Re: Nikon 14-30mm F4 - Conflicting Opinions - Help
I purchased this lens (sr. #2002xxxx) from another FMer based on reporting it was a good sample that didn't suffer from poor edge/corner IQ that afflicted some samples. This was likely due to element decentration as reported by some respected online reviews and may have been more common with earlier samples. Sure enough, testing this lens with my USAF resolution charts and Norman Koren's MTF charts confirmed it was indeed a very good sample that appeared to closely match Nikon's MTF charts and was sharper than my previous 14-24/2.8. Sharpness on the left and right edges were also very similar. Due to lower astigmatism, edge/corner sharpness was better at 30 but 14 had slightly higher central contrast). Overall a great lens worthy of the S designation. Below are some cropped test shots wide open at 100% from my Z9 @ 1:51 repro ratio where group 0,5 is 80 lp/mm and 0,1 is 50 lp/mm as a reference. The only manipulation was exposure compensation for light fall off.
Re: Nikon 14-30mm F4 - Conflicting Opinions - Help
I purchased this lens (sr. #2002xxxx) from another FMer based on reporting it was a good sample that didn't suffer from poor edge/corner IQ that afflicted some samples. This was likely due to element decentration as reported by some respected online reviews and may have been more common with earlier samples. Sure enough, testing this lens with my USAF resolution charts and Norman Koren's MTF charts confirmed it was indeed a very good sample that appeared to closely match Nikon's MTF charts and was sharper than my previous 14-24/2.8. Sharpness on the left and right edges were also very similar. Due to lower astigmatism, edge/corner sharpness was better at 30 but 14 had slightly higher central contrast). Overall a great lens worthy of the S designation. Below are some cropped test shots wide open at 100% from my Z9. The only manipulation was exposure compensation for light fall off.
Re: Nikon 14-30mm F4 - Conflicting Opinions - Help
I purchased this lens (sr. #2002xxxx) from another FMer based on reporting it was a good sample that didn't suffer from poor edge/corner IQ that afflicted some samples. This was likely due to element decentration as reported by some respected online reviews and may have been more common with earlier samples. Sure enough, testing this lens with my USAF resolution charts and Norman Koren's MTF charts confirmed it was indeed a very good sample that appeared to closely match Nikon's MTF charts and was sharper than my previous 14-24/2.8. Sharpness on the left and right edges were also very similar. Due to lower astigmatism, edge/corner sharpness was better at 30 but 14 had slightly higher central contrast). Overall a great lens worthy of the S designation.
Feb 12, 2023 at 05:01 PM
Previous versions of alanwilder's message #16168475 « Nikon 14-30mm F4 - Conflicting Opinions - Help »
