My grains of salt:
I didn't find the Nikon sharper.
Focusing accuracy wasn't accounted for (was the same person focusing all
three?)
Orientation to the target (not that in the real world you would be always
shooting dead on, but if the center of the target is just within the edge
of the plane of focus, it is as likely as not that the corners will be just
outside the plane, making them unsharp),
Vibration damping-is the MZ-5Xn with its moving mirror really as steady as
a mirrorless rangefinder?
The Nikon looks to have greater distortion across center to edge than
either the Leica or the Pentax.
Dan Scott
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>Three other points:
>
>1) I take Clover's results, too, with several grains of salt:
>
>Clover's lens comparison obviously depends on focusing accuracy. I'm
>quite sure that I can focus my rangefinder more accurately at close
>distances than my ZX5-N (or, perhaps, Clover's MZ-3) can focus the
>85/1.4 with either manual or auto focus. Good as it is, the Leica M lens
>still has a built-in advantage in Clover's test.
>
>In the same test, the Nikon lens benefits from increased apparent
>sharpness due to lower image magnification compared to the other two
>lenses.
>
>2) There is, of course, more to lens performance than resolution. The
>Nikon 85/1.8 is reportedly not exactly Leica-esque when it comes to
>bokeh (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Atlantis/4628/bokeh.html), but
>the out of focus areas I see on my shots with the FA* 85/1.4 look OK to
>me.
>
>3) I agree with Paal that the on-film results each photographer brings
>home are what really matter. I happen to like the FA* 85/1.4 very much,
>but I've never used the lens at anything close to infinity focus, it's
>easily sharp enough for my purposes, and a bit of light fall-off wide
>open just saves burning in the edges of my prints. Works for me.
>
>YMMV.
>
>Brian Walsh
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