Confusion over abundance of contradictory information re: process lens optimization

[LabRat]

But for a bargain lens with issues, the corrections for it's specialized application are way overkill for general experimental photography, so OK to have some fun with it...

Steve K

[Paul Kinzer]

But for a bargain lens with issues, the corrections for it's specialized application are way overkill for general experimental photography, so OK to have some fun with it...

Steve K

Exactly! I paid $45 for this lens, and was fully expecting it to be trash. But it cleaned up quite well, though not perfectly.

I have much more experience with telescopes, where many of us have found old scopes literally in garage cans, with all but the glass more or less destroyed, and we find ways to make them give fine views of the night sky again. Are those views as great as the original? Frankly, they are sometimes better (I've adjusted the alignment of achromats objectives to give much nicer views than the original alignment, marked on the edge of the lens). I don't expect to do the same with a camera lens.

On the other hand, I've used some real dogs that came from the professionals. I had a Canon telephoto that even the techs at Canon could not get adjusted to take acceptably sharp images.

Also, there are a tiny number of folks here who make posting less comfortable; folks whose snarky comments don't make this place very welcoming. I'm pretty good at snark myself, but I leave it at home. I don't think it belongs in a place that attempts to be a place that some come to for help.