[LRflex] Re: Canon 800mm IS

On Dec 26, 2008, at 10:39 AM, wildlightphoto@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:


) have standards dropped so much that these are considered sharp?

) what was Canon thinking?


Doug,
This is pure, uninformed conjecture on my part, based on no data at all, so take it for what it is worth:
What jumps out at me is that it may be that "sharp" is no longer defined by photographic standards, i.e., a film negative inspected with a loupe, but by what appears to be sharp when the image is printed by high quality, commercial, four-color (or more) printers or by home inkjet printers. 

That's just a guess, and not a particularly scientific one.
To see what I could tell about relative sharpness, I compared the high- resolution Canon bear pix, which I downloaded, with a picture I made with my R9/DMR and Vario-Elmar-R 35-70 mm lens a couple of days ago. It was made by me, standing, camera to eye, of my granddaughter's small dog, a few feet away on the floor.
The comparison was made in Photoshop CS3 at the View>Actual Pixels setting with both images at 72 dpi on an Apple 23" Cinema calibrated display.
The bear picture (according to Photoshop's File>File Info) was made at ISO 320, f/5.6 and 1/250 sec and is 7.7. MB in size. The text said he used a tripod.
My picture was made at ISO 200, f/8.0 and 1/250 sec, hand held, with a Metz 54 MZ-4i flash and is 5.4 MB in size.
My picture was obviously, noticeably, sharper, as indicated by individual hairs.
Given all the variables (DOF, accuracy of focus, etc.), it may be an apples and oranges comparison but the data point does say something about the resolving power of the two lenses when used for their intended purposes.
My unassailable assertion is that my picture serves its purpose very well: a 4X6 inkjet print for my granddaughter.
But you raise a good point: What is the meaning of "sharp"? I'll be interested in what others have to say. 

As to what Canon was thinking, no one can know but them.
Happy New Year to you and thanks for your constant example of what to do and how to do it. 

Bill

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