Same vintage lenses for film vs digital.

[Sirius Glass]

I recently bought a AI-S lens, I am wondering if after the 180 day KEH warranty is over, it I should chip it [add aNikon AF Dandelion Chip not hit it with a hammer] to make it easier to use with the Nikon AF cameras, or should I leave it alone?

 

[Nikon 2]

I recently bought a AI-S lens, I am wondering if after the 180 day KEH warranty is over, it I should chip it [add aNikon AF Dandelion Chip not hit it with a hammer] to make it easier to use with the Nikon AF cameras, or should I leave it alone.

 

[Nikon 2]

Technically: Digital detectors are more sensitive to light incident perpendicular to the sensor plane, so light coming in at a strong off-axis angle is less likely detected or may present color fringing. This is much less of an issue with film. However, this effect is unlikely to be significant with most SLR lenses/cameras due to the lens-sensor distance, and probably only really matters for non-retrofocus wide angles for RFs adapted to mirrorless cameras, or the odd example of trying to use a digital detector with a lot of tilt/swing.

Aesthetically: People write all sorts of stuff in lens reviews, and a lot of it has to do with their preconceptions. Many great photos have been taken with fairly humble lenses. And a lot of supposed issues with lens performance are addressed by stopping down to f/5.6-8. So don't get bent out of shape by lens reviews. If you want to use a lens, go ahead and try it regardless of whether some internet jockey reviewed it on a digital sensor or not.

That’s my point, film enables a vintage lens to shine whilst digital makes the same lens to distort …!

 

[Pieter12]

That’s my point, film enables a vintage lens to shine whilst digital makes the same lens to distort …!

It won’t distort on digital if it doesn’t on film.

 

[reddesert]

That’s my point, film enables a vintage lens to shine whilst digital makes the same lens to distort …!

That is not what I said at all.

First, "distortion" has a meaning in optics, geometric distortion like barrel vs pincushion, and that's no different between film and digital sensors.

Next, many "vintage" lenses work perfectly well on digital sensors, and the examples where the combo is a problem are likely edge cases like non-retrofocus rangefinder lenses on mirrorless cameras. Mainly, I think, digital detectors enable a level of pixel-peeping that was harder to do in the film era. There is a lot of cork-sniffing dialogue on the internet about supposed differences between different vintages, brands, designs of lenses. Apart from some basic stuff like the effects of residual spherical aberration on bokeh, most of the cork-sniffing is based on optics myths, not optics facts. Try to tune it out and make some pictures.

 

[Anon Ymous]

Mainly, I think, digital detectors enable a level of pixel-peeping that was harder to do in the film era.

This. It's just too easy now and costs nothing.