the last word

I tested the 28mm f/1.4 Nikkor-D on the Lifepixel-modified Sony alpha 7. The Lifepixel filter I chose was the Super Color one, which passes some visible light. That makes the job of focusing more difficult for the lens, since it needs to simultaneously bring visible and infrared light to the same focus point. The Coastal… [Read More]

Jack Hogan suggested that some of the unusual results for the Nikon 28mm f/1.4, and possibly the Leice 28mm Elmarit-R, might be due to focus shift, since I did all my focusing at f/2.8. Here’s a test with the Nikon lens. I did one 96-shot series (16 shots each at 6 f-stops) focusing as before…. [Read More]

The Coastal Optical 60mm is a great lens for infrared, but it’s too long for a lot of landscape use. I’m shooting handheld around the house, and I don’t like to do double-row stitches that way. So I’m looking for something wider. 28mm is a nice focal length for landscape. It’s probably the most versatile… [Read More]

A week or so ago, a reader asked if I could try to find out if there’s any vibration difference between a heavy carbon fiber tripod with the skinny legs extended first, or the fat legs extended first. I was doubtful that there would be any difference, and first tried to find out if there… [Read More]

I think this is my last test on the Coastal Optical 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR Apo Macro lens. It’s a simple visual demonstration of light falloff. The camera is a Sony a7 modified for IR by LifePixel, using the Super Color sensor stack filter. I put an Expodisc on the lens and aimed it at a… [Read More]