Recently I have been shooting with the Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 ED VR lens on the Nikon D500. It is not a lens I have used a lot but it has been Edin’s standard bird lens for years and she has an impressive body of work, including a book, made with it. I remember when I first got the lens how happy I was with the sharpness and commented on that in my review. I used it on one trip to South Africa when photography was not the main objective so compact gear a priority and was pleased with the images I brought home. I also used it on one Zodiac exploration of the Snares and got an image of a Snares Crested Penguin that was shortlisted for NZ Geographic Photographer of the Year 2016.

Since then I have been working almost exclusively with prime lenses for birds. The 500mm f4VR has been my go to lens for years but more recently I have been using the incredibly sharp 300mm f4PF and 500mm f5.6PF. Having got used to the sharpness of the primes when viewing my files at 100% in Lightroom the files from the zoom just didn’t look as good and my initial reaction was disappointment.

Looking back at the files taken when I bought the lens and was impressed with the sharpness showed that the issue was changing expectations on my part. I had become used to the sharper prime lenses.

Processing the files from the zoom resulted in lovely sharp images that would print and display on screen perfectly. My normal workflow is to process global and some local adjustments in Lightroom with default pre-sharpening. The file then goes into Photoshop for some localised contrast adjustments on layers before being output as an 8x12in file at 300ppi with output sharpening for print. That file is then resized down to 6×4 and then, if needed for web, with no further sharpening. Following this workflow with the files from the 80-400 gave perfectly sharp images. I have found more and more that with images from the sharper primes and high resolution Nikon D850 that I can often avoid sharpening or simply mask it to very small areas of the image.

So, how sharp is sharp enough? As with most questions, the answer depends what you are doing with the final image. What is the intended output for the image?

There is no doubt that lens design has progressed significantly over the years. My current Nikkor Z MC 105mm f2.8 VR S lens is significantly sharper than any other macro lens I have used. New lens reviews always run with MTF charts showing sharpness and the standard is, sharper is better. There is definitely something appealing about opening a crisply sharp high resolution image with exquisite detail.

Having got used to working with sharper prime lenses I could feel disappointed if I had bought a new zoom lens that was not as sharp at 100% magnification. Is that a fair reaction or am I letting something stand in my way? Has sharpness become an addiction that needs to be re-evaluated in context and considered with other qualities that may be important to achieving the desired image?

I have got used the bitingly sharp high resolution images but what do I do with those images? The vast majority get processed, often without needing much if any sharpening and are downsized for print or web use. Huge amounts of captured data are just thrown away in the process. Shooting again with a lower resolution camera and a natively less sharp lens has resulted in images that are just as good for the overwhelming majority of purposes that I need them for.

I think the time has come to ask “what is the best tool for the job?”. At times it will be the zoom with flexible framing options despite the slightly lower native sharpness. It is important not to let a technical detail get in the way of the ultimate goal which is the image. Sharpness is marvellous and addictive but at times enough is enough and more is not necessarily better.

All photos with Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 ED VR lens and Nikon D500 apart from NZ Fur Seal and Snares Crested penguin with Nikon D810