Colin,
I still haven't found anything beyond good to very good in the 20-24mm range. I use to have a mint 24mm f2.0 ais that was gorgeous, but wide open was terribly soft. I ended up with two tries at the 24mm f2.8 ais - last of which was pretty good (manufacture guesstimate about 2004 #796xxx). My 20mm f2.8 ais is mint, and very good when stopped down. It roughly is from the same period as the 24mm (btw both the 20 and 24mm ais are excellent reversed). In January I tested the 16mm f3.5 ai for IR, and de-fished it is approximately equivalent to a 18-20mm lens, but getting the focus perfect was like the 55mm f3.5 - it took multiple tries and checking the back screen to find the perfect focus. Once you have that it is excellent. I use a PS plugin Fisheye Hemi on mine, but I think LR comes with a correction for fisheye built in - it just didn't save as much image area as FH. The 35mm f1.4 ais is excellent for IR - if you stitch 2-3 vertical images together it would approximate the same POV as wider lens. Just thinking out loud. This is the exact territory that Fred seems to be obsessed with. I don't know how many reviews I have read comparing Leica, Zeiss, Voigtlander etc old Nikkors, Minolta, Konica, various zooms...seems to be a very difficult prime to get right.
Good luck
Jim
DeltaSigma wrote:
Jim,
EDIT: samples of 16mm defished
January 7th 2022 16mm f3.5 ai IR (665nm)
16mm f3.5 ai IR (665nm) De-Fish
I need to find an alternative MF lens in the 20mm to 24mm range that has equivalent IR acuity. I have a gap in my go-to IR prime lenses - 16/3.5, ??, 50/2 HC, 85/1.8 HC, 200/4 AI-S
As previously demonstrated, my 24/2.8 NC just doesn't cut the mustard on FX.
Colin
James Markus wrote:
Colin,
The details are amazing...from the wire that runs under the lower sash on the second floor left-hand window - to the hand written "We are currently closed" signs on the lower windows.
Jim
DeltaSigma wrote:
85mm, f/1.8, HC on the D610 infrared.
An absolutely cracking lens for IR work.
I like the detail one gets from it.
Colin,
I still haven't found anything beyond good to very good in the 20-24mm range. I use to have a mint 24mm f2.0 ais that was gorgeous, but wide open was terribly soft. I ended up with two tries at the 24mm f2.8 ais - last of which was pretty good (manufacture guesstimate about 2004 #796xxx). My 20mm f2.8 ais is mint, and very good when stopped down. It roughly is from the same period as the 24mm (btw both the 20 and 24mm ais are excellent reversed). In January I tested the 16mm f3.5 ai for IR, and de-fished it is approximately equivalent to a 18-20mm lens, but getting the focus perfect was like the 55mm f3.5 - it took multiple tries and checking the back screen to find the perfect focus. Once you have that it is excellent. I use a PS plugin Fisheye Hemi on mine, but I think LR comes with a correction for fisheye built in - it just didn't save as much image area as FH. The 35mm f1.4 ais is excellent for IR - if you stitch 2-3 vertical images together it would approximate the same POV as wider lens. Just thinking out loud. This is the exact territory that Fred seems to be obsessed with. I don't know how many reviews I have read comparing Leica, Zeiss, Voigtlander etc old Nikkors, Minolta, Konica, various zooms...seems to be a very difficult prime to get right.
Good luck
Jim
DeltaSigma wrote:
Jim,
I need to find an alternative MF lens in the 20mm to 24mm range that has equivalent IR acuity. I have a gap in my go-to IR prime lenses - 16/3.5, ??, 50/2 HC, 85/1.8 HC, 200/4 AI-S
As previously demonstrated, my 24/2.8 NC just doesn't cut the mustard on FX.
Colin
James Markus wrote:
Colin,
The details are amazing...from the wire that runs under the lower sash on the second floor left-hand window - to the hand written "We are currently closed" signs on the lower windows.
Jim
DeltaSigma wrote:
85mm, f/1.8, HC on the D610 infrared.
An absolutely cracking lens for IR work.
I like the detail one gets from it.
