Phase One Mount Lenses - Test of 31 Lenses vs Nikkor 105mm f1.4

[tochnia]

3 years after my last Phase One Lenses test I decided to do new one with more lenses this time including 6 Schneider Kreuznach Leaf Shutter Lenses and put result of Nikkor 105mm f1.4 at D850 as comparison to see where full frame is standing against medium format.

Comments are welcome

Sorting by sharpness, sorting by bokeh,full-size photos and result in tables can be seen in my blog post:Phase One Lens Test (click below images for full size photos)


Here it is result of lenses rating sorted by center Sharpness.

Mamiya 80mm f4.0 MF - Sharpness: 10 Bokeh: 6 (C Version)

Schneider Kreuznach 80mm AF LS f/2.8 - Sharpness: 10 Bokeh: 7 (2 copies tested) - MTF for Schneider Kreuznach 80mm f/2.8 LS Schneider Kreuznach 80mm f2.8 LS Specifications

Mamiya 80mm AF f2.8 - Sharpness: 10 Bokeh: 7

Mamiya 24mm f4.0 MF Fisheye - Sharpness: 10 Bokeh: 2 (C Version)

Schneider Kreuznach 75-150mm AF-D LS f/4-5.6 - Sharpness: 9 Bokeh: 7

Phase One 150mm f2.8 AF-D - Sharpness: 9 Bokeh: 9

Phase One 120mm f4.0 Macro D /Manual Focus/ - Sharpness: 9 Bokeh: 7 (D Version) - MTF for Phase One / Mamiya 120mm Macro Phase One 120mm f/4 D Macro MF Specifications

Schneider Kreuznach 40-80mm AF LS f/4.5-5.6 - Sharpness: 8 Bokeh: 6

Schneider Kreuznach 55mm AF LS f/2.8 - Sharpness: 8 Bokeh: 6

Mamiya 150mm AF f3.5 - Sharpness: 8 Bokeh: 8 (2 copies tested)

Mamiya 55mm AF f2.8 - Sharpness: 8 Bokeh: 6 (non D version)

Phase One 45mm f2.8 AF-D - Sharpness: 5 Bokeh: 5

Mamiya 105-210mm AF f4.5 - Sharpness: 9 Bokeh: 6 (non D version)

Schneider Kreuznach 110mm AF LS f/2.8 - Sharpness: 8 Bokeh: 8

Mamiya 210mm AF f4 - Sharpness: 9 Bokeh: 9

Mamiya 45mm AF f2.8 - Sharpness: 8 Bokeh: 5 (non D version)

Mamiya 35mm AF-D f3.5 - Sharpness: 7 Bokeh: 5

Mamiya 35mm MF f3.5 - Sharpness: 7 Bokeh: 5

Schneider Kreuznach 28mm AF LS f/4.5-5.6 - Sharpness: 7 Bokeh: 2

Mamiya 55-110mm AF f4.5 - Sharpness: 7 Bokeh: 7 (non D version)

Mamiya 110mm MF f2.8 - Sharpness: 6 Bokeh: 8

Mamiya 55mm MF f2.8 - Sharpness: 6 Bokeh: 6

Hartblei Tilt Shift 45mm MF f3.5 - Sharpness: 6 Bokeh: 5

Zeiss 110mm f2.0 /Hasselblad V/ - Sharpness: 6 Bokeh: 9 (F Version) - MFT for Zeiss 110/2.0 Zeiss 110mm f2.0 Specifications

Mamiya 80mm MF f1.9 - Sharpness: 6 Bokeh: 7 (N Version)

Mamiya 150mm MF f2.8 - Sharpness: 7 Bokeh: 9

Mamiya 150mm MF f3.5 - Sharpness: 6 Bokeh: 9 (2 copies tested)

Mamiya 200mm APO MF f2.8- Sharpness: 5 Bokeh: 9 (tested with extension tube and showing a bit weaker result at minimum distance)

Mamiya 300mm APO MF f2.8 - Sharpness: 4 Bokeh: 9 (tested with extension tubes and showing a bit weaker result at minimum distance)

Russian Projector Lens 35KP 140mm MF f1.8 - Sharpness: 2 Bokeh: 10

Russian Arsat 30mm f3.5 Fisheye - Sharpness: 1 Bokeh: 1

Camera: Phase One DF

Digital Back: Leaf Aptus 75

Tripod: Manfrotto 055XPROB

Tripod Head: Manfrotto 486 MG

Self Timer: 10 sec

Distance: 2 meter /200mm f2.8 APO and 300mm f2.8 APO lens were shot with extension tube due to minimum focus distance bigger than 2m /

Settings: ISO50, Aperture Mode

Focus Mode: Manual focus lenses were focused with focus confirmation on camera. Every shot was checked on 100% on camera and refocus after this. Best of 4 shots was chosen for each lens. /I didn't use autofocus since it is quite inaccurate in low light condition with busy backgrounds/

Test Target: Distance to from camera was 2.0 meters and target have Arial fonts with sizes from 1 to 30

All lenses were tested with 4 shoots, and from following lenses I have 2 copies each:

- Schneider Kreuznach 80mm LS f/2.8 ; Mamiya 80mm AF f2.8 ; Mamiya 150mm AF f3.5

All copies have given same result.


Teo
Teo Totev London Fashion Photographer

 

[narikin]

Thanks for doing this. a useful overview test!

My experience is limited mostly to the 80mm standards, Mamiya D vs Schneider LS, and a few longer lenses. I found the 80/2.8 Mamiya D lens clearly sharper. So much so I sent my LS lens back for a check over, and was told it was in tolerances, and that re-designing the 80 to fit the LS had caused a drop in ultimate resolution. You show nothing like this, which is surprising. I'd rate the 80 LS as an 8/9, the 80 D (non LS) as a 10.

I'm a tech user mostly, so I have different priorities/standards. The LS 55mm lens is poor compared to a tech 50 or 60, for example, but that's design factors having to allow for the mirror box, etc.

Did you use ES on the longer lenses? It makes a huge difference with these. I own the 300/4 Apo Mamiya, and it's quite amazing when ES used. Without it, not. The XF/DF shutter shock degrades resolution too much (with M-up of course). ES on a good tripod shows a dramatic difference.

 

[tochnia]

Sorry, but I didn't get what you mean by "ES"?

If you mean mirror up, no it was not used.

But I find 300mm f2.8 to be unable to get clear shot below 1/30 even on good tripod at home due to Mirror shock.
So for it test only I have used flash to be able to bring speed to acceptable level.
And with 300mm I used Lens tripod mount, not camera one.
For shorter lenses I didn't experience such problem.

 

[dougpeterson]

Sorry, but I didn't get what you mean by "ES"?

ES means (sensor based) Electronic Shutter.

https://www.dtcommercialphoto.com/iq3-100mp-electronic-shutter/

 

[AndyPtak]

Thanks for doing this. a useful overview test!

My experience is limited mostly to the 80mm standards, Mamiya D vs Schneider LS, and a few longer lenses. I found the 80/2.8 Mamiya D lens clearly sharper. So much so I sent my LS lens back for a check over, and was told it was in tolerances, and that re-designing the 80 to fit the LS had caused a drop in ultimate resolution. You show nothing like this, which is surprising. I'd rate the 80 LS as an 8/9, the 80 D (non LS) as a 10.

I'm a tech user mostly, so I have different priorities/standards. The LS 55mm lens is poor compared to a tech 50 or 60, for example, but that's design factors having to allow for the mirror box, etc.

Did you use ES on the longer lenses? It makes a huge difference with these. I own the 300/4 Apo Mamiya, and it's quite amazing when ES used. Without it, not. The XF/DF shutter shock degrades resolution too much (with M-up of course). ES on a good tripod shows a dramatic difference.

Okay, I'll bite. Want's ES? Something obvious I'm sure, but I don't get it. Thanks.

 

[Arjuna]

ES in this context would usually mean electronic shutter (in the back), but I don't think that a Leaf Aptus 75 had that capability. In fact, I think that ES only started with some of the newer CMOS backs.

 

[Steve Hendrix]

That Arsenal 140mm renders nice, though.

Interesting to see as a collection. Yes, there are going to be comments about methodology, it's ok I think to acknowledge that methods can have an impact, but still, even so, it's a reasonable and interesting point of data. And there is always sample variation. The improvement from legacy lenses to newer lenses was impressive. And certainly taking advantage of built-in tech like electronic shutters and in-camera vibration detection would have an even more positive impact.

Narikan, in my experience I did not see a drop off between the 80mm D and 80mm LS, but then again, I only shot a direct comparison on 2 occasions, and sample variation does exist, so hard to say, but my conclusion from those comparisons, and just in general shooting much more with the 80 LS version in recent years, was the 80mm LS was not losing anything comparatively. I feel that these lenses cannot and will not exactly match performance (extremely difficult), but should be close enough to where the performance is at a similar level or equivalent. Perhaps stronger in one quadrant and weaker in another (at an ultra pixel peeping level), but overall, roughly in the same ballpark. I can only speak as to my take on that at CI, and what we would consider acceptable or not acceptable.


Steve Hendrix/CI

 

[tochnia]

I have 2 copies of Mamiya 80mm AF and 2 copies of Schneider Kreuznach 80mm LS. There are no sample variations between them. Absolutely same results from both copies.
As I write in the blog sharpness of old AF and newer LS lens is generally equal, but newer one seems to have a bit less chromatic aberrations.
I have never tested D non LS vs LS version though.

My old digital back didn't have Electronic Shutter.

 

[Steve Hendrix]

Here's an old non-active link with one of the tests I did with the 80mm lenses. Scroll down to just north of the half way mark. Unfortunately the raw files are not available.

http://captureintegration.com/lens-testing/

Again, it is just one single data point, but data points are all we have, and combined with what others have, these inform us. One might consider the likelihood that the older Mamiya 80 AF used in this test was perhaps not up to par in some way, due to who knows what. Bad copy, maltreatment, etc. But it mirrored some of what I saw in some other situations.


Steve Hendrix/CI