What is the sharpest lens Nikon ever produced?

[brokenz]

Excellent point Joe.

They would know what is sharpest among what they have used. It's not speculation and not a waste of time except for posts like yours. If you honestly believe it's a waste of time then why even bother opening the thread?

Ignorant question followed by pages of rude comments from those who
obviously have little to do and no understanding of photography.

Good comment from someone that obviously has nothing of use to add.
--
This space for rent.

 

[Cultured Vulture]

you can't get what you never had

Finally! We agree on something...

I'm not saying PP is all bad - there's a place (market) for it in
the world. For art prints, I guess it's fine 1) it's blatantly
obvious that's what you did or 2) if you're upfront with your
customers and they understand that PP was used to make the image.

Post processing images within limits is like developing film. Remember the days of dodging and burning. Or for that matter push processing. The idea that a photograph is a accurate representation of the scene is ridiculous. If that was the goal of photography, we would of all used the same film. Do you think Velvia is accurate in terms of color saturation. Or for that matter Portra. If you are a portait photographer and try to be as accurate as possible with your portraits, you will not prosper. People want portrait photographers to minimize their defects. You can do that with film, sensors, filters, lenses...etc. By the way USM will not fix the product of poor glass. Make it better, yes. Make it as good as it would have been if it had been shot with a great lens, no.
--
Respond to rudeness with civility, it really annoys them.

Regards,

JR

 

[Uncle Frank]

They would know what is sharpest among what they have used. It's
not speculation and not a waste of time except for posts like
yours. If you honestly believe it's a waste of time then why even
bother opening the thread?

I opened it because I wanted to see what the fuss was all about, and then couldn't resist responding to the ridiculous post that labeled the unsharp mask as "unethical".

The question as framed by the OP makes no sense. "Sharpest" needs to be accompanied with a set of conditions, like aperture and focal length, to make any sense, and there are many lenses that can outresolve the current generation of sensors.

--
Warm regards, Uncle Frank
FCAS Founder, Hummingbird Hunter, Egret Stalker
Dilettante Appassionato
Galleries at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank

 

[Eduardoo]

Ignorant question? Wow, lol and ha ha ha.

It’s precisely at those times when I don’t know that I ask!

Regards,

Eduardo.

 

[Tom Monego]

Are you saying a jpeg processed by the camera is the only true out put?. Or are you saying that using the full 12 or 14 bit RAW file and leaving the Raw converter at defaults?

After all the true camera processor is 12 or 14 bits. Just by adjusting the scene in the RAW converter are you calling this manipulation?

Cartier Bresson chose his film and camera to get a look, but the printer finalized that look, he chose the correct texure and contrast paper, used the correct develper. All added to the look. A good chemical color printer's prints are so much better from the print from the local CVS because he/she knows how to manipulate the medium.

In another post a photographer said he just send his files into sports illustrated and they handled everything. Chances are they don't remove wires but the chances are that every image gets worked on with contrast and sharpening to look best in the magazine. Don't think for a second that those photos in any news magazine are jpegs out of the camera. Even if they just open RAW files with a RAW converter the necessary work for publication has been done to the image.

Tom

 

[John200973]

70-180 Micro has no peer. Wish they would do a S VR version.

 

[JoeR]

--an echo I presume.

joer56

 

[dylanear]

What makes you say this lens is the sharpest ever made my Nikon??? That's a very tall statement to make about a zoom lens. I haven't tested mine extensively, but it doesn't seem any sharper than the 60 macro, or varius 50mms, or 85mm 1.4 or several other lenses I've used. I doubt very much the 70-180 is sharper than it's cousin the 200mm AF-D macro. I love it because it's a very well built, very versitile lens with great performance, but THE SHARPEST EVER. I never would have thought of that lens for that catagory.

It's a dubious question to answer definitively since some lenses are sharp in some circumstances and not so great in others.

What's the fastest Porsche? Do you mean street or racing? Modified or from the factory? Accelleration or top speed? 0 to 60 or in the quarter mile?

There is no one correct answer I fear.

 

[edwardneal]

who's driving? - just as a more skilled photographer can get more out of a lens a skilled driver will get more out of a car. and unfortunately the opposite is true, an unskilled photographer can make even the sharpest lens suck

perhaps they refuse to use USM on their images or some other crazy mistake. lenses are just tools

A skilled photographer can make even a box camera look good and a bad photographer can make the D200 look bad

JMO

What's the fastest Porsche? Do you mean street or racing? Modified
or from the factory? Accelleration or top speed? 0 to 60 or in the
quarter mile?

There is no one correct answer I fear.

--
Edward

Lenses listed in profile



In Dog Years I'm Dead

 

[dylanear]

Good point. Yet another factor, a very important one at that.

 

[Jim101232]

I have tested every lens made by Nikon to date and found the 70-180 to be the sharpest.

 

[anotherMike]

EVERY lens Nikon has made, huh?

Got a feeling most of us here won't believe you until you can provide a bit more walk to your talk.

If so, how did the 1200-1700 custom made zoom fare against your precious 70-180 zoom?

Or the 300/2?

Or even the relatively more common 200/2 VR ?

Give me a break - you've contributed nothing to this thread except to accuse those who have participated in it.

-m

 

[ClassicMan]

....or just a cheeky liar.

I have tested every lens made by Nikon to date and found the 70-180
to be the sharpest.

--
Photos speak louder than words.....let's all post more photos.

 

[dylanear]

That's an amazing claim. I have to assume one of the these three conclusions.

A: Your one of the greatest Nikon lens experts ever having had the chance to evaluate hundreds of lenses, many of which are extraordinarilly rare and/or expensive.

B: Your exagerating and you've simply reviewed many nikkors.

C: Your just making things up.

I have tested every lens made by Nikon to date and found the 70-180
to be the sharpest.

 

[ronin77]

There isn't a consumer camera made, film or digital, that has the
dynamic range in a single exposure that the human eye
has...Consequently what you see in your real world can NEVER be in
your pictures without some manipulation or PP...If you can't see or
accept this you might as well give up photography...

LW

Couldn't agree with you more!

-----------------------
The trouble with resisting temptation is that it may not come again
http://www.pbase.com/ronin77

 

[pvairo]

--
Paolo Vairo
http://www.pbase.com/pvairo

 

[Seiji]

I am surprized at this remark. I would have assumed the 200 VR or 300 VR would beat the 70-180 easily.

 

[Jim101232]

BINGO, you win with answer C) Just making things up. I couldn't help responding that way to such a stupid question. My mistake is that I wasted so much time searching this thread for valuable information. There was none.

I do have a 70-180 and wouldn't trade it for any other for the close up workI do. It is very sharp but have no clue as to how it compares to other Nikon lenses and neither does anyone else. Compares closely with 200macro and 35-70 f2.8D as far as image quality is concerned. All 3 are 5 star rated.

Lets get off this suject and start another thread: Who has seen the bluest sky and what did it look like?

 

[Kaj E]

...the question is too broad. You would need to define center, edge, corner or if average how calculated. Aperture would also be needed. And finally format, camera or film if applicable.

But in the end sample variation will nullify any single lens test.

Most of the lenses mentioned in this thread and many other are excellent.
--
Kind regards
Kaj
http://www.pbase.com/kaj_e
WSSA member

 

[Raymond Bradlau]

--
Paolo Vairo
http://www.pbase.com/pvairo

--
http://www.pbase.com/ray645