Partly with the idea of working out what to sell and what to keep, last weekend I did a comparison of the four following Nikon S-mount lenses.
Voigtlander Nokton 50/1.5
Millenium Nikkor-S 50/1.4
Nikkor-S 5cm f1.4
Nikkor-H 5cm f2
I didn't work out what to sell but the results were interesting 🙂
As expected the Millenium Nikkor-S was the all-round best performer. It really is one fine piece of glass. The Nokton is also a fine performer, and has the flatest field of these lenses (the Millenium is very close), but it never quite catches the Millenium in sharpness. The Nikkor-S has very good central sharpness even wide open (plus a nice halo effect), but field curvature and the old design show and its pretty soft in the corners even at f5.6 and beyond. The Nikkor-H has a flatter field than the Nikkor-S and is pretty decent wide open and sharpens up nicely by f5.6 to f8.
Here's an animated gif comparison of the field curvature difference between the Millenium 50/1.4 and the Nikkor-S 5cm f1.4. Both these shots were taken at f5.6. The shot that is sharp into the corners (look at the trees) was taken with the Millenium 50. The impact is lost somewhat with the small size, but the difference is huge when viewed at full monitor size.
Here's a full frame shot taken with the Millenium 50/1.4 at f8. Crops to follow.
Voigtlander Nokton 50/1.5
Millenium Nikkor-S 50/1.4
Nikkor-S 5cm f1.4
Nikkor-H 5cm f2
I didn't work out what to sell but the results were interesting 🙂
As expected the Millenium Nikkor-S was the all-round best performer. It really is one fine piece of glass. The Nokton is also a fine performer, and has the flatest field of these lenses (the Millenium is very close), but it never quite catches the Millenium in sharpness. The Nikkor-S has very good central sharpness even wide open (plus a nice halo effect), but field curvature and the old design show and its pretty soft in the corners even at f5.6 and beyond. The Nikkor-H has a flatter field than the Nikkor-S and is pretty decent wide open and sharpens up nicely by f5.6 to f8.
Here's an animated gif comparison of the field curvature difference between the Millenium 50/1.4 and the Nikkor-S 5cm f1.4. Both these shots were taken at f5.6. The shot that is sharp into the corners (look at the trees) was taken with the Millenium 50. The impact is lost somewhat with the small size, but the difference is huge when viewed at full monitor size.
Here's a full frame shot taken with the Millenium 50/1.4 at f8. Crops to follow.
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