[Leica] Sean Reid looks at fast lenses on the R-D1

[miki at arbos.net (MIKIRO)]

Adam,

Thanks for the input. The article requires energy but worth it. I am 
impressed by his keen observation and straightforward writing. Just to 
show you an an example, I quote the following.

-----
As such, one might think that the edge/corner performance of a lens set 
to a wide aperture is not so important because picture elements towards 
the outer edges of the frame are likely to be at a different distance 
from the lens than the distance its focus is set to.  As such, DOF 
limitations will often take those other distances out of focus.  But, as 
became clear to me while I was doing these tests, the degree to which a 
lens is sharp across it?s field at wide apertures still influences the 
look of subjects seen across that field even as they go out of focus due 
to depth of field.  A lens that is sharp from center to outer zones at 
F/1.4 gives a different look to OOF areas than one that is sharp on 
center but soft in the outer zones.  I found that the lenses I liked 
most for their OOF drawing in the outer zones (at large apertures) were 
often the same lenses that held fairly sharp focus from corner to corner 
wide open.  This is not an objective advantage necessarily but, rather, 
a quality that may or may not appeal to individual taste.
-----

Surely, this is for lens aficionados.

Best,

MIKIRO
Japan

Adam Bridge wrote:
> This is a long article, bandwidth intensive, but interesting.
> 
> <http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/fastlensreview.shtml>
> 
> It's the kind of article that makes you want to pick up the camera and
> shoot - regardless of the lens or the camera.
> 
> I like articles like that. It's like seeing a movie that makes you
> want to go back in and see another movie. Those are rare but they are
> very satisfying when you find them. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
> Mind" was one of those movies for me. Makes me want to see a GOOD
> movie right now.
> 
> Adam
>