Older lenses and type of light

[SadChi]

Hello,

Would it be correct to state that older lenses need more contrast light due their lower contrast abilities in comparasing with modern ones?

Thanks.

[Ole Tjugen]

No.

At least not until you get into the REALLY old ones, and that's mostly because of fungus and scratches.

If by "modern" you mean "multicoated", remember that until very recently Schneider produced single-coated Xenar lenses - since the advantage of multi- over single-coating was negligible compared to the increase in cost of production (and thus retail price).

More complex lenses with more surfaces require better coatings to give satisfactory contrast. Most zoom lenses for 35mm and DSLR cameras would be impossible without multicoating, and still give less contrast than a good single-coated prime lens!

So it all depends on the lens - construction, number of surfaces, and type of coating.

[SadChi]

No.

At least not until you get into the REALLY old ones, and that's mostly because of fungus and scratches.

If by "modern" you mean "multicoated", remember that until very recently Schneider produced single-coated Xenar lenses - since the advantage of multi- over single-coating was negligible compared to the increase in cost of production (and thus retail price).

More complex lenses with more surfaces require better coatings to give satisfactory contrast. Most zoom lenses for 35mm and DSLR cameras would be impossible without multicoating, and still give less contrast than a good single-coated prime lens!

So it all depends on the lens - construction, number of surfaces, and type of coating.

Ole, thanks. That makes things clear.

[Ole Tjugen]

To muddy the waters a little:

Under some circumstances, some older lenses can handle contrastier scenes than some more modern lenses. But if the contrast is too high, uncoated lenses are far more prone to flare - giving even poorer results.

If the contrast levels are low, there isn't really much discernible difference between new and antique lenses.