D800E + Nikkor 14mm: vignetting + soft corners--possible repair?

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

Is my AF Nikkor 14mm f/2.8D ED "repairable?"

I bought a Nikkor 14mm in 2005, brand-new from B+H. I had never performed any formalized tests with it, but I noticed less-than-stellar corner sharpness when I started shooting it on a full-frame body about a year ago (Nikon D3s). Even worse, since shooting it on my new D800E recently, I've noticed the softness in the corners even more, plus some non-centered vignetting. Here's an example of the vignetting in the lower-left frame:

Nikon D800E + AF Nikkor 14mm f/2.8D ED @ f/2.8 (estimated date of manufacture: 2004-2005)

I understand, it's an ultra-wide, and that some softness is to be expected in the extreme corners, but on an FX body, the performance of my copy of the AF Nikkor 14mm seems pretty marginal (although center sharpness seems good). Does anyone know if a trip to a Nikon service center can improve this lens' performance?

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

studio460 said:
Here's an example of the vignetting in the lower-left frame:

Of course, I meant, the lower- right frame.

nilsch · Aug 16, 2012

Is your lens hood properly on?

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

nilsch said:
Is your lens hood properly on?

Yes, the Nikkor 14mm has a permanently attached metal, petal-style hood, and accepts no other accessories in the front. It's very short and extends only a few millimeters beyond the front element in the corners.

Greg Gebhardt · Aug 16, 2012

I have never found the 14mm to be a good lens for digital. I sold mine over a year ago
--
Greg Gebhardt in
Jacksonville, Florida

H o g n e · Aug 16, 2012

It is widely acknowledged as the best wide-angle zoom in the world but I have noticed several people complaining about the corner sharpness on D800 bodies. I don't own this lens but I have used in on several occasions and I have to say my impression was always very good. Maybe there are significant differences in production quality.

The vignetting in the right corner is not acceptable. Either it was some kind of artifact or it should appear in every 14mm f/2.8 capture. If it is permanent I wonder why you did not discover (or report) this earlier?

In any event I guess the warranty period is over so the best thing to do would be to check with Nikon if they can do anything and what the cost would be.

Good luck.

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

Greg Gebhardt said:
I have never found the 14mm to be a good lens for digital. I sold mine over a year ago

Interesting--thanks for commenting. Yes, I'm also noticing CA at the edges. Could you share any more details as to why you weren't happy with your Nikkor 14mm? I thought I just had a bad copy. I guess I'll be checking out the Zeiss 15mm when available for Nikon F-mount. Great--now I need to spend an additional $2,950 for an ultra-wide. That's over $6K in additional glass since I was also planning to buy the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 OS soon. What do you think I could get for my 14mm?

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

gomoku said:
It is widely acknowledged as the best wide-angle zoom in the world but I have noticed several people complaining about the corner sharpness on D800 bodies . . .

Thanks for commenting, but to be clear, it's not the 14-24mm I own. I have the AF Nikkor 14mm f/2.8D ED prime, which I bought in 2005 for use with my 35mm and DX bodies. And, yes, I've also always heard good things about the 14-24mm zoom. Perhaps the zoom is a better performer than the 14mm prime. I've also heard that the 14mm prime actually has a wider angle-of-view than the 14-24mm Trinity zoom. If true, that would likely make for better performance.

But, since I primarily shot my 14mm Nikkor only on DX bodies up until about a year ago, I've only just recently noticed its shortcomings, and even more so on the D800E, which I've had for only a few weeks.

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

Greg Gebhardt said:
. . . I sold mine over a year ago.

Oh, so, what other ultra-wide are you now using instead? I know that the 16-35mm f/4.0 VR is very popular, but I bought a 24-120mm f/4.0 VR for shooting paid event gigs, and I've found that I never use it for personal work--f/4.0 is just too slow for me. I know that a lot of wide-angle photography is often shot stopped-down below f/4.0, but I tend to also shoot a lot of stuff at f/wide-open on my wides and ultra-wides.

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

gomoku said:
The vignetting in the right corner is not acceptable. Either it was some kind of artifact or it should appear in every 14mm f/2.8 capture. If it is permanent I wonder why you did not discover (or report) this earlier?

Oh, duh. I think the right-corner vignetting was . . . my finger! Boy, do I feel stupid! Here's a shot of the same location without the finger:

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

[Note: the shot above was irised at f/2.8, so it's certainly not shown at its best here.]

Astrophotographer 10 · Aug 16, 2012

He has 14mm F2.8 not the 14-24mm F2.8ED zoom lens which is regarded as the best widefield lens in the world and for good reason.

It is.

Mine is perfect.

Sell your 14mm and get the 14-24mm F2.8ED. There is a reason its part of the trinity of Nikon lenses.

Greg.

Astrophotographer 10 · Aug 16, 2012

I also notice the 14-24mm is easy to show obstructions. I wrapped some insulation around it to prevent dewing and it can show up easily.

It still is very distorted in the corners. I have not seen that with my 14-24mm.

Greg.

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

Astrophotographer 10 said:
He has 14mm F2.8 not the 14-24mm F2.8ED zoom lens which is regarded as the best widefield lens in the world and for good reason.

It is.

Mine is perfect.

Sell your 14mm and get the 14-24mm F2.8ED. There is a reason its part of the trinity of Nikon lenses.

Greg.

Thanks for your comments. How dumb was I? I specifically bought the 14mm prime thinking it would be sharper than the 14-24mm zoom (I also wanted less weight--even the prime is heavy as hell). Oh well, if I go that route, I'll definitely enjoy the extra focal length options the short zoom offers.

DANdeMAN · Aug 16, 2012

studio460 said:
... Great--now I need to spend an additional $2,950 for an ultra-wide.

Before you do that, check out the Samyang 14mm. Take a look at the flkr group images. http://www.flickr.com/groups/samyang_14mm/pool/

Here is my humble review of it. http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1021&message=42189958

edit : Craps, just saw your duh post.... Well maybe my post will help someone else.
--

D800E "The Monster" (07-2012) - SONY V3 (03-2005)

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

Astrophotographer 10 said:
It still is very distorted in the corners. I have not seen that with my 14-24mm.

Good to know! Thanks for your help!

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

DANdeMAN said:
Before you do that, check out the Samyang 14mm . . .

Thanks--I'll check it out! Edit: I don't see much improvement over the Nikkor 14mm. I'll probably go with either the Nikkor 14-24mm or the Zeiss 15mm. But, thanks for your post!

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

Here's a less-demanding image, using the Nikkor 14mm at a much "kinder" aperture of f/8. Not so bad. Perhaps I'm expecting too much, and/or suffering from D800E-driven "now all your lenses look soft" syndrome.

Anthony123 · Aug 16, 2012

If is of any interest to you the 14-24 on my 800e is absolutely stellar along with the 70-200 vr11 I don't think I can expect anything better.

studio460 · Aug 16, 2012

Anthony123 said:
If is of any interest to you the 14-24 on my 800e is absolutely stellar along with the 70-200 vr11 I don't think I can expect anything better.

Thanks, yes, comments like this are of interest. How do you like the 14-24mm at f/2.8 at 14mm?

D800E + Nikkor 14mm: vignetting + soft corners--possible repair?

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