dchew
Well-known member
I’ve had the 40hr for several years and just recently picked up the 35xl. After a few basic tests both in the field and in the office, I will share my general observations, all associated with an IQ3100 on an Alpa mount. Center filter on the 35xl, none on the 40hr. No movements; those experiments will come later, but I don’t expect much movements on the 35xl, and have rarely shifted more than 5mm with the 40hr. These images are overexposesd a bit on purpose. Camera position is about 2.5 feet closer for the 35xl.
40hr left, 35xl right:
40hr has the obvious benefit of not needing a center filter. Two stops of light lost with the 35xl, plus the 40hr is f/4.0 vs f/5.6. So if you are struggling with dim light I think this trumps everything else. Note the difference in exposure times.
On-center, you can get away without an LCC for the 40 in some cases. You need it for every shot with the 35xl. 40hr LCC, not much to see:
35xl LCC. Definitely there but very correctable:
In the shot set up I had, at some distances the 40hr had very bad flair. The 35xl had some, but it was standard aperture-blade stuff. The 40hr had weird dramatic orange eyebrow flair from the room lights.
40hr Flair:
Wide open the 35 has poor contrast in the corners. 40hr suffers too, but not quite as badly. Wide open the image corners are equal on the 35xl vs the 40hr. On-center the 40hr always appears sharper. I think this is mostly global contrast, because increasing the 35xl contrast slider in C1 brings them essentially back to even.
Wide open (f/4 and f/5.6 respectively); 40hr left, 35xl right. Near center of the image:
Wide open (f/4 and f/5.6 respectively); 40hr left, 35xl right. Near bottom right of the image:
Closed down two stops, the 35xl is about equal to the 40hr. The 40 always looks slightly sharper, but I think this is again more to do with global contrast than strict detail resolution. In these next two images, I've increased the global contrast +11 in Capture One for the 35xl.
2-stops down (f/8 and f/11 respectively); 40hr left, 35xl right. Near center of the image:
2-stops down (f/8 and f/11 respectively); 40hr left, 35xl right. Near bottom right of the image:
The difference in distortion is obvious to me. Looking at the global image the bottom right drawers and cabinet clearly bend down in the 40hr image.
Since I won’t be using either lens wide open, I am satisfied with the 35xl for my use.
35xl looks and feels significantly smaller and lighter even with the center filter. It does take larger filters, however: 72 vs 67mm:
The 40hr is the more versatile lens. However, I think I can easily work within the 35xl's constraints and will probably keep it as the default in the bag because of its two advantages: size and distortion. The biggest issue I will have is the lack of tilt with Alpa. But I will usually be able to get away with one or two focus brackets.
Dave
40hr left, 35xl right:
40hr has the obvious benefit of not needing a center filter. Two stops of light lost with the 35xl, plus the 40hr is f/4.0 vs f/5.6. So if you are struggling with dim light I think this trumps everything else. Note the difference in exposure times.
On-center, you can get away without an LCC for the 40 in some cases. You need it for every shot with the 35xl. 40hr LCC, not much to see:
35xl LCC. Definitely there but very correctable:
In the shot set up I had, at some distances the 40hr had very bad flair. The 35xl had some, but it was standard aperture-blade stuff. The 40hr had weird dramatic orange eyebrow flair from the room lights.
40hr Flair:
Wide open the 35 has poor contrast in the corners. 40hr suffers too, but not quite as badly. Wide open the image corners are equal on the 35xl vs the 40hr. On-center the 40hr always appears sharper. I think this is mostly global contrast, because increasing the 35xl contrast slider in C1 brings them essentially back to even.
Wide open (f/4 and f/5.6 respectively); 40hr left, 35xl right. Near center of the image:
Wide open (f/4 and f/5.6 respectively); 40hr left, 35xl right. Near bottom right of the image:
Closed down two stops, the 35xl is about equal to the 40hr. The 40 always looks slightly sharper, but I think this is again more to do with global contrast than strict detail resolution. In these next two images, I've increased the global contrast +11 in Capture One for the 35xl.
2-stops down (f/8 and f/11 respectively); 40hr left, 35xl right. Near center of the image:
2-stops down (f/8 and f/11 respectively); 40hr left, 35xl right. Near bottom right of the image:
The difference in distortion is obvious to me. Looking at the global image the bottom right drawers and cabinet clearly bend down in the 40hr image.
Since I won’t be using either lens wide open, I am satisfied with the 35xl for my use.
35xl looks and feels significantly smaller and lighter even with the center filter. It does take larger filters, however: 72 vs 67mm:
The 40hr is the more versatile lens. However, I think I can easily work within the 35xl's constraints and will probably keep it as the default in the bag because of its two advantages: size and distortion. The biggest issue I will have is the lack of tilt with Alpa. But I will usually be able to get away with one or two focus brackets.
Dave
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