Q
But in sheer terms of IQ you are absolutely right!
@lan_of_glos: I am not sure that this is the only way, to make lenses bigger/heavier to make them better.
But I am sure it is an easier way to get the IQ and to sell the lens for most users.
My desired path of new lenses would be the following. Take the 1.4 50mm S.S.C. FD lens and put all the new lens technology in the existing design like (1) aspherical surfaces, (2) low / anormal dispersion glass / material types and (3) advanced mechanics e.g. to shift 3 groups simultanously to achieve optimum quality (perhaps shift the aperture group too. I am confident you can have the center quality of the old FD lens straight to the corners + better contrast at f/1.4 in a package which has 1cm more diameter and is 1 cm longer. But you might have to pay 700 $ / € and 300 bucks more for integrated image stabilization.
But larger lenses and great image quality reviews sell better than a compact prime with nearly the same IQ in a not so glamorous package - just my opinion but I see the same development with cars, mobiles etc.: Representative design and long feature lists first, usability at the other end.
@Don Haines: I do not see this as a golden time - maybe a "silver rating" I would give at best. Why? Usability of tools has a bunch of parameters and light/small/unobtrusive is a heavy bunch of parameters in my opinion.Ian_of_glos said:This is a really good point and something we often overlook. It is a clear illustration of the fact that we can have better image quality but the price to be paid is that the lens must be bigger and heavier. We don't get owt for nowt!Don Haines said:yes, my 40 year old lenses also look like toys compared to modern lenses.... The old ones were 7 or 8 elements, most new ones are 15+ elements.... We are definitely living in a golden time for photography!CanonFanBoy said:Thanks. In the case of my old lenses vs the newer lenses I guess the front element, like you said, might be bigger to control aberrations etc. The newer lenses are monsters compared to 40 years ago.
But in sheer terms of IQ you are absolutely right!
@lan_of_glos: I am not sure that this is the only way, to make lenses bigger/heavier to make them better.
But I am sure it is an easier way to get the IQ and to sell the lens for most users.
My desired path of new lenses would be the following. Take the 1.4 50mm S.S.C. FD lens and put all the new lens technology in the existing design like (1) aspherical surfaces, (2) low / anormal dispersion glass / material types and (3) advanced mechanics e.g. to shift 3 groups simultanously to achieve optimum quality (perhaps shift the aperture group too. I am confident you can have the center quality of the old FD lens straight to the corners + better contrast at f/1.4 in a package which has 1cm more diameter and is 1 cm longer. But you might have to pay 700 $ / € and 300 bucks more for integrated image stabilization.
But larger lenses and great image quality reviews sell better than a compact prime with nearly the same IQ in a not so glamorous package - just my opinion but I see the same development with cars, mobiles etc.: Representative design and long feature lists first, usability at the other end.
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