Not impressed with new prime lens. Am I doing something wrong?

[o hey tyler]

OK, so this nitpicky BS started when I pointed out how regrettable it was that you can't fine-tune AF on the entry-level Nikon bodies. You can use the manual-focus/live-view method for testing a lens, but it's not like you're going to be able to use this method for every-day shooting.

That depends entirely on what you shoot.

 

[bc_steve]

Daggah.. any comment on the DXO Mark scores I posted?

On the link you posted the 85mm and the 50mm are both being tested on the D3X while the 35mm is being tested on the D300. I put the camera body on all of them to the D7000 because that's the one I have:

DxOMark - Compare lenses

In overall score the 85mm is better than the 35mm which is better than the 50mm.

 

[480sparky]

Try again. And READ the posts.

What does the DOF Preview button have to do with 'the sweet spot'?


Think about it.

Nothing. Which is why I didn't bring it up.

Yet you quote is, like you mean it has something to do with your replay.

Seriously? Your level of reading comprehension is incredibly poor.

I guess your level of writing comprehenstion is equally dismal.

You CANNOT accurately measure the sharpness of a lens if your sample shots aren't in focus.

The fact that a given CAMERA BODY cannot properly focus a CAMERA LENS has NOTHING to do with the OPTICS OF THE LENS and DOES NOT CHANGE THE OPTICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LENS.

Read THAT, and think about it.

 

[bc_steve]

The 35 1.8g is ok. You should get decent images. I barely use mine. I think I'm going toget the 28 1.8g.

I have one and I like it, but I think 28mm would be a more useful focal length for me too.

 

[Rafterman]

The 35 1.8g is ok. You should get decent images. I barely use mine. I think I'm going toget the 28 1.8g.

I have one and I like it, but I think 28mm would be a more useful focal length for me too.

I get great images from my 35mm 1.8G, but I'm going to trade it in for a 50mm 1.8D instead. My Tokina 12-24mm gets close enough to 35mm for my needs, and I'd rather have the slightly longer reach and same great low-light performance of the 50.

 

[o hey tyler]

I get great images from my 35mm 1.8G, but I'm going to trade it in for a 50mm 1.8D instead. My Tokina 12-24mm gets close enough to 35mm for my needs, and I'd rather have the slightly longer reach and same great low-light performance of the 50.

Why trade for the D version? Isn't the 50G roughly the same price as the 35/1.8?

 

[bc_steve]

The 35 1.8g is ok. You should get decent images. I barely use mine. I think I'm going toget the 28 1.8g.

I have one and I like it, but I think 28mm would be a more useful focal length for me too.

I get great images from my 35mm 1.8G, but I'm going to trade it in for a 50mm 1.8D instead. My Tokina 12-24mm gets close enough to 35mm for my needs, and I'd rather have the slightly longer reach and same great low-light performance of the 50.

I have the 50mm 1.8D as well. Maybe a little redundant, but those primes are inexpensive and small/light and I do use them both.

Apparently the D lens is sharper than the G, but the G does better bokeh. I was happy to get the D for just over half the price of the G. I think it was only $130? How can you go wrong with that!

 

[daggah]

Yet you quote is, like you mean it has something to do with your replay.

You getting upset over there?

I brought it up because it was inserted into this conversation by another poster as if it applied.

I guess your level of writing comprehenstion is equally dismal.

It's spelled "comprehension." I even wrote it out once, so all you had to do was refer to my own post.

The fact that a given CAMERA BODY cannot properly focus a CAMERA LENS has NOTHING to do with the OPTICS OF THE LENS and DOES NOT CHANGE THE OPTICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LENS.

Read THAT, and think about it.

Front/backfocusing is not a camera body issue. It's not a camera lens issue. It's a combination of the two.

Secondly, I never claimed it did. Your inability to understand this basic point is not my problem. Focusing issues don't affect optical qualities, but they DO affect your ability to EVALUATE those qualities.

I'm done with you. You're wrong; get over it.

 

[480sparky]

Focusing issues don't affect optical qualities, but they DO affect your ability to EVALUATE those qualities.
.

Glad you finally agree with me.

 

[Rafterman]

Why trade for the D version? Isn't the 50G roughly the same price as the 35/1.8?

Yes, they're both currently the same price ($200) thanks to Nikon's $20 discount on the 50 1.8G. However, I've had the 35 1.8G for a couple years now and I'd likely only be able to get about $125-140 for it used (it's in great condition though). With the 50 1.8D going for $129 brand new, it's basically like a free, even trade. I get the extra focal length I want for now without sacrificing low-light ability, plus I get a lens that will work great when and if I ever jump to FX in the future. Lastly, the 50 1.8D uses a 52mm filter size, so I won't have to buy any new filters. The 1.8G uses 58mm filters.

Apparently the D lens is sharper than the G, but the G does better bokeh.

Hmm, I wonder why that is? They both have 7-blade diaphragms. I'm sure the difference is minimal between the two, but I'd take sharpness over bokeh.

 

[pgriz]

Daggah, the two focusing approaches (via live-view and AF) work on different approaches. Live-view focusing takes the image off the sensor and displays it. So a live-view focus is as sharp as you can get. The AF module is separate from the sensor, and is supposed to be at the exact same optical distance as the sensor, but due to manufacturing tolerances and occasional mis-alignments, it sometimes isn't. So the in-camera micro-adjustments (for cameras that support this), or a visit to the service center, serve to bring the AF sensor closer to the same focusing distance as the lens-to-sensor distance. In my own case, I was getting some back-focusing issues that were visible (and annoying) when I was shooting wide open - the actual focus would land a few inches behind the target (which was focused on using the center AF point). I went through the test sequence of shooting an inclined target, and using live -view, my focus point would be exactly where I placed it. When I enabled the AF, my focus point was still the same (camera on a tripod, no physical change) but the resulting plane of sharp focus on the image was slightly behind my chosen point. When I sent in these images to the service center, they immediately agreed that it was a back-focusing issue and asked me to send it in, which I did. As I noted in another post, the resulting focus adjustment placed the AF focus plane much closer to the actual target point (still not perfect, but much better than before).

In terms of testing lenses, there is a strict protocol that works - the target needs to be exactly parallel to the plane of the sensor, your lens axis needs to be exactly perpendicular to the plane, the camera must be on a sturdy tripod/head, with techniques used to prevent camera movement (mirror lockup, remote shutter release), and the light must be steady and consistent and high enough that you can shoot at f/32 without using a slow shutter. Focusing is done by the live-view method with 5x or 10x magnification (if available). The target itself needs to be very high in contrast with barely-resolvable fine detail (there are a number of downloadable targets available). Of course, any filters need to be off. Using this approach, despite my slightly wonky AF, I was able to work through my lenses and determine their sweet spot (and amount of resolvable detail at center and edges) to my satisfaction.

Another real-world characteristic that is present in lenses is contrast. This seems to be related to the light entered the lens off the optical path and making its way to the sensor. The best lenses appear to manage this extraneous light very well, the cheap lenes less so. So another test I did with my lenses is to put a bright LED flashlight shining at the lens (but out of the visible frame) to see if and how the resulting contrast was affected. Again, eye-opening. Some lenses really need their lens hoods to give a contrasty image. Others are less prone to this. But you need to test it to see the results yourself.

 

[yioties]

I have had all 3 lenses that you guys are talking about. (50mm 1.8d, 35mm 1.8g and finally the 50mm1.8g) The G lenses on my D5100 are great. The lenses perform great! Sharpness, color, bokeh all amazing! I don't understand why all this bickering is happening over lenses that perform great. I ended up keeping just the 50 mm 1.8g because the focal length and the auto focus on my camera was ideal for me.