Digital BW, The Print

> > Digital imaging sensors, at this point in time, are the great
> equalizer.  A
> > Leica or Canon or Zeiss lense will NOT give you a better image
> than a Sigma
> > lense with a digital sensor.  Yes, some characteristics MAY be
> > noticeable...but from my experience (and I've been using
> digital cameras for
> > 10 years now), they aren't.
> >
> > The digital sensors require far less lp/mm than film does, since digital
> > sensors have much larger sensing elements than film does...and
> therefore,
> > the extra resolution is actually a deficit.  Through the use of
> a low pass
> > filter over the digital sensor, only so much lp/mm will
> actually get to the
> > sensor, therefore rendering the higher lp/mm lenses, well, basically,
> > useless.
> >
> Except in very low light situations.  I had a job photographing a theater
> production several weeks ago.  I shot the job without flash with
> the ambient
> theater light.  If I used my fast nikon (50mm 1.4; 85mm 1.8;
> 20mm, 2.8; 35mm
> 2.0) lenses I was able to shoot at "400 ASA".  If I used a slower lens
> (24-120mm, 3.8-5.6) I had to switch to 800ASA.  At 800ASA the D1x
> still does
> pretty well...but not as well as it does at 400ASA.  The difference to my
> eye is much the same as shifting from 400 to 800 speed film...increase in
> grain (noise).  Fortunately the noise in the D1x (unlike the D1) is more
> random and really reminds me of film grain.  But I agree...in the 400 and
> under ASA range the faster lenses don't get better image
> quality...they just
> allow more artistic freedom with respect to depth of field.
>
> Robert
>
> PS Austin...I realize that your first paragraph was talking about lens
> quality, not aperture...I just figured I'd mention this because of your
> second paragraph.

Hi Robert,

Of course a larger aperture "helps" in low light, but I'm not seeing how
that ties to resolution, which is what I was specifically talking about.
Are you saying simply that the better lenses just so happen to have larger
apertures?  It certainly is possible to make a lousy lense with a wide
aperture though ;-)

Regards,

Austin