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Author Topic: Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF - exotic like MTF  (Read 3411 times)

BernardLanguillier

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Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF - exotic like MTF
« on: August 24, 2018, 06:15:13 pm »

This 1.5kg wonder exhibits a better MTF chart at f5.6 than the 500mm f4 at f4.

https://nikonrumors.com/2018/08/24/nikon-500mm-f-5-6e-vs-500mm-f-4e-vs-200-500mm-f-5-6e-specifications-comparison.aspx/

Having used the 300mm f4 PF a lot, I am considering it.

On the Z it may be hard to beat for birding/air show photography, but I see it as having amazing potential for landscape too in fact. These 2 combined weight the same as the HC 300mm f4.5 I carried last weekend... 😀

There is a lot to do really in terms of extracting distant detail from the landscape and very few people have done that due to obvious limitations resulting from the bulk and weight of high quality super tele lenses.

Cheers,
Bernard
« Last Edit: August 24, 2018, 06:22:09 pm by BernardLanguillier »
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E.J. Peiker

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Re: Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF - exotic like MTF
« Reply #1 on: August 24, 2018, 08:54:03 pm »

Z7 is only 5.5 FPS with live viewfinder update which is a little low for that type of photography.
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BernardLanguillier

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Re: Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF - exotic like MTF
« Reply #2 on: August 24, 2018, 10:57:52 pm »

Z7 is only 5.5 FPS with live viewfinder update which is a little low for that type of photography.

For bif or planes? I have done quite a bit of airshows in my life, I don’t think that half a second burst at 9fps (12 bits uncompressed raw) without live view update would be a problem.

But anyway, for such images I would probably use my D5.

The main point was the landscape potential where weight matters even more.

Cheers,
Bernard

NancyP

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Re: Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF - exotic like MTF
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2018, 04:16:55 pm »

Nikon just made some birders very happy. This is a great travel lens for birders who like to go to exotic locales where they fly in on a puddle-jumper prop plane. Shorter, lighter, can stuff it under the seat or in the overhead (if any) of the smallest planes.

The Canon 400 f/4 DO (Canon's name for Fresnel-type lens use) with 1.4 x and 2.0 x v. III teleconverters have been a big hit among birders shooting Canon.
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Robert DeCandido PhD

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OOF areas not sharpness!
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2018, 06:25:00 pm »

sharpness is not the only way to evaluate a long lens...Out of focus areas are critical. In the Fresnel/DO lenses the OOF areas are too "busy" for my eye.

So show me the out of focus areas this new Nikon lens produces; having used the Canon 400 F4 DO lenses (version one and the current version two), I am not a fan. I much prefer non-fresnel (non Diffractive Optics) out of focus backgrounds. If Sony can shave off weight/size on their new 400 F2.8 lens, I am sure some weight/size reductions can be had from the "usual" 500/600 F4s (or 500/600 F5.6s).
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BernardLanguillier

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Re: Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF - exotic like MTF
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2018, 09:05:50 pm »



Hum... never saw a problem with the Nikon 300mm f4 PF... but I of course agree that test images are needed to make up one's mind.

Cheers,
Bernard
« Last Edit: August 26, 2018, 09:30:06 pm by BernardLanguillier »
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NancyP

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Re: Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF - exotic like MTF
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2018, 09:19:39 pm »

What a charming photograph, Bernard!
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BernardLanguillier

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Re: Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF - exotic like MTF
« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2018, 09:29:44 pm »

What a charming photograph, Bernard!

Thanks Nancy, they were a nice family! ;)

Cheers,
Bernard

Robert DeCandido PhD

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Garbage Dump Background
« Reply #8 on: August 26, 2018, 09:56:57 pm »

sorry Bernard - whether it is the ISO you selected or what the Nikon 300 5.6 lens did (rendered) to the background - I cant sort out...either way I am not impressed.

Perhaps interesting subjects to look at - with a smoother background (garbage dump) make my point ...if you think about that for a moment you'll smile I am sure

 8)
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BernardLanguillier

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Re: Garbage Dump Background
« Reply #9 on: August 26, 2018, 10:12:12 pm »

sorry Bernard - whether it is the ISO you selected or what the Nikon 300 5.6 lens did (rendered) to the background - I cant sort out...either way I am not impressed.

This was shot at a pretty high ISO on the D810 with no particular noise reduction applied.

I don't believe that all diffraction lenses are made the same. There is very clearly a technological dimension here and issues with the DO implementation at Canon don't necessarily mean that all diffraction optics will suffer from the same issues.

Anyway, we agree that testing is needed I believe.

Cheers,
Bernard

Rory

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Re: OOF areas not sharpness!
« Reply #10 on: August 27, 2018, 12:44:49 am »

sharpness is not the only way to evaluate a long lens...Out of focus areas are critical. In the Fresnel/DO lenses the OOF areas are too "busy" for my eye.

Do you have any comparisons to show this?  I own the 400DO v2 and the 600/4 IS2 and did several comparisons and could not find much different in OOF areas, even in streams with lots of specular highlights.
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ErikKaffehr

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Re: Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF - exotic like MTF
« Reply #11 on: August 27, 2018, 02:43:00 am »

Hi Bernard,

The MTF data is either calculated MTF, ignoring diffraction, or just illustrative. Diffraction limited MTF at 30 lp/mm would be around 0.87.

The figure below shows measured at 20 lp/mm measured on the Zeiss 85/1.4 Otus at different apertures:



The MTF data was measured at Hasselblad, by Per Nordlund the person who is in charge of Hasselblad's lens development.

I don't doubt the Nikon is an excellent lens, it is just the MTF data shown is not feasible on a system working with visible light.

Best regards
Erik


This 1.5kg wonder exhibits a better MTF chart at f5.6 than the 500mm f4 at f4.

https://nikonrumors.com/2018/08/24/nikon-500mm-f-5-6e-vs-500mm-f-4e-vs-200-500mm-f-5-6e-specifications-comparison.aspx/

Having used the 300mm f4 PF a lot, I am considering it.

On the Z it may be hard to beat for birding/air show photography, but I see it as having amazing potential for landscape too in fact. These 2 combined weight the same as the HC 300mm f4.5 I carried last weekend... 😀

There is a lot to do really in terms of extracting distant detail from the landscape and very few people have done that due to obvious limitations resulting from the bulk and weight of high quality super tele lenses.

Cheers,
Bernard
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Erik Kaffehr
 

kers

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Re: Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF - exotic like MTF
« Reply #12 on: August 27, 2018, 05:22:21 am »

The 300mm PF lens renders beautifully and the vr on it works great.
Weakpoints are the redering of lights in the dark especially off axis
- the 300mm non PFs do a better job.
I see the pf lenses as a one of Nikons major new design achievements.
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BernardLanguillier

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Re: Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF - exotic like MTF
« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2018, 07:21:32 am »

The 300mm PF lens renders beautifully and the vr on it works great.
Weakpoints are the redering of lights in the dark especially off axis

Indeed. Nikon is claiming that they have improved this significantly with the 500mm PF.

Cheers,
Bernard
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