[Brightcolours]

Handheld, f8, focussed by moving the camera. I really like how this Ultra Micro Nikkor 55mm f2 renders back and foreground... Very smooth bokeh even at f8, for a 55mm lens. One almost starts to believe the hype surrounding this little exotic gem of a lens <img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[PuxaVida]

Remarkable... Is that the whole frame or cropped?



Serkan

[Brightcolours]

[quote name='PuxaVida' timestamp='1315377465' post='11361']

Remarkable... Is that the whole frame or cropped?



Serkan

[/quote]

It is the whole frame (on APS-C)

[mst]

Very nice! Love the colors and the background.



Did you modify yours in any way? How hard is it to focus by moving the camera?



-- Markus

[Brightcolours]

[quote name='mst' timestamp='1315388144' post='11374']

Very nice! Love the colors and the background.



Did you modify yours in any way? How hard is it to focus by moving the camera?



-- Markus

[/quote]

Thanks, Markus!



No, I have not modified it. other than having a silly home made M39-EF mount adapter between it and the lens, thicker than necessary.



It is very hard to focus by moving the camera with this shallow a DOF, especially since I donot have an impressive D3x or 5D mk II but my 450D with small view finder and no focus confirmation... but you do start to notice when things are spot on after some practice. However, at times the focus still lands behind the subject even though I thought I nailed it!

[PuxaVida]

[quote name='Brightcolours' timestamp='1315379985' post='11363']

It is the whole frame (on APS-C)

[/quote]



This lens resolves ~500lp/mm for the 12mm part of the image circle. Did you find it remarkably worse on the edges, or is it still stellar (on APS-C)?... I mean concerning the other images you've taken....

[Brightcolours]

[quote name='PuxaVida' timestamp='1315392517' post='11380']

This lens resolves ~500lp/mm for the 12mm part of the image circle. Did you find it remarkably worse on the edges, or is it still stellar (on APS-C)?... I mean concerning the other images you've taken....

[/quote]

The 500lp/mm only is valid for monochromatic light (e-line), but still out-resolves DSLR lenses. This lens is diffraction limited, basically. Theoretical max. resolution for f2 for e-line monochromatic light is 750 lp/mm, for f2.8 536 lp/mm down to f8 (smallest aperture this lens has) of 188 lp/mm. The lens then can resolve more at 2f and f2.8 than it can at f4, f5.6 or f8.

Those figures for the center 12mm at 1:4 are of course stellar, but that does not mean that they nosedive for the rest of the frame.. still sharp towards the edges.



I do notice a slight amount of coma or astigmatism on the edges at times, which i will have to look into deeper... but nothing to get worried about. Note that I use the lens at about 1:2 instead of its designed 1:4. When I find a thin M39 to EF mount adapter I will be able to get closer to its 1:4 purpose to really see what it can do.

[Brightcolours]

A different angle, same grasshopper, same blue sky. Same Ultra Micro Nikkor 55mm f2.

[miro]

wow

Bokeh look very nice. It is surprisingly good for such type of lens.

I still have two suspected weaknesses.

1. CA and loCA- what is your experience?

2. The colors looks oversaturated. Have you boosted the saturation by the PostProcessing?

focusing with camera movemnt is not problem for the most macro shooters since this is the main way to take macros.



Hovever at he end of the day rice the question what is wrong with any macro in this focal range - Canon 50,60 macro, tamron 60/2.0 or sigma 70/2,8?

[Brightcolours]

[quote name='miro' timestamp='1315659704' post='11480']

wow

Bokeh look very nice. It is surprisingly good for such type of lens.

I still have two suspected weaknesses.

1. CA and loCA- what is your experience?

2. The colors looks oversaturated. Have you boosted the saturation by the PostProcessing?

focusing with camera movemnt is not problem for the most macro shooters since this is the main way to take macros.



Hovever at he end of the day rice the question what is wrong with any macro in this focal range - Canon 50,60 macro, tamron 60/2.0 or sigma 70/2,8?

[/quote]

Not noticed any LoCA problem so far, nor noticeable CA.

As you can see here, of course the usual green and purple loCA, but not in an excessive way:



The LoCA has not shown up in any "real" images yet. I have not purposely tested its CA behavior yet, though.



I did saturate the colours on purpose in DPP (usually do not do that like this) as I felt it suits the image. Also the enhanced contrast by darkening the darker tones (also in DPP) exaggerates this. So that explains what you are seeing.



Nothing much is wrong with macro lenses in this range. If you do not count the not so smooth bokeh from the Canon 60mm of course. They sure are a hell of a lot cheaper and they focus.. Nothing much wrong with my very sharp Nikkor auto 55mm f3.5 micro either (except that it is MF only of course). They all work fine. This lens is just an exotic one, with exceptional sharpness and very nice rendering. And it also is a star performer reverse mounted.



So, just see it as an exotic lens, not necessarily as a viable option for everyone looking to make some close ups at this focal length class. It is a limited use lens, with exceptional properties and a special history. And it comes in a wooden box with red velvet of course <img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> .