Do you need the perfect lens for your photography

Friday 1 December 2023, 20:10 by Nando Harmsen | 3,017 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
Top Nando! En met mirrorless camera’s en een adapter kun je nu heel veel lenzen passend maken. Ik heb zelf een paar maanden geleden met een 5 tal verschillende lenzen op 50 mm en zelfde diafragma een opname van een zelfde tafereel gemaakt. Ik was zelf stomverbaasd dat diegene die mij het meeste aanspraak niet met een moderne lens maar met een van 60 jaar oud was gemaakt. Leuk experimentje misschien voor de lezer met een paar lenzen in de kast?
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 5 December 2023 at 11:11 | reply
Inderdaad. Dit is iets dat je in dat geval zelf goed kunt doen.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

MacBigfoot wrote on Friday 1 December 2023 at 22:49 | reply
Ik vind het heel moeilijk, ik zou graag wat foto’s naast elkaar willen zien.

Oude objectieven werden gebruikt met analoge rolletjes, krijg je dat gevoel terug met hetzelfde objectief bij een digitale camera? Of laat de digitale camera dan ook al een klinischer beeld zien vanwege de enorme hoeveelheid pixels?

Er zijn oude objectieven die een hele mooie bokeh hebben, of soft focus.
Met een modern lichtsterk objectief kan het onderwerp heel mooi scherp worden weergegeven met een hele mooie vage achtergrond.

Ik weet niet of je oud en nieuw 1-op-1 kunt vergelijken.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 5 December 2023 at 11:10 | reply
Een goede opmerking: ligt het aan de resolutie.
Je moet wel in gedachten houden dat het objectief een bepaald onderscheidend vermogen heeft. Is dat onderscheidend vermogen lager dan de resolutie van je sensor, dan is dat de bepalende factor voor de scherpte.
Persoonlijk denk ik dat je het gewoon 1:1 vergelijken.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 5 December 2023 at 10:48 | reply
Het lezen van het verhaal van Nando doet mij naar één conclusie brengen: De beste perfectie is de imperfectie.
Ik kan mij vinden in bovenstaand verhaal.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Maurice wrote on Tuesday 5 December 2023 at 12:51 | reply
In aanvulling op deze discussie; veel mensen klagen over de korreligheid van foto's gemaakt met een moderne camera als de Nikon Z8. Ik denk dan terug aan de analoge negatieven met ISO 400, met ontwikkelen een factor 4 opgewaardeerd. Ik vindt die korreligheid wel mooi en fotograaf soms op een maximale ISO om een anomale korreligheid te krijgen.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

Ynze Braaksma wrote on Friday 8 December 2023 at 21:32 | reply
Objectieven kunnen zich onderscheiden door hun scheidend vermogen
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.

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