Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/02/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]No complaints from me, Henning... :-) Jim At 02:23 PM 2/11/00 -0800, Henning J. Wulff wrote: >> >>None of the current 35mm-bodied digitals (such as the D1) use corrective >>elements. Nikon did make such a camera, but it wasn't so hot. The frame >>size is effectively a crop from the center of the 35mm frame. So >>effective focal length is changed (something like x1.5 for the current >>generation). The D1 viewfinder just shows this smaller area. >> >>I've no idea whether film lenses aren't suitable for CCDs (but I'm a bit >>of a skeptic) but the D1 gives pretty nice images. A CCD with the same >>pixel density and 35mm size would be very welcome (especially in an >>M6!). > >Lenses for high performance digital cameras _NEED_ chromatically highly >corrected lenses. The problem is one of color fringing. On analog material >(film) the color fringing spreads softly from the principal element. With a >digital sensor, the one color can be on one pixel, and another color on a >different pixel. Truly ugly. Therefore the high end digital cameras, such >as those from Sinar, use APO lenses even for relatively short focal >lengths, and are horrendously expensive. A strange thing to say on a Leica >list, but true. Another thing to remember is that today's high end >camera/sensor array will be tomorrow's point and shoot. Lens design will >have to hit new heights, at affordable prices. Some of Leica's recent >lenses will be fine with tomorrow's sensors, but not many of the older ones. > >The Nikon D1 is quite decent, and the new Fuji Pro camera seems like it >will be even better (as far as picture quality/price is concerned). As >these cameras generally have a sensor size which is equivalent to 1/2 frame >or so, they only use the center of the lens' imaging ability, which is >usually better. As the sensors reach into the corners, and the pixel >density goes up, more problems will crop up. > >Jim Brick is the guy on the list who would probably know this stuff the >best (but I, of course, don't hesitate to jump in even at the partial >information level ;-)) > > > > * Henning J. Wulff > /|\ Wulff Photography & Design > /###\ mailto:henningw@archiphoto.com > |[ ]| http://www.archiphoto.com