Adapted telephoto lenses on the X2D

[danord]

I have recently tested out a few third-party options for telephoto lenses on my X2D. Several reasons for that, e.g. the need for small size/light weight, longer focal lengths and the flexibility of a zoom in some situations. It was a fun project with a couple of surprising findings. As I thought it might be of interest to others, I have published a small series of posts on my blog. Feel free to visit if you happen to be interested in this topic.

www.nordhaugphotography.blog

danord

PS - This is a real world field-test for me. I don't photograph charts or brick-walls. I have tested the lenses in a real-life situation for how I usually use my telephoto-lenses, so take it for what it's worth 

[JCM-Photos]

Thank you for this interesting test.
It would be nice to see beneath Hasselblad solutions
such as  XCD135+extender that is fabulous as well as adapted CF250SA without and with Mutar 2x

[danord]

Thank you for this interesting test.
It would be nice to see beneath Hasselblad solutions
such as  XCD135+extender that is fabulous as well as adapted CF250SA without and with Mutar 2x

Yes, agreed. At least compare the best of the adapted lenses against the XCD 135 +/- extender. I will probably get the 135 sometime in the future, and will of course be sure to test it against eg the Mamiya 105-210 f4.5 ULD, which proved to be quite sharp.

[JCM-Photos]

I've compared XCD135+ext vs CF250SA on my X1D
The results in finest details are very close, difficult to say on the 50 Mpix sensor, perhaps the SA could be a little finer, in terms of contrast the modern XCD has more contrast than the old SA, but this is not a real advantage for me in digital.

What's amazing is that the SA + Mutar 2x remains excellent, problem is the aperture of F:11

[JCM-Photos]

resolution charts have to be shot at equivalent distance for different focal lengths (not the same)
for exemple:
40' with the 135
40 x 1.7 with the 135 + extender
40 x 250/135 with the 250SA
etc.

do it please with a printed chart, on mate paper.
When using a chart on a laptop screen you only photograph screen pixels

[Photon42]

The laptop was 40 feet from the tripod.

I would think the notebook display is an issue, regarding edge contrast effects (not sure I say that correctly) and also resolution.

[MGrayson]

Equipment testing is hard. I'll leave it to the professionals.

[Photon42]

This thread however reminds me on the HC210, which I bought some time back - and did not see too much use. Need to get it out again.

[danord]

This thread however reminds me on the HC210, which I bought some time back - and did not see too much use. Need to get it out again.

Yes, I would love to throw the HC210 in the mix. I'm sure it is a stellar performer. I don't own it, but I have the HC 150. Absolutely marvellous, as shown in my test. Great on my H6D-100c, but renders beautifully on my X1D and X2D as well. Only problem is the weight, and it is a bit front heavy on the X-bodies. I did test the 150 with the  H 1.7x TC too, but the sharpness was a disappointment...

[David Mantripp]

Thank you very much for those tests - the Mamiya zoom is very tempting, even though I own the 135+TC.

May I also say that the photography on your site is absolutely inspirational.  I really enjoyed browsing your galleries.

[danord]

Thank you very much for those tests - the Mamiya zoom is very tempting, even though I own the 135+TC.

May I also say that the photography on your site is absolutely inspirational.  I really enjoyed browsing your galleries.

Thank you very much, David. Really appreciate it.
I am extremely happy with the zoom. Wanting the flexibility of a mid-range telezoom for the X-system, we are not left with many choices. I took a shot at this one as the focal length suited me. And I was blown away by both optical quality and how it handles on the X. My workflow is tripod-based and very slow, so I don't mind the manual focus, aperture up and down to focus and expose, and I have no issues with the electronic shutter. And the price is...well...manageable

danord

[MGrayson]

These reviews are very helpful! Detailed, user-friendly, and complete. The Mamiya 105-210 zoom is really too good a deal to pass up. Primes in this range all tend to be this heavy or heavier. If I compare it to the XCD 135, and the HC 150N, rest assured that it will be on a cityscape and not a test chart. :-)

It's funny how much resistance there is online to shooting at f/11. The improvements in both DoF and corner sharpness easily (to me) outweigh softening from diffraction. The best optics can be sharpest wide open, but then focus is quite difficult (again, for me) to get right.

[hcubell]

I have the the 135mm +1.7x dedicated teleconverter, the 210mm HC lens and the 300mm HC lens. I have not compared the 135mm+1.7 TC against the 210mm. While the 210mm is excellent, the 135+1.7x TC is also excellent. Even if the 210mm were marginally better, I would not carry the 210 mm as well as the 135mm + the TC. OTOH, I did compare the 210mm HC lens with the 1.7x TC for the 135mm against the 300mm HC lens. No contest, the 300mm is noticeably better. This is unfortunate, as the 300mm HC lens is a beast, weight wise. I also have the HC 1.7x TX, so perhaps the 210mm with that TC will work better.
I would love to see a comparison between the HC 300mm lens and the 350 SA V lens.

[hcubell]

I have recently tested out a few third-party options for telephoto lenses on my X2D. Several reasons for that, e.g. the need for small size/light weight, longer focal lengths and the flexibility of a zoom in some situations. It was a fun project with a couple of surprising findings. As I thought it might be of interest to others, I have published a small series of posts on my blog. Feel free to visit if you happen to be interested in this topic.

www.nordhaugphotography.blog


PS - This is a real world field-test for me. I don't photograph charts or brick-walls. I have tested the lenses in a real-life situation for how I usually use my telephoto-lenses, so take it for what it's worth 

I turn off all sharpening in LR before running Topaz Sharpen AI on the file. Is that how you used it?

[danord]

I turn off all sharpening in LR before running Topaz Sharpen AI on the file. Is that how you used it?
[/quote]

No, I use only a tad of raw-sharpening/deconvolution on all my files upon import to Lightroom. To extract as much detail in the Raw-file as possible. Most often, an additional touch of sharpening on the final TIFF in Lightroom then is enough for me. I don't use Topaz Sharpen AI very often, only if there are specific problems like edge-issues on adapted lenses. In these tests I used it mostly to point out that software optimization can be an option to address not only vignetting and distortion, but also sharpness.

danord