Living where I do, I absolutely know much how fortunate I am to live in peace. There is mental space and physical safety to do the things I want, like write these little amount to nothing important blog entries.
Not everyone has this option these days. We receive daily reminders of this fact and it's downright heartbreaking. People are being killed for a man's out-sized sense of power, control, and entitlement. I wish peace for everyone.
Here is what Peter Turnley has been doing in the Ukraine. Here are some of his photos.
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After starting to clean up an old, well used Nikon Nikkor-S.C 50mm f/1.4 pre-Ai and seeing that it did pretty well, even though I haven't yet completed the CLA, I thought it would be interesting to see how it compared in its present state with a AiS version lens I recently picked up.
The Nikkor-S.C version comes from the early 1970's. The Ais version comes from the early-1980's. Optically it appears they are slightly different implementations of the base double Gauss design. Compare the spacing between the 2nd and 3rd elements. Scroll down the page to find a pdf cross-section of the Nikkor-S. Scroll down this page to find a cross-section image of the AiS version.
In practice, what could the differences be, if any? Let's have a look so see if we can find something to talk about.
Setup -
- Sony A7 - ISO100, 2 second timer, in-camera levels used to square the whole plot up
- Manfrotto tripod - it's capable of securing an 8x10inch view camera, so it's sturdy enough for this
- Lenses -
- Nikon Nikkor-S.C Auto 50mm f/1.4 pre-Ai
- Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AiS
- Rawtherapee RAW to jpg conversion - Auto-Match function, but nothing further (ie: NO Capture Sharpening) to minimize processing effects
Comparison -
Here is the scene setup. It's just a pair of closed gaze scrims in our apartment. The details are interestingly small, so therefore useful for this kind of "wee look-see."
[As always, click on the image and look at it to 100percent file size to see whatever there is to be seen.]
Comments -
In general the earlier Nikkor-S.C gives a slightly softer rendition than the AiS. From wide open it's pretty clear that the newer AiS version gives more contrast.
With both lenses the scene is very sharp from f/2 on through f/5.6 (and beyond, though this comparison does not show that). Further, in terms of resolution, there seems to be no practical difference stopped down between these old Nikkors and modern optics.
Exploring specific differences between the S.C and AiS version, some people have said that the S and S.C versions exhibit highlight "glow." This is just about the point I feel I'm chasing pixies. I note that there are differences in how tonal values are recorded between the two lenses, but they are subtle. Differences are easiest to see with both lenses shot wide open.
However, there is something curious about the way the AiS version renders color. Have a look at the way the magenta color seems to wrap around the curtain cloth, particularly on the right side panel. The S.C version doesn't show that. Stopped down to f/2 the AiS color shift effect seems to disappear.
The contrast range is pretty extreme between the out of focus background highlights and the backlit inside the apartment facing curtains. I'm not sure it makes much difference in "normal" use and don't yet know under which conditions this AiS color shift occurs. I've not yet had a chance to shoot both lenses long enough to know, one way or another. Yet it is something interesting to think about.
Is it the lens? Is it the lens/sensor combination? At the risk of not drawing any conclusions, I will take another look at the wide open color shift in my next blog entry.
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