Polaroid SprintScan 4000 vs Scanner-Nikkor ED Shootout

[RobertOToole]

Just posted this today:

POLAROID SPRINTSCAN 4000 SCANNER LENS TEST vs Scanner-Nikkor ED at 1.35x:

https://www.closeuphotography.com/polar ... -lens-test



The test lens was a loaner, so thank you Typestar for making the test possible.

The Ploaroid SprintScan lens is a 43mmm f/5.6 and is an apochromat.

The slow aperture limited the sharpness, its a shame since the lens shows zero CAs. It was a little unfair comparing it to the two stop + faster Scanner-Nikkor lens, f/5.6 vs f/2.6. Both made some nice images, and the Polaroid was very consistent from center to corner.

100% View Center Crop

Be sure to click on the images below to open a larger 1500px version.

Polaroid





Scanner Nikkor



The differences between the lenses is pretty easy to see. The Polaroid isn't a bad lens, its just doesn't have the resolution of the Scanner-Nikkor and I'm sure it will make some great macro photos thanks to the great CA correction.

Click on the link to the full test if you would like to see the corner crops, they are very close for both lenses, the Polaroid corner crops are just about identical to the center.

This afternoon a Voigtlander APO-Lanthar 110 and a few other high-end lenses arrive later today and tomorrow a Sony a7RIV shows up. So if all goes well I will have plenty of info to share soon. It should be interesting weekend.

Questions, comments are welcome.

Robert

[RobertOToole]

Not sure if anyone is interested but the Polaroid CA control was really fantastic:





Questions or comments?

Robert

[dickb]

Not sure if anyone is interested but the Polaroid CA control was really fantastic:





Questions or comments?

Robert

Good CA control indeed. Maybe I should disassemble my Microtek 4000 Artixscan for the lens, it is supposed to be identical to the SprintScan.

[RobertOToole]

Good CA control indeed. Maybe I should disassemble my Microtek 4000 Artixscan for the lens, it is supposed to be identical to the SprintScan.

Good to know about that microtek model, the ppi/dpi specs look the same.

Removing the lens from the Polaroid took a lot of time. I ended up breaking the cast aluminum chassis into sections, so I could get at the lens easier. Once I had access I found that the lens was pressed into a machined holder using friction to hold it in place. It took a lot of nudging with a lot force to get the lens out.

Most scanners have a simple bracket holding the lens in place with a easy access cover plate

Best,

Robert

[typestar]

Dear Robert,

Sorry for my late reply; great to read this additional Scanner lens intensively

Thankyou very much for testing my lens and publish the results.
As I know, which hard work it was to dissasemble the lens out of this beast of cage - I have to congratulate you for the efforts, that it finally came out...

We can consider the rusty outer condition for sure as "Games-of-Thrones"-finish orr as the "Vikings"-edition --
(which we did not see with other scanner lenses, even the tiny ones...)
This unfinished (brutal) treatment is crazy -- considering the price of the scanner 19 years ago...

The scanner came on the market in the last great days of Polaroid, when it had an appreciated stock and before they went bankrupt --
(btw what a sad story - as I was a fan of their imperfaction-style with instant films...).

Perhaps the conservative maximum aperture of f/5.6 of the lens seemed to be enough in the film days ...,
but nice to have a proof, that it delivers this kind of great CA control...

[As there is another (unknown for most of us) known high-end scanner lens in your hands --
perhaps this could show us surprises...]

ALL the best for you further testings...

Typestar / Christian

[chris_ma]

lovely test and great presentation as always. good to see you've got time for lens discoveries which gives us a nice read in cold and dark winter nights

I'm also looking forward to your Sony A7IV tests because I'm interested in full frame coverage as well.

thanks for all the hard work
chris

[RobertOToole]

Perhaps the conservative maximum aperture of f/5.6 of the lens seemed to be enough in the film days ...,

Hi Typestar,

I intend to run some normal images of a real world subject on the full test post on my site, I think the polaroid lens would be perfectly fine image making lens for normal, non wafer subjects

Its nice to see the clean CA free reproduction also.

Best,

Robert

[kaleun96]

Nice results, thanks for posting. I had been tempted to get one of those Polaroid SprintScan's since I tried a lens from the Polaroid Pro Palette 7000. That one was labelled as a 43.53mm F/6.6 and had a different body to your lens but optically could be similar.

[typestar]

@kaleun96

Hi Kaleun96; as I worked - years ago now - with some Polaroid ProPalette 7000 and 8000 filmrecorders, with nice colour results
(printed on Fuji 50 Velvia and other prof. films -- the lens you list (43.53 mm) would be of interest, but I fear not to be exeptional on our modern digital use...

Like the results for a MTF tested Polaroid 36,6 mm lens / f. 4.9 (which is out of a Polaroid HR 6000 film recorder (?):
My friend Miljenko MTF-tested this lens and the results are (quote):
"not bad but not exceptional either, just plain average. It could be o.k. to some beginner at magnifications just over 1x."
MTF score = 6 (out of 10; results will perhaps be published at a later time)

Best,

typestar