35mm 1.4 Nikkor

[hudspeth]

My 35 1.4 has a pronounced blue aberration with OOF sections of a picture when used at 1.4 in daylight. Anyone

know if this is normal?

[dcphotography]

Of course. You can't expect perfection wide open.

 

(Unless you have a Sigma 50mm f/1.4..)

[lex_jenkins]

Sounds like chromatic aberration, tho' it could be other factors. Difficult to say without seeing a sample.

 

David, the Sigma 50/1.4 is perfect wide open? I'd like to see that.

[dcphotography]

It was a joke. But the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 is pretty darn good wide open (not perfect, but good).

[Peter_in_PA]

Post a sample? That would help. But any lens wide open or all the way closed is at its worst or near-worst.

[leicaglow]

This is especially noticeable on digital. That's why I upgraded nearly all my primes.

[hudspeth]

Check out my gallery for examples. There are 6 pictures, three are 200% of the originals. The blue shows up much better in the NEFs than in the JPGs. Look at the far side of the windshield for the blue aberration.

[sven keil]

Which body do you use? I did not like the AiS-35mm/f14 results of my D70s so much, because of bluish CA issues (although images were razor sharp in the center). However, on D700, the 35m/f14 is a capable performer, and results are stunning. Not much blue CA, and very nice & clean colors.

[bjørn rørslett]

The camera, the aperture setting, and the light quality all has a strong bearing on the final result from the 35/1.4. It is quite a temperamental lens with a unique "drawing" you need to become familiar with in order to exploit the full potential this lens is capable of delivering.

 

The blue fringing occurs when there are strong gradients in the subject, and the lens is wide or almost wide open. Stopping down will mitigate the issue. Under fluorescent lights, this as well as many other lenses will show quite a bit of blue fringing too. For my daylight shooting this is much less of a problem. After I managed to CPU-modify my 35/1.4, I'm using it a lot on my D3 with really excellent results. A quick glance of the 35/1.4 on the D3X looked promising as well.

[hudspeth]

Hello Bjorn, Do you intend to develop more CPUs for the 35/1.4? I do love the color rendition and the sharpness. This was expressed graphically at a fire pit coffee get together where the metal frames of the eyeglass wearers appeared to be etched in the image.

 

MS,These shots were with a D3.

[bjørn rørslett]

I will add a few more of the ultrasmall CPU prints for the 35/1.4 in the next batch. Still have one or two left

from the last batch.

 

"Chipping" the 35/1.4 is a difficult and dangerous business and if you aren't careful with your dremel the lens

might end up in the strict literal sense of the word :( Several people have accomplished this challenging task

by now, though. So it should be doable for any keen DIY enthusiast.

[eajames]

Besides avoiding the "non-CPU lens" menu selection process, is there an advantage afforded by chipping an AIS lens?

[bjørn rørslett]

You get a more reliable matrix metering and can use all metering and exposure modes (A, M, P, and S). Plus getting the correct EXIF data. And yes, with the latest Nikon cameras, the non-CPU lens selection has become cumbersome and user errors do creep in.