A few images exploring the issue of diffraction on a D300 sensor.

These are 100% crops, shot with a calibrated test target such that the LP/PM markings are correct.

My target was originally calibrated for 25x distance. I doubled the resolution and shot it at 50x in order to use the highest possible printed image possible. The target was printed by Winkflash.com on their Fugi Frontier printers. I examined the print with a magnifying glass and was satisfied with the resolution of the finest line pairs.

This is a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 Ai-S "Long Nose". Camera is D300. Shot on a Gitzo Series 4 G1410 tripod and Markins M20 head. Technique included Mirror up with a 5 second delay. All the usual good technique for tripod based controlled tests. Focus via LiveView at maximum zoom.

Important Note: These images were shot raw, then processed in Capture NX2 with Standard Picture Control, picture control sharpening set to zero, and then a standard USM of 59/5/0 applied.

This is NOT the standard used for many lens tests, where sharpening is usually not applied, but it serves the purpose of this gallery, which is to attempt to illustrate the effects of diffraction in real world images. In the real world, don't we always sharpen our images???