Digital BW, The Print

"ben" <benjschneider2@...> wrote:
>
> ...  I started doing some testing, ...  The best images were made with Nikon lenses I purchased in the '70s! 


I used to do my own resolution testing with an old type "Air Force" black and white resolution bar targets.  The highest on-film resolution I ever saw was an old Nikon 50mm -- at 200 lp/mm on Agfapan 25.  It's very hard to focus accurately enough to hit numbers anywhere close to that.


>... It is the Zeiss wide angle lenses that are much better.

And the more symmetrical ones (Biogons) are usually sharper than the more retrofocus designs (Distagons), at least in the corners up close.   For example, see http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/Corners-18-v-21mmZM.jpg .  This isn't exactly a sophisticated test, but I have always like the sweeping foreground to background landscapes, so I simply did a more real world test.  The image I'm now working on is an example of why close up corners matter to me -- http://www.paulroark.com/PtWillsonLighthouse.jpg 


The trade-off is more light fall off with the Biogons.

The move to mirror-less through the lens viewing is going to be a very big deal.  The development of better microlenses to deal with the fall off is also a major area to keep an eye on.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com