and I'm sorry I implied otherwise.  It's just for this shot, the result looked less uninteresting.

[benveniste]

The longevity of kit-class lenses might also be questionable these days. Often they literally are held together with tape inside ....

Not just these days.  My IX-Nikkors share that construction.  My expectations of that lens are in line with the $130 I paid for it.