What follows is a comprehensive resolution analysis of Nikon’s 28-400 Z-mount zoom lens. Lens resolution is quite a nuanced subject. There is no such thing as “center resolution” or “edge resolution” reduced to a single number. You can’t even define ‘the’ resolution at a single point.   Resolution of optics is a three-dimensional topic, but even three dimensions aren’t sufficient to fully define resolution. To really understand how sharp a lens is, resolution measurements are divided into both sagittal and meridional directions. The sagittal direction can be described like wheel spokes, while the meridional direction is similar to the rim of a wheel. Lens resolution can also affected by the focus distance.   I use the free MTFMapper program for resolution analysis, which enables a level of thoroughness that really lets you understand the resolution characteristics of a lens. I photograph a special chart that has the fairly large dimensions of 40” X 56” (102cm X 142cm). A large chart like this enables photographing at much more realistic distances, while still providing information across the entire field of view.   My resolution photographs are made using ‘raw’ format, with no sharpening applied to them. Don’t trust any web sites that use jpeg, tiff, etc. for their resolution tests, since these formats all have some level of sharpening applied. Sharpening a photo ruins any resolution analysis of it; the measurement results become meaningless.   If you want to use the Nikon ‘high efficiency’ compressed raw formats, called ‘HE Raw’ and ‘HE* Raw’, then they will need to be converted into the DNG raw format before using MTFMapper . The Adobe DNG Converter  program used to convert raw formats into the DNG format is free and can be downloaded from the Adobe web site. DNG is an abbreviation for “digital negative”.   Beyond the lens resolution characteristics, you also have to know which camera the lens is attached to. This is because you have to know about the dimensions and pixel size of the camera sensor. For the test results that follow, I used both the Nikon Z9 and Z8 cameras which have identical sensors. The Z8/Z9 sensor is 35.9mm X 23.9mm. The number of useful pixels is 8280 X 5520 or 45.7 MP. Each pixel is 4.35 microns. This information is provided to the MTFMapper software for the resolution calculations, which I will provide in units of MTF50 lp/mm.   I like to report resolution units of MTF50 lp/mm (line pairs per millimeter), in order for people with different camera sensors to compare the results. Web sites that give resolution numbers in units such as “lines per picture height” are meaningless if you don’t know the size of the camera sensor and its pixel dimensions used to take the photographs.   I skip any measurements beyond f/16, because diffraction ruins the resolution. Use f/22 and beyond only when you don’t care about sharpness. Even f/16 is pretty bad for resolution.   Finally, I use the best results from typically10 photographs of my resolution chart at a given focal length and distance. I re-focus the lens before each chart photograph. I use a wired remote release to minimize any vibrations. No two chart photographs give exactly the same results. Additionally, I will provide the ‘peak’ resolution measurement around the frame center and edges, which could be in either the sagittal or meridional direction. For this lens, the sagittal direction is much stronger than the meridional direction.   Please bear all of these facts in mind when you review my lens resolution results. Other web sites use a different chart size, lighting, distance, camera, etc. in their resolution analysis. No two copies of a lens will yield the same results, either. Life is complicated… Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR on a Nikon Z8 camera   Note that this lens is a “double-telescoping” zoom design. It doesn’t have any ‘wiggle’ to it unless you torque on it with a fair amount of force. This design keeps the lens amazingly compact at the 28mm zoom setting. Minimum zoom setting with the bayonet lens hood attached Target chart: edges are sagittal or meridional orientation   The MTFMapper  program that I use performs resolution measurements at every single edge of every trapezoid in the chart shown above. This provides ample data for the entire field of view. The resolution mathematics doesn’t like 0, 45, or 90 degree edge orientation, which is why the chart trapezoids are oriented as they are.     Resolution Measurement Plots 28mm f/4.0 and f/5.6 MTF50   The peak 28mm f/4 center MTF50 reading is 73.3 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 65.4 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 3504 l/ph and edge 3126 l/ph resolution on the Nikon  Z9.   The peak 28mm f/5.6 center reading is 71.0 lp/mm (3394 l/ph), and the peak edge is 65.2 lp/mm (3117 l/ph). 28mm f/8.0 and f/11 MTF50   The peak 28mm f/8 center MTF50 reading is 62.7 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 63.2 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 2997 l/ph and edge 3021 l/ph resolution on the Nikon  Z9.   The peak 28mm f/11.0 center reading is 53.5 lp/mm (2557 l/ph), and the peak edge is 52.2 lp/mm (2495 l/ph). 28mm f/16 MTF50   The peak 28mm f/16 center MTF50 reading is 41.5 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 40.8 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 1983 l/ph and edge 1950 l/ph resolution on the Nikon Z9. 35mm f/4.5 and f/5.6 MTF50   The peak 35mm f/4.5 center MTF50 reading is 69.3 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 43.1 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 3313 l/ph and edge 2060 l/ph resolution on the Nikon  Z9.   The peak 35mm f/5.6 center reading is 68.9 lp/mm (3293 l/ph), and the peak edge is 52.8 lp/mm (2524 l/ph). 35mm f/8 and f/11 MTF50   The peak 35mm f/8 center MTF50 reading is 60.7 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 57.3 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 2902 l/ph and edge 2739 l/ph resolution on the Nikon  Z9.   The peak 35mm f/11 center reading is 51.9 lp/mm (2481 l/ph), and the peak edge is 50.6 lp/mm (2419 l/ph). 35mm f/16 MTF50   The peak 35mm f/16 center MTF50 reading is 39.6 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 38.8 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 1893 l/ph and edge 1855 l/ph resolution on the Nikon Z9. 50mm f/5.6 and f/8  MTF50     The peak 50mm f/5.6 center MTF50 reading is 64.8 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 38.6 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 3097 l/ph and edge 1845 l/ph resolution on the Nikon  Z9.   The peak 50mm f/8 center reading is 62.9 lp/mm (3007 l/ph), and the peak edge is 51.0 lp/mm (2438 l/ph). 50mm f/11 and f/16 MTF50     The peak 50mm f/11 center MTF50 reading is 53.0 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 51.0 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 2533 l/ph and edge 2438 l/ph resolution on the Nikon Z9.   The peak 50mm f/16 center reading is 40.8 lp/mm (1950 l/ph), and the peak edge is 40.6 lp/mm (1941 l/ph). 70mm f/6.0 and f/8 MTF50     The peak 70mm f/6.0 center MTF50 reading is 63.5 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 34.8 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 3035 l/ph and edge 1663 l/ph resolution on the Nikon  Z8.   The peak 70mm f/8 center reading is 62.3 lp/mm (2978 l/ph), and the peak edge is 46.9 lp/mm (2242 l/ph). 70mm f/11 and f/16 MTF50     The peak 70mm f/11 center MTF50 reading is 51.7 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 49.9 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 2471 l/ph and edge 2385 l/ph resolution on the Nikon  Z8.   The peak 70mm f/16 center reading is 40.8 lp/mm (1950 l/ph), and the peak edge is 41.2 lp/mm (1969 l/ph). 105mm f/6.3 and f/8  MTF50     The peak 105mm f/6.0 center MTF50 reading is 58.8 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 39.1 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 2811 l/ph and edge 1869 l/ph resolution on the Nikon Z8.   The peak 105mm f/8 center reading is 59.8 lp/mm (2858 l/ph), and the peak edge is 52.5 lp/mm (2510 l/ph). 105mm f/11 and f/16  MTF50     The peak 105mm f/11 center MTF50 reading is 52.9 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 51.4 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 2514 l/ph and edge 2457 l/ph resolution on the Nikon Z8.   The peak 105mm f/16 center reading is 40.8 lp/mm (1950 l/ph), and the peak edge is 40.7 lp/mm (1946 l/ph). 200mm f/8 and f/11  MTF50     The peak 200mm f/8 center MTF50 reading is 52.9 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 46.9 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 2529 l/ph and edge 2242 l/ph resolution on the Nikon Z8.   The peak 200mm f/11 center reading is 50.5 lp/mm (2414 l/ph), and the peak edge is 51.2 lp/mm (2447 l/ph). 200mm f/16 MTF50     The peak 200mm f/16 center reading is 40.7 lp/mm (1946 l/ph), and the peak edge is 41.5 lp/mm (1984 l/ph). 300mm f/8 and f/11 MTF50     The peak 300mm f/8 center MTF50 reading is 52.0 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 46.1 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 2486 l/ph and edge 2204 l/ph resolution on the Nikon Z8.   The peak 300mm f/11 center reading is 47.6 lp/mm (2275 l/ph), and the peak edge is 47.2 lp/mm (2256 l/ph). 300mm f/16 MTF50     The peak 300mm f/16 center reading is 38.8 lp/mm (1855 l/ph), and the peak edge is 38.0 lp/mm (1816 l/ph). 400mm f/8 and f/11 MTF50     The peak 400mm f/8 center MTF50 reading is 53.7 lp/mm, while its peak edge reading is 47.2 lp/mm. This is equivalent to a center 2567 l/ph and edge 2256 l/ph resolution on the Nikon Z8.   The peak 400mm f/11 center reading is 48.9 lp/mm (2337 l/ph), and the peak edge is 44.2 lp/mm (2113 l/ph). 400mm f/16 MTF50     The peak 400mm f/16 center reading is 39.3 lp/mm (1879 l/ph), and the peak edge is 37.8 lp/mm (1807 l/ph). Resolution chart with overlaid resolution measurements       MTF Contrast Plots   The plots below are probably the most familiar kind of resolution-related data, although these are made from real data instead of ‘design data’. Each of these plots were made at maximum aperture. 28mm f/4.0 contrast 35mm f/4.5 contrast 50mm f/5.6 contrast 70mm f/6.0 contrast 105mm f/6.3 contrast 200mm f/8.0 contrast 300mm f/8.0 contrast 400mm f/8.0 contrast     Summary   For a ’14.3x super zoom’, these central resolutions are very, very good. The edge resolution is a bit weak. The main reason you might want to stop down the aperture is to enhance the edge resolution. Nikkor Z 28-400mm at 400mm f/8 (cropped) Sharp indeed.

The following is a compendium of all articles published at this website since its inception. This list should make it easier to locate articles of interest. The “search” widget provided by my website provider is pretty lame, in my opinion. I think that a simple list of all article titles and their links will make it much easier to locate website content of interest. Most browsers should let you use “Control-F” within this article to find specific text. The article list below is sorted by oldest first. The bottom of this website’s home page has a horizontal list of numbers to let you step through the article links sorted from newest to oldest. Options are good. 9-3-2015 Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM C Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2015-9-3-sigma-150600-f563-dg-os-hsm-c-review 9-4-2015 Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 AF-S Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2015-9-4-nikkor-85mm-f14-afs 9-4-2015 MTF Mapper  Cliffs Notes https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2015-9-5-mtf-mapper-cliffs-notes  9-5-2015 Sigma Optimization Pro  Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2015/09/05/sigma-optimization-pro-review 9-5-2015 Using the Exif Tool  Program https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2015/09/05/using-the-exiftool-program 9-5-2015 Use “FP” Mode with your Nikon Flash https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2015/09/05/use-fp-mode-with-your-nikon-flash 12-11-2015 Camera Upgrade Resolution Expectations https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2015/12/12/camera-upgrade-resolution-expectations 12-13-2015 Micro Nikkor 60mm AF-D Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2015/12/13/micro-nikkor-60mm-afd-review 12-18-2015 Turn off VR with high shutter speeds? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2015/12/19/turn-off-vr-with-high-shutter-speeds 12-27-2015 Use your phone for a camera remote https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2015/12/28/use-your-phone-for-a-camera-remote 12-31-2015 Manual Exposure with External Flash https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2015/12/31/manual-exposure-with-external-flash 1-9-2016 Nikkor 18-140 f/3.5-5.6 ED VR Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016-1-9-nikkor-18140-f3556g-ed-vr-review 1-13-2016 Nikkor AF-S Micro 105mm f/2.8G Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016-1-13-nikkor-afs-micro-105-mm-f28g-review 1-23-2016 Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 AF-S G DX Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016-1-23-nikkor-35mm-f18-afs-g-dx-review 1-28-2016  Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X116 Pro DX Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016-1-28-tokina-1116mm-f28-atx116-pro-dx 2-6-2016 Rokinon Aspherical IF MC 8mm f/3.5 Fisheye Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/02/06/rokinon-aspherical-if-mc-8mm-f35-fisheye 2-29-2016 Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF-D FX Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/02/29/nikkor-50mm-f18-afd-fx-review 3-9-2016 Does Focus Calibration Make a Difference? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/03/09/does-focus-calibration-make-a-difference 3-26-2016 Nikkor 55-200 f/4.0-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/03/26/nikkor-55200-f4056g-ed-if-afs-dx-vr-review 3-29-2016 Nikkor 18-55 f/3.5-5.6G AF-S VR DX Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/03/29/nikkor-1855-f3556g-afs-vr-dx-review 4-5-2015 Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5 Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/04/05/micronikkor-55mm-f35-review 4-6-2016 Nikkor-PC 105mm f/2.5 Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/04/06/nikkorp-c-105mm-f25-review 4-22-2016 Why is My Full-Frame Worse Than My APS-C MTF50 Measurement? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/04/22/why-is-my-fullframe-worse-than-my-apsc-mtf50-measurement 4-24-2016 Lens Centering Tests https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/04/24/lens-centering-tests 5-21-2016 Use the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 AF-S DX Lens on FX? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/05/21/use-nikkor-35mm-f18-afs-dx-lens-on-fx 5-24-2016 Using the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 DX Lens on an FX Camera https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/05/24/using-the-tokina-1116mm-f28-dx-lens-on-an-fx-camera 6-12-2016 When is Manual Mode Not Manual? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/06/12/when-is-manual-mode-not-manual 6-26-2016 D610 VS D7100 VS D7000 Infrared Comparisons https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/06/26/d610-vs-d7100-vs-d7000-infrared-comparisons 7-12-2016 Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 AF-S E ED VR Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/07/12/nikkor-2470mm-f28-afs-e-ed-vr-review 7-22-2016 Nikkor 20mm f/4.0 AI Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/07/22/nikkor-20mm-f40-ai-review 8-9-2016  Measure Axial Chromatic Aberration: MTF Mapper  Part Deux https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/08/09/measure-axial-chromatic-aberration-mtf-mapper-part-deux 8-21-2016 Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary Lens Firmware Updates https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/08/21/sigma-150-600mm-contemporary-lens-firmware-updates 9-3-2016  Sigma 150-600 Contemporary OS Anti-Vibration Algorithm Comparison https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/09/03/sigma-150-600-contemporary-os-anti-vibration-algorithm-comparison 9-25-2016 The Fallacy of Spray and Pray https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/09/25/the-fallacy-of-spray-and-pray 10-12-2016 MTF Mapper  Version 0.5.8 Updates Discussion https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/10/12/mtf-mapper-version-058 11-19-2016  MTF Curves: Theoretical Versus Actual https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/11/19/mtf-curves-theoretical-versus-actual 11-21-2016 Focus Stacking With Combine ZM https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/11/21/focus-stacking-with-combine-zm 12-19-2016 Clean Your Camera Image Sensor Video https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2016/12/19/clean-your-camera-image-sensor 1-21-2017 The Orton Effect https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/01/21/the-orton-effect 2-12-2017  White Balance Calibration When Colors Go Haywire https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/02/12/white-balance-calibration-when-colors-go-haywire 2-17-2017 Lens Focus Repeatability and Calibration https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/02/17/lens-focus-repeatablity-and-calibration 3-6-2017 “Safe” Storage of Camera Gear https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/03/06/-safe-storage-of-camera-gear 3-16-2017 Test Your Secure Digital Card: Lame and Lamer https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/03/16/test-your-secure-digital-card-lame-and-lamer 3-26-2017 Photo Noise Reduction: Nik Define 2.0 https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/03/26/photo-noise-reduction-nik-dfine-20 4-8-2017  SnapBridge and D500 Remote Control https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/04/08/snapbridge-and-d500-remote-control 4-13-2017 How Bright Is Your Camera Viewfinder? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/04/13/how-bright-is-your-camera-viewfinder 4-21-2017  Infrared Photography and the Nikon D500 https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/04/21/infrared-photography-and-the-nikon-d500 4-29-2017  Does the D500 Automatic Focus Fine-Tune Calibration Work? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/04/29/does-the-d500-automatic-focus-fine-tune-calibration-work 5-11-2017 Do Long Lenses Not Like Filters? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/05/11/do-long-lenses-not-like-filters 5-24-2017 Focus-Stacking: Camera Hardware Suggestions https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/05/24/focus-stacking-camera-hardware-suggestions 6-10-2017 Convert Your Fisheye Lens into a Regular Superwide https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/06/10/convert-your-fisheye-lens-into-a-regular-superwide 6-20-2017 Keep Using Capture NX2  with Raw Format https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/06/20/keep-using-capture-nx2-with-raw-format 7-5-2017 Make Manual Exposure Automatic https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/07/05/make-manual-exposure-automatic 7-15-2017  Using MTF Mapper  0.6.3 New Features https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/07/15/using-mtf-mapper-063-new-features 7-27-2017  A Better Way to Test Fisheye Lens Resolution https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/07/27/a-better-way-to-test-fisheye-lens-resolution 8-7-2017 Yet Another MTF Explanation Article https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/08/07/yet-another-mtf-explanation-article 8-18-2017  Nikon D500 Focus Bug https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/08/18/nikon-d500-focus-bug 8-25-2017  UniWB and ETTR: the Whole Recipe https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/08/25/uniwb-and-ettr-the-whole-recipe 8-31-2017  How to Make a Crowd Disappear in Broad Daylight https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/08/31/how-to-make-a-crowd-disappear-in-broad-daylight 9-9-2017 How to Correct an LED “White” Light Source https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/09/09/how-to-correct-an-led-white-light-source 9-21-2017  White Balance for Infrared Photography https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/09/21/white-balance-for-infrared-photography 10-2-2017  Nikon D500 Focus Point Map Decoded https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/10/02/nikon-d500-focus-point-map-decoded 10-16-2017 MTF Contrast Plots: How Useful are They? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/10/16/mtf-contrast-plots-how-useful-are-they 10-22-2017  D500 Electronic Front-Curtain Shutter Analysis https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/10/22/d500-electronic-front-curtain-shutter-analysis 11-5-2017 Sharper Moon Shots with AutoStakkert https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/11/05/sharper-moon-shots-with-autostakkert 11-16-2017  Stack Star Shots with CombineZP https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/11/16/stack-star-shots-with-combinezp 11-24-2017  Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 pre-AI Review: A Blast From the Past https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/11/24/nikkor-300mm-f45-pre-ai-review-a-blast-from-the-past 12-16-2017 Reverse that Lens for Extreme Close-ups https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/12/16/reverse-that-lens-for-extreme-close-ups 12-26-2017  Panoramas Using Raw Format with Lightroom  and HDR Efex Pro 2 https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2017/12/26/panoramas-using-raw-format-with-lightroom-and-hdr-efex-pro-2 1-15-2018 The Brenzier Method: Thin Depth of Focus https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/01/15/the-brenzier-method-thin-depth-of-focus 2-3-2018  Create Your Own Planet https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/02/03/create-your-own-planet 2-17-2018 Nikon D500: Multiple Buttons, Multiple Focus Modes https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/02/17/nikon-d500-multiple-buttons-multiple-focus-modes 3-2-2018  High-speed Lens Focus Shift Explained https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/03/02/high-speed-lens-focus-shift-explained 3-16-2018 Coolpix B500 40X Super-Zoom Camera and Lens Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/03/16/coolpix-b500-40x-super-zoom-camera-and-lens-review 3-29-2018 Remote Camera Control Using digiCamControl https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/03/29/remote-camera-control-using-digicamcontrol 4-13-2018  How to Measure Lens Vignetting https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/04/13/how-to-measure-lens-vignetting 4-28-2018  Keeping up with  MTFMapper: any MTF you Want https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/04/28/keeping-up-with-mtfmapper-any-mtf-you-want 5-11-2018  Portrait Retouching Using Maks https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/05/11/portrait-retouching-using-masks 5-29-2018 The History of MTF50 Resolution Measurment https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/05/29/the-history-of-mtf50-resolution-measurement 6-15-2018 Fake Focus Peak on Select Nikon Cameras https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/06/15/fake-focus-peak-on-select-nikon-cameras 6-29-2018 Reflex-Nikkor C 500mm f/8 Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/06/29/reflex-nikkor-c-500mm-f8-review 7-14-2018  Longer Wavelength Infrared Photography Using 850mn Filters https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/07/14/longer-wavelength-infrared-photography-using-850nm-filters 7-27-2018  Simulate an Expensive Big Telephoto https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/07/27/simulate-an-expensive-big-telephoto 8-10-2018  Camera Infrared Filter Resolution and Focus Shift Testing https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/08/10/camera-infrared-filter-resolution-and-focus-shift-testing 8-18-2017 Infrared Filter Comparisons: Hoya, BCI, Neewer, Zomei https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/08/18/infrared-filter-comparisons-hoya-bci-neewer-zomei 9-3-2018 Tamron AF 24-70 f/3.3-5.6 Aspherical Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/09/03/tamron-af-24-70mm-f33-56-aspherical-review 9-15-2018 The Darktable  Photo Editor, Part 1: Overview https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/09/15/the-darktable-photo-editor-part-1-overview 9-28-2018  The Darktable  Photo Editor, Part 2: Image Masking https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/09/28/the-darktable-photo-editor-part-2-image-masking 10-11-2018  The Darktable  Photo Editor, Part 3: Tethered Shooting in Windows 10 https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/10/11/the-darktable-photo-editor-part-3-tethered-shooting-in-windows-10 10-26-2018 Lightroom  Masking https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/2018/10/26/lightroom-masking 11-8-2018  Test Lens Coma Yourself 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Mode’: the Most Accurate? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/nikon-pinpoint-focus-mode-the-most-accurate   06-14-2024 Measure Lens Resolution without a Test Chart https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/measure-lens-resolution-without-a-test-chart   06-28-2024 Use ON1 Photo Raw to Add the Moon to Photos https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/use-on1-photo-raw-to-add-the-moon-to-photos   07-08-2024 Nikon Focus Consistency Wars: DSLR versus Mirrorless https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/nikon-focus-consistency-wars-dslr-versus-mirrorless   07-10-2024 Nikon Z8,Z9 Firmware Bug: Pinpoint AF Mode Ignored https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/nikon-z8-z9-firmware-bug-pinpoint-af-mode-missing   07-26-2024 How to Measure Lens Focal Length and Field of View https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/how-to-measure-lens-focal-length-and-field-of-view   08-09-2024 How to Find the Correct Lens Pivot for Panoramas https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/how-to-find-the-correct-lens-pivot-for-panoramas   08-22-2024 Nikon Z8 Pixel Shift Shooting to Reduce Aliasing https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/nikon-z8-pixel-shift-shooting-to-reduce-aliasing   09-06-2024 Should you Turn IBIS Off When Using a Tripod? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/should-you-turn-ibis-off-when-using-a-tripod   09-20-2024 Autofocus Fine-Tune on Nikon Z Cameras: Useless or Not? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/autofocus-fine-tune-with-nikon-z-cameras-useless   10-04-2024 How to Analyze Lens Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/how-to-analyze-lens-longitudinal-chromatic-aberration   10-18-2024 Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR DX Review https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/nikkor-55-300mm-f-4-5-5-6g-af-s-ed-vr-dx-review   11-01-2024 Handy Camera Hardware for Proper Panoramas and Balance https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/handy-camera-hardware-for-proper-panoramas-and-balance   11-15-2024 Focus Stacking: ON1 Photo Raw vs Helicon Focus https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/focus-stacking-on1-photo-raw-vs-helicon-focus   11-29-2024 How to Find out Your Lens ‘T-Stop’ Transmission https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/how-to-find-out-your-lens-t-stop-transmission   12-13-2024 Infrared Camera Sensor Anti-reflection Coating Analysis https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/infrared-camera-sensor-anti-reflection-coating-analysis   12-27-2024 Cross Screen Filters https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/cross-screen-filters   1-10-2025 Batch Processing with the Capture One Editor https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/batch-processing-with-the-capture-one-editor   1-24-2025 How Far Should You Zoom In with that Lens? https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/how-far-should-you-zoom-in-with-that-lens   2-14-2025 How to Measure Nikon ‘Z’ Lens Auto-Focus Speed https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/how-to-measure-nikon-z-lens-auto-focus-speed   2-28-2025 Nikon Z9,Z8 LCD Monitor Lag Measurements https://www.photoartfromscience.com/single-post/nikon-z9-z8-lcd-monitor-lag-measurements

Nikon claims that there is virtually zero lag between live action and what is seen through the viewfinder or the rear monitor of the Z9 and Z8 cameras. Since I’ve seen too many disconnects between claims and reality, I decided to verify the assertion that the monitor is actually real-time.   I used a variety of stopwatches, including an app on my cell phone to act as the time reference. Each timer has a resolution of 0.01 seconds, which is good enough for what I wanted. The wristwatch stopwatches are more difficult to use, because their displays are a bit harder to read and the digits are smaller. I ended up resorting to use of my "tilt" lens to get a focus plane that could manage focus on the stopwatch and camera monitor at the same time.   I thought I’d also measure an older camera, the Nikon D7100, and my best DSLR, the Nikon D850. These cameras are known to have a time lag with their monitors.   In each test, I activated the stopwatch and then took several photos with both the stopwatch and the camera rear LCD monitor in the shot. The time lag of the camera viewfinder is rumored to be better than the monitor, but I couldn’t devise a good way to capture the viewfinder image. Since it’s a lot easier to photograph the camera monitor than its viewfinder, I stuck with the monitor. I have my viewfinder configured with “ High fps viewfinder display ” ON to get 120Hz viewfinder refresh, but there isn’t any such setting for the LCD rear monitor. The default viewfinder refresh rate on the Z9 and Z8 is 60Hz, which uses slightly less battery power.   Lots of test shots were thrown out, because the phone screen refresh would place a black rectangle where the stopwatch digits were located. My phone has a screen refresh rate of 120Hz. The wristwatch stopwatches were often unreadable, because the display was in-between activating all of the segments making up each digit. Nikon Z8 viewing a stopwatch: no lag about half of the time Nikon Z9 looking at a phone stopwatch: no lag Z9 monitor lagging behind the stopwatch by 0.07 seconds       After taking many photos of the stopwatch and the Nikon Z9 monitor, I took the data and plotted it in Excel. Nikon Z9 LCD monitor time lag measurements   About half of the time, the camera monitor shows zero time lag. It’s interesting to note that the non-zero time lag data was consistently either 0.06 or 0.07 seconds. Even the 0.07 second time lag would be imperceptible to the photographer. Nikon Z8 using a different wristwatch with stopwatch   I used a few different timing mechanisms with the Nikon Z8 for comparison. Just like the Z9, about half of the Z8 tests showed no measureable lag on the monitor, within 1/100 second. The wristwatches have an accuracy of 1/100 second.   When I tried the same experiment with both the D7100 and D850 cameras, their monitor time lags were always either 0.06, 0.07, or 0.13 seconds. Neither DSLR seemed better or worse in their monitor response times. These cameras can’t keep up with the Nikon Z9 (or Z8); they never displayed a zero-lag result.   Summary   Although I have shown that there is often a time lag between live action and the Nikon Z9/Z8 monitor image, it’s truly minimal. The viewfinder update specifications are at least as good as the rear LCD monitor for both the Nikon Z8 and Z9.   Nikon’s claims are accurate: you won’t notice any lag between real-life and the electronic display. All bets are off when you get into slow shutter speeds, however.

Finding out how fast your mirrorless Nikon Z lens can auto-focus isn’t as simple as you might think. I use super slo-motion video, typically 120 frames per second, to observe the details of lens focusing. Most lenses that Nikon made in the past had exterior focus scales on them, which could be monitored (and filmed) to evaluate auto-focus behavior. That’s no longer the case.   Nikon has a feature in their Z cameras to display a ‘focus distance indicator’ while using the manual-focus ring on their Z lenses. You won’t see this feature when using adapted F-mount lenses, unfortunately. This distance indicator is the key to accurately measuring focus speed. The focus distance scale will appear through the viewfinder and also on the rear LCD screen, assuming you have configured your camera to have both the viewfinder and the monitor active. My cameras are configured to switch between the viewfinder display and the monitor display by detecting my eye at the viewfinder.   I like to (manually) set my lens under test to its minimum focus distance, and then let the camera auto-focus on a subject that’s far enough away to force the lens to focus on infinity. When I test a zoom lens, I will zoom in to use the maximum focal length, too. This will force a worst-case focus scenario for the given lighting conditions.   Since I use a DLSR or another mirrorless camera to take the slow-motion video, I use two tripods while testing: one will support the camera under test and the other tripod supports the camera taking the video. I pre-focus the video camera on the rear LCD of the camera/lens being tested (a macro lens is helpful here).   You can use any video device that you prefer to take the video, but it needs to support a way to review the video footage by stepping one frame at a time. The focus measurement timing will be within about a single-frame time duration, which at 120fps becomes 1/120 second, or 0.0083 seconds.   To perform the timing test, you need to first set up the mirrorless Nikon to point it at a distant object. Next, manually focus the lens up close with the rear LCD monitor activated. The rear LCD should display a focus distance scale, showing the focused distance. The ‘Setup’ (wrench) menu of my Z8 lets me select distance units of meters or feet. Reviewing the video of a Nikon Z8 LCD monitor   In the shot above, I’m looking at a video that was shot looking at the rear LCD of a Nikon Z8.  There are two things of note in the shot shown above. The first thing to notice is the distance scale showing “4.27 ft”, which is the currently-focused distance for the lens under test. The second thing to notice is the square focus indicator, which is colored red . The LCD screen (and the viewfinder) displays the focus indicator in red until the subject gets into focus. After proper focus is achieved, the focus indicator will turn green . Different focus-modes will have different versions of the final focus indicator, but the color will be green.   You might see the in-focus indicator turn from dim to brighter green for a few frames. Use the first frame that you see the green in-focus indicator as the ‘done’ frame.   Perform the focus video-capture a few times to get an idea of the ‘typical’ focus time, and take note of the lighting level, too.   To capture the video of the focus action, you need to begin by pressing the ‘Record’ button of the video (I use my right hand for this). Next, you need to press the focus button on the camera/lens under test (I use my left hand for this operation). After the subject is in focus, you can let go of the camera focus button. Finally, hit the ‘Record’ button again to stop capturing video.   Now, it’s time to review the captured slow-mo video of the focus operation. After starting to play the video, I can use the ‘down’ arrow to pause, and the ‘right’/’left’ arrows to advance or reverse the video frames.   In order to know which video frame indicates the beginning of the focus action, pay attention to the white ‘focus distance’ scale. As soon as the auto-focus action starts, this scale will start to disappear from the monitor. This is the ‘zero’ marker in the video, where you can start counting frames. It takes a few frames for this scale to fully disappear from view, but the first frame where it starts to fade is the actual start of the auto-focus action.   Next, single-step through the video frames and begin counting. When the subject is in focus, notice that the focus indicator will turn green. This the end frame that indicates focusing has completed. The ‘in focus’ indicator has turned green. Focus is done.   You now have the information to calculate how long the lens takes to complete the auto-focus operation. Just count the number of video frames and multiply it by the frame duration number (0.0083 seconds for 120fps).   In the video for this example, I counted 90 frames for my Nikkor 28-400mm zoom at 400mm to focus from the minimum distance to infinity. (90 X .0083) = 0.75 seconds.   Summary   I wish Nikon included external focus distance markers on every Nikkor lens barrel for tests like these, because you could also evaluate focus-hunting and focus-chatter behavior. At least it’s still possible to get accurate start-to-finish timing measurements using the procedures shown above for the Z-mount lenses.

Just zoom that lens to the max whenever you want, right? Not so fast. If you want the best resolution with the biggest subject size, there might be better way.   Probably the majority of zoom lenses are at their worst resolution when zoomed to their maximum focal length. Many lenses perform much better at modestly less zoom. If you’re willing to do a bit of cropping with your editor, you might like the result much more. Nikkor 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR DX   Let’s take a look at the Nikkor 55-300 DX zoom lens as an example. The 55-300mm zoomed to 200 mm MTF50 resolution plots at f/5.6 for 300mm   The resolution plots shown above for the lens zoomed to 300mm yield a peak center resolution of 33.9 lp/mm at f/5.6, which is the brightest aperture at this focal length. The best it could do (upper right with this lens copy) was 38.6 lp/mm, in the sagittal direction. Pretty unimpressive numbers.   This lens copy appears to have a slight problem with ‘tilt’, which is usually the culprit in lenses having different resolutions when comparing opposite sides of the frame. MTF50 resolution plots at f/5.0 for 200mm     The resolution plots shown above for the lens zoomed to 200mm yield a peak center resolution of 55.8 lp/mm at f/5.0, which is the brightest aperture at this focal length. The best it could do (upper right again) was 61.2 lp/mm, in the sagittal direction. This is a really good result, especially considering the modest cost of this lens. Zoom resolution comparison at all apertures   If you change the zoom from 300mm to 200mm, it’s a decrease of 33% in focal length. The resolution change in the center goes from 33.9 lp/mm to 55.8 lp/mm, or a 64.6% increase! For a focal decrease of one third, the resolution jumps by two thirds! If you then crop  the 200mm shot to match the 300mm shot, you get a net resolution gain of one third in the final photo! Even stopping down this lens while at 300mm, the resolution is never competitive with the 200mm setting. It's better to cut your losses and just zoom in less.   If you can’t gain more resolution zooming out than you subsequently lose by cropping to regain the field of view, then this lens isn’t a good candidate for this technique.   Switching over to the peak resolution measurements, the 300mm-to-200mm zoom change gets a resolution change from 38.6 lp/mm to 61.2 lp/mm, or a change of 58.5%. This resolution increase is a bit less than two thirds, but still a huge improvement that is well-worth the crop to yield a field of view that matches the 300mm shot.   Let’s take a look at some other gains that accompany decreasing the focal length to try to get more resolution. Both the center and edges get higher resolution. You gain a slightly brighter maximum aperture. The lens focuses a bit quicker, since it moves the glass a lesser distance with a brighter aperture.   What’s the downside to decreasing the focal length? The background won’t be quite as out-of-focus, assuming that you leave the aperture setting alone.     Summary   This technique won’t apply to all zooms, of course. The most costly pro zooms are usually so good that you don’t need to bother zooming out to gain resolution. Many amateur zooms, however, benefit greatly by a modest focal length reduction.   It’s worth taking a closer look at your zoom lenses to see if you might get a big step-up in resolution by avoiding your zoom’s longest focal length and then cropping modestly. This technique isn’t a cure-all, but on lenses that are weak at the longest focal lengths it might get you much better pictures.   To evaluate your own lenses, you might consider using the free MTFMapper program. This program is what I used to measure the lens mentioned in this article. MTFMapper  was written by Frans van den Bergh. His software was used by NASA to evaluate the lenses on the Mars Rover.

The Capture One  editor has a really nice way to automatically apply your edits from one photo to a group of other photos that need the same treatment. This is a huge time saver when you have lots of shots needing the same editing treatment. In this article, I’m using Capture One 2023 .   If you have other shots that need slightly different edits compared to your original editing steps, you can always go back to those shots and touch-up the applied edits. Click ‘Copy’ to save your editing steps Your edits will be temporarily saved Select similar shots needing the same edits Click the other photographs that need the same editing as your original edited photo. Use the left mouse button and the Control or Shift  keys to select the desired shots in the filmstrip (‘ Command ’ in Macs is the same as ‘ Control ’ in Windows). Click ‘Apply’ to perform the edits in the selected photos Batch Cropping   Notice that the cropping  in the master photograph shown above didn’t  get applied to the other photographs. You didn't think that you'd get away that easily, did you? There is a different procedure to accomplish batch-cropping of photos. Batch cropping steps To apply a crop to a series of photos, start by selecting the set of pictures in the filmstrip. Next, select the ‘ Shape ’ tab, which includes cropping features, and click on the ‘ crop ’ icon.   Use the mouse to select the desired cropping outline on the master photograph. Next, click the indicated icon as shown in step 4 above to get the ‘ Adjustments Clipboard ’ dialog.   In the ‘ Adjustments Clipboard ’, click the ‘ Apply ’ button. The crops will applied to all of the selected photos. The crop is applied to all selected shots If the ‘batch crop’ needs fine-tuning in one of the photos, you can always select that shot and then go back and adjust the crop outline just like you do with any photograph.   Batch Processing Noise Removal with Topaz DeNoise Here’s a link to an article I have already written about using Topaz DeNoise in batch mode from Capture One .

You’re probably familiar with diffraction spikes around bright lights in photos, and they can be quite attractive. There are times when you shoot with your lens aperture wide-open, only to discover that those spikes disappear. How can you shoot wide-open and still get those spikes?   I have a couple of clear filters from Hoya called “Cross Screen” and “Star Six” that create spikes around lights, even when shooting wide-open. The “Cross Screen” filter makes 4-point spokes and the “Star Six”, like its namesake, creates 6-point spokes. I have also seen filters that create 8-point and even 12-point spikes. Several companies make filters like these. 6-point light spikes Hoya Cross Screen and Star Six filters   An example of a pretty pricy camera that always makes diffraction spikes is the James Webb telescope, although it’s definitely not a mirrorless camera. This telescope produces 6-point diffraction spikes around the bright stars, along with 2 much dimmer spikes (from its secondary mirror support beams). These spikes are due to its 6-sided mirrors. In camera lenses, the spikes are always twice the number of aperture blades in the lens. When the lens is wide-open, the blades aren’t blocking any light and the spikes go away.   The Hoya filters have small straight-line etches in them to create the spikes. These spikes are always present, and get thinner with aperture changes. The exposure doesn’t change when using these filters, because the glass is completely clear and neutral. Hoya ‘Cross Screen’ filter, 50mm lens f/1.8 and f/16   Note how the light spikes have a rainbow-like effect. Also note how you also get additional miniature diffraction spikes around the lights when the lens is stopped down. Hoya ‘Star Six’ filter, 50mm lens f/1.8 and f/16 50mm lens f/1.8 and f/22, no filter. Gets 14 spikes from 7-blade aperture.     If your subject has lots of bright lights in it, the picture can get quite busy when using these filters. Unfortunately, you can’t rotate these filters, so you can’t easily control the direction of the light spikes. When I want directional control, I stack the cross-screen filter on top of a polarizing filter to allow rotating to any spike direction I want. It’s not an ideal solution, but it works. Cross Screen stacked onto polarizer to rotate spike direction ‘Star Six’ stacked onto polarizer     Hoya does make a ‘Variocross’ filter with two indepently-rotating elements to adjust the spike direction pairs to obtain non-90-degree crosses. Hoya ‘Star Six’ filter, 50mm lens f/1.8   The effect with a just a few distant bright objects can be quite nice. (The brightest object is Saturn). ‘Star Six’ filter   The effect can be a bit heavy up close. Summary   These ‘star’ filters are like candy. The effect can be quite nice, but you shouldn’t make a steady diet out of them. If your nightscapes feel like they need just a bit more pizazz, you might give filters like these a try.

I had to pay extra to get my infrared-modified camera supplied with an anti-reflection coating on its IR-sensitive sensor cover. The company that converted my camera to 590nm infrared (it also passes some orange and red light) is called Kolari Vision . Did I waste my money getting this anti-reflecton coating option?   I wanted to show some examples of what the IR anti-reflection coating can do. I chose to shoot with a couple of lenses that are known to be poor choices for infrared use. I took photos with the same lenses at the same focal length and f-stop on two different cameras. My IR-converted camera is the Nikon D7000.   To be able to compare the IR anti-reflection coating effect against a camera sensor that doesn’t have a specific coating for IR, I chose to shoot with my Nikon Z9 camera. To shoot in infrared on both cameras, I used the same 850nm infrared filter mounted over the lenses being tested.   Lenses perform worse in infrared when you stop them down, so I chose to do all of my tests using f/16.  Zoom lenses perform worse at their widest settings with IR, so I tested the lenses at their widest settings, too. Lenses perform worse with longer infrared wavelengths. This may not be the worst-case scenario, but it’s close.   The first lens under test was the Nikkor 18-140 f/3.5-5.6 ED VR DX . This lens has a reputation as being a poor performer with infrared, especially when stopped down.   The second lens under test was the Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 AF-S E ED VR . This lens has a terrible reputation when shooting IR, even though it’s quite expensive. Nikkor 18-140mm at 18mm f/16 850nm Z9 camera   The 18-140 lens, which is a DX-format lens, yields a nasty white spot in the center of the picture when shooting at 850nm infrared on the un-modified Nikon Z9 camera. The white spot is due to IR light bouncing off of the camera sensor and going back into the rear of the lens. If I were to open up the lens aperture, the central white spot wouldn’t look quite as bad. Nikkor 18-140mm at 18mm f/16 850nm D7000  IR camera   The same lens mounted on the IR-modified D7000 camera produces the barest hint of lightening in the central portion of the picture. I doubt that most people would even notice issues shooting IR with this lens. By opening up the lens aperture, the slight center light area would disappear.   The IR-modified camera with its IR anti-reflection coating over the sensor allows the infrared light to pass through, instead of bouncing around between the lens rear and camera. Nikkor 24-70mm at 24mm f/16 850nm Z9 camera   This 24-70 f/2.8 lens produces horrible results with this unmodified Nikon Z9 camera. Totally unacceptable. Now you know why the 24-70 is legendary for being terrible with infrared. Even when you open up the aperture, this lens just can’t perform when shooting infrared on un-modified cameras. Nikkor 24-70mm at 24mm f/16 850nm D7000  IR camera     Now take a look how this same lens with the same 24mm setting at the same f/16 performs. There’s a world of difference. There’s still a hint of central lightening, but this effect goes away when shooting about f/8 or wider. Since the D7000 is a DX format, the 24mm zoom setting looks like 36mm. D7000 before IR conversion, 35mm f/1.8 AF-S DX at f/8 720nm   Here’s an example of the same D7000 camera before  getting it converted to 590nm infrared. This shot used a 720nm Hoya R72 IR filter. This same lens, when stopped down to f/16, made shooting IR totally unacceptable. Even at f/8, I would typically have to use a radial filter in my photo editor to darken the central portion of my shots when using this lens.  More often than not, I used to switch to my old Nikkor 20mm f/4 AI-converted lens, which is excellent shooting infrared at any aperture.   Summary The extra expense of the IR anti-reflection coating option  on my camera when getting it converted into infrared was totally worth it. Most lenses that look awful when shooting infrared on my un-modified cameras perform just fine on my Kolari Vision 590nm converted camera, with its IR anti-reflection coating. Beware that not every lens can work acceptably when shooting infrared, even with anti-reflection IR sensor coatings. My Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 zoom is a poor performer under nearly every infrared scenario. If you think about it, would you ever buy a camera lens that didn’t have anti-reflection coatings on it? Of course not. Then why would you want an infrared camera without IR anti-reflection coatings on its sensor cover?   Be careful if you get your camera converted into infrared. Not all companies offer an IR anti-reflection sensor coating option. In case you wondered, I’m not getting paid by anybody to sell anything.

If you didn’t know, the marked f-stop on your lens is probably a lie. The actual light transmission of lenses is almost always less than the marked f-stop. I’m not talking about the lens edges and corners, where transmission is even worse. Real lens light transmission (in the center, at least) is given by its T-stop, where T stands for transmission.   Often, cinema lenses are marketed by their T-stop, because you need to be able to swap lenses and be able to get the same light level at a given f-stop setting. Movie makers and editors are much more demanding than still photographers, it appears. You can still use the marked lens f-stop for determining the depth of focus; it just won't reliably indicate how much light your camera sensor is seeing.   To find out your lens T-stop, you need to either look up the T-stop information on the web, or else you need a ‘reference lens’ with a known transmission for a given f-stop. A really handy website that gives T-stops for many lenses is DxO Mark . This excellent website has much more information than just T-stops, of course.   As an example, I have a ‘reference lens’, which is my Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G AF-S lens. This isn’t actually an f/1.4 lens, but an f/1.6 transmission lens or T 1.6 . DxO Mark website Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G AF-S lens data   As shown above, my 85mm f/1.4 is really an 85mm f/1.6 lens.   If you can’t find a website that has already analyzed your lens for transmission, then you need to figure out the T-stop yourself, starting with a reference lens that you can access.   If you can locate a reference lens with a known T-stop, then you can take a photo of a smooth evenly-lit surface, such as a wall, using your reference lens to establish the exposure. Make sure your camera is in manual mode at a fixed ISO value, where ideally you set the same marked aperture you’ll use on your ‘unknown’ lens under test. Note the shutter speed required for correct exposure.   By the way, you’ll need to switch to ‘spot’ metering, and make sure you are looking at the center of the field of view when metering. Otherwise, the camera meter will be influenced by the (dimmer) edges and corners of nearly every lens. Most camera meters only give you a resolution of 1/3 stop, so don’t expect a more accurate T-stop estimate than that.     For these procedures to work, your camera needs to be able to measure the exposure with the lens aperture actually stopped down to the requested f/stop. My Nikon mirrorless cameras automatically focus and measure the exposure at the requested aperture, and not wide-open (through f/5.6).   Make sure that the tested lens has its focus set to infinity. Lenses get dimmer as you focus closer, and lens T-stops should always be referenced to infinity focus.   If your lens under test doesn’t have the same (marked) widest aperture, then you’ll have to assume that your reference lens has consistent transmission loss at each aperture. Set the reference lens to the same marked aperture as your unknown lens under test, and then note the shutter speed for correct exposure.   Now, switch to your unknown lens at the same marked aperture as your reference lens, and adjust the shutter speed to get the correct exposure. Compare this shutter speed from your shot with the reference lens at the same aperture. This change in shutter speed between lenses can be converted into an E xposure V alue, or EV, to see how much different your tested lens is, compared to your reference lens.    I use a handy website called ScanTips.com . This website has an exposure calculator to convert f-stops into the equivalent EV value. There are many apps available that can do this same thing. To do the math on exposure changes, you need to convert from f-stops into EV values. An EV change of 1 is the same as the change of 1 f-stop. In the calculator ‘A’ side, set your reference lens marked f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO. Also enter your unknown lens marked f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO in the calculator ‘B’ side. This will give you the EV change between lenses. Add this EV change with your reference lens T-stop, and you now have your unknown lens T-stop.   To calculate the Exposure Value (EV) difference between my 85mm marked f/1.4 aperture and its actual f/1.6 T-stop, the calculator was set up like this: EV change from f/1.4 to f/1.6 is 0.33EV   For example, my 85mm lens at the marked f/1.4 aperture had an exposure of 1/1000 second at ISO 400.  My TTArtisan 50mm f/0.95 lens, when set to its marked f/1.4 aperture and ISO 400 also needed a shutter speed of 1/1000 second for the correct exposure.   This means that the TTArtisan f/0.95 lens at f/1.4 would also be T-1.6, having the same transmission as the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 lens at the same marked f/1.4 aperture.   I set the TTArtisan 50mm lens to a marked f/1.0 (one stop wider than f/1.4), and the camera meter indicated it needed a shutter of 1/1600s. TTArtisan 50mm f/0.95 lens at f/1.0   The results above indicate that a change from f/1.4 and 1/1000s to f/1.0 and 1/1600s means that the TTArtisan lost another 0.33 stops of light transmission. I was expecting the correct exposure to be 1/2000s at f/1.0.  When I then changed to the marked f/0.95 aperture, the meter indicated correct exposure needed a shutter speed of 1/2000s.   Since this TTArtisan wide-open at f/0.95 transmits twice the light of my 85mm Nikkor wide-open, that means that its T-stop would then be T 1.1 , which is 1 stop faster than the Nikkor 85mm’s T 1.6 .   I guess this lens loses some of its bragging rights, going from “f/0.95” to the actual transmission of T 1.1.

If you need to focus-stack a dozen or fewer photos quickly and easily, consider using the ON1 Photo Raw  editor. I’m using the 2023 version of ON1  in this article.   If, on the other hand, you want to stack scores of shots with the most capable available software, you probably want to take a look at Helicon Focus. Here’s a link to an article I made on using Helicon Focus . I often find myself trying out ON1  with a set of stacked shots, since it’s so easy to use. If I like the results, I’m done. If I don’t like the results, then I switch over to Helicon Focus  to get the job done. Select your shots to stack   The first step is to select the photos that you want to stack. It’s critical that your shots have good focus overlap, or the stacking will either fail or look awful. It’s generally okay if you hand-hold the camera, since ON1 can handle misalignment. Cameras that have a focus-stacking feature work much better for getting correct focus overlaps, but you can also make stacks with manual focus.   If you select too many shots to stack, ON1  won’t let you select the “Focus” option until you decrease your selection total. Generally, it won’t let me select more than 14 shots. The ‘Focus Stacking’ dialog   As shown above, you will get the Focus Stacking  dialog to appear after clicking the ‘ Focus ’ icon. You might not get all of your selected shots to be automatically used in the stack. I used a manual-focus lens in the above stack, and the software de-selected some shots with improper focus overlap.   I always leave the Align Photos  selected, since properly-aligned photos will still work, too. Some ugly image artifacts     If you don’t have a proper focus overlap between all of your shots, you’ll probably notice that not every shot gets selected at the bottom of the dialog. You can re-enable these shots in the stack, and look for potential image artifacts showing up in the stacked shot.   You can un-select shots at the bottom of the dialog (check marks) until you make the unwanted artifacts disappear. Artifacts are gone after de-selecting some shots   The stack above was actually hand-held, showing how well the auto-align feature can work. I think I had some front-back sway issues while photographing the stack, causing some incorrect focus overlaps; this is why not all of the shots worked properly in the stack. I used a focus-stacking camera for the above shots, but the viewfinder blacks out during the shooting and holding steady is a challenge.   This ON1  stacking isn’t suitable for most macro subjects that require huge numbers of frames to overcome paper-thin depth of focus. It’s much more suitable for things like landscapes or product shots at more normal distances where a dozen or less images will cover the scene.     ON1 and Helicon Focus Compared Stack 10 shots with Helicon Focus Stack 10 shots with ON1   If you look closely in the above pair of shots, you can see that Helicon Focus  is a more refined product than ON1 . There are several small rough spots which I’ve pointed out in the ON1  stack that are absent from the Helicon Focus  version.   You’ll find yourself having to use tools like the healing brush to smooth over little defects in ON1  focus stacks.   On the other hand, Helicon Focus  cropped a bit more than ON1  and seems to have made a different decision on what to use for the most out-of-focus background.   Helicon Focus  is more adept at handling hand-held stacks and compensating for camera movement than ON1 , as well.   The white balance is different with Helicon Focus , but that’s easily adjusted after stacking by using other editors.   There are some raw-format photos that Helicon Focus  can’t use, but you can easily convert them into DNG format using the free Adobe DNG Converter  and then stack this form of raw files.       Summary   If I had to choose, I’d stick with Helicon Focus  over using ON1  for focus stacking. ON1  is the simplest and fastest program to use, but it’s definitely more limited in capability and finesse.

I already did an article on the technical aspects of doing panorama photography. It discussed ways that you can figure out the pivot location for your lens (at the lens entrance pupil) to totally eliminate parallax error. That article is located here   What I haven’t yet discussed is the best way to actually support your camera/lens on a tripod. Photographers generally know about using Arca-Swiss supports, but most of those designs are completely incompatible with doing correct panoramas or weight balance. I’m going to address those issues, and show you how you can have the best of both worlds.   A really nice aspect of the hardware I’m going to discuss is that you can buy this stuff for really cheap. Or you can buy really expensive stuff, if that’s your thing.   I’m not trying to sell anything, so any mention of specific hardware doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily better than some other hardware.  An important consideration, however, is the length or adjustability range of some clamps or plates.   Camera “L” brackets are a great way to mount your camera onto an Arca-Swiss mount, but how do you shift them away from the tripod pivot axis for a proper panorama? There’s a way. Enter the ‘ nodal slide ’. This device was designed to let you move the camera away from the tripod centerline along the lens axis. It uses Arca-Swiss hardware, so it’s adjustable, fast, and secure. A ‘Nodal Slide’ top view   The hardware shown above is a combination of an Arca-Swiss plate with an Arca-Swiss clamp at one end. The clamp is perpendicular to the plate, so that a camera with an Arca-Swiss plate attached to its base will then mount perpendicular to the long plate. The entire rig is then attached to another Arca-Swiss clamp on the tripod head.   There’s a handy bubble level on the slide. It’s very important to get your camera level when making panorama or architectural shots. A ‘Nodal Slide’ bottom view   In this bottom view, you can see a stainless ¼-20 screw that can be used to attach your camera to the slide, if the camera doesn’t have an Arca-Swiss plate on it. Normally, this screw will go unused but can be left in-place. A ‘Nodal Slide’ side view   The slide has a millimeter scale on both sides, which is crucial to allow quick repeatable mounting of the camera/lens at its proper entrance pupil location over the tripod pivot point. Camera with an ‘L’ bracket for Arca-Swiss mounting   The ‘L’ bracket shown allows the camera to get clamped in either the landscape or portrait orientation onto the nodal slide. This bracket is just the right length to allow free access to the camera’s battery compartment on its base.   Be careful to align the lens axis over the center of the tripod rotation axis before clamping the camera onto the nodal slide. Shift Along the Lens Axis Camera with its lens entrance pupil over the tripod pivot   Some lenses have really, really long separations between the camera sensor and the lens entrance pupil (nodal point). If you buy ‘short’ plates or clamps, you might be limiting yourself in a way that you could later regret. On the other hand, hardware with a huge adjustability range can rapidly get unwieldy in the field. You’ll have to decide on what’s a happy medium for yourself.   Beware of trying the kind of offset shown above with a tripod “ball head”. Most ball heads aren’t strong enough to cope with off-balance loads like this. You need a strong tripod head and a strong tripod, too. Camera in portrait orientation using its ‘L’ bracket   Most photographers prefer taking their panorama shots in portrait orientation. This hardware permits that orientation, while still being able to rotate about the lens entrance pupil centered over the tripod pivot point. Make sure that the camera ‘L’ bracket is tightened properly onto your camera, so that it doesn’t slip while in portrait orientation with a long, heavy lens attached.   There are zillions of rotating “panorama heads” for tripods that totally miss the point of how correct panoramas are achieved.  These heads expect you to attach them to the camera body tripod screw and then pivot about the camera body; they don’t know anything about lens entrance pupils or how to get rid of parallax error.   The hardware shown is quick to attach/detach and very solid in use. It is also easily adjusted.   It’s wise to try to get the balance point of your camera/lens centered over your tripod center column when doing ordinary single-shot photography. This will help minimize vibrations and is the best technique to ensure your tripod doesn’t tip over with your heavy gear on it. This hardware enables you to balance your setup quite easily.   I recorded pictures on my cell phone showing the correct lens entrance pupil mounting for each of my lenses at the focal lengths I might use. This makes it easy in the field to look up a correct setup, where I just need to match the nodal slide’s millimeter scale adjustment to the saved photo on my phone. It’s too hard for me to memorize these settings. A panorama that stitches perfectly The panorama above was created by sliding the camera on the nodal slide to get the pivot point of the tripod just underneath the lens entrance pupil. The shots making up the panorama stitched together to make a perfectly seamless panorama, using Capture One . Shift the Camera Side-to-Side Shift your camera left/right on its Arca-Swiss plate   The nodal slide is also very helpful in macro work for a couple of reasons. You can easily slide your camera/lens forward and backward without moving the tripod for careful close-up positioning. You can also easily shift your camera side-to-side and create a macro panorama from multiple shots. 3D anaglyph using shift (get out your red/blue glasses)   This hardware is also handy for making 3D anaglyphs by shifting your camera left/right on its Arca-Swiss plate. I used the Zoner Photo Studio to make the anaglyph here. You’ll usually want to shift by about 3 inches or 8 cm between shots, since that is roughly your eye separation distance.  If you’re really far away from the subject, shift by more than this. For macro subjects, smaller shifts should be used (around 3mm).   If you just search for ‘nodal slide rail’ at sites like Amazon, you’ll get a plethora of hardware results to select from. Keep in mind that it’s assumed you already have an Arca-Swiss compatible L-bracket or plate on your camera. You’ll also need an Arca-Swiss clamp on your tripod head.

Believe it or not, this lens is still for sale as of this writing. This lens was introduced way back in 2010. I was given this Nikkor by my father many years ago, and I never really gave it much use or did a thorough evaluation. That’s my loss; this lens is much  better than I assumed it was. This lens was designed to be used in combination with their 18-55 DX kit lens for a huge zoom range.   Having a fairly dim aperture, it’s very sluggish when mounted on my DSLRs when compared to my ‘pro’ lenses. Low lighting levels are quite problematic for accurate focus, or even focus at all. When I mounted this lens on my mirrorless Nikon Z9, however, there was a world of difference. For typical photographic subjects, it’s now more than capable (not recommended for birds flying straight at you, however).   The 55-300 is extremely light for its focal length range. Compared to my ‘pro’ telephotos, it almost feels like I forgot to mount a lens on my camera.   Keep in mind that this zoom costs about 9% of what my Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF cost me, or roughly the sales tax. I used to think that the 500mm was pretty light, but it weighs almost triple what this zoom weighs. On my more difficult hikes, I know which one I’d rather haul along.   In DX mode, the Z9 provides a little over 19MP images with this lens. For most subjects, this is plenty. You’ll have to decide for yourself if that level of resolution is acceptable or not. 55-300 at 300mm on Nikon Z9 using the FTZ II adapter   General lens specifications   Dimensions: 76.5mm x 123mm (3” x 4.8”) at 55mm infinity focus, 184mm at 300mm while at minimum focus of 1.4m (4.59 feet).   Weight: 580 grams, 18.6 ounces.   17 elements, with 2 ED, 1 High-Refractive-Index.   Metal mount, with rubber mount seal. Otherwise unsealed lens.   9 rounded aperture blades, with f/22 to f/29 minimum aperture.   HB-57 snap-on lens hood.   58mm plastic filter threads (rotates during focus)   0.28X maximum reproduction ratio claimed (see below).   Polycarbonate lens body.   VR-II claimed 4 stops, with a tripod-sensing feature.     Irritating lens characteristics   Manual focus is only  possible when lens switch is at ‘M’. Some lens body wiggle when zoomed out (focus unaffected). Manual-Focus ring , filters, and hood rotate during autofocus. Very skinny manual focus ring (1/4 inch) at lens front. Zoom ring and focus ring rotation range both only 90-degrees. Sluggish autofocus during large focus distance changes. Lateral chromatic aberration (purple fringing) Ridiculously far minimum focus distance at 55mm zoom. Lens at 55mm zoom Lens at 300mm zoom     Vignette Worst vignette at 55mm (left) and 300mm (right)     Vignette is generally ignorable, to my surprise. I often have to increase it with my photo editor, for aesthetic reasons.     Lateral Chromatic Aberration Lateral chromatic aberration 55mm (left) 300mm (right)   Purple fringing is there, so you’ll need to correct this using your favorite photo editor in high-contrast shots. The worst I measured was 8.3 microns, which is (8.3/4.35)= 1.9 pixels at 300mm with this Nikon Z9 sensor. The Z9 has 4.35 micron pixels. Lateral chromatic aberration, 55mm f/4.5   The shot above shows the uncorrected purple fringing with the tree branches over the blue sky. Not terrible, but it’s there.         Longitudinal Chromatic Aberration LoCA at 72mm f/4.5 Red (left), Green (mid), Blue (right)   Longitudinal chromatic aberration (LoCA) hasn’t been an issue in the photos I’ve taken. I have expensive lenses that have much worse LoCA than this lens. The measurements show that red is focused farthest from the camera sensor, and green is the nearest.     Distortion   There is only a slight hint of barrel distortion at 55mm, which gradually turns into pincushion distortion at the longer focal lengths. 300mm pincushion (left), removed (right) in editor   The most severe distortion is at 300mm, and even then it’s pretty slight. As shown above, I completely removed the distortion using Lightroom  with its lens profile from Adobe.   Focus   With sunny conditions, you shouldn’t have any complaints about focus. In dimmer light, focus is heavily dependent upon your camera. The AF-S motor in this lens is just plain weak, so you need to be somewhat close to the right subject distance to nail focus with a decent response time. With my DSLRs, focus-hunting is the norm in shade. With my mirrorless Z cameras, focus is quite responsive in fairly dim light as long as the subject doesn’t start out being extremely out of focus.   This is definitely not  a pro lens in regards to focus speed.   As mentioned above, this lens has no manual-focus override, so you have to put the lens switch on “M” to use the focus ring. Very clunky.   Close Focus   This lens actually focuses closer than Nikon’s specifications. At 55mm, it focuses down to 1.275m (4.18 feet) instead of 1.4meters.   At 300mm, it focuses down to 1.32m or 4.33 feet from the camera sensor. At this setting, the field of view is just 3 inches (76.2mm). For a DX sensor, that means it can achieve 0.315X magnification. The working distance (from the front of the lens) is 1.14meters (without the snap-on lens hood).   Bokeh 180mm f/8 bokeh example   The bokeh shows a minor fringe around the light blob edges. It’s not great, but I’ve seen much worse than this on other lenses. 9 rounded aperture blades really help.   Focus breathing   There is almost no  change in focal length as the focus distance is changed (focus breathing). It’s really common to reduce focal length as focus distance is reduced, and it’s nice to see that this lens doesn’t show this.     Actual focal length   I measured the actual focal length at 300mm to be 292mm. This is better than most zooms. My Sigma 150-600 zoom, for instance, is actually 285mm at the 300mm setting.     Parfocal   This lens is nearly parfocal, but not quite perfect. Focus changes very little as you zoom. Keep in mind that the aperture isn’t very bright, so this would somewhat mask any focus changes.     Infrared Lenses with this many elements are supposed to be horrible with infrared. I tried out my Nikon D7000 that was converted into 590nm infrared (including an infrared anti-reflection sensor cover) by Kolari Vision. I’d say the results are pretty good. Vignetting is a little stronger in infrared light, but that’s easy to compensate for with an editor, if desired. 590nm is orange light, so orange and red are visible in addition to infrared.   The 850nm sample shot below was with an added IR filter. There’s no color left at this long IR wavelength. Illumination looks pretty even, with no dreaded central hotspot. 135mm f/5.6 590nm infrared 135mm f/8.0 850nm infrared   Resolution   I have always maintained that photos start looking ‘acceptable’ when the resolution MTF50 measurements get above about 30 lp/mm . After resolving above 40 lp/mm , image cropping starts to become viable.   I have been very pleased with this lens, even at its worst resolution setting of 300mm f/5.6. I have included shots in this article below that let you be the judge. Talk is cheap.   I stopped taking measurements after f/16, because diffraction totally kills the resolution.  The lens edge resolution isn’t anything to write home about, but it improves when zoomed beyond about 70mm. Overall resolution is really good until about 240mm, and goes downhill from there.   I only use unsharpened raw-format files for the resolution analysis. Any form of file sharpening would falsify the results. These files were all produced with the Nikon Z9 camera in DX mode. MTF50 lp/mm peak resolution at 55mm and 70mm MTF50 lp/mm peak resolution at 100mm and 135mm MTF50 lp/mm peak resolution at 200mm and 300mm Samples 300mm f/5.6 with Nikon Z9 and bird subject detection 300mm f/5.6 with vignette added using Capture One 300mm f/5.6 300mm f/5.6 with added vignette 300mm f/8 140mm f/5.0 210mm f/5.3 210mm f/8.0 55mm f/8.0 78mm f/8 used Silver Efex Pro     A huge thankyou to Frans van den Bergh for his MTFMapper   program to analyze the lens.