Fred Miranda wrote:
robgo2 wrote
GMPhotography wrote
I at least don't want onion rings and I do want funky. I'm a little price sensitive on this lens at least. I already got a masterful kit so funky is good. My problem is the ZM 50 is pretty pricey used. Well, FWIW, ever since I saw Fred's post about onion rings, I have been traipsing around my house and backyard trying to produce them deliberately with my Nokton. I've been shooting at f1.5 looking for sparkly background highlights. So far, no such luck. There are ringed highlights that are mostly round, but definitely no onion rings. If anyone has examples of them with the Nokton 50/1.5 Aspherical, I would like to see them. And I should think that if they do sometimes occur, they must be pretty rare and, hence, not a cause for concern.
Rob Rob,
I've never tried the Nokton 50/1.5 but it has an aspherical element and therefore onion ring patterns may be present depending on lighting and aperture used.
I quickly browsed Flickr and found a few samples images showing onion ring patterns in bokeh balls. (I posted crops below)
It's not as bad as some other lenses (Like the FE 55/1.8 or FE 35/1.4) but it's there. The Sonnar 50C will be free of these artifacts.
It's just some information for those deciding between both lenses. Another lens will zero onion ring pattern is the Loxia 50/2.
Fred, thanks for finding those examples. I was not aware that onion rings are caused by aspherical elements. For me, the rings aren't severe or frequent enough to cause me any worry, given how well the Nokton performs otherwise. There is no perfect lens. They all involve compromises.
Rob