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Zeiss 35m f/1.4 Distagon T*

2 (Dolls)

The 36-megapixel Nikon D800 was used as shown below at a distance of ~95 cm subject to film plane distance. This is a tight head-and-shoulders portrait distance, far from macro range. The frame covers about 30 X 20 inches (76 X 51 cm), depending on framing of each series, making for a reproduction ratio of about 1:21.

Focus was on the eyes of Miss Checkerboard, with the ruler as a reference point for observing the amount of focus shift. The doll’s eyes correspond to the “14” mark on the ruler.

Each lens was focused only once and then not touched. A Really Right Stuff MPR CL-II rail was used to change the camera position once focused. The relative distances to the subject are denoted as +0, +5mm, -10mm, etc; +5mm means that the camera was moved 5mm closer to the subject (using the nodal slider/rail for sub-millimeter precision). The +0 mark has no special significance. In this way, the very best focus was determined for each lens via bracketed focus series.

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Test scene