Nikon 135mm f/2 DC

Blog:
http://jonaseklundh.se/pages/Nikon_135mm_F2_Dc?lang=en


I just got myself the Nikon 135mm/f2 DC. DC is for "Defocus Control",
which is Nikon's patented system for controlling the background or
foreground blur.

Some say this is one of the best portrait lenses in the world, so the
expectations are high!

I've only been able to try it out a bit, but the technique is that the
"Defocus Image Control" ring correlates to the aperture you're using.
Se it to 0 and it's a normal lens, but if you use it, you set it to 2
to the "R" (rear) side if you're shooting at f2, which enhances the
background blur.

Here are some test images:

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208873.jpg
NIKON D4, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/1600 sec., ISO 400

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208874.jpg
NIKON D800E, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/1600 sec., ISO 640

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208875.jpg
NIKON D4, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/160 sec., ISO 1000

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208876.jpg
NIKON D800E, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/320 sec., ISO 1250

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208877.jpg
NIKON D800E, 135.0 mm, f/4.0, 1/80 sec., ISO 2000



--
Sandman[.net]

On 12 May 2014 07:17:33 GMT, Sandman wrote:

I just got myself the Nikon 135mm/f2 DC. DC is for "Defocus Control",
which is Nikon's patented system for controlling the background or
foreground blur.

I have one of these put away somewhere - you have inspired me to use
it again, but until I find it I think that mine may be the 105 mm
version.

Thanks for posting those nice photographs!

In article , Polly the Parrott wrote:

Sandman:
I just got myself the Nikon 135mm/f2 DC. DC is for "Defocus
Control", which is Nikon's patented system for controlling the
background or foreground blur.

I have one of these put away somewhere - you have inspired me to use
it again, but until I find it I think that mine may be the 105 mm
version.

Yeah, the 105mm is the exact same lens, only shorter. It's just as good

Thanks for posting those nice photographs!

Thank you


--
Sandman[.net]

On 5/12/2014 3:17 AM, Sandman wrote:
Blog:
http://jonaseklundh.se/pages/Nikon_135mm_F2_Dc?lang=en


I just got myself the Nikon 135mm/f2 DC. DC is for "Defocus Control",
which is Nikon's patented system for controlling the background or
foreground blur.

Some say this is one of the best portrait lenses in the world, so the
expectations are high!

I've only been able to try it out a bit, but the technique is that the
"Defocus Image Control" ring correlates to the aperture you're using.
Se it to 0 and it's a normal lens, but if you use it, you set it to 2
to the "R" (rear) side if you're shooting at f2, which enhances the
background blur.

Here are some test images:

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208873.jpg
NIKON D4, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/1600 sec., ISO 400

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208874.jpg
NIKON D800E, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/1600 sec., ISO 640

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208875.jpg
NIKON D4, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/160 sec., ISO 1000

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208876.jpg
NIKON D800E, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/320 sec., ISO 1250

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208877.jpg
NIKON D800E, 135.0 mm, f/4.0, 1/80 sec., ISO 2000


To my eye there is an overall softness. Is there a way of using more
control so you can have some portion in sharp focus, if you want to. Or
is this lens pure soft focus, which produces a dreamy effect.

I would also like to make an overall comment on the images. The soft
bright lights on the right in first of your daughter are distracting to
me. I find my eye keeps drifting from your daughter, who is the subject,
to those light blurry circles. In my personal opinion when doing soft
focus work, you control where you want the viewer to look primarily
through tones. The human eye tends to look for the brighter areas.
Therefor I would tend to add more luminosity to the area I want the
viewer to look at. In the first image of your son, I wold have made his
face sharper and his eyes a lot sharper.
Having said that I realize the purpose of your images was to demonstrate
the lens.


--
PeterN

Sandman wrote:
Some say this is one of the best portrait lenses in the world, so the
expectations are high!

You will find it to be exactly that!

Basically the 85mm f/1.4D, the 105mm f/2 DC, and the
135mm f/2 DC share much the same character of bokeh, and
choosing between them is a matter of which focal length
you want to use.

The Defocus Control of the 105mm and 135mm lenses is
typically misunderstood, and has little use today with
digital cameras that provide instant feedback.

I've only been able to try it out a bit, but the technique is that the
"Defocus Image Control" ring correlates to the aperture you're using.
Se it to 0 and it's a normal lens, but if you use it, you set it to 2
to the "R" (rear) side if you're shooting at f2, which enhances the
background blur.

The DC ring need not be set to the aperture in use,
though it's necessary to understand what it does to use
it otherwise. But first, note that is does *not*
enhance the background blur! It simply moves the DOF in
relation to the point of focus.

For example, at f/4 the DOF for a 135mm lens focused at
20 feet is from +0.76 feet to -0.82 feet. If the
Defocus Control is set to 0, that is what you get. If
it is set to R4 though, the back edge of the DOF is
moved right up to the point of focus, and everything
farther away is out of focus. Hence the DOF with R4 is
+0.76 to -0.0 feet.

Note that the front DOF does not change and note that the
total DOF is now significantly narrower, and that one
effect is a steeper angle at the rear edge (things get
out of focus faster with R4 than with R0).

Consider the same numbers for f/8 when focused at 20
feet. The DOF with R0 is from +1.46 feet to -1.70 feet.
If R8 is set, the DOF is reduced to a range of +1.46 to
0.0 feet. That is a much greater change than happened
at f/4. And the significance is that only if the
aperture is set at f/8 do we get the expected result and
our subject at exactly 20 feet distant is still sharp
(and anything just a few inches beyond is significantly
out of focus). But if we leave the DC at R8 and reset
the aperature to f/4, we change the DOF significantly,
and with the R8 setting the rear edge is moved much
farther than just up to the focus point. The effect is
that much, if not all, of the "in focus" DOF area is now
unsharply focused!

And by the same token, if we use an aperture of f/8, but
set DC to R4 it won't move the rear edge of the DOF all
the way up to the point of focus, and the effect won't
be as dramatic (or as predictable).

In practice though, the DC lenses provided an easy to
set adjustment to DOF for film cameras where there is no
instant preview of the results. It could be accurately
set, the shots taken, and 3 days later when the film was
developed it was certain what effect would be seen.

Today with instant preview the same can be done with any
lens using imperical observation or with the aid of a
handy DOF calculator on a cell phone. To get the same
effect (absent Defocus Control) as would happen at an
aperture of f/8, where the R8 setting would provide a
DOF range of 1.46 feet, set the aperature to f/3.6 (for
a DOF of about 1.4 feet). Then focus at 20.7 feet
instead of 20 feet to put the focus right on the edge of
the DOF. Take a shot and preview it for effect...

But of course just any 135mm, 105mm or 85mm lens won't
have that fabulous creamy smooth bokeh. And if another
lens doesn't have rounded diaphragm blades the bokeh
will change as it is stopped down. So the DC lenses and
either the old or the new 85mm f/1.4 lenses are still
very special, but not because of the DC.

--
Floyd L. Davidson http://www.apaflo.com/
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska)

Sandman wrote:
Here are some test images:

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208873.jpg
NIKON D4, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/1600 sec., ISO 400

I can't see any point to this one.

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208874.jpg
NIKON D800E, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/1600 sec., ISO 640

Basically I like this, but think it was a missed
opportunity. The focus is in front of the eyes and the
DOF is too narrow.

Without DC you could stop down slightly to get a wider
DOF that includes the eyes, and leave the focus on the
tip of the nose. With DC you could focus on the eyes,
use f/4 and set DC to R4. Then the eyes and the mouth
and nose would all be in focus, but the hair back of the
forehead, and ears, would still be blurred.

A better job could be done by simply shooting at f/11
and blurring appropriately in post.

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208875.jpg
NIKON D4, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/160 sec., ISO 1000

Not much of a shot, but it does display the nice bokeh
well, and that's interesting cat's eye distortion on the
out of focus highlight.

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208876.jpg
NIKON D800E, 135.0 mm, f/2.0, 1/320 sec., ISO 1250

Another one that I like, but see as a missed
opportunity. By stopping down to f/4 overall sharpness
would have been improved. Without DC the focus could be
placed in back of the head just far enough to get the
same out of focus effect on the arms. With DC something
like R4 or R2 would have worked, with focus on his face.

http://jonaseklundh.se/aimg208877.jpg
NIKON D800E, 135.0 mm, f/4.0, 1/80 sec., ISO 2000

The subject is too dim and the out of focus area is too
bright. A missed chance perhaps, given the expression
on her face appears to be worth catching. It does
demonstrate the smooth bokeh.


You don't have to shoot everything wide open! And you
can actually use the Defocus Control settings...

--
Floyd L. Davidson http://www.apaflo.com/
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska)