erichK wrote:
Simon Cowell wrote:
Perhaps the best in FT's arsenal.
I wish the sensors were up to the same level. But that's always been an Olympus' problem.
Sometimes I feel like we Olympus DSLR's are becoming a religious sect! Is it really necessary to make invidious comparisons of other brands to prove our point, whatever that may be? Surely the Canon 24-70 f2.8 and the Nikon 17-35 f2.8, WA zooms in the same general price range, are also very good lenses, if any of dozens of tests are to be believed,
well this can be problematic, and varies between lenses, even versions of lenses
take the case of the difference between E5 and E3 with the same lens, data from DIWA
E5
E3
clearly the E5 is the victor, but not just due to its additional Mp, but also the lightness of its AA filter. A situation much criticised by some, but later in their eyes at least, vindicated when Nikon did similar things, others are to follow.
DIWAs data offers another comparison though, as the data set is made equivalent to 35mm, you can look across systems to examine a systems output in MTF, and with this in mind I offer the Nikkor 24-70/2.8 on the pro version 12mp D3
again eyeballing the E5 chart shows that on balance it records the higher MTF, and so in areas of given output known to offer a chartable version of sharpness it betters its competition in this case. And in case you missed it, thats against the HG 12-60, quite some yards away from SHG.
One thing we shouldnt accept though, is this version of truth that is a preturbance far from reality. I dare say many crop sensor lens suites actually outshake their FF rivals considerably, but to go the other way and run FF lenses on crop bodies considerably cuts the performance of the lens, reduces the systems resolution.
This b/se FF systems are less demanding that crop systems on lenses, and it is an unfairness to make such representations as it is too confining a statistic. You may like the way a particular lens draws or renders, but that will vary depending on the sensor behind it and the system size in tow. Crossing equipment over guarantees one thing, that everything will change, and for the crop sensor it can have a devastating effect.
But of course these are not the only ways to examine lenses. Personally the build quality and niceness in use are subliminally 'niceness' factors that just make the gear a pleasure to use. These are subtle qualities though, things like metal construction, soft buffers and the ends of the zoom stops, gliding actions as opposed to 'grinding' ones.
So I guess in the final analysis you might have a grab bag of features you value and the renders you pursue for the task at hand, with the proviso that you can make sharp lenses draw softer, but not the other way around. Nice lenses always feel nice, junk is, ...well just that.
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erichK
saskatoon, canada
Photography is a small voice, at best, but sometimes one photograph, or a group of them, can lure our sense of awareness.
- W. Eugene Smith, Dec 30, 1918 to Oct 15, 1978.
http://erichk.zenfolio.com/
underwater photos:
http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/5567
--
Riley
any similarity to persons living or dead is coincidental and unintended
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