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Diffraction and Optimal Aperture (Mosaic, Zeiss 100/2 Makro-Planar)
Diffraction is explored in detail in Making Sharp Images.
This series is with the 16-megapixel Nikon D4 and the Zeiss 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar, a world-class lens.
Stopping down too far begins to degrade contrast at first, then starts destroying resolution. Diffraction doesn’t care which camera is used or its sensor resolution, but a high-resolution sensor suffers more in terms of per-pixel quality, because diffraction blurs the resolved spot size more relative to the size of the sensor photosites, “spilling over” a single photosite, reducing the contrast and then the resolved detail.
With the Nikon D4, the pixel area is more than twice as large as on the Nikon D800, and thus diffraction is less of an issue (per pixel) on the D4.
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Diglloyd DAP is DSLR-oriented, but also contains workflow and other topics. Much of the focus is on Canon and Nikon but also Pentax and Pentax medium format.
Special emphasis is placed on lens evaluation, focusing on Canon and Nikon and Sigma lenses, but with a few others like Rokinon/Samyang.
- Make better images by learning how to get the best results right away.
- Save money by choosing the right lens for your needs the first time, particularly some of the new Sigma Art lenses vs Nikon and Canon.
- Workflow discusses image organization, raw conversion and post processing. Many examples show processing parameters for direct insight into how the image was converted.
- Jaw-dropping image quality found nowhere else utilizing Retina-grade images up to full camera resolution, plus large crops [past 2 years or so].
- Real world examples with insights found nowhere else. Make sharper images just by understanding lens behavior you won’t read about elsewhere.
- Aperture series from wide open through stopped down, showing the full range of lens performance and bokeh.
- Optical quality analysis of field curvature, focus shift, sharpness, flare, distortion, and performance in the field.
Want a preview? Click on any page below to see an excerpt as well as extensive blog coverage, for example on Nikon or on Canon or on Pentax.
Nikon D4 + Zeiss 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar