Roto Till Time ~ mid-Till ~ part Four

After finding the Sony 35mm f/2.8 FE ZA to be a very fine optic, I wondered how a little software function called "Capture Sharpen" might look with the 35mm Sony on an A7 full frame body and a Sigma 19mm f/2.8 EX DN on an APS-C A6000.

Short refresher course: 
"Capture Sharpen" is a software function that was seen some years back in Adobe's Photoshop application, Capture One, and somewhat more recently introduced in the Open Source Software RAW image processor called RawTherapee.

What "Capture Sharpen" does is offset the effects of Anti-Aliasing filters that some cameras have over the sensor.  AA filters combat moire color aberrations.  The filter softens images and the software tries to reverse the AA filter softening effect.

Sony A7 and A6000 have AA filters.  So I felt it would be interesting to see how the software changed a basic image.

 

I like using le Canard as my comparison subject.  The typeset print gives a nice crisp transition from light to dark.

Setup ~ 

• Setup one - 
• Sony A7, ISO100, 2second delay, AWB
• Lens - Sony 35mm f/2.8 FE ZA
  
• Setup two - 
• Sony A6000, ISO100, 2second delay, AWB
• Lens - Sigma 19mm f/2.8 EX DN
• Bogen tripod
  

• RawTherapee to snug up the curves, without and _with_ "Capture Sharpen"
  

Comparison ~

I compare the 35mm Sony on 24 mpixel Full Frame against a 19mm Sigma f/2.8 EX DN on 24 mpixel APS-C.  There are two sets of images from the lenses, the first set are without "Capture Sharpen" and the second pair of lines are with the software function applied.

As always, click on the image and enlarge to 100percent to see whatever there is to be seen.

 

Comments ~

The software does, indeed, work some serious magic.  Comparing the before and after "Capture Sharpen" images shows what this function is supposed to do.

Looking more critically, the Sigma 19mm f/2.8 EX DN corner images clean up nicely, but they don't quite match the Sony 35mm f/2.8 ZA until f/5.6.  I've used this particular 19mm lens for years and have always been satisfied with the image quality.

With this in mind, it'll be interesting to see if I can tell any "improvement" in image quality as I start using the 35mm ZA.  I suspect I won't be able to tell much, if anything, but I'll keep an open mind.  

 

The new (to me) Sony looks absolutely brilliant.

 

Sony A5000 with Sigma 19mm f/2.8 EX DN
Can't imagine getting anything
sharper than this.