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From: keithr@tekchips.UUCP (Keith Rowell)
Newsgroups: net.rec.photo
Subject: Nikkor 200mm f4 MICRO problem
Message-ID: <433@tekchips.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Apr-85 17:59:17 EST
Article-I.D.: tekchips.433
Posted: Fri Apr 12 17:59:17 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Apr-85 05:20:12 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 44


What do you folks know about this?

I happily bought a used 200mm f4 micro internal focusing lens
because I figured it would do fine for general purpose and
closeup photography. I took a number of shots with it until
I started noticing in a few of my pictures that the edges appeared
in my Kodachrome slides (which I shoot exclusively) somewhat darkened.
Two shots in which this shows up particularly bad are these.

        o  A shot of a rose isolated against a solid
           green background -- a lawn area.

        o  A shot of a flying swan against the sky.

After a while, I decided something was not right. So, I started to
analyze under what conditions the bad shots were taken. I noticed that
most were wide-open at f4. Finally, I took some test shots using 
K64 of a uniformly illuminated blank wall. Guess what! Starting in
a series from f4, 5.6, 8, etc., to f32, there is what I take to be
*significant* light loss around the outside of the picture. This is
worst at f4 and gradually recedes to the edges of the picture at f5.6,
less at f8, till it finally disappears at f11, f16, f22, and f32.

I am aware that, especially fast, lenses suffer various optical degradations
at wide open and all the way stopped down. But, I must admit, I was
truly surprised to see the extent of this degradation in what I supposed
was a high quality optic from Nikon!

This lens has the older style, skinny tripod collar and is probably one
of the early versions of this lens. I should add that a friend of mine
has exactly the same lens of the same vintage (serial number is higher 
than mine) and I tested his. I would judge that his is only marginally
better than mine in performance. I should also add that I had the lens
and my camera body (FE2) checked out at a Nikon authorized repair service.
He says he could see no problems and knew of no Nikon bulletins about
this. He looked at my test slides and agreed something was wrong with
the slide. And again I should add that I tested the lens on a friends
Nikkormat. The same problem showed up. 

Anyone want a quality Nikon optic cheap? :-) (Just kidding.)

I would appreciate any further information, idea, comments about this
from you who are in the know. What gives with this Nikon crap? :-)