Do you need the perfect lens for your photography

Friday 1 December 2023, 20:10 by Nando Harmsen | 3,098 views | 7 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

The latest lenses are still getting better. From the resolution they can render to lens aberrations in the extreme corners. Do you really need to use these better lenses, or does your photo lose its character?

This article was written in response to my question about what the readers of this blog would like to read. This subject, old lenses versus new lenses, was suggested by Jeepee, for which I thank him.

You will no doubt have noticed that the latest top-of-the-range lenses are incredibly expensive. Three thousand euros has long been no exception. Although I do not want to justify the prices, there is a reason for the high amounts.

The Sony FE 50mm f/1,2 GM is a fantastic lens. But also very expensive.
The latest lenses are exceptional examples of development and engineering. Ten or more lens elements work closely together to achieve as little vignetting, chromatic aberration, coma distortion and lens flare as possible.

In addition, resolving power has to keep increasing. Otherwise, what is the point of using high-resolution cameras if the lenses cannot render that resolution? And all of that comes at a price, literally.

Are you looking for perfect sharpness, with barely any lens aberrations, or none at all, of any kind? Then these are the lenses for you. They allow you to view your photo at pixel level and still be amazed by the quality.

A small, inexpensive 50mm with f/1,8. Certainly not perfect, but does that imperfection not give the photos a unique character?
How important is the quality of a lens to your photo? That is a question to which everyone may have a different answer. Still, you should ask yourself what is important for a photo. Technical perfection, or what a photo shows and tells you?

A photo is more than just a reproduction of reality in infinite detail. A photo is a snapshot of an event that has passed and will not return. A good photo shows a memory and evokes feelings and emotion. It is a whole.

Photographed with a lens that is 40 or 50 years old on a modern digital camera.
A good photo therefore does not need to be a perfect reproduction of reality. You look at the image as a whole and at the story the photo tells. It inspires you, or overwhelms you with what you see. Resolution, light fall-off, softness in the corners or chromatic aberration do not come into it.

Photographed with 85mm and f/1,2. The latest version may deliver better quality, but does the photo still have this look? Or does the image from the new version become too clinical?
It is good to see that many photographers choose old lenses. These are vintage lenses, each with its own unique look. You have to like that, of course. These lenses are not perfect, but it is the photo as a whole that matters, not the tiny details at maximum magnification on the screen.

This MTO 1100mm f/10,5 mirror lens is a vintage lens. The look of the photos made with this lens is certainly not perfect. But it does give the photos a unique look
You do not necessarily have to reach for that kind of vintage lens, though. You can also choose somewhat older modern lenses. In other words, you do not necessarily have to choose the latest and greatest just because the quality has improved again.

There is even a risk in searching for the best, most perfect lens. The image, however perfect, can become too clinical. A photo without feeling, where it is all about perfection. In other words, it is precisely a lens's shortcomings that give a photo character.

Of course, there are also situations where the most perfect reproduction possible is needed. But then photography is no longer an artistic expression. It is purely a record, with a different purpose from a photo on the wall.

What do you think about the perfection lenses are expected to have these days? Do you think this makes the photo too clinical, or is it not too bad? Let us know in a comment below this post.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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7 comments

jeepee wrote on Friday 1 December 2023 at 21:52 | reply
Great Nando! And with mirrorless cameras and an adapter you can now make a lot of lenses fit. A few months ago I made a shot of the same scene myself with 5 different lenses at 50 mm and the same aperture. I was absolutely amazed that the one that appealed to me the most had been made not with a modern lens but with one that was 60 years old. Maybe a fun little experiment for the reader with a few lenses in the cupboard?
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 5 December 2023 at 11:11 | reply
Indeed. This is something you can do well yourself in that case.
Translated from Dutch.

MacBigfoot wrote on Friday 1 December 2023 at 22:49 | reply
I find it very difficult, I would really like to see some photos side by side.

Old lenses were used with analogue rolls of film, do you get that feeling back with the same lens on a digital camera? Or does the digital camera already show a more clinical image because of the enormous number of pixels?

There are old lenses that have a very beautiful bokeh, or soft focus.
With a modern fast lens, the subject can be rendered very sharply with a very nice blurry background.

I don’t know if you can compare old and new on a one-to-one basis.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 5 December 2023 at 11:10 | reply
A good point: is it due to the resolution.
You do have to keep in mind that the lens has a certain resolving power. If that resolving power is lower than the resolution of your sensor, then that is the determining factor for the sharpness.
Personally I think you can simply compare them 1:1.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 5 December 2023 at 10:48 | reply
Reading Nando's story leads me to one conclusion: The best perfection is imperfection.
I can relate to the story above.
Translated from Dutch.

Maurice wrote on Tuesday 5 December 2023 at 12:51 | reply
In addition to this discussion; many people complain about the graininess of photos taken with a modern camera such as the Nikon Z8. I then think back to the analogue negatives with ISO 400, pushed by a factor of 4 during development. I find that graininess quite beautiful and sometimes photograph at a maximum ISO to get anomalous grain.
Translated from Dutch.

Ynze Braaksma wrote on Friday 8 December 2023 at 21:32 | reply
Lenses can differ in their resolving power
Translated from Dutch.

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