So I made an effort yesterday to compare images produced at 200mm in both the 35-200 f/3.5-4.5 AI-s that George so graciously made available to me, and my old workhorse, the 80-200 f/4.5 AI... both wide open. I mounted George's lens on the Df and my lens on the D700. Sounds good, right. Well, actually not because I end up comparing not only two lenses, but also two camera sensors, the 16 megapixel one from the D4 found in the Df, and Nikon's first full frame sensor at 12 megapixels originally found in the D3 and D700. The D700 was my introduction to Nikon digital camera and it so inspired me that I began buying manual focus Nikon lenses and eventually started this thread. I used that camera for many years and loved it so much that I bought a second, low mileage camera which I still own... and which has just over 26,000 shutter actuations. I simply couldn't let it go despite the appreciation I've developed for the Df.
So I'll share a few images, but as you'll see in the first two, the combination of lens and sensor yields very different colors for example. The 35-200 is on the left.
In terms of sharpness, it is difficult to determine whether we're talking about differences in lenses or my technique. I shot each set of images sequentially with two cameras hanging from my neck... trying not to strangle myself in doing so...
Here are two early shots. Actually, at reduced size it is difficult to see the difference in sharpness... the 35-200 on top, the 80-200 at the bottom. Yes, a different color cast and I know from working with the full images that the 80 is sharper... but, technique or lens? Am I going to need a tripod and live view? Not going to happen.
I'll likely share a few more photos in a subsequent post. I'll mention that George's beautiful lens has a very long zoom/focus ring that is well dampened while my lens has a narrower ring that has a mind of its own. What that does when shooting, is make it a bit easier to nail focus with my lens. Long for George's lens involves extending the ring, mine involves holding the ring close to the mount. I even found myself getting confused, shooting wide with my lens then noting my mistake. This is an adventure for sure, but one thing I know... the 35-200 is a very fine lens that will serve anyone who longs to be free of the need to change lenses while rambling about. The jury is still out over the question of whether I need lens number 48... and if I do, whether this is the one...
Not going to happen.
