Those other (non leica) lenses

[pico]

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Jaapv and I had an exchange here concerning DOF for digital vs film and he mentioned the critical factor was expectations - people zooming in their monitors 100% or more, for example. Well, I finally got a digital (Lumix G1) camera. He's right.

 

I've found that my 35mm and 75mm Summilux lenses stop and focus perfectly well at infinity, but I was astounded to find that Voigtlander's 15mm focuses significantly 'beyond' infinity with critical focus, and it is not very sharp at all at any aperture. I thought F5.6 or F8 would be sharp. Nope!

 

Perhaps I have a lemon, but thought I'd pass this on with hope that others might investigate their off-brand lenses.

 

--

Pico - a huge Summilux fan

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[andybarton]

Is your 15mm sharp on film?

[lars_bergquist]

A 4/3 format camera has a sensor that is by linear measure 1/2 the size of the full 35mm format (area-wise, it is of course 1/4 size). Obviously, if you enlarge the image to the same size on your computer monitor as you do with full format images, you will use twice the linear magnification. Any imperfection will at once be twice as evident.

 

The depth of field indicated by lens mount scales and printed tables go back to the 1920's, when the assumption was that the newfangled miniature negatives would be enlarged at a maximum 3x, to compete with the then ubiquitous 6x9cm folding roll film cameras and their equally ubiquitous 6x9cm contact prints. This premise has been hopelessly inadequate for eighty years, and it is a measure of the timidity of marketing departments -- or their contempt of the customers -- that they are still produced. With a 4/3 sensor, the inadequacy becomes glaring.

 

The old man from the Age of Roll Film