Friday, April 05, 2019

Nikon Nikkor 24mm, (2)28mm, 35mmPC ~ point light source comparison

Returning home after passing a winter in the south I am inspired to continue my look into point light source in-focus, out of focus comparisons.

Setup -
  • Sony NEX5T, ISO 100, 2 second timer, -1 EV
  • Big Beefy Manfrotto tripod
  • Nikon lenses using with a Lens Turbo II focal reducer -
    • Nikon Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 Ai
    • Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/3.5 pre-Ai
    • Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/3.5 PC
    • Nikon Nikkor 35mm f/2.8 PC
  • NOTE1: Lenses were shot at their widest apertures only
  • NOTE2: Out of focus samples are from points _behind_ the point of focus to compare background out of focus rendition
  • RawTherapee to convert RAW files into black and white and to set the black levels
  Comparison -

If you click on the following image you can inspect it at 100 percent.

Nikon Nikkor 24mm, (2)28mm, 35mm ~ Out of Focus Rendition


Comments -

NOTE: I feel the Lens Turbo II focal reducer adds a bit of under-corrected spherical aberration.

The Nikon Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 Ai shows under-corrected spherical aberrations with just a hint of a bright ring around the edge of the image circle.  In normal photography I would expect, based on these comparisons, that there will be an ever so slightly "busy" rendition in a smooth, delicate out of focus field.

The Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/3.5 H shows strong over-corrected spherical aberration.  I find this interesting as this was designed by the man who developed the 105mm f/2.5 P and 50mm f/1.4 S Nikkors.  He clearly understood the effects of under-corrected spherical aberration on out of focus rendering.  In normal photography I would expect, based on these comparisons, that there will be a strong "soap bubble bokeh" rendition of the out of focus field.

The Nikon Nikkor 28mm f/3.5 PC (perspective control) lens shows moderate under-corrected spherical aberration with a hint of a bright ring around the edge of the out of focus disk.  In normal photography I would expect the lens to be slightly "busy" against a smooth out of focus field rendition.

The Nikon Nikkor 35mm f/2.8 PC (perspective control) lens shows moderate under-corrected spherical aberration with a somewhat strong bright ring around the edge of the out of focus disk.  In normal photography I would expect the lens to be "busy" against a somewhat smooth out of focus field rendition.


Resources -

For further information on how the topic of out of focus rendition, optical properties, and Nikon lens design history, please refer to the following -

A PhD thesis on the impact of "soft focus" lenses on the history of photography - http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/505

An excellent starting point for understanding out of focus rendition (I might not completely agree with his interpretations/observations, but his foundation of understanding is quite good) - http://jtra.cz/stuff/essays/bokeh/

Nikon lens design histories - https://imaging.nikon.com/history/story/

Point light source discussions - https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4031515

Zeiss comments on optical design -  https://lenspire.zeiss.com/photo/en/article/how-does-zeiss-define-bokeh-an-interview-with-dr-stefan-ballmann

Metabones Focal Reducer whitepaper - https://www.metabones.com/assets/a/stories/Speed%20Booster%20White%20Paper.pdf

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