Why Lens Sharpness don't Matter as Much.

Thinking of getting that 50mm f1.4 or that 85mm f1.4?

Well, I'd admit if you are getting it for the speed of a super fast prime, than go ahead. If you think that you are getting it got sharpness, then, I would think that those f1.8 is a good bargain.


Why?
Click on the Jump to find out why.




[Nikon 18-105mm VR, at 105mm, f5.6, 1/500s, -0.33EV in Matrix, ISO 200]

The shot above was mad with default camera noise control settings, in JPEG, LARGE and FINE. Default sharpening as well.

Sharp at the stigma, is it not? Well, almost every lens you can easily get (+- 30 years), is sharp in the center. This shot was done wide open at 105mm, therefore, the depth of field is quite low. Hence the rest of the focal plan is de-focused.


Lets look at the 100% crop of the flower,


[100% crop. Still not sharp enough? I mean, you can see the individual hair on it, with a non-macro lens]

Truth be told, its not as sharp as a 'light sabre', though, you couldn't fault into thinking that this is each of the individual pixel making this image. If I were to stop it down to maybe f6.3 or f8, it would get even sharper, though not as much, unless you view it in a 100% crop.


All lenses today are sharp where it matters most, in the center. It is only at the corners that you can tell the difference.


On most telephoto lenses, sharpness is not as important, since your depth of field would be very low, wide open, and most of the time, its the center of the image where you would want it to be sharp, where as the edges, let it fade away in a blur.


For wide angle, the corners are important, though sometimes, you would also like the edges to fade away, make the object in the center stronger.


Want it to be even sharper? Get a medium format camera. Though, macro on those things are not as easy as you would hope for. Either that, get a macro lens. Its sharp, cause its meant to be sharp.


When buying a lens, the consideration should be its function, does the focus ring rotate, can I manually override the focus (AF-S M/A switch), VR, is it durable, does it flare, do I really need the fast aperture, and most importantly,  do I really need another lens?

What you have is more than good enough. Technique comes into play most of the time, like how much coffee you had in the morning since your hands are twitching. Steady the lens, and your image will most likely be sharper. Got jittery hands and a f1.2 lens? Good luck having a sharp image, since f1.2 have a very very shallow depth of field.

Best yet, get a Leica. Small, light, almost no vibration, and superb lenses. Other than that, get to know your equipment and improve your skills.