Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/01/15

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Re: Lens test results
From: "Kotsinadelis, Peter (Peter)" <peterk@lucent.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 12:43:18 -0800

What the test did was explain how manual focusing lenses had the ability to
pinpoint focusing to a more accurate degree than their AF siblings.  Even
when focusing an AF lens manually (Canon, Nikon, whatever), you would get a
somewhat lesser degree of sharpness that what would be produced with a
manually focused lens.  I know it flies in the face of technology, but that
was the result.  The lenses were designed for an AF system which does a best
guess scenario at the focus based on contrast.  In the end, manual focused
SLR lenses did better as a group than AF lenses for image sharpness. I am
sure it made their advertisers very very unhappy considering the majority
were AF camerea/lens manufacturers.  

Peter K

- -----Original Message-----
From: Jim Brick [mailto:jimbrick@photoaccess.com]
Sent: Friday, January 15, 1999 11:57 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: [Leica] Re: Lens test results


Someone wrote:

>> Lenses made for manual focusing produced sharper
>> images than their equivalent AF lenses.  Even focusing the AF lens manual
>> did not do better.
>

Am I to believe that, if you have two lenses, identical design, one is AF
and the other is manual. And you MANUALLY focus both lenses, the "manual
only" lens will be sharper? This makes no sense to me. What am I missing?

Jim