50 f2.8 MC vs 105 f2.8 MC for film scanning compared
Hi guys,
When I bought the Z5 I did it primarily for film scanning. Got the 50mm MC as a starter lens and was pretty happy with either the JJC scan adapter and or my lomo digitiza.
only issue for me was and remains a tiny bit of vignetting/hotspot I seem to get with some images (depending on the density of the neg) and a slight reduction in corner sharpness even at f16/22
Found a cheapish 105 mc Nikkor z locally and thought I'd like to try that for film scanning in addition to having a real modern portrait/landscape lens.
the results are extremely good from the 105! not only scanning but also images at infinity down to macro show me what the Z5 sensor can do, definitely one of my sharpest lenses. Film scans are super even illuminated and edge to edge sharpness I can get starting from F8 (Film flatness is critical thus I scan at f16 like in the samples)
Above are two sample scans of the P51 I saw last summer in Friedrichshafen. The filenames give away the lens used but you should be able to spot the difference comparing corner performance.
the 105 works as well with the JJC adapter, no issues I just prefer scanning the uncut roll on the Digitiza.
TLDR: 50mm MC is good for film scanning but 105 MC offers even better quality and consistency. In my opinion the 105 is the way to go for highest quality scans.