Photography News 95 - Newsletter

First test

Making lenses that stand out from the crowd is a great way of attracting attention – it’s certainly a tactic that’s working for Irix Irix 30mm f/1.4 PRICE: £641.75

SWAINS.CO.UK

SPECS › Price £641.75 › Format Full-frame › Mount Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K › What’s in the box Front and back caps, lens hood and hard case

SWISS-DESIGNED AND Korean- made, Irix has dedicated itself to producing top-end primes, using the latest technology. It aims to deliver outstanding optical performance and a great user experience. The latest lens is a manual focus 30mm f/1.4, optically identical to one offered to moviemakers. The focal length has plenty of potential in many genres – available in Canon EF, Nikon F and Pentax fittings. Conforming to Irix’s Dragonfly spec, it has a scratch-resistant finish, weather-resistant build and engraved markings.

It’s a lens with serious heft, combining very nicely with the Nikon D850 – delivering a balanced combination. The weight and large 86mm filter thread might deter a few potential users, but this is an uncompromising lens. The manual focus barrel has a taut, but smooth travel, and half a rotation takes you from infinity to the 34cm minimum focus. About 1cm of travel covers from infinity to 3m, so most of that incorporates close distances. This helps with precise focusing, an important consideration with the fast aperture of this lens. A

› Autofocus No › Construction

13 elements in 11 groups › Special lens elements

Three ultra-low dispersion, two high-refractive and one aspherical glass elements › Coatings Neutrino coating › Filter size 86mm › Aperture range f/1.4-16 › Diaphragm 11 rounded blades › Internal focus Yes › Manual focus Yes › Minimum focus 34cm › Distance scale Yes, metric and imperial, laser engraved with UV-reactive paint › Depth-of-field scale No › Image stabiliser No

TESTPICTURES Our custom test chart was photographed with the Irix 30mm f/1.4 on a Nikon D850, with

› Tripod collar No › Weather-sealed Yes, three rubber O-rings › Dimensions 105x94mm (Nikon fit) › Weight 851g (Nikon fit) › Contact irixlens.com, swains.co.uk

the pair on a Leofoto LS-324C tripod and Arca-Swiss ball head. Raws were put through Lightroom with default sharpening settings.

dimpled rubber grip and raised rib enhance the focusing experience and, of course, being f/1.4 means you get a lovely, bright viewing image. This allows assured focusing, even when the light isn’t great. Our sample emitted a gentle rustle during focusing and its action is on the tight side, which I expect would ease with use. Focus can be locked in with a twist grip. There’s no scale for depth-of-field, nor is there an aperture ring, so f/stop is controlled via the camera. A benefit of having that camera/lens communication is that you get EXIF info recorded. The lens did a fine job with our test chart, especially at wider apertures, with fine detail crisply resolved, even into the corners. Quality is very good at f/1.4 across

the frame and certainly usable for critically sharp images. It gets even better at f/2 and f/2.8, but improvements are marginal because quality is already at a high level. If you want the very best this lens has to offer, use it at f/4, f/5.6, or even f/8 if you have the light. Quality falls away at f/11 and f/16, softening slightly with diffraction. Wide apertures for selective focus effects and background bokeh does not disappoint. It’s a great performer at the wider values. Vignetting occurs at f/1.4, which is less obvious by the time you get to f/2.8. There is some barrelling, too, but neither are deal-breakers and are easily resolved in software. WC

F/1.4

F/2

F/2.8

F/4

FINISHINGTOUCH There’s no aperture ring, so f/stop is controlled from the camera. No depth-of-field scale either, but you do get an engraved distance scale, and a rib on the focus barrel, which is nice

F/5.6

F/8

Verdict With its versatile focal length and fast aperture, the Irix 30mm f/1.4 has great appeal. It’s competitively priced for the specification, rugged build and optical performance. PROS Fast aperture, useful focal length, build quality, imaging performance, good value, EXIF data CONS Weight, focusing ring quite tight on our sample, large 86mm filter thread

F/11

F/16

KEEP IT TIGHT The focusing barrel’s tension can be adjusted and the distance locked, if required

42 Photography News | Issue 95

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