Author Topic: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S  (Read 4886 times)

John Harkus

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #30 on: January 22, 2022, 14:43:40 »
Indeed, although I suspect that they did not succeed in disabling distortion correction. It is a very tempting lens for travel and priced only a fraction more than the 24-70mm f/4.

Indeed - I don't see why they didn't use a non-Adobe/Nikon raw converter if they wanted to see the actual distortion.
However, maybe it's a moot point, how many of us use a non-corrected raw image as a starting point? I certainly don't. (Now waiting to be shot down in flames . . . .)
John

Jan Anne

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #31 on: January 22, 2022, 14:54:39 »
The video review from mister Frost shows uncorrected distortion which is of the very common pincushion on the wide end, neutral in the middle and barrel at the long end.
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Jan Anne

Wally

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #32 on: January 22, 2022, 22:27:09 »
Completely agree. I´m thinking of exchanging the 24-70 f4S for this one or maybe just get this one. Looks like a fantastic travel and walk-around lens
I combined this new lens with the F 8-15mm or Z 14-30mm, F 28mm1.4E, F 105mm1.4E and 300mmPF for a great and fairly compact travel kit  8)
 
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ianwatson

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #33 on: January 23, 2022, 18:00:39 »
However, maybe it's a moot point, how many of us use a non-corrected raw image as a starting point? I certainly don't. (Now waiting to be shot down in flames . . . .)

It bothers me to think that there has been a big correction just to reach the starting point. Perhaps it should not. As long as it is not too severe I can accept it as the price of convenience.

Wally

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #34 on: January 23, 2022, 19:05:59 »
Another very positive review, by Nigel Danson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMjiDjUyops
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John Harkus

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #35 on: January 23, 2022, 20:31:40 »
It bothers me to think that there has been a big correction just to reach the starting point. Perhaps it should not. As long as it is not too severe I can accept it as the price of convenience.

A fair point. It's just occurred to me, maybe the trade-off for a lens essentially uncorrected for distortion (which is then corrected by software) is much-improved sharpness. The Z family of lenses certainly seem to be very very sharp.

Wally

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #36 on: January 24, 2022, 03:51:00 »
Straight into the sun - Z7, 24mm, f/9
A warm day in San Francisco, 65 F  8)
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Snoogly

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #37 on: January 24, 2022, 08:10:14 »
I am in Tokyo, but it seems we are the last to eat the pie :-)

Hopefully I will get mine before a trip to Yakushima island in a month - assuming travel is still ok then.
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Richard Hawking (not Richard Haw!), in Tokyo


paul hofseth

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #39 on: January 24, 2022, 17:22:34 »
Making  a lens cheaper by not correcting issues that can be mitigated by electronic  means is a quite rational decision especially if it ties the customer to a particular camera make. Only purists will abstain from correcting the rawfiles.

p.

Ilkka Nissilä

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #40 on: January 24, 2022, 18:06:10 »
Unfortunately, having to use lens-specific distortion profiles to correct the images ties us to those raw converters that recognize the lens and can apply the relevant profile. Some raw converters don't support some lenses in this way. Cross-brand use of lenses on certain cameras can also mean no correction profile is available.

Of course, it's possible to do one's own profiles using targets but since the distortion is distance-dependent, applying the profile can introduce complicated additional workflow steps. I'd rather have the lens optically adequately corrected so that the use of software correction is strictly optional.

Bill De Jager

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #41 on: January 24, 2022, 21:19:38 »
Making  a lens cheaper by not correcting issues that can be mitigated by electronic  means is a quite rational decision especially if it ties the customer to a particular camera make. Only purists will abstain from correcting the rawfiles.

p.

Distortion correction can affect microcontrast in areas that are stretched to compensate for distortion. Most often these would be outer areas for barrel distortion correction at shorter focal lengths, and central areas for pincushion distortion correction at longer focal lengths. 

Since digital photos are composed of discrete pixels that contain all the information, recomputing new intermediate pixels from old ones is going to cause some losses at the finest level of detail.   If photo resolution is later reduced greatly for final display then the initial distortion correction likely won't have an effect; at high display or printing resolutions it may matter.

Jan Anne

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #42 on: January 25, 2022, 16:48:29 »
Unfortunately, having to use lens-specific distortion profiles to correct the images ties us to those raw converters that recognize the lens and can apply the relevant profile. Some raw converters don't support some lenses in this way. Cross-brand use of lenses on certain cameras can also mean no correction profile is available.

Of course, it's possible to do one's own profiles using targets but since the distortion is distance-dependent, applying the profile can introduce complicated additional workflow steps. I'd rather have the lens optically adequately corrected so that the use of software correction is strictly optional.
Thought  that lens specific distortion profiles are embedded into the RAW files when the option is turned on in the camera and will be implemented automatically when a RAW editor is used which can read those correction profiles provided by the camera.

I use Affinity on the iPad which can not recognize those embedded profiles as they are usually in the proprietary parts of the RAW files and the app also does not have its own library of profiles like LR, no issue for me personally as I also prefer using lenses without too much distortion.

Does anybody know which RAW editors do support the embedded distortion profiles for the Nikon Zee cameras?
Cheers,
Jan Anne

Ilkka Nissilä

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Re: Nikon Z 24-120mm/4 S
« Reply #43 on: January 25, 2022, 17:45:33 »

Does anybody know which RAW editors do support the embedded distortion profiles for the Nikon Zee cameras?

My understanding is that e.g. Capture One only supports some Z lens profiles (and some F lens profiles are provided by the software). It was not adequate when I tried the trial version of the software, currently may be improved but not complete.