| Popular Photography Lens Performance Comparison |
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| Lenses Tested: |
Mamiya-Sekor E 50mm f/1.7
from Mamiya ZE |
The Mamiya-Sekor 50mm
f/17 E-series lens tests favorably |
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Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 from Nikon F3 |
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against some of the best names in the
business: Nikkor, Zeiss |
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Planar T 50mm f/1.4 from Contax RTS II Quartz |
Planar and Canon FD. Review the test
results, as published |
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Canon FD 50mm f/1.2 from Canon New F-1 |
Popular Photography, and judge for yourself. |
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| Lens: Mamiya-Sekor E 50mm
f/1.7 (tested
January 1981) |
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| Aberration |
1/3 Out |
2/3 Out |
Far Edge |
Notes |
LENS TEST GLOSSARY |
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| Coma |
4.5 |
5.6 |
6.3 |
Critical |
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| Astigmatism |
3.5 |
3.5 |
3.5 |
f-stops |
Coma:
Comet- or teardrop-shaped images |
| Lat. Chrom. |
None |
Slight |
Moderate |
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of off-axis points of
light. Improved by |
| Long. Chrom. |
blue--green--red = 0.08mm |
Focus |
stopping down. |
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| Spherical |
f/1.7 -- f/5.6 = -0.03mm |
shift |
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| Distortion |
Very
slight barrel |
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Astigmatism: Causes lines radial to the |
| Vignetting |
None beyond f/2.8 |
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optical axis, and lines
perpendicular to |
| Centering |
Perfect |
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them, to focus in two
different planes. |
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| Lens: Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 (tested April 1981) |
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Lateral Chromatic
Aberration: |
| Aberration |
1/3 Out |
2/3 Out |
Far Edge |
Notes |
A variation of
magnification with color. Not |
| Coma |
1.4 |
2.2 |
4.5 |
Critical |
improved by stopping
down. |
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| Astigmatism |
1.4 |
1.4 |
1.4 |
f-stops |
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| Lat. Chrom. |
None |
None |
None |
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Longitudinal Chromatic
Abberation: A |
| Long. Chrom. |
blue--green--red = 0.06mm |
Focus |
shift of focus with
color. Not improved by |
| Spherical |
f/1.4 -- f/4.0 = +0.02mm |
shift |
stopping down. |
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| Distortion |
Moderate
barrel |
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| Vignetting |
None beyond f/2.2 |
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Spherical Abberation: Causes a focus |
| Centering |
Perfect |
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shift as the lens is
stopped down. |
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| Lens: Zeiss Planar T 50mm
f/1.4 (tested February 1983) |
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Distortion: Causes image to bow out |
| Aberration |
1/3 Out |
2/3 Out |
Far Edge |
Notes |
(barrel) or bow in
(pincushion), but does |
| Coma |
2 |
4.5 |
5.6 |
Critical |
not influence sharpness.
Not improved by |
| Astigmatism |
1.4 |
1.4 |
1.4 |
f-stops |
stopping down. |
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| Lat. Chrom. |
None |
None |
None |
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| Long. Chrom. |
blue--green--red = 0.03mm |
Focus |
Vignetting: Causes underexposure at the |
| Spherical |
f/1.4 -- f/5.6 = +0.06mm |
shift |
film corners. Improved by
stopping down. |
| Distortion |
Slight
barrel |
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| Vignetting |
None beyond f/2.2 |
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Centering: The center of curvature of |
| Centering |
Near-Perfect |
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each lens should lie on a
common line. |
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| Lens: Canon FD 50mm f/1.2 (tested August 1982) |
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Critical f-stop: The largest opening at |
| Aberration |
1/3 Out |
2/3 Out |
Far Edge |
Notes |
which the abberation
being examined is |
| Coma |
1.2 |
2.8 |
4.5 |
Critical |
considered under
satisfactory control. |
| Astigmatism |
3.5 |
5.6 |
1.2 |
f-stops |
|
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| Lat. Chrom. |
None |
V. Slight |
V. Slight |
|
Close working limits are measured |
| Long. Chrom. |
blue--green--red = 0.08mm |
Focus |
from the target to the
foremost portion of |
| Spherical |
f/1.2 -- f/4.0 = +0.02mm |
shift |
the lens when it is set
to its closest |
| Distortion |
Moderate
barrel |
|
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|
focusing position. Close-limit field size |
| Vignetting |
None beyond f/2.8 |
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is measured at this
point, and portions of |
| Centering |
Perfect |
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the field are also
measured 1/3 out, 2/3 out, |
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and far edge -- and
correspond to 16mm, |
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12mm and 18mm off-center,
respectively. |
| © 2002 R.L Herron |
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