Digging into the archives from a few years ago. I have a number of images taken with MF glass before I really got interested in it. Sitting high atop a pergola.
Sar, it's interesting to see your photo with the 200 f4 Ai-S and right below it photos taken with the 200 f4 micro Nikkor.
I did own a 200 f4 Ai-S and never got a perfectly sharp image from it. Unlike the 200mm f4 Nikkor-Q.C which is even sharper then the 80-200 f4 Ai-S starting wide open. I normally bring the zoom, because it's still plenty sharp (apparently sharper then your copy of the 200 f4 Ai-S), and more versatile then the slightly sharper prime. They are identical in size, even if th eprime is slightly lighter.
The 200 f4 Ai-S is a lot smaller then it's predecessor, and I keep wondering if the focus on that lens was on portability rather then optical prowess.
Even though judging sharpness on small images on a computer screen is dodgy to say the least, looking at your images, I get the feeling I always had with my own 200 f4 Ai-S.
On th eother hand, that soft-focus look goes well with the subect
Sar and Buddy, interesting take on the 200 f4 AIS. I don't remember mine being that soft. Definitely the Q or QC version is great, but maybe I need to try them side by side.
Nicola, love the sun bubbling up in that first pic!
Brian, cool use of the zoom. I like the one with the road the best.
Luka, sounds like you have been designated to fill in for Ben while he's on his spring break Now you get to look for more light play.
Colin, very picturesque cat!
Leighton nice scenes at the market. I wandered through Eastern Market in DC today. May have one or two pics from there in a couple weeks.
I can't detect any softness with my 200 f4 AiS. It seems about as sharp as my 85 f2, 105 2.5, 135 2.8 and 300 4.5. Here are some samples - and if you're interested in the originals all my shots at flickr can be downloaded at full resolution. There is a ton of detail in the individual trees on the mountaintops. The last image of the British cannon is at f5.6. Don't have one at f4.
Here are some shots I took yesterday at Austin Falls on the Sacandaga River. My 85mm f2 AiS is only about 30 years old I think, but the internal elements were severely scratched with hundreds of hairline scratches by a very careless dry cleaning job. As far as I can tell, there is no effect on the images it makes, though it might be more susceptible to flare if the Sun were directly in the shot. If you download the first shot as high res, it really, really delivers, corner to corner! These old telephoto primes are amazing little gems.
Gonga wrote:
Here are some shots I took yesterday at Austin Falls on the Sacandaga River. My 85mm f2 AiS is only about 30 years old I think, but the internal elements were severely scratched with hundreds of hairline scratches by a very careless dry cleaning job. As far as I can tell, there is no effect on the images it makes, though it might be more susceptible to flare if the Sun were directly in the shot. If you download the first shot as high res, it really, really delivers, corner to corner! These old telephoto primes are amazing little gems.
