p.2 #1 · What was your sharpest lens, regardless of manufacturer or focal length?
EB-1 wrote:
The 500/4 IS II is still excellent on 45MP R5 II as it was on 50MP 5DsR in 2015. It holds up relly well to the 1.4x III, but the 2x III is not so great. I'm sure they could make a better, lighter 500/4, but nobody seems to like that FL.
EBH
Sigma, Fuji and Nikon make/made a 500mm f/5.6. So it's not out of favour. It's more the f/4 version being out of favour.
I honestly believe Sony could make a 2kg 500 f/4 if they wanted. Sony actually released the 600 f/4 and 500 f/4 patents at the same time and yet did nothing with the 500mm version. I would take a 2kg 500 f/4 over even a 600mm f/5.6 that was a bit lighter, any day of the week.
p.2 #4 · What was your sharpest lens, regardless of manufacturer or focal length?
Jack Flesher wrote:
We can’t say based on viewing digital images. To really determine true sharpness, we’d need to view an aerial image from whatever lens evaluated an optical bench to truly determine.
True dat. I have several lenses that are ridiculously sharp as viewed from the sensor, so I don't have any means to rank the top dog. Plus, sharpness is influenced by aperture, distance, and whether you prioritize the whole frame or only the center. Just to pick one arbitrarily, I'll say the Canon TS-E 135/4L which is not only sharp corner-to-corner but extends even further (tilt/shift image circle).
p.2 #5 · What was your sharpest lens, regardless of manufacturer or focal length?
Jack Flesher wrote:
We can’t say based on viewing digital images. To really determine true sharpness, we’d need to view an aerial image from whatever lens evaluated an optical bench to truly determine.
How do you view an aerial image? On a monitor? Then it’s a digital image. Or are you looking at a print? And is the print from film or digital file?
Then, not all lenses are optimized for long shooting distances.
Even the Micro-Nikkor AI-S 55/2.8 that Robert mentioned in his initial post is certainly not optimized for landscape photography: it’s a close-up lens that, thanks to its floating elements, manages to perform well in a wide interval of focusing distances.
In any case, I don't think the purpose of this discussion is to determine which lens is the sharpest of all, but rather to identify the lens/lenses that we consider to be the best based on our necessarily limited experience.
It goes without saying that the best photos aren't necessarily the ones taken with the lens that resolves the most lines per millimeter.
p.2 #7 · What was your sharpest lens, regardless of manufacturer or focal length?
I've had both the 85mm and 135mm Sigma Art series for Canon EF and used them with my A7R III. They were excellent of course but my interests shifted entirely to wildlife so I sold them eventually.
p.2 #9 · What was your sharpest lens, regardless of manufacturer or focal length?
I've always been curious about sample variation and the impact on IQ, which makes me nervous when looking at used lenses. I've toured the Vortex Optics facility and it's amazing the amount of effort that goes into their high end optics, and how just one of the many elements being just ever so slightly out of alignment can mess things up.
For Vortex all of that precision goes into an optic that is typically only viewed with human eyes, never needing to be magnified xxx amount and viewed on software, or critiqued on the internet by people who know what they are looking for. I would be very curious to understand the testing and tolerance that goes into modern Nikon optics, and just how much variation is deemed "acceptable". The same for vintage lenses where the engineers and designers had taken the time to perfect the optical formula and find the best components for something as simple as a 28mm 2.8 lens. "We make it out of the best materials, it will be perfect and people will buy them."
My dream would be to buy used lenses from someone who was able to take the time to try lots of samples of the lenses I wanted, and cherry picked the best ones.
p.2 #10 · What was your sharpest lens, regardless of manufacturer or focal length?
jonshonda wrote:
I've always been curious about sample variation and the impact on IQ, which makes me nervous when looking at used lenses.
Sample variation makes me nervous even when looking at new lenses!
Actually, I only buy lenses online, so I can request an exchange or a refund. Still, it's pretty annoying to find that Zeiss or Voigtlander (new) lenses—which are known for their precise and sturdy construction—have to be sent back
p.2 #12 · What was your sharpest lens, regardless of manufacturer or focal length?
What was (as asked) or what is your sharpest lens? Either 55mm f/3.5 AI Micro F-mount or 105mm f/2.5 P-C F-mount. I guess it depends on the application. I don't do serious macro stuff though. That 55mm works well at any distance. OTOH, my 200mm f/4 Q F-mount is no slouch either.
p.2 #16 · What was your sharpest lens, regardless of manufacturer or focal length?
Ripolini wrote:
How do you view an aerial image? On a monitor? Then it’s a digital image. Or are you looking at a print? And is the print from film or digital file?
Then, not all lenses are optimized for long shooting distances.
Even the Micro-Nikkor AI-S 55/2.8 that Robert mentioned in his initial post is certainly not optimized for landscape photography: it’s a close-up lens that, thanks to its floating elements, manages to perform well in a wide interval of focusing distances.
In any case, I don't think the purpose of this discussion is to determine which lens is the sharpest of all, but rather to identify the lens/lenses that we consider to be the best based on our necessarily limited experience.
It goes without saying that the best photos aren't necessarily the ones taken with the lens that resolves the most lines per millimeter....Show more →
That’s the whole point: you view an aerial image on an optical bench directly, it’s not projected or scanned.
p.2 #17 · What was your sharpest lens, regardless of manufacturer or focal length?
Sharpest as in the sharpest pictures I produced given my camera bodies at the time and style of photography (e.g., very, very rarely having a tripod with me) I’d say the Nikon 60mm 2.8 AF-S paired with my D810.
