Nikon Z7 Captures Incredible 45-Megapixels of Chromatically Perfect Detail with Coastal Optics 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR APO-Macro
See my Nikon mirrorless wishlist and Sony mirrorless wishlist and Canon mirrorless wishlist.
In my view, the Nikon F-mount is the best universal mount for any specialty lens, because it can be mounted/adapted to just about anything, in particular these days, mirrorless cameras.
Long in my keeping, serial #002 of the Coastal Optics 60mm f/4 UV-VIS-IR APO-Macro has not seen a lot of use because of focusing hassles, but with the incredible clarity and resolution of the Nikon Z7 EVF and thus ease and convenience of focusing, the Coastal 60/4 now becomes a lightweight and incredible performer on the Nikon Z7.
I would say that the Nikon Z7 is a breakthrough camera far better than Sony mirrorless for the purpose of adapting lenses to mirrorless, since the Nikon FTZ lens adapter is a robust piece of 'kit' whereas the Novoflex Nikon F-mount to Sony E lens adapter is an unstable and clumsy affair that I have never liked much. Moreover the Z7 ergonomics and haptics make the Sony A7R III feel like a gameboy toy, as I’ve long disliked, as has Ming Thein.
With 5 of its 10 elements composed of calcium fluoride, Coastal 60/4 offers perfect correction of primary and secondary color* while also offering a high MTF performance (very good at f/4, superb at f/5.6 on out). Moreover it does so from 400nm through 800nm. Unfortunately, most sensors cut off deep violet through about 420nm, so really deep rich violet cannot be captured without modifying the camera.
Here the Coastal 60/4 is put to a demanding test involving a very high contrast and reflective subject in which much of it starts out of focus, thus trying hard to show any trace of chromatic errors—without success.
In diglloyd Advanced DSLR**:
Includes images up to full camera resolution. And just for fun, I’ve included a crop from a 200% linear enlargement (181 megapixels = 2 X 2 X 45MP) which still looks better than not a few lenses.
* In my shooting on any camera platform, I have yet to detect anything but diffraction-initiated chromatic errors or at best a barely detectable tertiary chromatic aberration so small I cannot even be sure it is from the lens.
** Lens reviews always go into their native publication.