▼

Friday, 18 April 2014

Panasonic GX7 Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8 - Topaz Detail 3




Panasonic GX7 Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8

I read a piece yesterday about how DxO have tested the new Panasonic 15mm f/1.7 against the Olympus 17mm f/1.8. And the Panasonic is sharper. Now that's fine and I've no doubt true. However, running my extremely useful, but by no means the sharpest lens I've ever owned, Nikon Series E 100mm f/2.8 through the Topaz Detail 3 Photoshop plug-in, made me wonder again whether to a large extent this plug-in makes differences between lenses almost redundant.

I don't think anybody would have cause to complain about the sharpness of the above 100% blow ups. Plus when I say that they are all from upsized files (to 21MP) you get an idea of just how good this plug-in is. 

As someone pointed out, Smart Sharpen in Photoshop uses the same kind of sharpening, deconvolution (see here for difference between this and unsharp masking) but from my comparisons the Topaz plug-in does this much better with much more control. 

So expensive lens purchase versus $19.99 software plug-in? Difficult choice. (Not!)


All original material on this blog is © Soundimageplus.  Please Respect That  


Please note that opinions expressed in this blog are just that, opinions. What is written here is at no time intended as a recommendation or otherwise of photographic gear or practice. This is a personal blog written 'in the moment' and is primarily intended as an entertainment. I would also point out that this is not a review site and not intended to be so and the Google+ groups where you can post comments are not forums. I am the sole moderator and I will remove any post (and poster) if I think fit. 



Plus the Soundimageplus blog is 100% independent. No-one sends me gear to review and I have no relationship with any manufacturer or retail outlet. I buy all the gear I use and write about. The advertisements that appear on this site are generated by Google and I have no control over the content, which differs from country to country. I do make a small income from them, which covers expenses and some small recompense for the time I take to write this, but no more than that. If you like what you read and would like to help me to continue to keep buying stuff to write about then clicking on a few adds will earn me a few fractions of a penny. It will cost you nothing and you don't have to buy anything to contribute a (very!) small amount to my coffers.  

 
N.B. to see more on the cameras and lenses featured in this post click on the relevant labels (tags and keywords) at the bottom of this post.



LINKS AND SOCIAL MEDIA   

For commenting, discussion, posting your pictures, links and articles - join the Soundimageplus Blog Readers Group on Google+ 
follow on tumblr   
soundimageplus blog readers pictures group on flickr
soundimageplus on YouTube  
soundimageplus on Vimeo  
at