Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/11/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Part of my analysis of new films is a resolution test using the old US National Bureau of Standards lens testing charts. I use the Leica f2.8 APO Macro Elmarit-R lens at f5.6 with a lens-to-chart distance at 51 focal lengths, which equates to a maximum possible resolution of 160 line pairs per millimeter. The new 100 Ektachromes display resolution of above 120 lpmm as compared to 100 lpmm for Kodachrome 25; however, the Kodachrome shows much better contrast and much better acutance, or edge sharpness. The result is that the increased resolution of the Ektachromes is not manifested in superior sharpness over Kodachrome. I have not tested Velvia for resolution, but my subjective analysis is that it does not have the "depth of color" that Kodachrome exhibits. I just does not excite me, and I don't understand the current popularity of this film for many, and especially the professionals.