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Focus Shift Assessment vs Nikon 20/1.8G and 14-24/2.8G
Lens performance is first and foremost about focus accuracy; sharpness is only useful as in “sharpness where intended”. Sharpness that is displaced from intent not only blurs the intended subject but actively damages the balance of sharp/unsharp in the composition.
Focus shift complicates matters considerably because the optimal focus changes by aperture. See the case studies of focus shift in Making Sharp Images. Focus shift is sometimes all to the rear (distance), but often it can change direction (rearward shift in the central areas, forward shift in peripheral areas). The Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G is a lens with strong rearward focus shift and it is included here to show the effects versus a lens with not focus shift (21/2.8 Distagon.
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Diglloyd Guide to Zeiss offers comprehensive integrated coverage of Zeiss DSLR lenses for Canon and Nikon. Nearly a decade in the making, it covers everything you need to know for every lens in the ZF.2, ZE, Milvus and Otus lines. Guide to Mirrorless and Zeiss ZM rangefinder lenses in Guide to Leica.
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