35MN vs 35MP vs 38OM

ray_parkhurst · Post by **ray_parkhurst** » Sun Jan 14, 2018 4:38 pm

Re-post...not sure why it did not post first time.

I just finished my newest stacking rig and am doing some testing to make sure it will work with the full range of lenses and magnifications I tend to use. I found a lens I have used very little and have not fully tested...the Nikon 35mm Macro-Nikkor, and it performed so well at 4x that I realized I needed to make a good comparison with the Canon 35mm and Olympus 38mm. Here are the compo animations, for your pixel peeping pleasure:

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My interpretation is that there is only a slight difference between these, with the 35MN showing a slight edge in sharpness and the 38OM showing slightly degraded CA, similar to previous compo.

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My interpretation is that the 38OM shows further degradation in sharpness and in CA, but the differences between the 35MN and 35MP are still very small.

I suppose it makes sense that the 35MN would be a strong competitor to the 35MP, given its heritage, cult following, and price.

MarkSturtevant · Post by **MarkSturtevant** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 9:14 am

I can barely see a difference. Excellent way to compare!

crisarg · Post by **crisarg** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:03 pm

Excellent!

Does it seem to me the Nikkor is cleanest regarding CA in the corner?

ray_parkhurst · Post by **ray_parkhurst** » Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:45 pm

crisarg wrote:Excellent!

Does it seem to me the Nikkor is cleanest regarding CA in the corner?

Yes, I agree the 35MN is a bit sharper and has a bit less CA than the 35MP. This is remarkable since it is rated at "12x" magnification, intended for the very long bellows of the Multiphot. But it was also designed to cover very large formats, so coverage of APS-C is trivial.

I suppose more interestingly, I shot both the 35MP and 38OM at f/4, but shot the 35MN wide open. I don't actually know what the nominal aperture is on the 35MN, but it was sharpest wide open, while both the 35MP and 38OM were best at f/4.

RobertOToole · Post by **RobertOToole** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:13 pm

Super post Ray! Very interesting.

These are stacks or single frames?

Excellent job keeping the lighting consistent.

All the best,

Robert

ray_parkhurst · Post by **ray_parkhurst** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 9:16 pm

RobertOToole wrote:Super post Ray! Very interesting.

These are stacks or single frames?

Excellent job keeping the lighting consistent.

All the best,

Robert

Thanks Robert. They are stacks of typically 15 shots. For lenses having similar focal length, lighting was not too hard. I just found the lowest common denominator placement and stuck with it.