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eric florentino
4-May-2007, 01:16
hi guys,

can anyone point me to a lens comparison matrix? there was one on the net a few years back, that matrixed ALL available lenses according to focal length, manufacturer, product line, image circle at f/22, shutter size, and price. it was an excel file, i think.

thanks!

:confused: eric

JW Dewdney
4-May-2007, 01:37
Actually - well, it wasn't exactly ALL lenses. But a good portion of samples of different brands.

Is THIS the one you're thinking of??
http://www.hevanet.com/cperez/testing.html

Keep in mind, however, when you look at this - despite the fact that a HUGE amount of work was put into it... that it is flawed in a really fundamental way - that being that only ONE sample of each lens was used. My problem with that - is that (and even the author will admit this) there is VERY great variation in lens 'quality' (measured resolution) within one brand and a given model even... such that any conclusions you could draw from the test results would, perforce, be erroneous. It seems to me that you would need to test a MINIMUM of 5-6 samples of each lens, from different sources, to be able to even START to accurately generalize about the results. Please do not make purchasing decisions based on the resolution measurements on these tests. Besides - there are more important factors than measured resolution from which to base your decision sometimes anyway.

eric florentino
4-May-2007, 02:02
Hi JW!

nope, the perez-thalmann list isn't quite it. the one i'm looking for had the focal lengths on the leftmost colum, and listed more info, like "image circles at f/22," optimal aperture, US list price, etc.

i also understand your caveats about the perez-thalmann list. good advice.

the list i'm looking for, however, seemed (back then at least) a compilation of manufacturers' published information about their own products, which might've explained the "US list rpice" column.

anyway, your recommendation is a start. i'm returning to LF after a 5 yr hiatus. just needed some refreshers & updates... if i find the file again, i'll post the links here, to help newbies like it once helped me.

thanks!

JW Dewdney
4-May-2007, 02:41
Hi Eric - from personal experience (nearly 25 years now! ack!!) I'd say just pick a lens or two to start - and you'll get a feeling as to whether or not you like it. I've made an awful lot of mistakes in the past - picking a lens i thought was objectively 'the best' and realizing I wasn't super crazy about the result - until I got a different one (which seemed much better). These things can be VERY subtle... and really comes down to 'feel' more than objective numbers. It's like making a good print. Sometimes a print SEEMS objectively perfect - but then you tweak it just SLIGHTLY (maybe an error on your part) and then it just seems to 'POP'! This can even happen with different samples of the same model and focal length of a given lens.

So - in summation - in a way - I'd say that it really doesn't matter what you buy... just run with it... and concentrate on the PHOTOS..!

Ole Tjugen
4-May-2007, 03:02
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lenseslist.html ?

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lenses/ ?